Plaque at the Turrentine Cemtery, near Hillsboro, Orange Co., NC.-Turrentine Crest
Samuel's Tombstone -----------------Alexander's Tombstone
Two brothers, Samuel and Alexander Turrentine came to Philadephia from Ireland in 1745. They were indentured to pay for their passage. My ancestor was Samuel, his indenture was to John Dickey of Chester Co., PA. In 1755, the brothers obtained land in Mifflin Co. However, the French and Indian Wars caused them to leave and move to North Carolina.
Plaque at the Turrentine Cemtery, near Hillsboro, Orange Co., NC.-Turrentine Crest
Samuel's Tombstone -----------------Alexander's Tombstone
The Turrentine Family Association includes as descedants of Samuel and Alexander and the African-Americans who bear the name of Turrentine. Most of the Turrentines left North Carolina prior to the Civil War. Those that stayed, lost the family farm during the war and left the area. African-American Turrentines purchased the farm and cemetery. When the Turrentine Association located the farm and contact them about the possible existence of a cemetery in the 1950's. They were amazed to learn that Samuel and Alexander Turrentine, the oldest persons buried in the cemetery, had living descendants. Turrentine descendants are now a diverse mix of many racial, ethnic, and social groups. It seems, to me, that we share strong believes in the value of education, hard work, self-reliance, and God.
Turrentines seem to have school buildings named after them.
Turrentine Academy, Bedford Co., courtesy of Edward Shaw. A few names to come when I have time to figure out how to describe where they are.
My personal line is Samuel born 1717, John born abt. 1755, John born 1783. The oldest pictures I have are of this last Johns' son James Wilson Turrentine.
James Wilson Turrentine and wife, Martha Jones.
The story of Martha and her unmarried children, Betty (age 20) through Joseph (age 2), and the other Turrentine women who traveled with their children from Alabama to Illinois during the Civil War is related in The Marionville Turrentines.
The women somehow made their way to Corinth, Mississippi. There they had to cross a river by walking on a long railroad trestle. Emily, John's wife (brother of James) made several trips to lead those across who found it a frightening experience. When they reached the Mississippi River, they were fortunate to get passage on a government boat, and were preceded by a gunboat which shelled both banks to clear out snipers. Lavonia (Aunt Sep) remembered that part of the trip. She told us that one of the Aunts asked the Captain for a gun, saying, "I will shoot those Rebels." He said, "Lady, be quiet, you will get all of us killed." She remembered the gun boats pulling along side. This book refers to the settlement in Illinois as "Little Egypt".
Three T siblings whose descendants are known collectively as the Marionville Turrentines.
(As in Marionville, Lawrence Co., Missouri.)
My great-grandparents, Martin Francis Turrentine and Molly A. Logan.
and one of their daughters, my grandmother Sarah EVANS Turrentine who married Ernest Ray Stanley.
Index of her 1914 Springfield High School Yearbook If you find and ancestor, I will scan the page or picture as applicable.
Turrentine.com, an insurance agency in Louisiana
Turrentine Family Web page
Surname List: Surnames, dates and locations for major names working on or cousins trying to contact
or snail mail
Joyce (Moore) Hodges
17952 168th ST South
Bonner Springs, KS 66012