A.M. Turney

Transcribed by Harold Miller

Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield, Panola Co. Coordinator

A.M. TURNEY MADE HOME IN ALPINE IN EARLY 1890's

Published in Anniversary Edition of the Alpine Avalanche June 1962

Albert Macon Turney was born in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, January 13, 1865. He was the son of Albert Gallatin and Selena Ward Turney. He received his education in the Marshall public schools and Marshall College. He read law with the firm of Young, Scott and Pendergast, prominent Marshall attorneys. He was admitted to the bar September 29, 1890. He practiced law in Marshall for two years and then came to Alpine to take charge of the office of Turney and Stanton, which firm maintained headuarters in El Paso. The firm was later changed to Turney, Stanton & Turney. Elected to the office of County Attorney of Brewster County, he served in that capacity until 1894 when he went to the 02 Ranch ownded by his brother, the late W. W. Turney of El Paso, later becoming its manager. He was elected commissioner of Precinct 2, Brewster County, shortly afterwards and in 1903 was appointed County Judge to succeed B.C. Tomas, who had been appointed Districk Judge, and continued in that office until 1909 when he was elected representative from this district to the State Legislature, serving until 1912, when he was again appointed County Judge to succeed Judge E.F. Higgins, who resigned to take appointment to the Court of Civil Appeals in El Paso.

Judge Turney was elected County Judge in 1912, and re elected in 1914, 1916 and 1918. From 1919 to 1926 he was engaged in looking after the interestes of his brother in 02 Ranch, and in the practive of law. In 1926 he was elected County Attorney and served until 1941. After that he engaged in the practice of law here until falling health forced his retirement. He was married to Miss Annie Kate Etheridge of Palestine, Texas on December 16, 1908. Judge Turney was a member of the Methodist Church from childhood and served for a number of years on the board of trustees of the Methodist Church here.He was one of the oldest members of the Masonic Lodge, having completed his degrees in the Blue Lodge in 1903. He was a member of the State Bar association, a past member of the Alpine Rotary Club, a member of the Chamber of Commerce since its organiation and a member of the Woodsmen of the World. He died February 23, 1952. He was survived by his widow and two daughters: Mrs. A.T. Moore of Redding, Calif., and Mrs. Earl Anderau of Alpine. Mrs. Turney, Mr. and Mrs. Anderau and their two children, Earlene and William Arthur, still reside in Alpine. Mrs. Turney served as postmaster from 1923 to 1952 when she retired.

Henry Turney

Transcribed by Harold Miller

Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield, Panola Co. Tx Coordinator

Apparently Mrs. Vaden was writing a book - this research of hers is from 1960s.

From her notes: Turney Origin

The first knowledge of our branch begins with Henry Turney born in the year 1785. Who his parents were or where he was born is not known at this writing. His wife was Mary Helm. They had Albert Gallatin b. 1820, d. 11-13-1897 m. Selena Ward b. 3-12-1856. Jemina born about 1825 and married her double first cousin, Jerome Helm. Henry Turney went on a friend's bond, the friend skipped out and Henry Turney was forced to sell his large farm and two story brick home to pay the bond. Then he and his wife, daughter jemina and their slaves moved to Panola County at old Elysian Fields in 1842. Albert Gallatin received his education in Jackson College in Columbia, Tenn. As a young man, he was interested in politics. He rode to his father's home in Texas on horseback, but returned to Tenn. to vote for James K. Polk for President. He was selected to be put on a committee to notify Mr. Polk of his nomination for the Presidency in the fall of 1844. Albert Gallatin was married to Amanda F. Harper of Greenwood, LA. on November 25, 1847. She died November 18, 1852. Their only child, Josephine, was born October 18, 1851 but died shortly after on December 25th, 1852, following the mother. On Marcy 12, 1856 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.R.D. Ward, Albert married the second time their daughter, Selene Ward. Selena had eight attendants. The couple spent the first night of their honeymoon in the home of his parents in Old Elysian Fields. The second night was spent on the boat of their friend, Capt. Robinson (or Roberts) which was moored at Swanson's Landing on Caddo Lake.

Helm -Turney

Transcribed by Harold Miller

Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield, Panola Co. Tx Coordinator

Information gathered in 1960s by Mrs. Vernon B. Vaden of Fort Worth Texas.

TURNEY SLAVES

When Henry Turney and Mary Helm brought their family to the young State of Texas in the year 1842, with them came their slaves. It was my good fortune to contact a descendant of these people. I quote from a letter received from Ulis S. Turney, a preacher of the Gospel, of Houston, Texas. "This is my ancestry from Maury County, Tennessee. The names of the Masters: Henry Turney , Albert Gallatin Turney, Jaroam  (thought to have been Helm and the   husband of Jemina) The names of the Mistresses: Mary Helm, Jemina Turney, Florance Turney, Amanda Turney.  My mother's people: Great grandmother, Lydia, belonged to the Helm's until Mary Helm was  married to Henry Turney. She was then given to Mary Helm Turney. Lydia was a religious missionary. There is no trace of her parents. She had one son, John, who was my grandfather, married Ellen who belonged to the Turneys. They were married 12 - 25 - 1857, Panola County, Texas. Ellen was born 12 -28 -1837......he then gave the 16 children born of John and Ellen.My father's people came from the same masters and mistresses as my mother did - Maury County, Tenn., later moved to Texas.   Grandfather - Solomon Mother - Mariah, Grandmother - Lucy, My father - Solomon Turney II, born 6-2-1877 still living,  My mother - Fleata Jane Turney b. 9-8--1877 still living

Mary S. Helm

Transcribed by Harold Miller

Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield, Panola Co. Tx Coordinator

Mary S. Helm was the first wife of E. R. Wightman, who arrived in Texasabout 1824. Wightman was one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists and one of his first surveyors. Wightman wrote one of the first histories of Texas. Elias Wightman was b. 1792 and d. 1841. Mary Helm grew up in   Franklin County, Indiana. The Wightmans were founders of Matagorda, Texas,  in 1828-1829.  written for the Clarendon News by Mary S. Helm, 1878

Chapter 1

Fifty years ago the writer had the pleasure of a visit in the State of New York, from her old teacher who had been absent in the far west six years; the last three in Texas as surveyor for Austin and DeWitt's Colony. Six  years is a long time in the life of a school girl, not realizing that cupid  would dare interfere to add to , or detract from the pleasure of the visit  which was anticipated with the most ardent longings, merely to see again and  heat the recitals of his travels from the man I had revered as my senior in  years and knowledge, in fact in all things good, as I had always fancied when I was his pupil. Not for a moment imagining that I should breathe the  prayer "that Heaven had made me such a man;" but so it was. I had changed  in six years; he was more than my old teacher now. I had hoped only to see  my old teacher who would commend all my advancements in "book lore." I was  no longer the girl of twelve years; I admired a something more than mo old  teacher. He had improved in knowledge, in his manners. His very voice was all in all to me; but he, of course, knew not the change in my feelings, and so I made free to encourage him to tell his strange experience of wild life;  days without food--at best, living by the good luck of the hunter on wild  game; meandering crooked rivers preparatory to laying them off in leagues;  perhaps one hundred miles from the nearest white settlement; or his story of  interviewing a Mexican trader to get the course and distance to certain   points, for material for Austin's map of Texas; or his danger of high water,   or wild beast, or poison viper; or his story of a verbal bargain with a few   military men who would be on hand near the mouth of the Colorado river,  where he had laid off a future city, when he should return the next year  with a colony to protect them from cannibal Indians; and the story of   sending a military company to protect him and his surveying party, as they  passed down toward the coast through the county (a suspicion being rife that  they were going to unearth gold buried by Lafitte the Galveston pirate), so  as they went the company increase, and the eyes of white men saw Matagorda   in 1827 for the first time, when it was surveyed by E. R. Wightman. Colonel

Austin had secured the location, and become a partner in the league and  city. While the laws of Mexico forbade granting lands to settlers within  three leagues of the coast, lest individuals should monopolize town sites,yet Colonel Austin gained in a petition to the Governor, that it was necessary to keep up a military post to protect emigrants landing from sea,  as the consideration for this exception to the rule and law. So without   having the benefit of mails to know that the military condition had been   complied with, fifty persons were landed early in 1829, after a route of   three months, already told in the "Texas Scrap Book." In my next I will tell  of some of the dangers of our voyage, our going over a mill dam on the   Allegheny River; or our leaky schooner; or stress of weather; of being   repeatedly blown out to sea when out port was in sight,  and, finally,   running before the winds into the Bay or Aransas; or our visitation by   hostile Indians while the men and guns were all gone to surround deer; of  our great scare; or our intense anxiety to know if we should find protection  at our have; of the absence of our boat, as we lay at anchor four miles   distance, in Matagorda Bay, fearing our military might not be there, and  fearing that the Indians might capture the boat, and leave us without means  of communication with the land for water or anything else. Six hours of  terrible suspense were relieved by seeing two boats in the distance. The  sad story of our sufferings had been told and relief was approaching. 

It would take a whole chapter to describe the surroundings of our new home,  a large shelter fifty feet square without a plank or nail. Fortunately we  found horses to carry messages to the settlements, the nearest being thirty  miles distant. there were said to be three hundred families in the whole  county, every man knew each other and scores traveled long journeys to visit   us, and prepare homes on land which they would give to those who would  settle near the, but many came to spend the summer for their health and  built a log school house. At no time were we without large herds of deer in   sight in every direction, fish and fowl in the greatest abundance, eggs on   the islands and in the bay, could be gathered by the bushel, oysters without   stint, of the largest size. Our Indian and worse troubles will be told in   another chapter, as well as our shipwreck and fire at sea, and the retreat   before the Mexican army, where more women and children found graves than soldiers.