CAPT. FRANCIS W. TURNER

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 519
Kanawha

CAPT. FRANCIS W. TURNER was an officer in the American
forces during the late war, is a captain in the West Virginia
National Guard, and is a prominent young business man of
St. Albans, Kanawha County, where he is engaged in the
insurance business with his father.

His father, W. T. Turner, was born at St. Albans, repre-
senting a pioneer family of Kanawha County. For a num-
ber of years he has carried on a general insurance business
in St. Albans, the firm being now Turner & Turner. Francis
W. Turner was born at St. Albans in 1895, son of W. T. and
Dimmie (Wheeler) Turner. He acquired a public school
education in St. Albans, and for three years was a student
in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of
West Virginia. While at the university he received his
military training, and was a member of the Cadet Corps.

Soon after America entered the war with Germany he en-
listed, in May, 1917, at Camp Kanawha with the Second
West Virginia Infantry. When this organization was mus-
tered into the army it was sent for training to Camp Shelby,
Mississippi, and while there Mr. Turner was commissioned
a second lieutenant. The Second West Virginia became a
part of the Thirty-eighth Division, but on going overseas,
however, in September, 1918, Francis Turner went into the
Twenty-ninth Division. With this division he was in the
fighting in the Argonne Forest. He received his honorable
discharge in June, 1919, and for some time thereafter at-
tended the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.

On returning home he joined his father in the insurance
business. With the reorganization of the Old National
Guard after the war, as a permanent unit in the Federal
Military Establishment, Mr. Turner joined Company B, One
Hundred and Fiftieth Infantry, and in the fall of 1921
was commissioned captain by Adjutant-General Charnock, of
West Virginia. Captain Turner is in active charge of this
unit. The National Guard is now formally incorporated
in the Federal army, and is no longer officially designated as
the First National Guard.

Captain Turner is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha
fraternity and is affiliated with the Masons, Knights of
Pythias and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

Submitted by:  vfcrook@trellis.net (Valerie F. Crook) 

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