Bluebonnet Country Genealogy

Posts Tagged ‘Turner’

This certifies that Isaac Turner and S. S. Vance

were united by me in the

Holy Bonds of Matrimony ??? 29th day of ??? in the year of our Lord 1855

in presence of

Signed:
Samuel Vance, J. B. Ellerge, S. A. Vance, M. A. Ellerge

Sadly, there are only four pages that remain of the Turner Family Bible. These page remnants were repaired by simple scotch tape and mounted on cardboard. Not the ideal manner of salvaging 160+ year-old documents. But it’s done and this is all that’s left.

By comparing the word “Turner” at the top of this page with Sarah Turner’s signature on Isaac’s Civil War pension documents, it appears that this Bible page was completed by Sarah herself. Most of the writing on the 3 other surviving pages also appears to be that of Sarah Turner.

Even though these documents are in poor condition, they do contain a wealth of information, most of it amassed “in the first person”, as it were.

Thank you, Sarah!

I was 13 years old when my great-grandmother Mary Tennessee (Turner) Rogers died at age 91. When you’re 13, you don’t notice much but yourself and your friends. (I know, my granddaughter just turned 13!) So, I don’t have that many memories of “MawMaw” Rogers. I wish I’d paid attention, MawMaw saw a lot in her 91 years. If only I’d listened…

One of my oldest memories is of MawMaw Rogers’ house. Kind of dark, tall ceilings, peeling wallpaper, crickety wooden floors. I was probably only 5 or 6 years old.

I remember that I was at her house and she fixed me a cup of hot tea with honey. It was so delicious!

That’s all that I can remember, just a flash, really. Tall ceilings, peeling wallpaper and hot tea with honey.

A wonderful memory indeed!

My great-grandparents, Charles and Mary Rogers were married in 1912 after a year-long courtship.

This is their story…

Charles Arthur Rogers, ca 1912. A nice guy, needs a wife…

A recreation of a postcard that Charles sent to a new “mystery lady”…

The “mystery lady”, Mary Tennessee Turner, ca 1910…

A December wedding…

It’s official…

In spite of the weather…

A handsome couple…

“At Home after December tenth Yoakum, Texas”

The lady on the right is believed to be Sarah Sharpe (Vance) Turner, my second great-grandmother. This tin-plate image is from about 1860, I think, and is my oldest image. The brooch she is wearing is still in the family.

My second great-grandfather Isaac Turner served in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he moved his large family to Texas and became a farmer. His health apparently began to fail in the late 1880’s and at that time he applied for the pension due him from his military service.

Unfortunately, the wheels of the federal government did (still do!) turn very slowly and Isaac died in 1888, before his pension claim was completed. His widow Sarah then tried to obtain his pension and she, too, died before the matter was settled.

Four minor children remained when Sarah died, so her son-in-law James A Matthews again tried to obtain the pension, this time to benefit the children, now living in the home headed by oldest surviving son John Joseph Turner.

As part of his attempt to have the pension awarded to the minor children, James A Matthews wrote a letter to Commissioner of Pensions Henry Clay Evans:

Jessie Texas 9/16/97
Hon H. Clay. Evans
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
There having been a pension on “foot” of Isaac Turner’s who served his term in the Union Army and began his pension business in 1887 as best can be learned and was doing business N. W. Wills & Co. Shortly after-words he died and after his death his wife Mrs S. S. Turner tried to work it up and about the time she had it nearly completed, Grover Cleveland was put in office and that threw every-thing out and recently she died and the children need it very-much if it be possible for them to obtain it.
I would be glad you would look the matter up and let me know at once whether any money can be drawn or not or what can be done.
I will state that some of you have in possession his discharge from the Service of the United States and that his bounty has never been paid. I have in charge all communications from Mr Wills & Co. and will state a few of the important fetures (sic) of the case. First, is a cond. reads as follows
__________________________________________________________________________
Washington DC 1/8-1891
Sir: your claim for pension has been recorded and given a number and will be taken up for action in its regular turn. The intervening time can be employed in preparing necessary evidence.
Your calim is entitled (??) No 483931. Co E- Reg’t 4 Tenn Inf
__________________________________________________________________________
What giving the number of his claim Co & Reg’t. he was in by giving you the number of his claim and so on will give you some advantage in finding it. Those gentlemen having the thing so near to hand you might furnish me some substantiel (sic) evidence you will please attend to this at once, and if anything can possibly be done in our favor please let me know at once and I think I can furnish sufficient evidence to carry it out.
Yours very truly

James A. Matthews,
P. O.  Jessie
Hill Co.|  Texas

From the Federal Military Pension File that I received from the National Archives, it is apparent that the minor children never received the pension benefits. No reason was given.

The entire pension file is available here.

***

This document was transcribed using Transcript 2.3:

Transcript 2.3 is “a program designed to help you to transcribe the text on digital images of documents.

Transcript is free for private, non-commercial use.” The document image to be transcribed is opened in the top of the screen and the transcription in done at the bottom. Very simple and very convenient!