Limestone-Lawrence County AlArchives Biographies.....Turrentine, John J. 1840 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 September 4, 2011, 7:40 pm

Source: See below
Author: Smith & De Land, publishers

    JOHN J. TURRENTINE, prominent Attorney-at-law and Deputy District Solicitor,
Athens, Ala., was born in Lawrence County, this State, June 10, 1840; and is a
son of John and Elizabeth (Stephens) Turrentine, natives of North Carolina and
Alabama, respectively.

    Mr. Turrentine was educated at Athens; studied law under Judge Walker;
admitted to the bar April, 1860, and embarked at once in the practice of his
profession. Early in the outbreak of the war between the States, been listed in
H. H. Higgins' Company at Athens, and at Memphis was mustered into the "Walker
Fortieth" known afterward and in history as the Fortieth Tennessee Infantry. He
served with that regiment up to the time of his capture. After being held about
five months as prisoner he was exchanged at Vicksburg. In the Fortieth Tennessee
he held the rank of first lieutenant; he went into the service as a second
junior lieutenant. The Fortieth Tennessee, which did not have a Tennessee
company in it, was afterwards re-organized, and the Alabama companies helped
form the Fifty-fourth Alabama Regiment, commanded by Alpheus Baker, colonel in
General Tillman's brigade up to the battle of Baker's Creek. Just before this
battle the command was transferred to Brigadier-General O. A. Bufford. Mr.
Turrentine remained with the Fifty-fourth through General Buford's Mississippi
campaign, and under Lowring through the Jackson campaign. In 1863 he was
detailed Assistant Quartermaster of his regiment, which position he held until
the spring of 1864, at which time he organized a company of skirmishers from the
Fifty-fourth Alabama Regiment. He participated in all the Georgia campaign, and
on August 16, 1864, was seriously wounded before Atlanta. He had under him about
172 men at one time, and with them, in the early part of August, near Atlanta,
fought two Federal regiments for over two hours a hand-to-hand conflict, in
which some of the men distinguished themselves as skirmishers, among whom was
Mr. Lania, of Choctaw County. Ala. After the Georgia campaign, on account of
some difference with the colonel, he withdrew entirely from his old regiment and
proceeded to organize a company to be composed of the great surplus of
commissioned officers that, through the destruction of men, had been virtually
deprived of commands. It appears that this company, if ever fully organized, was
not afterwards engaged in battle, as the final surrender succeeded shortly
after. In January, 1866, he removed to Arkansas; there practiced law for five
years and returned to Athens in 1871. He was elected county solicitor in 1872,
and held the office until the law providing for a district solicitor went into
force. The only other civil office held by Captain Turrentine appears to have
been that of general administrator. He held this position about six years. He
married while in Arkansas (1866) Miss Elizabeth Sanders. She died at Athens in
May, 1881. leaving one son. His second marriage was to a daughter of Dr. J. M.
Collins, of this county.

    The Captain is an active Democratic worker; was chairman of the Democratic
Congressional Committee in 1882; is a good lawyer, a forcible speaker, a citizen
of the highest repute, a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Northern Alabama: Historical and Biographical
Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land
1888

PART III.
HISTORICAL RESUME OF THE VARIOUS COUNTIES IN THE STATE.
CEREAL BELT.


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