Napa County CA Archives Biographies.....Turton, George J. 1814 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 13, 2006, 8:45 pm

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891)

GEORGE J. TURTON is proprietor of the Turton Nurseries, situated about eight
miles north of Napa. This orchard and nursery, covering about sixty acres, was
set out in 1883, and is one of the largest in Napa Valley. There are some 3,500
peaches, 500 French prunes, 250 apricots, 3,000 Bartlett pears, and 1,000
cherries. He has four acres in nursery, which will be doubled the present
season. He has sold 10,000 trees already this year, and will probably have
30,000 more; and next year not less than 60,000, principally peaches and plums.
He was born in Hull, England, in 1829. His parents were John and Anna (Johnson)
Turton, both of whom died during his infancy. At the age of seven he was brought
to America by his uncle, George Johnson, and grew up on his farm in Western New
York, attending the public school for about three months in the winter season,
when not needed on the farm. But with characteristic energy he spent his
evenings and spare time in study, mastering algebra, geometry, trigonometry and
surveying by himself, without any help except from books. At twenty-one his
uncle gave him $100. He remained with him for two years longer, and soon after
engaged in the practice of his profession as a surveyor. At the age of
twenty-four he was appointed United States Assistant Surveyor, and was actively
employed in the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska, running the
State line between Kansas and Nebraska on the fortieth-parallel line. In 1856,
while surveying in Kansas, the Border Ruffian excitement being then in full
blast, Mr. Turton was captured three times on his trip to the Surveyor General's
office to make his returns, by different squads of General Buford's company of
cavalry, which was organized in Mississippi and Alabama for the purpose of
making Kansas a slave State. After examining him for arms, and finding that he
was on Government service and carried a pass from the United States Marshal, he
was allowed to proceed. During the same summer he surveyed the sixth principal
meridian, and the first and  second parallels east through Nebraska. The next
year he settled down to farming in Nebraska as one of the first settlers in the
Platte Valley, where there was at that time about twenty Indians to one white
man. He lived on this farm for twenty years, following his profession as a
surveyor at the same time. Mr. Turton was a member of the first State
Legislature in Nebraska, and voted for the first Congressman from that state. He
was County Commissioner (Supervisor) of Dodge County, Nebraska, for three years,
Justice of the Peace for six years, and Postmaster of North Bend for five years.

  He was married in 1857, to Miss Harriet Bachelder, a native of the State of
New York. Her parents were Luther and Clarissa (Judson) Bachelder, natives of
Vermont, who moved to Western New York in early life. Four children were born to
them in Nebraska: Frank, the eldest, died in Napa, California, at the age of
twenty-five years; Luther, an architect, located in Napa; Frederick, now in
partnership with his father; Clara the youngest, and only daughter, died in
Napa, at the age of seventeen years.

  In 1877 he sold out his farm in Nebraska and moved to California, purchasing a
ranch one and a half miles from Napa, where he lived for six years, and planted
an orchard. He then bought his present home, which, with the help of his sons he
has developed to its present flourishing condition. In this State he has not
become identified with politics, though in Nebraska he was forced to take an
active interest in all political matters, on account of his extensive and
intimate acquaintance with the State as a pioneer and prominent citizen.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." - Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.


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