Sunday, August 26, 2012

Evidence of Turpins in Halifax County, VA before 1820


During the War of 1812, British troops entered Washington, DC in 1814 and burned the White House and other public buildings in retaliation for the American attack on York in Ontario.  Amidst that destruction, Virginia’s 1790 and 1800 census reports were destroyed in addition to some 1810 census reports -- including those for Halifax County, Virginia.  So the "census substitutes" for genealogists researching those years are the land and personal property tax lists.  In the early lists, the tax commissioner recorded alphabetically the names of the person being taxed, specifically white males over the age of twenty-one.
1789 VA Tax List showing Michael and 2 sons, also Obediah
Anne Washburn, a fellow genealogist and perhaps a distant cousin, has been working on a Turpin project and recently we've been comparing notes.  Anne shared a list of the Turpins who appear in those pre-1820 tax lists.  (Anne used Binn's indexes of the tax lists.   Here's a link if you'd like to see this source   http://www.binnsgenealogy.com/VirginiaTaxListCensuses/)

NOTE:  John Turpin first appears in the lists in 1792.  If that is when he was 21, it adds evidence to his birth around 1770.

1782:  no Turpins
1783:  no Turpins
1784:  no Turpins
1785:  no Turpins [Richard Carter, tailor, was tithed there that year]
1786:  Michael Turpin [Richard Carter was next door neighbor]
1787:  Michael Turpin
          William Turpin
1788:  Michael Turpin
          Obediah Turpin
1789:  Michael Turpin & two sons [not named in the tax list]
          Obediah Turpin
1790:  no Turpins
1791:  no Turpins
1792:  Michael Turpin
          Obediah Turpin
          John Turpin [first time listed, some evidence of his birth year]
1793:  Michael Turpin
          Obediah Turpin
          John Turpin
          James Turpin [not the same as our James Turpen of Owen Co IN]
1794:  Edith Turpin [Michael died ca. 1793/4]
          James Turpin
          John Turpin
1795:  James Turpin
          Edith Turpin
1796:  James Turpin
          John Turpin
1797:  John Turpin
          James Turpin
1798:  no Turpins
1799:  James Turpin
1800:  James Turpin
          John Turpin
1801:  James Turpin
          John Turpin
1802:  James Turpin
          John Turpin
1803:  John Turpin
          James Turpin
1804:  John Turpin
1805:  John Turpin
1806:  John Turpin
1807:  James Turpin
          John Turpin
1808:  missing from Binns
1809:  John Turpin
1810:  John Turpin
          James Turpin 
1811:  John Turpin
1812:  John Turpin
          James Turpin
1813:  John Turpin
          William Turpin
1814:  John Turpin
1815:  John Turpin
1816:  John Turpin
          Thomas Turpin
          Josiah Turpin
1817:  Thomas Turpin
          John Turpin
1818:  John Turpin
          George Turpin 
          Thomas Turpin
          Josiah Turpin
1819:  Thomas Turpin
          George Turpin
          Thomas Turpin
          Josiah Turpin
          John Turpin
1820:  Thomas Turpin
          Josiah Turpin
          John Turpin 
          George Turpin
1821:  John Turpin
          Josiah Turpin

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Why Halifax County, Virginia?


Most of everything I was told or had read indicated that Robert Newton Turpin came from Richmond, Virginia or just Virginia. There are Turpins in Richmond but nothing that I can connect to Robert Newton Turpin specifically.   No one in the family ever mentioned Halifax County and I find nothing for Robert Newton Turpin that traces back to Halifax County.   

Through my research, I found suggestions that stepped me back to Halifax County.  Since I have no single document to prove the connection, listing those clues is important.     
In the 1850 census of Owen County, Indiana, I found Robert Newton Turpin living next to his mother, Elizabeth, and brother, John Turpin. They lived a few dwellings away from the James Turpen family. In a land transfer document dated 19th November 1840, I found the clues to make those family associations.  
John and Elizabeth's Land Transfer - 1840
The document from the Owen County, Indiana county recorder states that John Turpin and his wife Elizabeth grant their land to Mary, Robert N. and Henry W. Turpin taking into consideration that these three will care for John and Elizabeth and their son, John Jr. who is "partially incapable of procuring" a living for himself.  The land involved was the Southwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 5, Township 9-N and Range 3-W which Elizabeth purchased in 1839 (see my May 2012 blog post). It was located in the southeast area of Owen County, along the northern border of Clay Township and just south the White River and the town of Spencer.  It could be assumed from this document that Mary, Robert N. “Newt”, and Henry are John and Elizabeth’s children.  John Jr. is an older child and a brother to Mary, Newt, and Henry.  

Owen County marriage records provide a wealth of information on the Turpins and using cluster research techniques, it’s possible to trace many of the Turpin in-laws and other Owen County residents back to Halifax County, Virginia.  

John (born about 1770) and James (born 1790) both live in Owen County in 1840 according to the 1840 census. On both the 1840 and 1850 censuses we see a flurry of surnames that are found in Halifax County, Virginia such as Arnold, Carter, Dunn, Franklin, Lowery, and Mills.

Before 1840, James and John can be found in Halifax County.  They are there in the 1820 and 1830 censuses.  Their ages match.  In 1820, that particular page of the census also shows Carters, Franklins, and Mills.  Going to other Halifax county records of the time period, one finds Arnolds, Carters, Dunns, Franklins, Lowerys, and Mills.  

The Halifax County, Virginia marriage records include a marriage for John and Elizabeth Carter dated 8th March 1797.  There is a marriage bond record for them showing a Richard Carter as bondsman...a clue to Elizabeth's family.  There are other clues I'm following up with as time allows.  Is the March 1797 marriage John's first marriage?  (That would mean that James is not their son. If he's a brother, there's a 20 year gap in their ages.) There's a Mildred Turpin living near James and John in Halifax County in 1820 and 1830.  She is still there in 1840.   Obediah is another member of the family.  He lived in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Owen County, Indiana, and Hendricks County, Indiana.  

Saturday, August 18, 2012

James Turpen Family


In previous posts, I have mentioned another Turpin who seemed to migrate with my great great grandfather John Turpin.  John and James are in Halifax County, Virginia and Owen County, Indiana.  After John died, John’s son Robert Newton “Newt” Turpin and James move to Greene County, Iowa. This family used an “e” instead of an “I” in their surname frequently.  

Here is an outline of what I’ve learned about James’ family.   

James TURPEN
Born:   6 April 1790   in Virginia
Marr:   2 Feb 1837    
Died:   6 Dec 1886  
Bur:     Greene Co., IA 

married

Nancy Jane CARTER (known as Janey)
Born:   10 Mar 1813, in Virginia
Died:   23 May 1910   Greene County, IA 
Bur:     Greene Co., IA 

Their children:
1. Susa TURPEN, born about 1838 IN
2. William TURPEN, born 1844 IN and married Newt's daughter Louise Ann Turpin
3. Luke born 1848 IN and married Emily Babb 
4. Isaac Newton TURPEN, born about 1848 in IN.  Followed Turpins to Nebraska
5. Henry Watson TURPEN, born about 1852 IN married Emily Marie "Emma" Bennett
6. Samuel Allan TURPEN, born Mar 1853 IN, married Lydia Jane Thornton
7. George Washington TURPEN, born 26 Dec 1856 IN, married Mabel Davis 
8  John TURPEN

James and Janey are supposedly buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, however Find-a-Grave does not list them.  I may need to revisit that topic to see if I can locate them.