Will of Michael Turpin of Halifax County

From the Reynold Friends and Families PA to VA and All Point Beyond website:

Michael Turpin was the father of John Turpin, Sr. and the grandfather of Robert Newton Turpin. 

Halifax Co., VA, Will Bk 3, p. 96 

Will of Michael Turpin of H, very sick and weak of body but of perfect mind,

To my wife Edith--all my stock and my household furniture and the land which lies the other side of the creek, during her natural life, and then to descend to my sons John and James. I also give my wife the mill and half the profit (the other half to son Obediah Turpin).

To my son Obediah Turpin--the remainder of the land. If the rent of the land does not pay for the land at the end of 4 years, then each of the boys before mentioned to pay equally what is due.

Executors: sons Obediah, John and James

Signed

Michael (+his mark) Turpin 

Wit--Allen Whitehead, Benjamin Clements, Josiah (+his mark) Shelton

The will of Michael Turpin dec'd was OR at H Court of Jan. 27, 1794.

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.  

One of the Many Slips of Paper

Here is a copy of one of the many "slips of paper" I've collected over the years.  The source is the family of Francis Charles Turpin who was mentioned in the last post.  I don't know who wrote the note but it lists the birth dates of Susan Carter, one of the many John Turpins, Thomas B. Vanhorn, Mary E. Vanhorn, and Newton R. Vanhorn. 

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.