Evidence suggests that Fullersburg's settlers observed Christmas with traditional holiday carols; however, their harsh living conditions.were likely to have limited their capacity to safely walk between their homes singing to each other until around 1860 or later. The religious tendencies of the early settlers have already been explored in our earlier blog entitled Christmas in the Settlement of Fullersburg; in addition to their Christian faith, the settlers were likely to have been descendants of colonists who lived on the East Coast with Protestant backgrounds. Benjamin Fuller discovered the area in 1834 and convinced his family to move here with him from rural New York; while we do not have primary historical sources describing their religious practices, we can observe strong Christian ethics reflected in the family's actions relating to the Underground Railroad and philanthropic contributions to the community such as land donations. The Torode family also arrived in this area and became acquainted with the Fullers. J.J. Torode and his brother Nicholas wrote letters to their large family in Ohio, and these letters provide insight into their lifestyle in Old Fullersburg. The Torodes were extremely religious and family oriented; in May of 1836, J.J. writes of his purchase of 30 hymnals for children at 3 cents each; they organized Sunday schools for the local children of the area, so we can assume that Christmas carols were part of their education, but not taught in a caroling setting.
Our vision of Christmas caroling usually involves groups of people standing together outdoors or traveling from home to home singing songs in celebration of Christ's birth. However, well-documented stories from both the Fuller and Torode families indicate that bitterly cold weather impacted their lives during the winter months in early Fullersburg, which would have inhibited their ability to gather together for Christmas caroling. The later stages of a phenomenon called the "Mini Ice Age" impacted Illinois settlers in the first half of the 19th century. There was an exceptionally harsh winter in 1830-31, and in December of 1836, an extreme and sudden drop in temperatures froze birds and farm animals to the ground; people literally ran for cover to escape harm. In the Fullers of Fullersburg, George Ruchty writes that the small cabin initially built by the Fuller family in 1835 had holes in the bark shingles on the roof, and "during the winter blizzards, snow would blow through the openings and cover the bedding," which was disposed of by shaking it to the ground floor. On 1/18/36, Nicholas Torose wriote about his harrowing trip to the grist mill at the Naper Settlement by horse and wagon, stating that he "almost froze stiff with one great coat and two Comforts around me... ." On 1/30/86, Nicholas also wrote in a letter to his family in Ohio, "It is now 3 oclock I will close and go to bed my ink frezes so hard I will just give in (sic) ... ." Simply surviving the winter elements would have taken priority with the early settlers over gathering outdoors for Christmas caroling.
Additionally, both the Fuller and Torode families document the dangers posed to the early settlers of Fullersburg by a large local wolf population, which would have inhibited their abilty to walk from cabin to cabin in the dark of winter. George Ruchty tells us in the Fullers of Fullersburg that Mary Fuller (sister of Benjamin), traveled from home to home to teach the children in the area "accompanied by two large dogs named Pedro and Nero to protect her from wolves that inhabited the outlying area." On 11/26/1838, J.J. Torode writes, "The wolves are very numerous and destroy a great number of our pigs one of our neighbours has caught 3 this fall and we hope as the County improves they will leave or be destroid (sic)." In Village on the County Line, Hugh Dugan describes the organized annual wolf hunts that occurred during the 1840's, when "as many as sixty wolves were known to have been ensnared in this way during a day's hunt." The large presence of wolves in early Fullersburg would have had a stifling effect on social activities such as caroling.
Finally, the Black Hawk War in 1832 sheds light on the complicated relationship between the early settlers of Fullersburg and the Native Americans who inhabited this area before they were displaced during the Settlement Era.. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed in Washington, which allowed for the government to swap tribal lands east of the Mississippi River with unsettled land west of the River, which caused Sauk war leader Black Hawk's pledge in 1832 to forcefully push all of the white settlers off of their tribal lands. Hostilities broke out west of Chicago, but the local Potawatomi chiefs did not support Black Hawk and his effort to form a broad alliance between Native American tribes. In May of 1832, Chief Shabbona warned the settlers of the pending attack from Black Hawk and strongly advised them to seek shelter at Fort Dearborn or other fortified sites. The young Potawatomi braves of the area were then rounded up and put into an enforced encampment near present-day Riverside for the duration of the short-lived war. As noted by historian and author Ann Durkin Keating in Rising Up from Indian Country: The Battle of Ft. Dearborn and the Birth of Chicago, Potawatomi Chief Aptakisic thought this measure was necessary because "'the love of war was so strong, especially with the young warriors, that they could not be trusted to remain neutral if left upon their hunting grounds and villages. General Winfield Scott evidently directed Lt. Sherman King of Naperville to keep an eye on the Potawatomi in Fullersburg, and King moved to this area and started a family. Historical records point to a peaceful relationship between the early settlers of Fullersburg and the local Native Americans, On the other hand, many local primary sources show a strong sense of sympathy toward the Native Americans, including those associated with the Fuller and Torode families. Benjamin Fuller taught the Potawatomi how to shoe their horses, and his son John, who had received a pony as a gift from the tribe, led a debate that called attention to their plight. Likewise, Nicholas Torode writes to his father in 1836 that the local Indians may not be satisfied about the settlement they received for their land and that a murder blamed on an Indian was actually committed by a "wite villian" (sic). The uncertainty of post-war circumstances was not conducive to activities such as Christmas caroling in early Fullersburg.
Change began to occur in this area as the population grew and the living conditions for the settlers improved. Fullersburg became a transportation hub with the Old Plank Road and stagecoach activity through the village. There are more historic records of music approaching the 1860's,which includes the Civil War Era (1861-65). Morell Fuller (brother of Benjamin) was a Union soldier and musician, playing both the drum and the fife during his enlistment. When he returned to the area, he had acquired a violin, which he used to entertain his family and friends at various gatherings. His drum solo was part of the local 4th of July celebrations, where family members attempted unsuccessfully to distract him. On a frigid January morning in 1862, Loie Fuller was born at the Castle Inn in Fullersburg to Delilah and Reuben Fuller, another brother of Benjamin. As a young child, Loie was exposed to organized musical presentations by her parents, who brought her every week to the Chicago Progressive Lyceum, where she recited poetry and sang before becoming a world-famous dancer and moving to Paris around 1892. The steady growth of population led to the construction of the current Faith Fellowship Church in 1877, which was originally a German-speaking "Free Church." Hymns appear to be part of the church service of this denomination, so exposure to music increased in Fullersburg. The immediate threat of wolves and other dangers had diminished while opportunities for socialization had grown, so it appears likely that the circumstances were favorable for Christmas caroling in Fullersburg
beginning around the 1860's.
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