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.