Southampton-James City County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Newpapers.....Nat Turner's skeleton, 1897 

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NAT TURNER'S SKELETON. 

THE BONES OF THE NEGRO INSURRECTIONIST IN A DOCTOR'S OFFICE 

[...] 

  WILLIAMSBURG, VA., October 12. - Special. - The general public is not aware 
that the skeleton of old Nat Turner, the negro insurrectionist, who, in 1831, 
killed about fifty-five white people in Southampton county, Va., is preserved 
and now in the possession of Dr. H.U. Stephenson, at Toano, this county.  Dr. 
Stephenson received the skeleton from a son of Dr. S.B. Kellar.  Dr. Kellar 
bought Nat's body, paying him $10 for it.  The negro used his money in high 
living in jail at Jerusalem. 

  After Turner was executed Dr. Kellar had the bones scraped and strung, and 
they have been used by medical students frequently since, Dr. Stephenson being 
the last. 

****************************************************************************** 
          ____________ 

     NAT TURNER'S SKELETON. 
   (From the Richmond Times.) 

  The general public is not aware that the skeleton of old Nat Turner, the 
negro insurrectionist, who, in 1831, killed about fifty-five white people in 
Southampton county, Va., is preserved and now in the possession of Dr. H.U. 
Stephenson, at Toano.  Dr. Stephenson received the skeleton from a son of Dr. 
S.B. Kellar.  Dr. Kellar bought Nat's body, paying him $10 for it.  The negro 
used his money in high living in jail at Jerusalem. 

  After Turner was executed Dr. Kellar had the bones scraped and strung, and 
they have been used by medical students frequently since, Dr. Stephenson 
being the last. 
          ___________________ 


"The Times" (Richmond, VA), Oct. 14, 1897, p. 7, col. 3; 
"The Norfolk Virginian," Oct. 21, 1897, p. 6, col. 6 

A recent history has been published: 
   Breen, Patrick H.  "The Land Shall Be Deluged with Blood: 
   A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt." 
   New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. 

Breen also contributed the article on the revolt in Encyclopedia Virginia: 
   https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Revolt_Nat_Turner_s_1831 

Court proceedings on the Southampton Insurrection, Aug-Nov 1831, 
   are posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/court/ol_nat.txt 

A Richmond lady, daughter of a Southampton Co. doctor, claimed to have 
   Nat TURNER's skull; article ("Norfolk Virginian," Mar. 11, 1896, p. 8) 
   posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/18960311nv.txt 

The death notice of William "Buck" MALLORY claimed he had skinned Nat TURNER, 
"and the hide being tanned, portions of it are now in the 'curiousity shops' 
of many residents in and about Southampton." 
"The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), July 18, 1860, p. 1, col. 4, 
citing the "Petersburg (Va.) Express."  File at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/m460w2ob.txt 

See also an article that appeared in several papers in 1892 - 
   "A RAZOR STRAP FROM THE SKIN OF NAT TURNER" - posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/09151892ag.txt 

Dr. Hack Urquhart STEPHENSON (1872-1949) is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, 
   Richmond.   He appears in the 1880 Census (B&I, So.Co.) with his parents, 
   Levi W. & Elizabeth L. [HOLDEN] STEPHENSON, as "Anslim" [Anselm], age 7. 

He was named for Anselm Bailey "Hack" URQUHART (1808-1863), buried in the 
   URQUHART family cemetery, "Oak Grove Plantation," Broadwater Rd. 
   Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, 
   Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Vol. 1 (I-49): 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/miscvol1.txt 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/18971014rt.txt