Effie Fulton Brings Spiritualist Church to Huntington

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
14 March 1935

Over the years of researching the history behind haunted locations, I've stumbled across information that I have no idea how I found it. Sometimes, its information that specifically relates to a case I'm working on. I'll hit a research block, and then all of a sudden, the information or document I need pops up in the last place I'd expect. Other times, I'll be researching OTHER cases, and come across information for another location or topic, sometimes one that is new to me but immediately grabs my attention, and sometimes one that I've covered in the past but am still researching. After talking with other historians, paranormal researchers, and genealogists who have had similar experiences, I've come to the conclusion that someone or something has guided me to find this information. It can't all be coincidence and dumb luck; there are people on 'the other side' who desperately want their stories told. I think Effie Fulton is one of those people who don't want to be forgotten. 

Effie Leora Fulton was born on in Mercer County on September 12, 1878. She was the oldest of several children born to the Reverend Thomas Boyd Cook and Louisa Estas Thomas Cook, and in early records (such as census and marriage records) she actually goes by Leora Effa. On Effie's 17th birthday, she married her first husband, Joseph Marion Oaks/Oakes in Mercer County. Unfortunately, her husband would pass away in 1906 while living in Colorado, but not before Effie had given birth to three sons and three daughters. 

The Herald Dispatch
12 March 1935

It's not clear what brought Effie to study spiritualism. Her father, the Rev. Thomas Cook, was a devout Baptist preacher and God-fearing man. But, somewhere along the line, Effie realized that she had a gift of mediumship. She remarried, this time to a man named Joseph W. Fulton. I THINK she was still in Colorado at this time, but the couple soon moved back to Effie's place of birth, Mercer County, and settled in Matoaka, WV. 

Around 1914, Joseph W. and Effie came to Huntington, WV. Joseph worked as a conductor for the railroad, and Effie founded and served as the head pastor of the First Spiritualist Church of Huntington. While there is no mention of the Fultons or the church in the 1915 Polk City Directory, by 1920 the couple is listed as living at 1660 10th Avenue, and the church is located at 325 14th St. W, Huntington, WV. 

Approximate location of The First Spiritualist Church
325 14th St. West, Huntington
Image from Google Maps

Unfortunately, the site of the church is now a scary looking empty lot. Even more unfortunately, I can't seem to find much, if anything, about it. Thanks to the Polk City Directory, we have an address and a brief description of the location (southwest corner of 14th St. and Virginia Ave.) and obviously from obituaries, we know that it was founded by Effie Fulton around 1914, and she continued to be the leader of the congregation until her death. Aside from that, the only other mention I've seen is a brief sentence in an article written about a (slightly) less obscure medium from the Huntington area named Cliff Bias. It is noted that when Cliff was living in Huntington, he attended his first development circle with Effie at the Spiritualist Church. The 14 year old paid 25 cents to attend, but chose not to go back because he assumed he had wasted his money when he fell asleep and stayed asleep through the whole thing. However, the article notes that Cliff didn't actually fall asleep---he fell into a trance and vocally channeled a spirit. 

Throughout the 1920's, the Fultons lived at several different addresses in Huntington, but the church pretty much stayed at 325 14th St. W. Around 1928 something somewhat confusing happens. In the Polk City Directory for that year, Effie is listed as living at 1650 McGuffin Avenue and is widowed. However, further down the page, Jos W. is listed as living on 6th Avenue! I was quite confused, thinking maybe he had an adult son not only with his same name, but same occupation, or maybe that he had died, but there was a mix-up in the data reporting for the directory. But, I think I found what actually happened.

1928 Polk City Directory

Joseph W. Fulton passed away on May 3, 1930 after what looks like from his death certificate a pretty horrific accident. On his death certificate where marriage status is recorded, he's listed as being divorced. I guess it was less scandalous at that time for Effie to just tell the city directory people that she was widowed (which wasn't a lie; her first husband had died) rather than divorced. 

Mrs. Effie Fulton would join her two husbands in death on March 12, 1935. She passed away at her home at 1309 17th St. from complications due to pneumonia. Funeral services were held for her that evening in the home, and then her body was sent back to Mercer County the next day, where additional services were held at her mother's home before burial in the Athens Cemetery. Although she legally kept the last name Fulton, she was buried under the name Effie Cooke Oakes.  She was survived by her mother and her six children. 

Effie's Tombstone
Find-a-Grave, uploaded by D. Mack

I'm really surprised that information on the First Spiritualist Church of Huntington, WV wasn't more easily accessible, as to me, that seems like a pretty important piece of the city's history! I also wish that I could have found more research on Effie herself, as being both a medium AND the pastor/founder of a church seems like attributes that people would want to put out there. But, I'm thrilled that I just happened to stumble upon her obituary while looking up a newspaper article for another case. I have a feeling that there are plenty of hours of manually going through newspaper articles at the library for any mentions of the Spiritualist church and it's founder. Personally, I find the topic fascinating, and I'm looking forward to learning about Effie as a person, as well as Effie as a medium. I'd like to think that Effie reached out beyond the grave and chose me to be the one to tell her story...and I don't want to let her down! 

Further Reading and Sources:

Biography of Rev. Thomas Boyd Cook, written by grandson, William Lyons. Geni.com article. 

Clifford Bias: Trumpet Medium, by Travis Sanders. November 11, 2019

Effie Fulton Death Certificate. WV State Archives

JW Fulton Death Certificate. WV State Archives

Find-a-Grave Entry for Effie Cook Oakes

Marriage Record for Effie and J.M. Oakes (FamilySearch)

Hungarian Woman Sought Murder Clue From Spirits

Today's blog post is another interesting newspaper article I stumbled across during my research.  It comes from the January 23, 1914 edition of the Huntington Herald Dispatch and is of interest to tri-state residents of both West Virginia AND Ohio!

HUNGARIAN WOMAN SOUGHT MURDER CLUE FROM SPIRITS

Widow of Thurmond Miner calls on Coreyville Spiritualist but Mrs. Blake is ill---instructed to return in February to communicate with unseen world.

Coming from a little mining camp near Thurmond, W.Va. to talk to her dead husband through Mrs. Blake, the far famed spiritualist of Coreyville, O., Mrs. Frankie Ravis, a Hungarian woman who cannot talk English, was forced to return last night when the mysterious woman of Coreyville was unable to talk with the spirit world.

Mrs. Blake told Mrs. Ravis that she was ill, but instructed her to come back without fail late in February, at which time she might hear her husband's voice.

When Mrs. Ravis came to Huntington, she was taken to police station by a business man to whom she appealed. The man could not understand the language she spoke and therefore asked the police to find an interpreter. The woman had a paper in her hand on which was written, "Mrs. Blair."

Sergeant Lee Wilson called Harry Ziegler, who speaks the Hungarian language, and in a short time Mr. Ziegler learned the Hungarian woman's story.

Late in last autumn her husband had fallen from a bridge near Thurmond and was killed. The wife suspected that he had been a victim of foul play, telling Mr. Ziegler that he had been struck on the head by a robber or assassin.

She desired to communicate with him in the spirit world through Mrs. Blake, of whom she had heard.  One of Mrs. Ravis' friends whose husband had been mysteriously murdered in a black-smithing shop had gone to Coreyville and talked with her dead husband through the spiritualist, according to the story given Mr. Ziegler by the foreign woman.

"How is Mrs. Blake going to communicate with the spirits when she probably can't talk Hungarian?" suggested a bystander.

When this thought was conveyed to the foreign woman she was perplexed not at all but declared that she couldn't talk to her husband in English because he didn't know that language any better than she did.  She thought that Mrs. Blake would have no difficulty in summoning the spirit.

Mrs. Ravis said after returning from Coreyville last night that she would return in February to communicate with her husband. She was greatly disappointed at not having the opportunity of hearing his voice again.

"The woman has some property in Thurmond, according to her statement to Mr. Ziegler yesterday afternoon.  Her husband had been a successful miner and saved most of what he made.

Mrs. Ravis is a picturesque character and in her younger days must have been a beautiful Hungarian woman. She gave the impression of being a woman of considerable education and her manner was one of culture. 

She wore a black dress, hat, and veil of foreign appearance.  Although having been in the country for a number of years she had associated practically none with Americans.