LETTERS TO THE TURNER FAMILY, SMITH COUNTY, TX - 1857 - 1864 Copied from the files in the East Texas Family Research Center Ralph W. Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, TX Turner Family Papers - A-153 - Box 1 Copied by Mary Love Berryman - 15 Jul 2000 ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Contributed by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net ***************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Turners settled in Smith County, Texas about 1856. According to tradition, the family traveled from Mississippi in an Ox wagon, and crossed the Mississippi River on a ferry to get to Texas. Tillman J. Turner was born January 22, 1813 and died October 16, 1884. His wife, Permelia Turner, was born April 19, 1814, and died January 26, 1897. Both are buried in the Asbury Cemetery which was located very close to the property they owned. Their daughter, Martha E. Turner, was born in Georgia around 25 Apr 1840 and died 15 Mar 1930. "Mattie" Turner was married to James N. Neal, 22 Feb 1869 in Smith County, TX. The items in this collection are letters pertaining to family matters and incidents during the Civil War period and after. Also included in this collection is a land document and a poem composed by a relative." Sources of Informtion: Webpage of the East Texas Family Research Center, TURNER FAMILY PAPERS, 1857-1876 http://libweb.sfasu.edu/etrc/collect/manscrpt/Tur1main.htm Smith County Texas Marriages 1846-1899, East Texas Genealogical Society p. 123 - F-59 -------------------------------------------------------------------- These records were copied from: Cemetery Records, Smith County, TX, Vol. IV, Southeast Quarter Published by East Texas Genealogical Society, P. O Box 6967, Tyler, TX 75711 - These records may also be found online in the Smith County TXGenWeb Archives. ASBURY CEMETERY - p. 129 NEAL, James N. - 15 Feb 1842 - 19 June 1875 NEAL, Mattie A. - 25 Apr 1840 - 15 Mar 1930 NEAL, Lula E. - 2 Oct 1874 - 29 Nov 1874 TURNER, Eliza P. - 12 Jan 1849 - 5 Sept 1863 TURNER, W. B - 12 Mar 1848 - 17 Aug 1872 CRAVEN, James E. - 7 Mar 1872 - 8 Sept 1872 :TURNER, Permelia - 19 Apr 1814 - 26 Jan 1897 :TURNER, Tilman J. - 22 Jan 1813 - 16 Oct 1884 TURNER, Mary E. - 10 Dec 1889 - 1 Mar 1890 dau of G. A. & K. I. Turner TURNER, Bessie L. - 26 Aug 1892 - 17 May 1893 dau of G. A. & K. I. Turner TURNER, Loe L. - 27 July 1846 - 23 Feb 1898 TURNER, James Pierce - 28 July 1900 - 23 Sept 1902 son of G. A. & K. I. TURNER, Addie - 1 Feb 1845 - 15 Oct 1931 :TURNER, G. A. - 24 Apr 1853 - 3 Aug 1933 - Father :TURNER, Kate I. - 27 Sept 1864 - 8 Oct 1932 - Mother -------------------------------------------------------------------- Folder 1: Letter to Martha Turner from Laura A. C. Lewis, Yallabousha Co., Miss. January 30, 1857. 1 item. Miss Martha Turner Yallabusha Cty Miss. Jan. 30th 1857 Dear Friend I take this opportunity of answering your kind letter of the 28th of Dec. wich I received the 27th of Jan. It was a welcome visitor and a source of satisfaction to hear from you and to hear that you had reached you place of destiny all safe and sound. I had been listening with great anxiety to hear from you for some time and I feel thankful to inform you that we are all well hoping this will find you injoying the same great blessing. The general health of the people is very good. I don't know of any sickness in the neighborhood except at Mr. Watkins's he has had quite a distressing time of sickness in his family.. Mary Watkins is still very low the rest are nearly will again. There was a great excitement up about Christmas about the negroes rising against the whites you may guess that there was a good many scared people about that time. In Grenada they kept a guard out all night for some time and the county was full of patrollers. As for my own part I felt pretty curious for there was nobody at home all Christmas times except Mother and Davy and myself. you don't blame me for being scared do you the boys that is Edwin Christopher and William were gone on a wedding tour about 75 miles from home Brother Christopher was married the 23rd of Dec to Miss Charllotte Stingley in Attalla County I become acquainted with Charlotte during my visit there last summer Sarah and Ann Gibb spent a day with me not long since. They said they were very anxious to hear from you. Mrs. Trimble has another Daughter she calls her Margaret. Mr. Smith started to Texas I think sometime in Nov he had a dreadful time we heard from them when they were in Mississippi Bottom they were traveling about 8 miles a day I don't expect they have reached their journeys end yet. We have a very good preacher this year his name is R. H. Burns he wants to have a Camp Meeting at Springhill this year I don't know weather he will get it or not he will have to stir the people mightly I hope he will. Martha I am glad you have stopped where you can go to church I hope you are in a good neighborhood I thought of you a good many times while you were on the road I would like to see your new home very much but I would like (ink blot) see all of you. I walk over some evening but I don't know the way and you must come over soon. Mr. Moorman lost his youngest child Willie since you left he was sick a long time Old Mother Ely died about the same time she died at McKelpins after a long sickness. they have had a division of the negroes belonging to old Mr. Elys extate. Sam Ely came back from California and him and his wife agreed to live together again they have gone off some where I don't know where. I forget to tell you that the negro excitement proved to be all smoke and no fire. the next time you write to me tell what sort of neihbors you have got and how you got along traveling and your ups and downs and soforth. Tell Frient Evaline that I am writing to her as well as you and she must write to me I write in your name because you wrote to me but when I write to one of you I mean it for both I shall expect a letter from Evealine before very long but if she don't write to me I am going to write to her anyhow. Tell your Ma to write to me I would like to hear from her but I would like better to see her. Ellen and Frank is as fat and saucy as they can be Frank is beginning to walk Mr D. Lewis and Emily are living at Uncle William Dubards he is putting up a house for Uncle William I am getting cold and sleepy and must give my best wishes to your pa and Ma & your sis and all the children receive a portion yourself I will remember you in my prayers. and suffer me to ask of you the same favor and write as soon as you can make it convenient. good nigh. Your Sincere Friend Laura A C Lewis ----------------------------------------------------------------- Folder 5: Letter to "dear cos" (Martha E. Turner) from A.B. Marchman, Camp Nelson, Arkansas. October 22, 1862. 1 item. Choctaw County Miss March 25th 1862 Dear Sister I received your letter a few days since and a request for a few dollars to pay Expenses 16 (?) enclosed you will find a twenty dollar bill Confederate money. I would Send you all due you if I was would go safe but than is some difficulty in sending money by mil but if this reaches you safe I will risk sending more you must write to me on reception of this in order that I may know if this arrived safe Times in this country is awfull I am expecting the Militia to be ordered out we are compelled to muster evry two weeks the yankees are over running Tennessee they are in eight miles of Corinth on the Memphis & Charlston Rail Rode. Said to be one hundred thousand strong. it is thought that we have about the same number of troops within strike of our forces though I hope when a sufficient force to whip them back. evry thing is geting scarce in this country pork selling for ten cents and other things in proportion. hogs nearly are dead I have lost about one hundred and twenty head worth six hundred dollars some of my neighbors have lost nearly all the hogs they had I have about Sixty head left Enough to make mat for --- year we are all well --- the balance of our relations are well So far as I know. Your Brother William Cunningham ----------------------------------------------------------------- Folder 8: Letter to T.J. Turner from A.W. [Turner], Velasco, Tx. June 21, 1864. 1 item. Mr. T. L. Turner Velasco, TX June 21 1864 Dear Bro Feeling very anxious to near from you and your much esteemed family I thoughtwold (would) I try to write you a few lines. Thinking you would condisend to write to me Thank the good Lord this leaves me in the best of health and sometimes I feal in good spirits but when I get cold in religion I don't get on so well. I am glad to say to you that while I write this I feal the love of God in my pore heart Glory be to his name his grace can make a man happy in camps as well as at home and if it was not for religion this would be more than I could bare. All praise to his holy name. The news of the day wold seem to indicate peas but I can't tell anything about it. I feal that the Lord will work all for my good for I know that I love him and I think often of the happy times we have seen together and wish we cold (could) be thus pleased again but when it will come I can't tell yet if we can't injoy ourselves in this world 0 let us live so we can in the world to come. Well I must tell you something about this country it is the finest in the world for corn cotton and shugar the farmers here will make 5O to 75 bush of corn they say I know it is the best corn that I ever saw and it is very healthy and take it all in all it is the place for me if this cruel war was over the newes seems to indicate that we would have peace and that it wold come for I want to be with my family. The health of my company is very good and the boys don't get mad with me more then ten times a day and just know that I need your prares that I may hold out faithfully and be a good man Tell Evey that we have a revival of religion in camps and she will know that I am well pleased to see sinners getting religion. if you will answer this very imperfect letter I will try to do better the next time. Direct your letters to Capt. A. A. Thompson Camanding Company G. Bates Regt. Velasco. Give my love to all the children and sister Turner and tell them to write to me and be sure to pray for me. AW