The Long Line

1870s Nebraska with unorganized territory

This week's challenge for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is "Long Line."  For the Turpin family, the Long Line is one drawn on a map of the United States, stretching from Virginia to Nebraska and then beyond.  

My great grandfather Newt Turpin (Robert Newton Turpin) hailed from Halifax County, Virginia.  He was born there in 1821 when the Louisiana Purchase and the expedition of Lewis and Clark could have been considered “old news” by many.  Yet America was still a nation composed of unconnected pieces.  Linking the colonial settlements to that newly added area was a huge challenge for a number of reasons.  But people moved west regardless of the challenges.  It is estimated that a million citizens left Virginia for new territory after the Revolution and before the Civil War.  Our Turpin family was among them and their journeys were long.

The mountains were difficult. The frontier was hazardous. The roads were few. At that point in time several routes to the Ohio River existed along the lines of the old Indian paths.  Some were considered roads.  But simply put, moving a family over the mountains and out into the new lands was problematic and wrought with danger.  Usually a family’s supplies and cherished items traveled in the wagon. The family walked along side or rode horses if they had them. Perhaps they took a flatboat part of the way. How many miles a day could a family travel?  How many wild rivers had to be crossed?  How many times would a wagon break down or a horse go lame?  How many encounters did people have with wild animals or the indigenous people?  

Before Newt was born, several Turpin families had made their way to homes in Owen County, Indiana. Obediah and his son Thomas’s family show up in the 1820 census. Newt’s parents, John and Elizabeth, came along later -- by the time the 1830 census was taken. So, Newt was a very young child when he made the journey from Virginia.

In the 1850s, Newt and his family headed to into Illinois. Newt’s sixth child Mary Amanda Turpin Porter was born there in 1855.  By 1858, they were in Greene County, Iowa where Emma Zetta Turpin Groves, their seventh child, was born.

After the death of Newt’s wife Sarah Elizabeth Lowery in 1872, Newt married Mary Ellen Leonard.  This is when Newt “pulled up stakes” again and headed further down the line to Nebraska. The grown children in the family stayed in Iowa. The young daughters joined the journey west. 

At the age of 51, Newt had moved halfway across the continent, crossing frontier land by horse and wagon. He had to be an incredibly strong, resilient, and hopeful person to face all those new horizons.  Life had to be easier in Virginia. You could always rely on a neighbor to find out how something was done. In Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska there were few neighbors. No one to ask!

One of Newt’s youngest daughters, Lettie, moved to California as a young woman. I feel confident in saying she probably went by train. That journey was probably much easier than her father’s many treks.  All the same, Lettie covered the second half of the North American continent that her father did not get to experience.  

Few stories were handed down through the generations of the Turpin family.  Most of what we know has been reconstructed piece by piece from documents left behind. We don’t know the ins and outs of their travels so for that reason I would love to go back in time and experience a day or so of each of those journeys Newt Turpin took.  One with young Newt and his parents crossing the Appalachian Mountains.  One crossing the Wabash River with Sarah and the children.  Another crossing the Mississippi River and traveling through Iowa. And finally, the with Mary Ellen trip crossing the Missouri and heading into the Unorganized Territory of Nebraska.

Transcript of John and Elizabeth's Marriage Bond

Thanks to our Turpin cousin Dennis Bell for a transcription of the marriage bond of John Turpin and Elizabeth Carter.  Dennis did some analysis on the ink that seemed to have bled through. When he flipped the image vertically, it turned out that ink bled from the same document, which was apparently folded in half vertically, then in half again, before the ink had dried!

Transcribed on 25 May 2016, he notes that this marriage bond appears to follow the standard wording used in many areas of the U.S. in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

<modern stamp circa 2015>
Halifax County Circuit Court, VA
Robert W Conner, Clerk
A copy tested Delma W Marable Dep. Clerk

<modern handwritting>
Turpin, John
to
Carter, Elizabeth
Feb. 27th, 1797

<original handwriting on document>
Know all men by these presents that we John Turpin & Rich. Carter of Halifax County are held and firmly bound unto James Wood Esq. governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the terms <unreadable word or two> in the just & full sum of $150 to which payment well & Truly to be made to the said Governor & his successors we bind ourselves & each of our joint & several heirs Executors & administrators jointly & severally firmly by these presents.  Sealed with our seals & dated this 27th day of February 1797.  The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas there is a marriage suddenly intended to be had & Solemnized between the above bound John Turpin & Elizabeth Carter of this County now if there be no lawful cause to obstruct the solemnization of the said intended marriage then the above obligation to be void else to remain in full force & virtue.

<witness>
A. Watlington <Armistead Watlington per the Reynolds genealogy site where the marriage bond was posted>

<signed>
John Turpin  X his mark

Richard Carter

John M. Turpin and Elizabeth Carter Marriage Document

Thanks to Dennis Bell who passed along a PDF file today that he'd found while doing some Internet genealogy.  

This document is stamped "Halifax County Circuit Court, VA" and has a hand-written label identifying it with John Turpin and Elizabeth Carter (Newt Turpin's parents) on February 27th, 1797. John's mark and Elizabeth's brother Richard's signatures are at the bottom. 

This is a bit hard to decipher due to the handwriting and ink that bled through from the other side.  You can tell the paper was folded into fours.  We're glad to have it regardless. This was posted on the Reynolds Friends and Family website if you'd like to check it out further. 

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

Did John Turpin marry Elizabeth, the daughter of John Carter?

Carter is a fairly common name.  For that reason, researching that part of the Turpin family has intimidated me.  There are benefits to finding out who Elizabeth’s family members were.  The Carters show up with the Turpins repeatedly.  If we feel certain that our Turpins came from Halifax County, then the Carter research can begin there.   We can trace both families together.

The Area of Halifax County, Virginia in about 1795

My first find has been the will of John Carter, dated 1781.  It is documented in Will Book 1 1773-1783 Halifax County Virginia compiled by Marian Dodson Chiarito and A History of Halifax County (Virginia) by Wirt Johnson Carrington.  Found in Book I on page 370, the June 18, 1781 will says:

I, John Carter, of Halifax county, Virginia, being indisposed in body but of perfect mind & memory….I lend to my beloved wife Mary Carter during her widowhood for her use & the bringing up & educating my children the land & plantation whereon I now live & the following slaves – Jack, Charles, James, Baker, Tamor, stock of all kinds, household furniture &c.   To my daughter Ann Waddill Twenty-five shillings.  To my daughter Elizabeth Carter one negro boy Same & feather bed & furniture & to her heirs & assigns forever.   To my daughter Mary Carter one negro boy Crafford & feather bed & furniture & do.  To my daughter Judith Carter one negro girle Hannah & feather bed & do.   To my daughter Salley Carter Seventy-five pounds specia in gold or silver & feather bed & furniture & do.  To my three eldest sons Richard, Theoderick & Robert Carter my Creek land I purchased of Geore (sic) Ridley containing 450 acres to be equally divided between them,  also a good feather bed & furniture apiece & if either die before the come of age the survivors to inherit the land by equal division to them & their heirs & assigns forever.  To my son James Carter the land whereon I now live & a good feather bed & furniture & do.  To my son Francis Carter 290 acres lying out on the road adjoinin the land of W. Hobson & a good feather bed & furniture & do.   If either of my two youngest sons Francis or James die before age 21 years the survivor to heir the dec’d brothers share of land.  If either of my daughters Elizabeth, Mary, Judith or Salley Carter should die before they come of age or marry their legacy should be equally divided among the survivors.  At the coming of age of my youngest son the above mentioned slaves, Jack, Charles, James, Baker, Tamor with future increase & all the rest & remainder of my personal estate should be equally divided among my beloved wife & children afore mentioned, my daughter Ann Waddill excepted.

The Executors named were his beloved wife Mary Carter, also Capt. James Turner, Mr. William Boyd, his brothers Richard and Theo. Carter.  Witnesses were Benja. Hobson, David Bates, Chas. Carter, Noel Waddill, Theo. Carter.   The will was probated the same year, on 20 September. 

We can tie our Elizabeth Carter to the Elizabeth in the will through her and John Turpin’s 1797 Halifax County marriage record.   Elizabeth’s father would have been dead when she married.  The bondsman for Elizabeth was a Richard Carter, who could be her brother or her uncle.  In that set of marriage records an annotation was made when the bondsman was a father or mother.   That is not noted for Elizabeth and John’s record. 

Elizabeth was born about 1775 if the 1850 census recorded her age correctly.   That would make her six years old when her father John Carter died.  She would have been 22 years old when she married 27 year old John Turpin.  

Interestingly, looking back at the Halifax County tax lists, Richard Carter lived next to Michael Turpin, the father of John Turpin in 1786.   Elizabeth and John would have been about 11 and 16 respectively.   Most of the tax lists were ordered alphabetically so any other tax lists would not indicate how long the Turpins and Carter lived near each other.    My next steps are to look for land records. 

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.  

Turpin Land Records in Owen County, Indiana

Back in an October 2011 blog, I mentioned the relationship of John and James Turpin.  

I’m sure they are related but I don’t have original documents that say what the relationship is.  One source that is a compiled history of some Virginia families states they are brothers but provides no evidence.  But John and James stick together over the years.   They are listed next to each other as Heads of Households in the 1830 Halifax County, Virginia Census.  They show up in the 1840 and 1850 Census in Owen County, Indiana.   After John’s death, his son Robert Newton Turpin and James Turpin both moved to Greene County, Iowa.  That is where James died and is buried, but Newt Turpin moved on to Nebraska.

The property where John and James lived in Indiana is on adjacent land south of the town of Spencer.  There are patents for these pieces of land, digital copies of which can be found at the Bureau of Land Management’s website with General Land Office records:  http://www.glorecords.blm.gov.  (If you have not used this website for genealogical research, it's quite useful -- take a look at it.) 

John lived on land that was patented by his wife Elizabeth, specifically from the 2nd Prime Meridian, Township 9 North Range 3 West,  SW 1/4 NW1/4 of Section 5.  James' land was Township 9 North Range 3 West, NW 1/4 NW1/4 of Section 5.

They were next door neighbors in Indiana just like they were in Virginia. 

Elizabeth Turpin's Land Patent in Indiana in 1839

James Turpin's Land Patent in Indiana in 1852

John and James

In the previous post, I included a clip of the 1830 Halifax Co., VA census showing John Turpin and James Turpin recorded next to each other.   John was 50-60 years of age with a wife and family.  James was 20-30 years of age with a wife and a son under age 5.

John and James can be traced through 3 censuses – 30 years.  The ages are consistent.  The families are generally consistent.  Besides a marriage record for a John Turpin and Elizabeth Carter in Halifax County, Virginia, this is the best evidence I have to tie our Turpins to Halifax and to tie John Turpin to James Turpin/Turpen.  It’s indirect evidence but it seems fairly solid.

The Carters

I'll talk more later on about Jim Turpen and John Turpin who always lived nearby each other, and about the Carters.   But cousin Julie G. brought up a good topic today:

Out of curiosity do you have RN Turpin's mother as Elizabeth Carter??? His father as John.

I find the Carter part hard to believe considering the 1850 census in Clay, Owen, Indiana.