The Colonial Turnboughs

  The Texas Turnbos are thought to be descendants of John A. Turnbough. He originally immigrated to this country from Alsace-Lorraine, a small area now situated between Germany and France on the Rhine River. He was born there approximately 1740, but it is not known when he immigrated to colonial America. He married a Margaret and lived in Chester, South Carolina, as early as 1767; there he had a 150 acre farm. He later served In the Chester District Militia during the Revolutionary War. According to various records, it is believed that he lived to the ripe old age of 106 and died at Fork Deer, Tennessee.

  Mr. Richard A. Clifford of Salt Lake City, Utah, has conducted extensive research into the Colonial Turnboughs. Enclosed in the Appendix is a copy of his article entitled "Tools Used In Analysis of a Century-Old Genealogical Research Problem" (GENEALOGICAL JOURNAL, December, 1975, Volume 4, Number 4) which gives detailed information on the early Turnboughs of this country. Mr. Clifford's article portrays the difficulties that have been encountered in attempting to establish the lineage of early Turnboughs in this country.

  It is believed that the John Turnbough family had at least 10 children while living in South Carolina. From sketchy records, those children are believed to be the following;

1. William Eli, born 1761. This branch of the family subsequently spelled their family name "Turnbow" and "Turnbaugh".

2. John, born 1763. He carried the last name of "Turnbaugh" and several generations of present day Turnbaughs trace their beginnings in this country back to him. He married Barbara Ann Robinson and moved from South Carolina to Green county and Adair County, Kentucky, and then to Missouri. He died in Lincoln County, Missouri in 1825.

3. George, born 1766. Little is known about this son, except that he carried the spelling "Turnbo" in future years. The last record of him was in 1850, where at the age of 84 he was residing In Lewis County, Tennessee. One of his sons, George Jr., raised a large family In Lewis Co., having eight children who carried the "Turnbo" name.

5. Joseph, born 1771. He later moved to Green county and then Adair County, Kentucky, and finally to Jefferson County, Alabama, where he died in 1834.

6. Jacob, born 1773. He married Dorcus Robinson and later moved his family (with several other Turnbough family members) to Washington County, Kentucky.

7. Samuel, born 1775. He later married a Jane and moved to Tennessee and then on to Missouri. He died in Missouri In 1845.

8. Another son, name unknown, was believed to have been born In 1777.

9. Andrew, born 1779. He married Gracie Coffee in Adair County, Kentucky. They later moved to Giles County, Tennessee.

10. James, born 1781 In South Carolina. He later married Phelicia Coffee(a sister of Gracie Coffee). They moved to Green County, Kentucky, then on to Tennessee where he died August 19, 1826, In Maury County, Tennessee.

  Although this is without doubt a very large family, there were probably additional children of which we have no record. The proceeding record only includes boys and it is possible there were several girls, as well as other boys born to the John Turnbough family.

  Because of highly incomplete information, we can only speculate that William Eli or his brother George Turnbough was the father of Hugh Turnbough, Sr. from whom the Texas Turnbos are descended. Very little is known about either of these two early Turnbough family members, so at best this is speculation.

  We believe our ancestor, Hugh Turnbough Sr., was born approximately 1793, in South Carolina. At age sixteen, he married one Sally Bearden. There's no evidence that they had any children by this marriage. On August 6, 1814, Hugh remarried; his second wife was Mary ("Polly") Powell. This marriage Is officially recorded In Maury County, Tennessee.

  By 1820, the Hugh Turnbough, Sr. family is found in Wayne County, Tennessee. The census records for that year indicate that he and his wife had three boys and one girl,(all under ten years of age) living with them. Unfortunately this census did not list children's' names, so we don't know who these children were or the dates of their birth.

  The Hugh Turnbough, Jr. family is likewise found in the Wayne County census records for the years 1850 and 1860. His wife, Mary (Powell) must have died between 1850 and 1860, for in the 1860 census record, he is shown living with Elizabeth who could either be his daughter or a third wife; her age was listed as 34. Several children with the surname of Rose lived with Hugh and Elizabeth in 1860, so we speculate that he remarried Elizabeth Rose who had four children (Joseph, born 1842, Charlotte born 1845, Sarah E, born 1847, and Susan born 1850).

  Hugh Turnbough Sr., died in 1866 and was buried in Northwestern Wayne county. His exact burial spot has not been located. There are several older Turnbough graves built up like "vaults" in the area but the names have been worn off the stones by the passage of time.

  Estimates of the number of children born to Hugh Turnbough and his wives vary between eight and fifteen. Too, the ages of his children and their correct names are conflicting. Substantial research, however, leads the writer to believe that those listed below are correctly identified as some of Hugh's children:

1. William, born 1819, married Sally Casey; he died in July 1891, in Wayne County,      Tennessee;

2. Ishom, born 1821, later married Cassa (Cassie) Prater in 1846; he died in 1857      and was buried in Wayne County;

3. Hugh Jr., born in 1822, later married Mary Pigg; he died and was buried also in      Wayne county;

4. Elizabeth, born in 1826; no record of her is found after 1850 (unless one   believes that she was the Elizabeth living with Hugh Sr. at the time of the 1860 census);

Since he is the primary subject of this book, further information on him will be given later.

6. S. H. (Ted), also known later as "Esquire", born 1829; he married Martha Ray in 1850;

7. Mary, born In 1831, the last official record of her is in 1850, at which time she was living with her parents;

8. John Lewis, year of birth unknown and little is known about him;

9. Ambrose, born 1838, married Susan Green;

10. Samuel, born l840, married Sally Powell.

WAYNE COUNTY, TENNESSEE

  Several Turnbough families lived in South Central Tennessee during the period following 1830. It is believed that many were the descendants of Hugh Turnbough, Sr.

  Census records indicate that they lived in Perry, Lewis, Lawrence and Hardin counties, which are all adjacent to Wayne County.

  Wayne County, even today is considered a rural county; in 1972 its population was only 12,365. The Hugh Turnbough family lived in the northwest portion of the county, some 10 miles from the "county seat of Waynesboro.