Abraham Fuller of Violet Hill was the second son of Joseph and Lydia Fuller, born 19 August 1728. On 11 July 1748 he married Elinor Pakenham, daughter of Thomas Pakenham of Pakenham Hall (Gaddaghanstown, County Westmeath). They had four children: Lydia (20 Jan 1749 - 24 Oct 1751), Ann (14 May 1751 - 6 Nov 1752), Abraham (19 Aug 1728 - 7 Jan 1800), Joseph Thomas “Old Patch” (10 May 1758 - 1842).
On 24 December 1795, Abraham Fuller recorded his account of the Fuller family being robbed at Grangemore when he was a child.
“My father Joseph Fuller was robbed at Grangemore about the 4th Nov 1738 by about six men who entered the kitchen between nine and ten at night. Their faces were blackened. The servants were much alarmed. My father and mother imagined the noise made was the servants playing in the kitchen, until they entered the parlour. My father made no resistance, his arm being just out of joint by a fall a few days before. Robbers names— Francis Boyle, Peter Garry, his two brothers, a man Lacey, and Wheeler who was taken in the robbery, and was hanged at Mullingar. Richard Bust a small boy got out of the house and alarmed the tenants. He told them there were a hundred men all armed but their arms were wet and would not go off. Suite our Carpenter was cut down and when on his knees he saw Wheeler going by and struck him … under the small rib and held him fast. It was a very wet night, and the tenants being afraid of firearms the rest got off.
“One of our men, Thomas Devine, a stout man, was severely wounded. He knocked Boyle down, but Peter Garry had a musket he took out of the house, which he clubbed and struck Devine in the forehead. He lay speechless for twenty-four hours bleeding out of his mouth and ears. Dr. Frayne in time stopped the bleeding. He lived to be an old man and was taken care of by the family. Wheeler would not confess who was with him, though put in a hot griddle and other punishments but all in vain. Peter Garry was taken in Dublin selling a gold dessert spoon, of which my mother had a case. [My son the] counsellor has one of them which was chopped in the hurry. These spoons have been in my mothers family for a long time. Garry confessed when taken and word sent to my father several belongings to the gang were taken some hanged and transported but… was in the robber. Boyle and the two young Garrys quitted the kingdom and never returned. Peter Garry was paid and on turning evidence. He was very civil in the house, and but for him it was thought murder would [have] been committed. He was made County Keeper and had £20 a year, my father did all in his power to save him.
“The plate was taken, but few spoons one of the servant maids put into the ash hole and a silver cup Wheeler had in a bolster (he shook the feathers out) on his back. I was robbed of my little silver buckles and my wig. I was at the time about ten years old. They got some cash my mother had, it was thought two or three hundred, besides a great many valuable curiosities. There were a great many articles dropped by the robbers in their flight, which was found by the county people and kept by them. Years after it was found out.”
Abraham Fuller of Violet Hill died at seven in the morning on 7 January 1800, and was buried at Kilmanaghan (County Offaly).
