Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Linda Harmon. TURNER - A VISION FOR FREEDOM Our Heritage By Claude Moore On Highway 701, about two miles northwest of Clinton, on the right between Dudley Home Furnishings and the next house, and directly across the road from Grandview Memorial Gardens, is a single marble grave marker which can be seen now from the road. It marks the grave of Lyttleton Turner, who died on August 18, 1853, at the age of 64. The old Averasboro Road at one time ran by this grave, and old timers would tell about horses getting frightened at this spot, and about seeing a tall gaunt male figure standing nearby under a giant mulberry tree. The late Sallie Lee Homes told the writer that Lyttleton Turner was an elderly bachelor and lived alone in an old home about where Grandview Memorial Gardens is now located. In her latter years, Mrs. Holmes mentioned that Mr. Turner was badly crippled by rheumatism, and his last request was that since he had had to spend so many years lying in bed that he wanted to be buried in an upright position. According to tradition, this request was carried out. Lyttleton Turner is believed by the writer to have been a son of John Turner Jr., who in turn was the son of John Turner Sr. In the Register of Deeds Office in Clinton (Book 2, Page 169) is a deed from Col. John Sampson, then of Wilmington, to John Turner, of Bladen County, in which he sold 700 acres on the east side of Great Coharie for sixty pounds sterling of Great Britain, dated November 17, 1752. The deed was witnessed by Col. Joseph Williams, Gabriel Holmes and John Dickson. This tract was part of a large survey granted by the crown to George Hewith of London, in 1735, and later conveyed to George Vaughn of Dublin, Ireland, an uncle of Col. John Sampson. On April 13, 1753, John Turner sold 400 acres of this tract to the Rev. Edward Brown, for eight pounds Virginia money (Book 2, Page 194). The witnesses to this deed were Simon Turner, Thomas Williams and James Moore. In 1774, Col. John Sampson sold the Rev. Edward Brown 220 acres adjoining his own plantation. Brown's Baptist Church organized in 1778 is located on the latter tract. In 1813, John Turner, Jr., conveyed 185 acres to Lyttleton Turner. The will of Lyttleton Turner is recorded in Will Book 1, on Page 476, the Will Books of which are in the office of the Clerk of the Court in Clinton. In his will, Mr. Turner left small cash bequests to a nephew, William Turner, to his brother William's children living in Alabama, to his brother, Sprattiff's children and to his brothers, John and Henry living in Alabama. He further provided that his slaves, Margaret and her children, Sally Ann and her children, and Washington, be emancipated and allowed to go either to one of the free states or to Liberia. His plantation and three thousand dollars were to be placed at the disposal of his executors, Thomas I. Faison and Amma B. Chesnutt, for expenses of carrying out his wishes, and if any money was left, it was to be divided among the slaves. The Hon. Warren Winslow of Cumberland, then Governor of North Carolina, and Dr. Thomas Bunting were the witnesses to the will which was written about a year before Mr. Turner's death. So far as we know, Mr. Turner's wishes were carried out, and that his ashes now rest in peace. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Linda Harmon ==============================================================