Turner Records
of Lunenburg
Co
Arthur Turner's granddaughters Mary Turner and Susan Turner (both daughters of Jesse Turner) married Harrison V Bowen and Jedidiah (Giddy/Jeddy) S Bowen respectively. Both Bowen husbands were the sons of Asa Bowen and Charlotte Bowen. Asa's father was Charles Bowen and Charlotte's father was Isham Bowen.
Will of Arthur Turner 4-21-1806; 6-11-1807 Lunenburg Co
Mentions: Wife: Sarah Turner
Sons: Jesse Turner, William Turner, James Turner
Daughters: Sally Denton, Ann Thompson
Relationship of following not stated: William Russell,
Nancy Russell, Polly Russell
Executors: Jesse Turner, William Turner (sons)
Witnesses: William Thompson, Theophilus F. Denton,
Thoms Dunn.
Will of Jessee Turner. 11-13-1830 Lunenburg Co.
To dau Susan Turner, Negro woman Addeline & her child
Suza, all testator's land W side Stony Crk (reserving life right to Susan
Mize, Joice Mize, Winny Mize to live on sd land), 2 feather beds/furniture,
cow/calf; to dau Betty Brown 1/2 testator's land E side Stony Crk; to dau
Polly Bowen, testator's interest in dower right of Sally Turner; to children
of son Branch Turner other 1/2 land E side Stony Crk until youngest child
age 21; to son Branch $5; residue estate equally divided among daus Susan,
Polly, and children son Branch.
Friend Thos Callis exor.
Wit Julius Hite, James S Turner, Julius Denton, Robert
K Hite.
Rec 14 Jul 1831, Thos Callis granted probate.
Notice the references to Stony Creek and the members of the Mize family. This land was certainly located in exactly the same area as the earlier Mize/Bowen/Bailey/Vaughan land on the north side of the Meherrin. It seems to have been some of the early Mize land.
On 1 Oct 1741, after James Voughn Sr's death, his widow Ann Vaughan who had been willed the homeplace land granted by patent to her husband in 1736, deeded the entire patent of 115 acres to her son George Vaughan. (Brunswick DB 2, p 116-117)
Brunswick DB 3, p 499 May 4, 1754 from George Vaughen of Cumberland Parish and Lunenburg, planter, and Agnes his wife, to Matthew Turner of same, planter for 40 L a certain tract of 115 acres land in Lunenburg and bounded by the mouth of a small branch upon Meherrin River. Signed George (+ his mark) Vaughan, Agnese (+ her mark) Vaughan. Wit Henry Parrish, John Moutray. Rec May 7, 1754. Agnes relinquished her right of dower.
The 1764 Lunenburg tithes list includes Matthew Turner with 115 acres and William Turner with 135 acres.
The Henry Bailey land (part of it originally patented by William Bowen) can be traced through the years. Frequently the Turner land was mentioned as adjoining. In 1768, William Bailey (son of Henry Bailey) purchased a part of it. He sold it again in 1772, and it was described as the land where Bailey formerly lived, adjoining William Turner and John Mize. So the Vaughan land that was sold to Matthew Turner had apparently come into the possession of William Turner between 1764 and 1772.
I can't yet prove whether Matthew Turner who purchased the Vaughan land or the William Turner who later owned the land were a kinsmen of Arthur Turner. But the Arthur Turner land was certainly located very near the land that George Vaughan sold to Matthew Turner and possibly adjoined it. The William Bowen patent of 1747 (sold to Henry Bailey in 1749) adjoined the Mize land on the west side of Stony Creek.
Lunenburg Co Order Book 5 p 65
Wm Bowing Jr granted admons estate Robt Turner decd;
Wm Bowing Sr security.
Any 3 of Geo Vaughn, Jas Thomason, Jas Campbell, Henry
Parish to appraise
slaves/personal estate Robt Turner decd.
(April Court, 1758)
I have found no further records concerning this estate.
However, just two months after William Bowen Jr was granted
administration of
Robert Turner's estate, another record indicates that
either another Robert Turner
had died, or that, for one reason or another, William
Bowen Jr was no longer the
administrator of his estate.
Lunenburg Co Order Book 5 p 91
John Jenings granted admons estate Robt Turner decd;
Gray Briggs security.
Any 3 of Reuben Vaughan, Jas Arnold, John Howell, Wm
Allen to appraise
slaves/personal estate Mathew Turner [sic] decd.
(June Court, 1758)
The name Matthew Turner would seem to be the name that
was in error here as
Lunenburg WB 1, p 257 dated 10 Jun 1758 states that the
inventory of the estate
of Robert Turner decd was presented by James Arnold,
Wm (A) Allen, and Reuben
Vaughn, apprs. But .... among the items listed in the
inventory was an ax at
Mathew Turners'. This suggests that Robert Turner may
have been related to
Matthew Turner.
I found nothing about an inventory for the estate of Robert Turner that was returned by George Vaughn, James Thomason, James Campbell, or Henry Parish.
So this raises the possibility that there might have been some earlier connection between the Turners and Bowens who lived in this area, and the later marriages of two of Jesse Turner's daughters to two of Asa and Charlotte Bowen's sons might have had roots in an earlier relationship between the Turners and Bowens. (The Bowens frequently married their cousins.)
Thomas Adams also owned land in this area that adjoined the Jesse Turner land.
Lunenburg Co DB 30 p 329 10 Aug 1835 Harrison Bowen & Mary his wife of Lunenburg to James Turner. $131.25 52 1/2 acres it being the land bequeathed her Mary Bowen wife of Harrison Bowen by her father Jesse Turner. Bounded on N by William Turner, S by Thomas Adams, W by Branch Turner's children, E by James Turner. Signed Harrison + Bowen, Mary + Bowen. Wit Julius Hite, James Edmunds, Edmd. M Hite
According to writings by Arthur Finn Bowen, Thomas Adams
raised Martha Lewis Meldrum who became the wife of Edwin H Bowen, another
son of Asa and Charlotte Bowen. Edwin H Bowen and Martha Lewis Meldrum
Bowen's son, Thomas Adam Bowen, was named Thomas Adam Bowen for Thomas
Adams.
Please send
additions/corrections/comments/questions to
Martha Hills
and/or Frances "Cookie" Harper