The primary geographic anchor for the Fulghum and Vaughan families. Multiple generations documented here from the early 1800s to the present.
Geographic Anchors
Independence, MO
- Family: Fulghum, Vaughan
- Person: Gale Fulghum (b. 1923, d. 2007); Doris Vaughan Fulghum (b. 1922, d. 2014)
- Context: Independence was a small city (pop. ~11,000 in the 1930s) east of Kansas City, served as the county seat of Jackson County. Home to the Truman Presidential Library. William Chrisman High School, where both Gale and Doris graduated (1940 class), remains a local institution.
- Addresses: 1222 N. Liberty, Independence (Fulghum family, 1935 per memoir)
Buckner, MO
- Family: Vaughan, Jones
- Person: Doris Vaughan Fulghum (born here, 1922)
- Context: Small community in eastern Jackson County. Doris's parents Roy and Blanche Vaughan lived here. The family was "descended from early Jackson and Clay County settlers" per Doris's obituary.
Fairmount, MO (neighborhood of Independence / Kansas City)
- Family: Orille
- Person: Jack and Sybil Orille (Gale's assumed biological parents, 1925)
- Context: Fairmount was a neighborhood at the eastern edge of Kansas City / western edge of Independence. In the 1920s, it was transitioning from a resort/amusement area to residential bungalow development.
Kansas City, MO
- Family: Fulghum (birthplace)
- Person: Gale Fulghum (born here, 1923)
- Context: Kansas City was the 14th-17th largest city in the country in the 1920s, a major rail center and meatpacking hub.
Migration Pattern
The Vaughan and Jones families were among the early settlers of Jackson and Clay County, Missouri, arriving no later than the mid-1800s (DAR membership confirms pre-Revolutionary ancestry in the American colonies, with subsequent migration westward to Missouri).
Timeline:
- Pre-1800s: Vaughan/Jones ancestor(s) served in the American Revolution
- Mid-1800s: Family settled in Jackson/Clay County, MO
- 1901: Roy Wallace Vaughan born
- 1903: Blanche Jones born
- ~1921: Roy and Blanche married (estimated)
- 1922: Doris Vaughan born in Buckner, MO
- 1923: Gale Fulghum born in Kansas City, MO
- 1935: Fulghum family at 1222 N. Liberty, Independence
- 1940: Both Gale and Doris graduate William Chrisman High School
- 1944: Gale and Doris marry in Chicago (wartime)
- 1948: Gary Vaughan Fulghum born
- 2007: Gale dies in Independence
- 2014: Doris dies
Genetic Signal
(Awaiting DNA data)
Connected Persons
| Person | Connection | Dates | Vault Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gale_Fulghum | Resident | 1923-2007 | |
| Doris_Vaughan_Fulghum | Born/Resident | 1922-2014 | |
| Roy Wallace Vaughan | Resident | 1901-1977 | |
| Blanche Jones Vaughan | Resident | 1903-1997 | |
| Jack Orille | Located in Fairmount | 1925 | |
| Sybil Orille | Located in Fairmount | 1925 | |
| Fred Fulghum | Resident | 1930s |
Key Research Resources
- Mid-Continent Public Library / Midwest Genealogy Center (Independence, MO): Largest free genealogy center in the US. Census microfilms, local histories, newspapers.
- Jackson County Recorder of Deeds: Marriage records, property records.
- Missouri State Archives: Death certificates (1910-present), birth index (1910-present).
- Kansas City Public Library, Missouri Valley Special Collections: City directories, photographs, local history.
Open Questions
- Who were Roy Wallace Vaughan's parents? (See Open_Questions #2)
- Who were Blanche Jones Vaughan's parents? (See Open_Questions #2)
- What was the Orille family's connection to Fairmount? (See Open_Questions #1)