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.  

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.

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...

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.  

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.  

Warfield Paul, Husband of Sarah Jane Turpin

I received a comment this week from Jan Hensley regarding my blog post of  "Sarah Jane Turpin, Third Child".  Jan has had a breakthrough on her research of Warfield Paul, the son of J. M. Paul and Matilda Hall.
  
If you recall, Sarah Jane was the third child of Robert Newton Turpin and Sarah Elizabeth Lowery.   She was born in Owen County, Indiana on 9 October 1848 and moved with the family to Illinois and then to Iowa.   There she met her husband Warfield Paul.

Jan tells us that Warfield Paul is an interesting project, "After years of repeating hitting my head against the wall, I'm happy to be able to FINALLY shed light on it. Warfield was the grandson of John Hall & Elvira Smith Hall and his [Paul's] mother, Sarah Matilda died when he was an infant.   His grandparents were his guardians and they loaded him on the oxen cart, along with their children (save one - my 3rd great grandmother who was already married) when they headed West in the 1850s."

Jan continues to say that Warfield's great great grandfather Jacob Smith was a Revolutionary War soldier.   Jacob was one of about 2,000 trops with General George Washington when he crossed the Delaware for the Battle of Trenton.  

For more on Jacob:  www.jacobandwinnasmith.weebly.com.

Newt Turpin’s Sister: Mary Turpin Arnold

Robert Newton Turpin had at least one sister.  Mary was born about 1813.  We find enough records for Mary that we can begin to know about her.  But the records are scarce enough that her and her family’s lives are a bit of a mystery.  The story is one that makes you wish that time travel was possible!

The first record we find of Mary is the land document where John and Elizabeth leave Elizabeth’s land to the children in consideration that they will care for John and Elizabeth and their son, John Jr.  Then we find her marriage record in the Owen County, Indiana records: 

Mary Turpin to Carter Arnold,

24 June 1848

Carter Arnold was previously married to Ailsey Carter in 1837 in Owen County.  With Ailsey we find another person from the Carter family!  I believe Ailsey Carter Arnold probably died and then Carter Arnold married Mary Turpin.

So on to the censuses!  I love census records!   Just a single census page can give you so many clues and lead you on many different research paths!   Look at the 1850 U.S. census of  Owen County, Indiana.   It shows that the newly married Carter, age 55, and Mary, age 37, are living with a full house! 

Carter and Mary in Franklin Twp, Owen Co, Indiana

First there is Elizabeth, age 27, and Eliza, age 19, who were born in Virginia before the 1837 Indiana marriage of Carter and Ailsey.  A little research on Carter Arnold reveals that there is a marriage record for Carter Arnold and Elizabeth Carter 3 March 1817 in Halifax County, Virginia (Early American Marriages: Virginia to 1850  by Jordan R. Dodd).  This gives us another tie to Halifax County, Virginia.  But more interesting, it tells us that Carter married an Elizabeth Carter and then an Ailsey Carter, both born in Virginia.   Or could Elizabeth and Ailsey be the same person?  Is Ailsey a from of Elsie or Elizabeth?  But if so, why two marriages, one in Virginia and one in Indiana?   And are these Carters related to John Turpin’s wife Elizabeth Carter?

But we digress.  Let’s go back to the children shown in the census. 

Child Elizabeth would have been born about 1823, when Carter would have been about 28 years old.

Eliza would have been born about 1836, when Carter would have been about 36 years old. 

They could be children from the marriage previous to Ailsey or perhaps other relatives of Carter.  The 1850 U.S. census does not indicate the relationships of members of a household. 

Also living with them is George Turpin, age 12, and another Elizabeth, age 13, whose last name is not listed – it is likely Turpin.  So many Elizabeths!  This makes us wonder if Mary Turpin was married previously since she was about 35 when she married Carter Arnold.   Or is George a nephew or cousin?  

Finally, there is a 10-month-old Milikin Arnold who appears to be the child of Carter and Mary.  Milikin would be the first Turpin descendent in this branch of the family. 

In the 1860 census, Carter Arnold is residing in Owen County, Indiana but Mary is not there. It’s assumed that Mary Turpin Carter died before 1860 in Owen County however her grave has not been located.  So now it seems Milikin may be the only Turpin descendent in this branch!

In 1870 we find Carter Arnold, his sister, and several of his children living in Hoosier Prairie Township of Clay County, Illinois.  The graves of Carter Arnold, his sister Kiziah Moury, his son David, and his daughter Elizabeth Arnold Franklin are in Number Four Cemetery in Sailor Springs, Clay County, Illinois.   

As for Milikin (Millican). We can follow him through time until his death 4 October 1924 in Clay City, Illinois.  His death record states his parents were Carter Arnold of Virginia and Mary Carter of Virginia.  He was a farmer and married to Lydia.   And true to the nature of this family, the census tells such a story!   In 1910, “Miligan” and Lydia’s household consisted of brother Fletcher Arnold, mother-in-law Julia Pierce, and John McCallister, nephew!   From a review of the censuses, it appears that Milikin and Lydia never had children.

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

Thank You Julie!

This is a good way to end the year--a photo of some of the sisters in the first Robert Newton Turpin family.

A big thanks to Julie Gerren, another Turpin researcher, who remembered she had an old photo of these ladies. This picture is probably taken between 1926-1935.

Noted on the back -- left to right:  Emma Zetta, Sarah Jane, and Hannah Catherine

Emma Zetta (#7) 1858-1936 
Born in Greene County, Iowa.  She married John Abraham Groves.  

Sarah Jane (#3) 1848-1935
Born in Owen County, Indiana. She married Warfield Paul.

Hannah Catherine (#9) 1864-April 1939
Born in Greene County, Iowa.  She married Douglas Bell.

In trying to calculate when this photo was taken, it helps to know that sisters Margaret Golden (#2) died in 1926, Martha Ellen (#4) died as an infant, Louise Anne (#5) died in 1880, Mary Amanda (#6) in 1912.  Nancy Elizabeth (#8) lived until December 1939 but is not in the photo; perhaps too ill to get together with the rest of the sisters. 

Follow-up on James R. Carter

In my Nov 12th blog post about the Iowa 10th Infantry and Thomas Benton Turpin, I mentioned James R. Carter who enlisted at the same time.  The Carters and the Turpins intermarried and I thought there might be a family connection: 

James R. Carter of Rippey enlisted as a Private on 23 August 1861 at the age of 18 in Company H, 10th Infantry Regiment Iowa on 7 Sep 1861.

James is the same age as Thomas.  Carter was probably Thomas’s grandmother’s maiden name. So looking to see if there is a connection could help me.  A bit of research shows there are no records of him in Greene County, Iowa in the 1860 census. I may want to scan the census in case the indexing is in error. I don’t see any James Carters in 1870 census that look like a potential match either. There is a 1890 Veteran’s Schedule which shows many James Carters. I guess this is a research project to put on my rainy day list.

Dennis Bell found the following entry for a James R. Carter in the 1860 census of Washington, Warren Co., Iowa.  Dennis suggested:

... he might be the James R. Carter (b. ABT 1843 in Indiana) who lived in Warren Co. IA in 1860?  See the below.  It appears to me that Charlotte (b. ABT 1820 in Indiana) is his mother, and that she remarried to John Epps and started a 2nd family.  John and Charlotte Epps were living in Washington, Greene, Iowa in the 1870 census.  John Epps was a widower in the 1880 census (Indianola, Warren, Iowa).

Louise Anne “Anna” Turpin, Fifth Child

Anna Turpin was born 25 Dec 1852 in Illinois (or Indiana according to the 1856 Iowa Census).  At a young age, she married Will Turpen who was about 25 years old.  They married 10 March 1868 in Greene County, Iowa.

When Will first came to Greene County from Owen County, Indiana, he reportedly lived with his Uncle Nate.  I believe Uncle Nate is actually Newt.  Robert Newton Turpin was known as Newt -- many in the Turpin family were known by their middle name or a nickname. 

Will is almost definitely the son of  Jim Turpen and his wife Nancy Jane Carter who followed the Turpin clan from Owen County, Indiana to Greene County, Iowa.  Their son Will was born in 1844.  Anna's husband Will would have been born approximately 1843-44.  This would make Anna and Will first cousins.

Martha Ellen, the Fourth Child

Martha was the infant child of Newt and Elizabeth who died tragically.  The story is that she was bitten by a mad dog. Martha was born 18 March 1851. I’m not sure where.  She died at the age of 10 months.  If the story is correct, it would place her death in mid-January 1852.  I have not found a gravesite for Martha. 

Where does one look for more information on a child that had such a short life?  I need to start with the family timeline and see if I can determine where the family lived at that point in time.

Sarah Jane Turpin, Third Child

Sarah Jane was the third child of Robert Newton Turpin and Sarah Elizabeth Lowery.  She was born 9 October 1848 in Owen County, Indiana. The family moved to Illinois and then Iowa where Sarah met Warfield Paul who was a neighbor.  

According to Past and Present of Greene County, Iowa by E.B. Stillman, Warfield lived with the John and Alvina Hall family.  The 1860 census of Rippey, Washington Township, Greene County, Iowa shows the Halls and the Turpins as neighbors. Like the Turpins, the Hall family members were natives of Virginia.  The "do" that you see on some lines means "ditto"  --

Margaret Golden Turpin, Second Child

When Thomas died while serving in the Civil War, he had seven little sisters at home.  Margaret Golden Turpin was the next in line -- the second child and first girl born to Newt and his wife Sarah.   She was born in Indiana on 13 April 1846 in Indiana.  She came to Iowa as a young girl when her parents settled there. 

Margaret married into the Vanhorn family which had an Owen County, Indiana heritage like the Turpins.  She married Ralph Wilson Vanhorn on 17 October 1864. 

Thomas Benton Turpin

Tonight was the last session of the Beginning Genealogy class that I'm teaching this quarter.  I shared with students some of the things that we can do with our family history findings...picture books, reunions, histories, blogs...and how one family, like the Turpins, can get us totally addicted to this endeavor.  So, there are 5 freshly-hatched and very enthusiastic genealogists on the streets this week. 

Thomas Benton Turpin was the oldest child of Robert Newton and Sarah Turpin.   So this is a good place to start with that first family. 

Thomas born 14 February 1843 in Owen County, Indiana.  On 23 August 1861, at age 18, Thomas enlisted to fight for the Union in the Civil War with approximately thirty others from Greene County.  It was passed down to through the first family that the Turpins were not in favor of slavery and that might have been part of the reason they left Virginia.  And here is Thomas enlisting. 

He was mustered in at Camp Fremont near Iowa City with the 10th Infantry, Company H of Iowa. His group embarked for St. Louis on September 24th where they received their arms, uniforms and camp equipment.

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.

Newt Turpin

Robert Newton Turpin was born June 10, 1821 and appears to be the youngest child of John and Elizabeth Turpin.  Various censuses indicate he was born in Virginia however we find the family living in Indiana.