John Turner Sr (1757 - 1843)

Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Birth 1.2 Soldier in the American Revolution 1.3 Prisoner at The Battle of Camden 1.4 Marriage and Children 1.5 Controversy 1.6 Established Lineage 1.7 Death and Burial 2 Research Notes 3 Sources

Biography

Birth

Revolutionary War patriot John Turner was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada^[1] on 19 Jan 1757^[2] and immigrated to the America in 1774 at the age of 17.^[3]

Soldier in the American Revolution

In March of 1778, 4 years after his arrival, he enlisted as a private soldier in the County of Sussex for the State of Delaware and joined the 1st Delaware Regiment under the company commanded by Capt Peter Jaquett which became part of the Maryland Brigade.^[4] From April 1778 - June 1778 Turner would serve at Valley Forge, Chester, Pennsylvania.^[5]

Prisoner at The Battle of Camden

On April 5, 1780, the Maryland Brigade was re-assigned to the Southern Department and, on August 16, 1780, Turner participated in the Battle of Camden where the Delaware Regiment suffered heavy losses and was reduced to two companies of ninety-six men each.^{[6] [7]} During the battle, Turner was captured and held in the hold of a British vessel for 8 days with six other comrades.^[4] Five died before being rescued by the Americans^[8] and he returned to the Delaware Regiment under Capt Peter Jaquett.

Turner and the two remaining Delaware Regiments continued to fight in the following battles:

The Battle of Cowpens.^[7] - 17 Jan 1881

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse.^[4][7] - 15 Mar 1881

The Battle of Hobkirk's Hill (in Camden, South Carolina).^[7] - 25 Apr 1881

The Battle of Eutaw Springs - 8 Sep 1881, last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas.^[4][7]

Marriage and Children

He was discharged from the Delaware Regiment in June of 1783^[4] and married Elizabeth Berry in 1807.^[9] They had five children over an 11 year period:

1) John (1808)^[2][10]

2) Mary Ann (1809, died after 9 days)^[1]

3) William (1811)^[10]

4) Sarah (1817)^[10][2]

5) Ellen (1819).^[10]

All surviving children were baptized on 26 Mar 1824 at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[10]

Controversy

There is somewhat of a controversy with documents showing a “John Turner” in Ohio trying to secure a pension in 1818 and land as part of the land grants because this John Turner, while stating on signed documents that he is “the” John Turner who fought in the revolutionary war in the battles previously listed and was captured as described, also states he is 55 years old.^[4] The John Turner born in 1757 would have been 60 or 61 at this time. Either the John Turner listed in the Ohio documents was an impostor using the good name of the revolutionary war patriot John Turner born in Nova Scotia to acquire pension money or he simply misquoted his age.

Established Lineage

Regardless, ancestral lineage has been established from the revolutionary war patriot John Turner born in Nova Scotia through his grandson Theodore F Turner (and his known siblings), who wrote to the US pension office in 1899 requesting information about his grandfather. Theo also mentioned John Turner’s daughter Sarah Turner (his aunt) in the letter who corroborated the battles, capture and release during the war. She also substantiated the fact that he was 60 years old when she was born.^[8]

Death and Burial

John Turner died 6 Feb 1843 and is buried at the Marshallton United Methodist Church Cemetery in Chester County Pennsylvania.^[2]

Research Notes

A possible unsourced lead states that John's father was also named John Turner (b. 1730 in England), a mother named Eleanor (b. 1735) and a grandfather named Edward Turner (b. 1707 in England). Further research is required.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 SAR #86871,Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Image 85 and 86. See http://interactive.ancestry.com/2204/32596_242363-00092/922821#?imageId=32596_242363-00092
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} John Turner's Find A Grave: Memorial #38626590
3. ↑ Canadian Immigrant Records, Part Two. Transcribed from original documents held in the collection of the National Archives of Canada [Ottawa]: MG 15, T.47, vol. 9, parts 1 and 2; page 5. "Left the country week of 28th February to 7th March; embarked from the Port of Whitehaven bound for North America on the vessel John & Thomas. Former residence Wigtown; purpose 'to follow their Business'."
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} John Turner transcript for pension. U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Image 705. See http://interactive.ancestry.com/1995/MIUSA1775D_137056-00700/81261#?imageId=MIUSA1775D_137056-00707 and http://revwarapps.org/s40594.pdf
5. ↑ Valley Forge Muster Roll ID:DE16900, 1400 North Outer Line Drive, King of Prussia, PA 19406. See http://www.valleyforgemusterroll.org/muster.asp?id=DE16900
6. ↑ Capt Peter Jaquett transcript for pension http://revwarapps.org/s46500.pdf
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} Unit history of the 1st Delaware Regiment in the Revolutionary War. See http://www.revolutionarywar101.com/american-units/de-01/
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Theo F. Turner letter to US Pension Office. U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Image 715 and 716. See http://interactive.ancestry.com/1995/MIUSA1775D_137056-00700/81261#?imageId=MIUSA1775D_137056-00717
9. ↑ Copied from a family bible
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4} Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 977. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA. See http://interactive.ancestry.com/2451/40162_264302-00010/1979670