George Washington Turpen, #7

George is my favorite child in Jim and Janey’s family because he helped make one of the Turpin connections.  George's son Homer and my mother Letha met up in Iowa and looked for the tie our families.   What were the chances that the Turpens of Greene County, Iowa were NOT related to the Turpins of Greene County, Iowa?   How we were connected was the question. (I think the question is answered by recognizing Jim Turpen as the older brother of Robert Newton Turpin.)

George was the seventh child in his family. He was born 26 December 1856 in Owen County, Indiana.  Their part of the family had not yet left Indiana.  But we capture him in the 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses in Greene County, Iowa.  In the last census, he is living with his son Homer Turpen.

George married Mabel Davis on 30 June 1887.  George and Mabel farmed in Greene County. Their family included Clarence A., Pearl, Verna, Homer D., Gladys, and Florence. Homer Turpen had a son Duane R. Turpen of Kansas City, Missouri.  I have not followed up on the other children.

In the 1910 census, George’s mother Janey is still alive at age 94 and living with him.   The census listed her birth year as 1816.  Many censuses confirm that she was born a Virginian but the 1910 census leaves us with a question -- what does it say???

Janey Turpen's birthplace of Virginia is crossed out and replaced by...something.

George Turpen died 13 April 1932.  Mabel died a few years before in 1929.  George and Mabel are buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery where so many other Turpins were laid to rest.

Samuel Allan Turpin, the Sixth Child

Before I tell about Samuel, I want to point out something about the times in which Jim and Janey Turpen's family lived.  You'll notice that some of their children went to the west coast.  Samuel and his wife Lydia "stayed put" in Iowa.  Even Samuel's brother-in-law John Thornton moved west.  

Jim and Janey’s sixth child was Samuel Allan Turpin. Samuel was born 5 March, 1854 near Spencer, Owen County, Indiana.  He remembered moving to Iowa when he was seven years old.   He farmed southeast of Jefferson, Greene County, Iowa most of his life and was a well-respected citizen.  

Samuel married Lydia Jane Thornton on 7 February 1879.  Lydia was born and raised in Greene County, Iowa.  She was born 3 January 1857 to James and Jane Parker Thornton.

Samuel died 2 January 1927 shortly after the death of his older brother Henry W. Turpin of Fowler, California.  Lydia, Samuel’s widow, lived until 26 July 1950.  She had a brother who survived her, James Thornton of Walla Walla, Washington.

Samuel and Lydia were members of the Central Christian Church of Jefferson and after Samuel’s death Lydia gave the church a Moller pipe organ in his memory.  While they had no children, they were remembered in their obituaries in the Jefferson Bee newspaper.

Henry Watson Turpin, the 5th Child

Jim and Janey Turpen’s fifth child was Henry Watson Turpin who was born about 1851 in Owen County, Indiana.  He came to Greene County, Iowa with his family and they lived in Jefferson.   Henry probably lived in Arkansas also while his family was there in the 1860s.

   

He married Emily Marie Bennett the daughter of Hiram Bennett and Ellen M. Applegate in Greene Co IA 2 Feb 1876.  Emily was born in 1857 in Missouri, Pike County, Arkansas.

They were in Washington Township in Greene County in 1880 and Henry farmed there.  By 1895 they had moved to Grant Township.  Sometime between 1895 and 1910, Henry and his wife moved to California. They were listed in the 1910 and 1920 censuses.

Fresno, California circa 1895

Henry died 8 December 1926 in Fowler, Fresno, California.  Emily appeared in the 1930 census living with her daughter Fay and son-in-law Clyde Van Horn.  Since she was not living with them in 1940, Emily apparently died before then. 

Their children were:

George Henry Turpin who was born in October 1876 in Greene County, Iowa.  He first married Sara Alverda Gliem and later Lulu Blance Kloss.   George died in 1856 in Greene County, Iowa.

William Q. Turpin who was born about 1878 in Greene County, Iowa.

Fanny J. Turpin who was born about 1880 in Greene County, Iowa.  Fanny, known as Fay, married Clyde Van Horn. 

A son whose name is unknown was born 27 February 1881 in Greene County, Iowa. 

Lydia Lucille Turpin who was born 29 Aug 1887 and died October 1968 in Fresno, California.

Walter Luke Turpin who was born in 1894 in Greene County, Iowa. Walter married Francis Erma Atchinson (1899-1978). They had a son Ronald W. Turpin.  Walter died  2 November 1976 in Forest Falls, San Bernadino, California and is buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery beside his wife Francis.

William Turpen, 2nd Child

I skipped over William Turpen, the second child of Jim and Janey Turpen.   He is discussed in a previous blog post: 
http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2011/11/louise-anne-anna-turpin-fifth-child.html

William Turpen married Louise Anne (Anna) Turpin who was Newt Turpin's daughter and William's cousin.  

They had five children: 

James N. (b. 1870 IA), Mary (b. 1873 IA), Susan E. (b. @1875 IA), Katherine “Kate” (b. @ 1877 IA), and Carrie B. (b. 1880 IA). 

Anna died in 1880, perhaps in childbirth.  This left Will with the difficult task of raising small children.  He remarried 9 August 1887 to Mary A. Edwards.  Anna is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Greene County, Iowa.  Will died in 1923.

Isaac Newton Turpen, 4th Child

Isaac was the fourth child of Jim and Janey Turpen.  Born in May 1847, he lived in Owen County for just a few years before the family left.  He probably had no recollection of what it was like there.  By age 22, the family had settled in Jefferson, Greene County, Iowa but Isaac did not stay long.  He was in Iowa in 1870 and by 1880 he was in the Unorganized Territory of Holt County, Nebraska, living near his Uncle Newt Turpin and the other Nebraska Turpins.  In the 1885 State Census of Nebraska, he had moved to Long Pine in Brown County, Nebraska.  That is west of Holt County.  Finally, Isaac landed in California.  He was listed in Fresno in the California Voter Registrations in 1896.

1896  - California Voter Registration with Isaac N. Turpen

Isaac spelled his last name both ways – Turpen and Turpin.  He normally used his middle initial, but not always. And he was not afraid to move on to new places.  It makes the search interesting, Isaac!

No marriage records have been found.  But by the time of the 1900 census, he is living with his wife Martha A. who was born in October 1868 in Nebraska.  They had been married about 10 years.  That marriage could have happened anywhere from Nebraska to California.  Martha was about 20 years younger than Isaac.  They had no children so there are no families saving Isaac and Martha's history. 

Isaac was engaged in farming and one of the censuses listed him as a fruit grower.  The 1901 Fresno City Directory listed him as an orchardist residing in Easton.  As early as 1911, the directory showed him residing on Effie Street with no occupation listed.    

Later in 1916, the directory still had him living on Effie Street.  He would have been 69 years old.  In 1916, Martha was listed in the Long Beach, California City Directory as a widow of I. N. Turpin living on 238 Elm Street.  That could mean that Isaac died that year and she relocated.  In 1918, she was back in Fresno on Effie Street.  Likewise in the 1920 census, Martha was living on Effie Street and listed as a widow aged 51.

After that both are gone.   I have not found Isaac or Martha in obituaries or cemetery listings.  

Luke Turpen, 3rd Child

Luke Turpen was the third child of Jim and Janey Turpen.   He was born in May 1848 in Indiana.  On 16 April 1871 he married Emily J. Babb, the oldest daughter of Valentine Servier Babb and Lydia Crumly.  Emily was born in Iowa in Dec 1847.  Both of Emily’s parents were born in Tennessee and came to Iowa before 1847.

Luke and Emily lived in Greene County, Iowa.  They farmed in the Squirrel Hollow area and put up ice from the Raccoon River during winters.

Luke and Emily had a daughter, Emily C, who was born about 1877 and died young. 

Emily died in 1924.  Luke died a few years later in 1927.  Both are buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Greene Co., IA.  Since there were no children surviving Luke and Emily, it makes you wonder if anyone has a photograph of them!  I have old photographs from the Turpin family with no names written on the backs to identify people.  

Location of Pleasant Hill Cemetery

James’ Children - Susa,1st Child

I plan to blog what I’ve found on the known children of James Turpen.  This is a first post on his children.

From the www.sweetowen.net website, Nancy Jane Carter -- is this Jim and Janey?

Susa was the first child of James and Janey (Carter).   Susa was probably born about 1838 and is indicated in the 1840 census records of Owen County, Indiana as a daughter less than five years of age.  She is a 12-year-old in the 1850 census.  Since James and Janey cannot be found in an 1860 census, when Susa would have been 22, she drops from sight in that big time gap of 20 years.  That presents a research challenge.

Her name appears once, on a single census so it could be misspelled or shortened by the census taker.  Susa could have died.  She might have gotten married in Owen County, Indiana or Greene County, Iowa but there doesn’t seem to be any clues in the marriage records.  We don’t know where the family lived in Arkansas but we might find traces of her there someday.  It's an open project!

James of course had a son before he married Janey Carter.  When he was married to Jane Mills in Virginia, they had a son.  Both Jane and son are gone from records after 1830.  The most likely explanation is death but this is another open project. 

James Turpen Summary

James was born about 1806 and could definitely be a child of John Turpin and brother to Newt Turpin.  He moved from Virginia to Indiana with John’s family, then from Indiana to Iowa with Newt’s family.  He and his children sometimes spelled their name with an “e” and sometimes with an “i” but it’s the same family.  Some descendants of this Turpen branch still live in the Rippey, Iowa area.

Jim’s tombstone says he was born in 1790 and died 6 Dec 1886.  It’s doubtful that James was born before 1800.  John and Elizabeth were married 1797.  Also, various census records estimate James’ birth in a number of different years but very likely he was born about 1806 in Halifax County, Virginia.  

Jim can be detected in the John Turpin household in Marseilles, Halifax County, Virginia in the 1820 census by his age – there is a son listed who is 10-16 years old.  In 1827, he married Jane Mills.  By 1830, he is listed as living next to John Turpin with his wife and a son under five years old.  At this point, Jim is 20-30 years old.  Within a few years, his wife Jane and his son appear to have died. I’ve found no death or cemetery records for Jane or the son. Then Jim and others in the family leave Virginia to settle in Owen County, Indiana sometime in the 1830s. 

In Owen County, Indiana, Jim met Jane Carter and they marry in 1837.  Nancy Jane Carter was born 10 Mar 1813 in Virginia. (I'm guessing that she ties into all the other Carters in the family.)  The 1840 census lists him as 30-40 years old, with his wife who is 20-30 years old, and a daughter under five years old.  By the time of the 1850 census, Jim’s family had grown with children Susa, William, Luke and Isaac N.  Janey’s mother, Sucky Carter also is living with them.  (Sookie, Suky is a nickname for Susan or Susanna.)

Now is when the Turpins begin to drift out of Owen County.  Newt Turpin goes to McLean County, Illinois and then on to Iowa.  Newt is in Greene County, Iowa in 1860 but Jim is not.  He isn’t on a census in 1860 (that I can find).  It’s said that around 1864 Jim and Janie moved from Indiana to Iowa, then to Arkansas in about 1869.  Three years later they returned to Rippey in Greene County, Iowa. However, Jim is listed in Greene County, Iowa in the 1870 census.  It seems the estimated years of James’ travels may be off by a few years but the details of where he went are probably accurate.  

Jim stayed in Greene County the rest of his life.  He and Janey added Henry, Samuel, George, and John to their family.   Jim died 6 Dec 1886  and Janey died 23 May 1910.  Both are buried in Greene County, Iowa.  Janey’s tombstone has her name engraved as Nancy J. Turpen.

State v George (More About John Epps, Step-father to James R. Carter)

Paul Zimmerli pointed out some history about John Epps, husband to Charlotte Temple Evans Carter Epps who was James R. Carter's mother.   John Epps ran a barbershop and occasionally referred to himself as Dr. Epps.  He then became involved in a sordid series of events that culminated in his murder at the hands of F. W. George.  Yes, it was the wild, wild west...even in Des Moines, Iowa.  We sometimes forget.  

For the background on this, see my May blog post and Paul's comments:

http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2013/05/james-r-carter-had-ties-to-lancaster.html?showComment=1371915690692#c7180199983403173208

Paul refers to The Northwestern Reporter: Volume 18 which is available through Google Books for free.  Google Books has been a great resource for me but I had not looked for court reports.  Here is a synopsis of the crime that is described in the report of State v George:

Who is James Turpin/Turpen of Owen County, Indiana?

The Turpin family members were the ultimate recyclers.  Few names were used only once, but rather they keep coming back over and over, used sometimes in multiples.  James is one of those names.  The Turpins loved their Jameses.  If you mix that with unreliable dates in documents, it’s the perfect recipe for a genealogist’s headache.

Early Setters of Tidewater Virginia, Volume 3 compiled by Elise Greenup Jourdan shows that Michael and Edith Turpin had sons named Obediah, John, and James.  And we have Turpins in Owen County, Indiana named Obediah, John, and James who hailed from Virginia.  That would appear to be a good fit.  But the Indiana James does not usually match the Virginia James profile.  He is on the edges of the age range for being a brother of Obediah and John and a son of Edith.  

Obediah was probably born about 1761.  John was born about 1770.  James was born 1792 or 1798 or 1806 or 1820 depending on which record you are reading.  Here is the James information formatted into a timeline. 

Does he look like a brother to Obediah and John or a son of John?   I am tempted to split this timeline.  The events before 1820 are the James who is Michael’s son.  The events starting in 1820 could be a son of John who is Michael’s son.  I’ve found no direct evidence to support this idea but this timeline sort of points that way.  Thoughts?

Michael Turpin

I will be posting some of the information I've collected on James Turpen and his family.  But to start with, I wanted to share some information from Early Settlers of Tidewater Virginia, Volume 3 by Elise Greenup Jourdan.  It will serve as a preface to James' family stories.

In a previous post I mentioned that Obediah, John, and James were sons of Michael Turpin: http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/search/label/Edith%20Turpin  Here is that information:

Michael Turpin d. 1794 Halifax Co; m. Edith ?.  His children were:

   Obediah Turpin
   James Turpin m. 12 Nov 1794 Halifax Co. Polly Smith; daughter of James Smith
   John Turpin; m. 8 Mar 1797 Elizabeth Carter
   Mary (Polly) Turpin; m. 16 June 1788 Halifax Co. James Powell; 
                                                                                    sur. Obediah Turpin

The James listed in the Jourdan book only loosely fits the profile of James who was born in Halifax County and moved to Owen County, Indiana with our branch of the Turpins. It is entirely possible that (Robert Newton Turpin's father) John Turpin had a brother AND a son named James.  At this point, I have not made up my mind as there are good arguments for both scenarios.   

More to come...

A List of Fathers for the Bell Family (Happy Father's Day!)

New information on the Bell family came into the blog this week, so I’ll add it.

Two of Newt Turpin’s daughters married Bell brothers, Joe and Douglas.  See blog entries:  #8 – Nancy the Adventurous Daughter http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2011/11/8-nancy-adventurous-daughter.html  and #9 - Hannah Catherine Turpin - Another Adventurer http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2011/12/9-hannah-catherine-turpin-another.html.

The Bell family arrived in northern Nebraska before 1880, about the same time as the Turpins.  Jacob Bell, father of Joe and Douglas, was born in Ohio in 1815. The censuses show that he and his family were in Webster County, Iowa in 1856 and Polk County, Iowa in 1860. In 1870, before coming to Nebraska, they lived on the East James River in Yankton, Dakota Territory. The family consisted of:

  Parents: Jacob Bell, 1815-1880 and Lourissa (various spellings), 1833-?
  Joseph H. "Joe" Bell b. Nov 1856 IA 
  Stephen A. Douglas Bell b. May 1861 IA
  Thomas Benton "Bent" Bell b. Oct 1862 IA
  C. Enfield Bell b. Aug 1864 IA

Additional information included (I have not verified the information below):

Records show the Bells went back to early times in this country and originated in England. 

 Jacob Bell (1815-1880) b. OH
 Isaac Bell (1795-1871) b. PA
 Benjamin Bell (1751-1853) b. VA 
 Nathaniel Bell (1725-1800) b. VA 
 Nathaniel Bell Sr. (1689-1745) b. VA
 Robert Bell (1655-1724) b. VA
 Thomas Bell (1618-1678) b. Kent, England
 Robert Bell (1588-1639) b. Norfolk, England
 Edmund Bell (1562-1608) b. Norfolk, England
 Sir Robert Bell (~1520-1577) b. Hertford, England

Sir Robert Bell was Lord (Chief) Baron of the Exchequer in the court of Queen Elizabeth I and the subject of the book "Sir Robert Bell and His Early Virginia Colony Descendants" by James Elton Bell and Frances Jean Bell.

I hope this information is helpful to researchers on that part of the family!

James R. Carter had ties to Lancaster County, Nebraska

I love the serendipity of genealogical research, especially when someone points out something right under your nose that you were not looking for and not expecting.  Not quite like winning the lottery but it’s still fun! 

I got one of those this week. 

Portrait and Biographical Album of Lancaster County, Nebraska published 1888 

I’ve used the Portrait and Biographical Album of Lancaster County, Nebraska many times.   My great, great grandfather Casper Martin (another branch of the family) is in there along with other shirt-tail relatives.  But an anonymous contributor commented on my January  blog entry “Cousins Die in Camp at Cape Girardeau in 1861” about James R. Carter (cousin of Thomas B. Turpin) and pointed to this Lancaster County history book as the source of more information on James Carter’s family.  Wow!  

The history was published in 1888 and has an entry for Joseph Epps, step-brother to James R. Carter.   The biography states that John and Charlotte Epps’ family consisted of Charlotte’s four children from her marriage to George Carter:  John, Riley, Eliza, and  William Carter;  and Christopher, Rachel, Agnes, Joseph, Mary, and Amanda who were the children of John and Charlotte.

The 1860 census of Warren County, Iowa shows them as John A., James R., E A D J Carter, and Wm E. Carter; and Chris Col, Rachel Agnes, Jos. Andrew, Mary Louisa, and Amanda Chris B J.

For anyone who may be researching that particular branch of the family, Anonymous adds:

It mentions Charlotte EVANS CARTER EPPS and at the time of writing was living in Mitchell, South Dakota ... William Elijah Carter's daughter Minnie Louise was married three times, [to] John H. Raner and had 6 children, William Frederick Holkan (widower with 5 children), and Louis Frederick Karsten in Nebraska.  She died sometime after 1950.  Lou was my great-great-uncle. 

The Portrait and Biographical Album of Lancaster County, Nebraska is a digitized book and the article on the Epps family can be found at:

http://www.archive.org/stream/portraitbiograph01chic#page/492/mode/2up

1880 Agriculture Census for the Unorganized Territories of Nebraska

This census was an additional, non-population census taken in 1880. This particular one gives us some insight into the inhabitants of the future Rock County, Nebraska and what their lives were like.  We find Newt settling in quite nicely:

Robert N. Turpin is on Page 2 of Enumeration District 191.   He owns his lands and has tilled 10 acres.  Additionally, he has a horse, 2 mules, 6 milch cows, 10 other cows, and 15 swine.  He made 140 pounds of butter in 1979.

1880 Ag Census for Nebraska, Unorganized Territory, Enumeration Dist 191, Page 2

Just a few years after arriving in Nebraska, we can see other puzzle pieces coming into place.  Others in the area with familiar names are:

S. A. Douglas Bell (same as the Douglas Bell who is husband of Newt Turpin’s daughter Hannah Catherine Turpin)

Joseph Bell (husband of Newt Turpin’s daughter Nancy Elizabeth Turpin)

Wharfield Paul (husband of Newt Turpin’s daughter Sarah Jane Turpin)

Issac N Turpin (James Turpen’s son and Newt’s nephew)

Samuel Turpin (James Turpen’s son and Newt’s nephew)

Chipman Robeson (Chipman H. Robinson, known as Chippewa.  He was another early setter on the Niobrara.  He was an Ohioan who moved to Greene County, Iowa and then to Nebraska.  He eventually returned to Greene County, Iowa per the Iowa 1895 State Census.)

See also:  “1878” blog entry for October 2011:  http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2011/10/1878.html

R. N. Terpin and Mary L. Lenord Marriage

I was looking at Turpin marriages this week after cousin Dennis Bell shared a great find.  He was researching in FamilySearch and came across an Iowa marriage index that now contains something that we've been wanting -- evidence of R.N. Turpin's marriage in Pottawattamie County, Iowa.

Here’s the story:

Newt Turpin’s first wife Sarah died suddenly in 1872 after being ill for only 42 hours.  Newt and Sarah had nine children together, most of them grown by the time of her death.  Three young daughters remained at home:  Emma Zetta, Nancy, and Hannah.   Sarah is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery which is northwest of Rippey, Greene County, Iowa. 

Mary Ellen Leonard’s family moved to Hardin Township, Greene County, Iowa sometime between 1870 and 1873.  They had lived in Grafton County, New Hampshire and in Cedar County, Iowa.  Her father was employed as a railroad worker and a farm laborer.  After living in Greene County just a short time, the 17-year-old Mary Ellen met Newt Turpin who was about 52 years old and raising his three youngest daughters.

On September 16, 1873 Mary Ellen and Newt married according to Pottawattamie County, Iowa marriage records.  The marriage records list them as R. N. Terpin and Mary L. Lenord.   The marriage is recorded in the family Bible and according to family they were married by Justice of the Peace Washallkey.  

Turpin Family Bible Record

It appears Newt and Mary Ellen remained in Greene County or at least in Iowa for more than a few years after their marriage.  Mary Ellen gave birth to her first three children in Iowa.   Francis, their first, was born in 1874.  Their third child, James, was born in Iowa in April 1877.

Going back to Newt’s first marriage with Sarah Elizabeth Lowery, their marriage record is found in the Owen County, Indiana records:  Robert Newton Turpin to Sarah Elizabeth Lowery, 1 May 1842.  He would have been 21 years old then.  Newt was born in Virginia in 1821, so we can place the Turpin family’s arrival in Indiana between his birth in 1821 and 1839 when Elizabeth bought their land.

As for Newt’s father, there is a marriage bonds record for a John Turpin and Elizabeth Carter in Halifax County, Virginia dated 27 February 1797.  A History of Halifax County (Virginia) by Wirt Johnson Carrington shows the actual marriage taking place 8 March 1797 or 8 March 1798.  

See also TurpinTraces, 11 December 2011 for more about Mary Ellen: http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2011/12/mary-ellen-leonard.html

William Elijah Carter

From Paul Zimmerli, in reference to posts about James R. Carter and EADJ Carter:

Jesse Walker was a schoolteacher and justice of the peace in Owen County. His wife Leah Storm Beem Walker was the widow of Neely Beem of Jackson County. Together they had one child, Finley (1837-1865). 

How they wound up with EADJ Carter is another question. He shows up again as a 15-year-old in Iowa, the older brother of my ancestor William Elijah Carter. Hope that gives you a little more information you may use as steering markers.

See also: http://turpintraces.blogspot.com/2013/01/cousins-die-in-camp-at-cape-girardeau.html

Turpin Descendants in Williston, North Dakota 1930

Thanks to Dennis Bell for another contribution to the Turpin files. Here is the 1930 census record for Nancy Elizabeth Turpin and her husband Joseph Bell. Nancy was the 8th child of Robert Newton Turpin and Sarah Elizabeth Lowery.  She was mentioned back in a blog on November 28, 2011.  

1930 Census Listing for Nancy Elizabeth Turpin Bell, Williston, ND

In 1930 Joseph Bell and Lizzie lived in Williston, Williams County, North Dakota.  There are no descendants of this branch of the family as their only son Robert died from a gun accident.  Interestingly, living next door was their nephew Oscar Bell, wife May, and their son Raymond.  Oscar was the son of Hannah Catherine Turpin (child #9) and husband Stephen Douglas Bell.

Cousins Die in Camp at Cape Girardeau in 1861

More on James R. Carter who was discussed in 20 Oct 2011 and 12 Nov 2011 blogs. Recently cousin Dennis Bell was following up on some items and shared what he found.  Here is what we know about this Carter connection:

James Carter was the same age as my great uncle Thomas B. Turpin and the two appear to be cousins although we’re not sure how.  Carter was probably Thomas Turpin's grandmother's maiden name.  The Carter and Turpin families intermarried several times.

Thomas and James enlisted together to serve the Union.  James’ service record shows he was eighteen, a resident of Rippey, Iowa, and born in Indiana.  Thomas and James enlisted August 23, 1861 and mustered-in September 7, 1861.  Both died of measles, James two months later on November 3, 1861 and Thomas on Christmas Day, 1861 at Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The regiment Thomas and James served with was equipped in St. Louis and initially moved to Cape Girardeau.  While in camp there, James Carter died of the measles. The regiment was then ordered to Bloomfield to drive out Jeff Thomson’s force, but found it gone.  They returned to Cape Girardeau and made camp for the winter.  The soldiers suffered through that winter march to camp and there were troop losses due to sickness. Thomas Turpin died from the measles in December.  

The 1860 census shows James living in Warren County, Iowa, two counties southeast of Greene County where the Turpin family lived.  He is living in the household of John and Charlotte Epps.

Going back to Owen County, Indiana, we find Charlotte’s marriage record at www.sweetowen.net:

Carter, George; Evans, Charlotte Temple.; Sep 17, 1835; Thos Johnson, J.P.

These are the parents of our James.  The family is in the 1840 census for Washington, Owen County.  James was not born until 1843 so he is not on this census.

Head of Household: George Carter

Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29: 1

Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19: 1

Free White Persons - Under 20: 1

Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 1

Total Free White Persons: 2

Total All Persons: 2

Around 1847-52, George must have died.  A census search for George or Charlotte in 1850 is not successful.  Charlotte then marries John Epps.  They are listed in the 1860 census in Iowa as mentioned above.  But then John Epps listed himself as a widower in the 1880 census Warren County, Iowa -- so Charlotte died before 1880. 

1860 United States Federal Census Washington, Warren, Iowa

Post Office: Indianola

John Epps 31

Charlotte Epps 40

John A Carter 20

James R Carter 17

E A D J Carter 15

Wm E Carter 13 

   (William Elijah CARTER (b. Feb 1847 IN) 

   m Rebecca Ella SHACKLEE and Mary Effie FISK)

Chris Col Epps 8

Rachel Agnes Epps 7

Jos Andrew Epps 5

Mary Louisa Epps 3

Amanda Chris B J Epps 11/12

Still looking for the Carter-Turpin connection though!