The Fulford family moved to Manatee County over 120 years ago. Cortez, the largest fishing village in Florida, was settled by the Fulfords, along with the Taylor, Lewis, Guthrie, Bell, Adams, Jones and Foreman families who moved down from Carteret County North Carolina. Most of these families can be traced back to the early 1700s in North Carolina.
Fulford brothers David Sanders, William Thomas and Nathan Hooker along with their sisters Martha and Nettie Jane moved down from North Carolina after a hurricane devastated the Carteret County area. Martha died in childbirth soon after but the others bought land in Hunters Point (now called Cortez). Here they raised their families and started successful businesses.
Today many of their grandchildren and great grandchildren remain living next to each other, working together and worshiping together on Sunday.
The original Fulford Fish was started by Capt. William "Billy" Fulford. He built a large house near the waterfront and a fish house in front of it. The 1921 hurricane destroyed most of the buildings in Cortez. Capt Billy had a large boat called the Fish Hawk.
Tink Fulford, his youngest son built the present Fulford Fish house on the water in 1940. After his death in 1965 his son Ralph took over running the business until his retirement. The property is now owned by another Fulford descendant, Calvin Bell, who along with his brothers own and operate the A.P. Bell Fish Company.