Samuel Turrittin, the subject of this sketch and the immigrant ancestor of all members of the family living in the United States, was born on November 8, 1806, in County Donegal, Ireland, the son of Hugh Turrettin and the great-grandson of the Reverend James Turrettin, a Presbyterian minister in Calmon, County Derry, Ireland. During the several years of working on this project no mention has ever ever been found of Samuel's mother. However, Samuel's father had the following additional children: Jane, who died unmarried, Martha who married a Professor Nelson, headmaster of a school in America, and a son Hugh.
We have been able to uncover more data on Samuel's brother, Hugh, than on his two sisters. Hugh was born in 1812 and married Jane McCay. Hugh and Jane had the following children: Margaret, who married Reverend James Heron, George who died in childhood, John Archibald, who had no children and died on December 13, 1919, and Susanna who died in infancy. The following is a part of the death notice for Samuel's brother which was taken from the Belfast Witness of Belfast, Ireland.
Obituary of Hugh Turrettin of Rostivair, County Tyrone, Ireland; A respected elder of Rostivair. Mr. Hugh Turrettin after a short illness, brought on by a slight injury, passed to his rest on June 19, 1882, at the age of 70. He was a man who by strength and real integrity of character and by cheerfullness of dis- position and by the readiness with which at any sacrifice, he was ready to serve others; had in a very uncommon degree, won the esteem and confidence of all classes of the community, Roman Catholic as well as Protestants, and the sorrow of his unlooked for decease is deep and widespread. ...Mr. Turrettin's interest in the Presbyterian Church was deep and he was the great-grandson of Reverend James Turrettin. The family appears to come originally from Italy.
A very interesting letter has recently come to light which gives a great deal of information on members of the family that did not come to the New World. The letter which is dated December 10, 1940, was written by Mr. T. M. Heron, Solicitor, Mayfair, Arthur Square, Belfast. and sent to Mr. George Ruford Turrentine. Arkansas Polytechnic College. Russellville. Arkansas.
It is quoted here in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Turrentine.
It was with very great interest that I and other members of our family read your letter which appeared in the Belfast "News-Letter" of 2nd inst. with reference to the "Turrentine" family as our mother was Margaret Turrettin (this was the spelling of the name used by my grandfather and uncle) daughter of Hugh Turrettin who had a brother Samuel who emigrated to America about the middle of last century. In the Records of the General synod of Ulster the name is spelled "Turretine", in these Records it appears that James Turretine was ordained at Tobermore (Co. Donegal) on 5th June 1744 and on l3th June 1754 he was installed in Rye or Ray (co. Donegal) and died on 21st July 1764, Rev. James Turretine was never at Mountnorris but his son Francis formerly of Rye or Ray was installed in Mountnorris. Co. Armagh. on 5th May 1778 and died on 9th June 1804. We have no records of an Alexander - Turretine, was he a son of the Samuel mentioned in your letter? I enclose a genealogical tree of the family, Rev. James Turretin married the only daughter of a Captain Combe or McComb R. N. , who had married a sister of Charles Edward Stuart the young Pretender, my grandfather Hugh Turrettin and his brother Samuel (who emigrated , to America) were great grandsons of the Rev. James Turretine.
The Samuel Turrentine referred to in your letter as in Orange County. North Carolina in 1761 could not have been the Samuel Turrettin brother of my grandfather Hugh Turrettin as the latter would not have emigrated to America till 1825 to 1855. but he might possibly have been a brother of Rev. James Turretine of Tobermore and Rye or Ray who died in 1764, we have no record of a brother but nevertheless there might quite possibly have been a brother Samuel or Alexander or both.
I on several occasions heard my uncle John Archibald Turrettin (my mother's brother) speak of his uncle Samuel who had emigrated to America and express regret that he had been lost sight of, my uncle John Archibald Turrettin died on 13th December 1919, he was the last of the male line of the Turrettin family in Ireland so far as we know.
The name of Turrettin is still continued in our family, I had a brother Hugh Turrettin Heron a Doctor now dead, and a brother Francis Turrettin Heron also a Doctor now dead and his elder son , was also called Francis Turrettin Heron, he was a young airman in the last war and was killed in August 1918 , my elder son is Hugh Michael Turrettin Heron, he is a young Officer in the Royal Air Force and is at present stationed in England, my younger son is Anthony Turrettin Heron, he is still at School. It is believed that the family of Turrettin originally came from Northern Italy or Switzerland , there was a well known Swiss Theologian Francois Turrettin 1623-1687. I have four volumes of a Theological book written by him in Latin. There was also a member of the family in Switzerland an eminent Engineer.
The Turrettin crest is a'boar's head.
My father was Rev. James Heron D. D., Professor of Church History at the Assembly's (Presbyterian) College, Belfast, he was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland , 1901-2, he died on 18th April 1918, my - mother predeceased him on 14th November 1915. .
Yours faithfully,
.......................
Here in the north western part of Ireland Samuel grew into boyhood and when he was of the proper age, he was sent away from home to Crookston in County Tyrone where he received his formal education.
Hugh Turrettin was considered a wealthy farmer and when he died he left his entire fortune to Samuel, who was the eldest of the two brothers, because this practice of primogeniture was in accord with the laws and custom of the time. This caused hard feelings between the two brothers which seems to have lasted for the rest of their lives.
Samuel established himself on the family holdings near the town of Letterkenny. Here he went to farming. He soon met Suzanna ( Susan ) Ramsey. She was a daughter of Thomas Ramsey of Lisselman ) County Donegal and his wife Isabelle Allen who was from Letterkenny, County Donegal. S1.1Zanna had one brother) Augustus, (Gust) who would later come to the United States.
Samuel and Suzanna were married on January 3, 1827) in the Presbyterian Church because they were strict observers of that creed. To this union were born seven boys and one girl namely, Thomas born April 14, 1829, Hugh born November 5, 1831, James B. born September 21, 1833, John S, born November 21, 1835, Isabelle born August 23, 1838, Robert Ramsey born February 25, 1842, George Francis born February 22, 1844, and William Alexander born September 8,1846. Family tradition maintains that there were also three Turrittin sons who died at or shortly after birth. But no names have been found for these three boys. Samuel Turrittin was considered to be a "gentleman farmer" for he put his inheritance to work by hireing laborers to work on his farm while he handled the administration end of the farming.
For a number of years Samuel Turrittin had wanted to come to America but his wife did not approve of the idea of moving their family to the United States, and would not leave her homeland. In fact , she was very adamant in her position and though Samuel was constantly bringing up the subject, Suzanna would not consider for one second the idea of leaving the comfort of County Donegal for the wilderness that was America. Then during the spring of 1847, March 13, Suzanna Turrittin died during child birth and was buried in County Donegal. The writer has a small piece of one of her dresses that her children brought to America with them.
Since his wife was dead there was no one to stop Samuel from bringing his family to the Nev World and he wasted little time in making arrangements for the departure. Within six months after the death of his wife, he was in Nev York City. Mr. Turrittin thought that his children could have better opportlmities in America than what the old country could afford and during the years 1845 to 1847 Ireland suffered a disastrous famine resulting from the failure of the potato crop which brought severe economic hardships to all Irish families.
In preparation for the trip Samuel employed three women, two as nurse maids and one as a cook, on the condition that,they look after his motherless children on the voyage across the Atlantic in return for which he would pay their expenses to New York. The names of these women are not known today but the names of a Bridget Davenay and a Mary Ford aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, are just above the Turrittin family on the passenger arrival list in the national archives, and one can not help wondering if these two girls helped care for the Turrittin I children on the trip to America.
After taking leave of his family and friends, though he did not sell his farm, Samuel and his children sailed down the western coast of the Island around Cape Clear and up into the harbor of Queenstown , now known as Cobh. Here on August 11, they boarded a sailing vessel called the Constitution and were thirty days on the way across. The Constitution which was out of Liverpool, England, had a burden of 1327 tons and the Master was a man by the name of John Kniton. They finally arrived in New York City on the ninth day of September and after a two day wait they entered the United States on the eleventh day of September, 1847.
From New York City they went to Albany and took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, thence by boat. to Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio. The first winter was spent at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. But conditions were unsatisfactory there so in the spring of 1848 the Turrittin family went by ox cart to an eighty acre farm in Section twenty-four , Jefferson township near West Unity, Williams County, Ohio. Today the farm is located on county road I-50.
There the family continued to prosper, living the life of settlers in a new country. The land in which the Turrittins settled is at once appealing: its well-kept, large farmyards, fertile fields, pastures and wooded areas please the eye. Nature's own rich endowment has created in this region a civilization recognizable as one of the best America has to offer. Samuel Turrittin, the immigrant pioneer, brought the image of a prosperous future with him: he cleared the woods and plowed his newly won fields; he raised his lines of demarcation and set his goals; he built a home and shelter for all he owned; and he did not abandon these after a brief success.
Samuel soon discovered that he was in great need of a wife and helpmate, and after he made the acquanintance of a young widow living in the neighborhood he lost little time in proposing. The young widow, Mrs. Samuel Snow,. nee Frances Oliver, with a young son of her own, accepted his proposition. They were married on February 20, 1849, by William H. McGrew, a justice of the peace.
Frances oliver was a daughter of Eli Oliver (December 29, 1789- May 13, 1859) and his wife Lucinda Fields Oliver (June 9, 1801- April 16, 1872). Eli oliver's parents were James Oliver (died 1827) and Lucinda Corda Oliver. Nothing else is known of Eli's early life except that he had a brother John (October 4, 1785- January 29, 1861) who came to Ohio with Eli and Lucinda and made his home with them. The O1ivers were from Warren County, Virginia, moving to Todd County in Kentucky. They lived in Kentucky for about twelve years and then moved to Pickaway County in Ohio. It was here in Pickaway County that Frances was born on August 10, 1825. In addition to Frances, Eli and Lucinda Oliver had the following children: James (October 20, 1819- September 18,18921 who never married and lived wi th his parents; John (April 12, 1.822 -February 12, 1880) who also never married and lived with his parents; Virginia the oldest daughter (dates unknown) who married Samuel Beerbower and had two daughters, Lucinda Beerbower Snyder and Elizabeth Beerbower Stiving; Andrew (May 11, 1829 - January 14, 1865) who married late in his life but had no children; Mary (April 10, 1831- March 30,1897) who never married and lived at home; Isabelle (July 23, 1833- September 26, 1868) married a man by the name of J. Denning and had a son and daughter; Ellen (1835- 1903) married John Wineland and had three sons, James, Samuel, and Charles; Eliza M. (1835- 1839); and Cynthia (1839- 1915) who married Israel Kunkle and had two daughters.
The Olivers were among the first settlers in Williams County, coming there in the fall of 1833 from Pickaway County, Ohio. The family farm was located in Section thirteen, on the east side of Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski in Jefferson township. The old Oliver cemetery is located on this farm , and though the farm is no longer in the Oliver family, the cemetery is quite well kept up today.
Frances married, for her first husband, Samuel Snow about 1845. They had one son Charles Tripp, born on August 14, 1846, in Brady township, Williams County, Ohio. His early years were spent in Williams County. He went with his mother when she remarried, but when he was about four years old the Turrittin family was visiting at the Oliver home, and as they were ready to leave, his grandfather, Eli Oliver, said, "But, there is no room for you at the Turrittins, you better stay with us." So from that time he made his home at the O1ivers. At the age of thirty, in 1876, he married Leah A. Pfingsday and to this union were born two children, George and Minnie. After living about one year in Jefferson township, Williams County, they moved to Amboy township, Hil1sdale County, Michigan , where they purchased a farm, three miles north and one-half east of Pioneer, Ohio. They moved back to Ohio in 1915 and settled in the village of Pioneer. He died December 7,1923, and.was buried in Floral Grove Cemetery , Madison township, Williams County, Ohio.
Samuel Snow who was born May 1, 1814, died March 4,1847, at the age of thirty-two years, ten months, and four days. He was buried in the old Bodel Cemetery (now abandoned) which is located on the Harvey Juillard farm in Brady township, Williams County. Though the cemetery is now abandoned his tombstone is still in readable condition. After the death of her husband, Frances moved back with her parents and was living there at the time she met Samuel Turrittin.
Samuel and Frances Turrittin had the following children : Andrew born November 29,1849; Lucinda M born December 18,1850; Eli born September 10,1852; Mary Jane born September 2,1854; George Washington born October 6, 1856; Casey born January 28,1859; Alphons born February 9, 1860; Martha Manerva born September 9,1861; Frances Amelia born September 9, 1864; and Sherman born May 18, 1867. Andrew, Casey, and Alphons died as children ( dates of death unknown ) and were buried in the family plot on the Oliver farm in Jefferson township. Samuel Turrittin made provision in his will for the erection of grave markers for his three sons. If this bequest was ever carried out no one knows, but today these three Turrittin boys lie in unmarked graves.
There are several stories that have been handed down in the family to the effect that the new Mrs. Turrittin was a self-centered person, partial to her own children as against those who were born in Europe. These stories must be understood against the background of the whole story, for without a doubt they do contain some personal feelings. One must remember that when Frances Oliver Snow entered the Turrittin family she was just twenty-four years old. Thomas Turrittin. I her oldest step-son, was in his twentieth year and was more like a brother than a son. One can see that there could have been some friction under the circumstances. This was especially true of the relationship between Frances and her only step-daughter, Isabelle. However, the personality conflict betveen Frances and her step-children can be con- sidered as nothing when compared to the relationship betveen Samuel and his children, especially his sons. Samuel Turrittin was an unbending , tyrannical man who ruled his family with an iron hand. Of the fifteen children who lived to adulthood, nine of them left Ohio to live in different parts of the country. One of the main reasons for this exodus was the desire to get away from the despotism of their father. There are many stories in the family to prove the above but here it will be sufficient to mention a couple. Threshings and beatings were common place in the Turrittin home and none of the children escaped such treatment. Sundays in this Calvinistic household were especially solemn, characterized by dignified and serious formality One time some of the boys went out and picked up some nuts on a Sunday afternoon and Samuel made them take the nuts back where they had gathered them. Also no one was allowed to whistle on a Sunday in the Turrittin home.
The family continued to grow and by the time of the Federal Census of 1860, Samuel Turrittin had real estate worth $2200.00, and his personal property had a valuation of $400.00.
The evidence is not clear, but it seems that Samuel returned to Ireland to try and settle his estate in County Donegal. Mrs. Olive Bayes Doughten Fox Lawson of 4872 Rustic Bridge Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214, a great-granddaughter of Samuel Turrittin, maintains that he went back to Ireland three times to settle his estate, and James Marvin Turrittin of 434 Chapin Street, Toledo, ohio, a grandson of Samuel Turri ttin , has told the wri ter that his grandfather returned to the Old Country every five years for the same purpose. The essence of their stories containes the following facts. When Samuel left Ireland, he did not sell his farm, but kept the land in his name, hoping thereby to receive an income from his European holdings. However, under nineteenth century Irish jurisprudence, if a property owner could not be proven alive for a period of seven years, the property would become the possessions of the next of kin. This is supposed to have been what happened to Samuel's estate. When he did not return to Ireland for a period of seven years, his younger brother, Hugh, had him legally declared dead and thus inherited the family lands. When Samuel did return to the old country , to take control of the farm, he received a very frigid reception from his brother. In fact he is supposed to have had the door literally slammed in his face. How much truth there is in the above story is hard to tell at this late date. But the general story is held to be true by many of the older generation, so that it can not be altogether discounted.
After spending several years on a farm in Jefferson township. the Turrittin family moved to a farm in Section thirty-three, Springfield township, Williams County, less than a half mile north of Evansport, Ohio, on the west side of state route 191. This was an eighty acre farm, which was appraised at $3900.00.
On August 21,1870, at the age of forty-five, Frances Turrittin died. The cause of her death was attribut:ed to "change of life" .She was buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Her death marked the second wife Samuel had lost and again her death was especially sad because she left several young children, the youngest, Sherman, being but three years of age.
Eight years later, to the great amazement of his children, Samuel Turrittin married for the third time. He was seventy-two years old at the time he was married by Reverend G. W. Dinius to Mrs. Catharine Buck. The marriage took place in Defiance County, Ohio, on October 20, 1878. Catharine had been-born December 21,1821, and was the widow of John Buck (Born February 1, 1810, Died August 1,1866). John and Catharine Buck had the following children: Will1am Buck, George Buck (see the account of Frances Amelia Turrittin Mapes (Knox) ), Sarah Buck Hull, and Clara Buck Snider. Mrs. Buck was fifty-six when she married Samuel Turrittin There were no children from this union. The third Mrs. Samuel Turrittin was liked by all of the Turrittin ehildren and was held in high esteem. In fact it is known that she made one trip west to visit her step-children living in Minnesota.
Shortly after their marriage Samuel and Catharine moved into the village of Evansport, Defiance County, Ohio. Their home was on lot seventy-eight, and at the time of Samuel's death was valued at $250.00. It was here in Evansport that Samuel would spend the last years of his life, retired from active life. Though he was more feeble from year to year he was, nevertheless, able to be about until a few weeks before his death. Samuel died on May 30, 1885, in his seventy-ninth year, of cancer of the stomach. The remains were buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Jefferson township, Williams County, ohio, in the presence of a large number of relatives, friends, and neighbors. Shiffler's Cemetery, a popular Williams County burial ground, is located on the west side or United States Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski. About the year 1900 a cyclone swept through Williams County destroying Samuel's grave stone, so that today, it is sad to report, the old imnigrant pioneer lies in an unmarked grave.
Catharine Turrittin outlived her second husband by fifteen years. She died in Tiffin township, Defiance County, July 24,1900. She was buried in the Buck Cemetery, on the Defiance - Williams County line, next to her first husband.
Samuel Turrittin was a hard-working, God-fearing man. He had a keen mind and a restless nature. that would bring him across the Atlantic. to a new life for himself and family in new and strange sur- roundings. By bringing the Turrittin family to America he gave his numerous descendants opportunities that could never have opened up for them in the Old World. The Turrittin children were taught by their father that they owed society much for the privileges that had been given them. The goal of life, was not happiness but fulfilment, excellence, and victory; second best was never enough. What better lesson could we, their offspring. have as a guide today?
We have been able to uncover more data on Samuel's brother, Hugh, than on his two sisters. Hugh was born in 1812 and married Jane McCay. Hugh and Jane had the following children: Margaret, who married Reverend James Heron, George who died in childhood, John Archibald, who had no children and died on December 13, 1919, and Susanna who died in infancy. The following is a part of the death notice for Samuel's brother which was taken from the Belfast Witness of Belfast, Ireland.
Obituary of Hugh Turrettin of Rostivair, County Tyrone, Ireland; A respected elder of Rostivair. Mr. Hugh Turrettin after a short illness, brought on by a slight injury, passed to his rest on June 19, 1882, at the age of 70. He was a man who by strength and real integrity of character and by cheerfullness of dis- position and by the readiness with which at any sacrifice, he was ready to serve others; had in a very uncommon degree, won the esteem and confidence of all classes of the community, Roman Catholic as well as Protestants, and the sorrow of his unlooked for decease is deep and widespread. ...Mr. Turrettin's interest in the Presbyterian Church was deep and he was the great-grandson of Reverend James Turrettin. The family appears to come originally from Italy.
A very interesting letter has recently come to light which gives a great deal of information on members of the family that did not come to the New World. The letter which is dated December 10, 1940, was written by Mr. T. M. Heron, Solicitor, Mayfair, Arthur Square, Belfast. and sent to Mr. George Ruford Turrentine. Arkansas Polytechnic College. Russellville. Arkansas.
It is quoted here in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Turrentine.
It was with very great interest that I and other members of our family read your letter which appeared in the Belfast "News-Letter" of 2nd inst. with reference to the "Turrentine" family as our mother was Margaret Turrettin (this was the spelling of the name used by my grandfather and uncle) daughter of Hugh Turrettin who had a brother Samuel who emigrated to America about the middle of last century. In the Records of the General synod of Ulster the name is spelled "Turretine", in these Records it appears that James Turretine was ordained at Tobermore (Co. Donegal) on 5th June 1744 and on l3th June 1754 he was installed in Rye or Ray (co. Donegal) and died on 21st July 1764, Rev. James Turretine was never at Mountnorris but his son Francis formerly of Rye or Ray was installed in Mountnorris. Co. Armagh. on 5th May 1778 and died on 9th June 1804. We have no records of an Alexander - Turretine, was he a son of the Samuel mentioned in your letter? I enclose a genealogical tree of the family, Rev. James Turretin married the only daughter of a Captain Combe or McComb R. N. , who had married a sister of Charles Edward Stuart the young Pretender, my grandfather Hugh Turrettin and his brother Samuel (who emigrated , to America) were great grandsons of the Rev. James Turretine.
The Samuel Turrentine referred to in your letter as in Orange County. North Carolina in 1761 could not have been the Samuel Turrettin brother of my grandfather Hugh Turrettin as the latter would not have emigrated to America till 1825 to 1855. but he might possibly have been a brother of Rev. James Turretine of Tobermore and Rye or Ray who died in 1764, we have no record of a brother but nevertheless there might quite possibly have been a brother Samuel or Alexander or both.
I on several occasions heard my uncle John Archibald Turrettin (my mother's brother) speak of his uncle Samuel who had emigrated to America and express regret that he had been lost sight of, my uncle John Archibald Turrettin died on 13th December 1919, he was the last of the male line of the Turrettin family in Ireland so far as we know.
The name of Turrettin is still continued in our family, I had a brother Hugh Turrettin Heron a Doctor now dead, and a brother Francis Turrettin Heron also a Doctor now dead and his elder son , was also called Francis Turrettin Heron, he was a young airman in the last war and was killed in August 1918 , my elder son is Hugh Michael Turrettin Heron, he is a young Officer in the Royal Air Force and is at present stationed in England, my younger son is Anthony Turrettin Heron, he is still at School. It is believed that the family of Turrettin originally came from Northern Italy or Switzerland , there was a well known Swiss Theologian Francois Turrettin 1623-1687. I have four volumes of a Theological book written by him in Latin. There was also a member of the family in Switzerland an eminent Engineer.
The Turrettin crest is a'boar's head.
My father was Rev. James Heron D. D., Professor of Church History at the Assembly's (Presbyterian) College, Belfast, he was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland , 1901-2, he died on 18th April 1918, my - mother predeceased him on 14th November 1915. .
Yours faithfully,
.......................
Here in the north western part of Ireland Samuel grew into boyhood and when he was of the proper age, he was sent away from home to Crookston in County Tyrone where he received his formal education.
Hugh Turrettin was considered a wealthy farmer and when he died he left his entire fortune to Samuel, who was the eldest of the two brothers, because this practice of primogeniture was in accord with the laws and custom of the time. This caused hard feelings between the two brothers which seems to have lasted for the rest of their lives.
Samuel established himself on the family holdings near the town of Letterkenny. Here he went to farming. He soon met Suzanna ( Susan ) Ramsey. She was a daughter of Thomas Ramsey of Lisselman ) County Donegal and his wife Isabelle Allen who was from Letterkenny, County Donegal. S1.1Zanna had one brother) Augustus, (Gust) who would later come to the United States.
Samuel and Suzanna were married on January 3, 1827) in the Presbyterian Church because they were strict observers of that creed. To this union were born seven boys and one girl namely, Thomas born April 14, 1829, Hugh born November 5, 1831, James B. born September 21, 1833, John S, born November 21, 1835, Isabelle born August 23, 1838, Robert Ramsey born February 25, 1842, George Francis born February 22, 1844, and William Alexander born September 8,1846. Family tradition maintains that there were also three Turrittin sons who died at or shortly after birth. But no names have been found for these three boys. Samuel Turrittin was considered to be a "gentleman farmer" for he put his inheritance to work by hireing laborers to work on his farm while he handled the administration end of the farming.
For a number of years Samuel Turrittin had wanted to come to America but his wife did not approve of the idea of moving their family to the United States, and would not leave her homeland. In fact , she was very adamant in her position and though Samuel was constantly bringing up the subject, Suzanna would not consider for one second the idea of leaving the comfort of County Donegal for the wilderness that was America. Then during the spring of 1847, March 13, Suzanna Turrittin died during child birth and was buried in County Donegal. The writer has a small piece of one of her dresses that her children brought to America with them.
Since his wife was dead there was no one to stop Samuel from bringing his family to the Nev World and he wasted little time in making arrangements for the departure. Within six months after the death of his wife, he was in Nev York City. Mr. Turrittin thought that his children could have better opportlmities in America than what the old country could afford and during the years 1845 to 1847 Ireland suffered a disastrous famine resulting from the failure of the potato crop which brought severe economic hardships to all Irish families.
In preparation for the trip Samuel employed three women, two as nurse maids and one as a cook, on the condition that,they look after his motherless children on the voyage across the Atlantic in return for which he would pay their expenses to New York. The names of these women are not known today but the names of a Bridget Davenay and a Mary Ford aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, are just above the Turrittin family on the passenger arrival list in the national archives, and one can not help wondering if these two girls helped care for the Turrittin I children on the trip to America.
After taking leave of his family and friends, though he did not sell his farm, Samuel and his children sailed down the western coast of the Island around Cape Clear and up into the harbor of Queenstown , now known as Cobh. Here on August 11, they boarded a sailing vessel called the Constitution and were thirty days on the way across. The Constitution which was out of Liverpool, England, had a burden of 1327 tons and the Master was a man by the name of John Kniton. They finally arrived in New York City on the ninth day of September and after a two day wait they entered the United States on the eleventh day of September, 1847.
From New York City they went to Albany and took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, thence by boat. to Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio. The first winter was spent at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. But conditions were unsatisfactory there so in the spring of 1848 the Turrittin family went by ox cart to an eighty acre farm in Section twenty-four , Jefferson township near West Unity, Williams County, Ohio. Today the farm is located on county road I-50.
There the family continued to prosper, living the life of settlers in a new country. The land in which the Turrittins settled is at once appealing: its well-kept, large farmyards, fertile fields, pastures and wooded areas please the eye. Nature's own rich endowment has created in this region a civilization recognizable as one of the best America has to offer. Samuel Turrittin, the immigrant pioneer, brought the image of a prosperous future with him: he cleared the woods and plowed his newly won fields; he raised his lines of demarcation and set his goals; he built a home and shelter for all he owned; and he did not abandon these after a brief success.
Samuel soon discovered that he was in great need of a wife and helpmate, and after he made the acquanintance of a young widow living in the neighborhood he lost little time in proposing. The young widow, Mrs. Samuel Snow,. nee Frances Oliver, with a young son of her own, accepted his proposition. They were married on February 20, 1849, by William H. McGrew, a justice of the peace.
Frances oliver was a daughter of Eli Oliver (December 29, 1789- May 13, 1859) and his wife Lucinda Fields Oliver (June 9, 1801- April 16, 1872). Eli oliver's parents were James Oliver (died 1827) and Lucinda Corda Oliver. Nothing else is known of Eli's early life except that he had a brother John (October 4, 1785- January 29, 1861) who came to Ohio with Eli and Lucinda and made his home with them. The O1ivers were from Warren County, Virginia, moving to Todd County in Kentucky. They lived in Kentucky for about twelve years and then moved to Pickaway County in Ohio. It was here in Pickaway County that Frances was born on August 10, 1825. In addition to Frances, Eli and Lucinda Oliver had the following children: James (October 20, 1819- September 18,18921 who never married and lived wi th his parents; John (April 12, 1.822 -February 12, 1880) who also never married and lived with his parents; Virginia the oldest daughter (dates unknown) who married Samuel Beerbower and had two daughters, Lucinda Beerbower Snyder and Elizabeth Beerbower Stiving; Andrew (May 11, 1829 - January 14, 1865) who married late in his life but had no children; Mary (April 10, 1831- March 30,1897) who never married and lived at home; Isabelle (July 23, 1833- September 26, 1868) married a man by the name of J. Denning and had a son and daughter; Ellen (1835- 1903) married John Wineland and had three sons, James, Samuel, and Charles; Eliza M. (1835- 1839); and Cynthia (1839- 1915) who married Israel Kunkle and had two daughters.
The Olivers were among the first settlers in Williams County, coming there in the fall of 1833 from Pickaway County, Ohio. The family farm was located in Section thirteen, on the east side of Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski in Jefferson township. The old Oliver cemetery is located on this farm , and though the farm is no longer in the Oliver family, the cemetery is quite well kept up today.
Frances married, for her first husband, Samuel Snow about 1845. They had one son Charles Tripp, born on August 14, 1846, in Brady township, Williams County, Ohio. His early years were spent in Williams County. He went with his mother when she remarried, but when he was about four years old the Turrittin family was visiting at the Oliver home, and as they were ready to leave, his grandfather, Eli Oliver, said, "But, there is no room for you at the Turrittins, you better stay with us." So from that time he made his home at the O1ivers. At the age of thirty, in 1876, he married Leah A. Pfingsday and to this union were born two children, George and Minnie. After living about one year in Jefferson township, Williams County, they moved to Amboy township, Hil1sdale County, Michigan , where they purchased a farm, three miles north and one-half east of Pioneer, Ohio. They moved back to Ohio in 1915 and settled in the village of Pioneer. He died December 7,1923, and.was buried in Floral Grove Cemetery , Madison township, Williams County, Ohio.
Samuel Snow who was born May 1, 1814, died March 4,1847, at the age of thirty-two years, ten months, and four days. He was buried in the old Bodel Cemetery (now abandoned) which is located on the Harvey Juillard farm in Brady township, Williams County. Though the cemetery is now abandoned his tombstone is still in readable condition. After the death of her husband, Frances moved back with her parents and was living there at the time she met Samuel Turrittin.
Samuel and Frances Turrittin had the following children : Andrew born November 29,1849; Lucinda M born December 18,1850; Eli born September 10,1852; Mary Jane born September 2,1854; George Washington born October 6, 1856; Casey born January 28,1859; Alphons born February 9, 1860; Martha Manerva born September 9,1861; Frances Amelia born September 9, 1864; and Sherman born May 18, 1867. Andrew, Casey, and Alphons died as children ( dates of death unknown ) and were buried in the family plot on the Oliver farm in Jefferson township. Samuel Turrittin made provision in his will for the erection of grave markers for his three sons. If this bequest was ever carried out no one knows, but today these three Turrittin boys lie in unmarked graves.
There are several stories that have been handed down in the family to the effect that the new Mrs. Turrittin was a self-centered person, partial to her own children as against those who were born in Europe. These stories must be understood against the background of the whole story, for without a doubt they do contain some personal feelings. One must remember that when Frances Oliver Snow entered the Turrittin family she was just twenty-four years old. Thomas Turrittin. I her oldest step-son, was in his twentieth year and was more like a brother than a son. One can see that there could have been some friction under the circumstances. This was especially true of the relationship between Frances and her only step-daughter, Isabelle. However, the personality conflict betveen Frances and her step-children can be con- sidered as nothing when compared to the relationship betveen Samuel and his children, especially his sons. Samuel Turrittin was an unbending , tyrannical man who ruled his family with an iron hand. Of the fifteen children who lived to adulthood, nine of them left Ohio to live in different parts of the country. One of the main reasons for this exodus was the desire to get away from the despotism of their father. There are many stories in the family to prove the above but here it will be sufficient to mention a couple. Threshings and beatings were common place in the Turrittin home and none of the children escaped such treatment. Sundays in this Calvinistic household were especially solemn, characterized by dignified and serious formality One time some of the boys went out and picked up some nuts on a Sunday afternoon and Samuel made them take the nuts back where they had gathered them. Also no one was allowed to whistle on a Sunday in the Turrittin home.
The family continued to grow and by the time of the Federal Census of 1860, Samuel Turrittin had real estate worth $2200.00, and his personal property had a valuation of $400.00.
The evidence is not clear, but it seems that Samuel returned to Ireland to try and settle his estate in County Donegal. Mrs. Olive Bayes Doughten Fox Lawson of 4872 Rustic Bridge Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214, a great-granddaughter of Samuel Turrittin, maintains that he went back to Ireland three times to settle his estate, and James Marvin Turrittin of 434 Chapin Street, Toledo, ohio, a grandson of Samuel Turri ttin , has told the wri ter that his grandfather returned to the Old Country every five years for the same purpose. The essence of their stories containes the following facts. When Samuel left Ireland, he did not sell his farm, but kept the land in his name, hoping thereby to receive an income from his European holdings. However, under nineteenth century Irish jurisprudence, if a property owner could not be proven alive for a period of seven years, the property would become the possessions of the next of kin. This is supposed to have been what happened to Samuel's estate. When he did not return to Ireland for a period of seven years, his younger brother, Hugh, had him legally declared dead and thus inherited the family lands. When Samuel did return to the old country , to take control of the farm, he received a very frigid reception from his brother. In fact he is supposed to have had the door literally slammed in his face. How much truth there is in the above story is hard to tell at this late date. But the general story is held to be true by many of the older generation, so that it can not be altogether discounted.
After spending several years on a farm in Jefferson township. the Turrittin family moved to a farm in Section thirty-three, Springfield township, Williams County, less than a half mile north of Evansport, Ohio, on the west side of state route 191. This was an eighty acre farm, which was appraised at $3900.00.
On August 21,1870, at the age of forty-five, Frances Turrittin died. The cause of her death was attribut:ed to "change of life" .She was buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Her death marked the second wife Samuel had lost and again her death was especially sad because she left several young children, the youngest, Sherman, being but three years of age.
Eight years later, to the great amazement of his children, Samuel Turrittin married for the third time. He was seventy-two years old at the time he was married by Reverend G. W. Dinius to Mrs. Catharine Buck. The marriage took place in Defiance County, Ohio, on October 20, 1878. Catharine had been-born December 21,1821, and was the widow of John Buck (Born February 1, 1810, Died August 1,1866). John and Catharine Buck had the following children: Will1am Buck, George Buck (see the account of Frances Amelia Turrittin Mapes (Knox) ), Sarah Buck Hull, and Clara Buck Snider. Mrs. Buck was fifty-six when she married Samuel Turrittin There were no children from this union. The third Mrs. Samuel Turrittin was liked by all of the Turrittin ehildren and was held in high esteem. In fact it is known that she made one trip west to visit her step-children living in Minnesota.
Shortly after their marriage Samuel and Catharine moved into the village of Evansport, Defiance County, Ohio. Their home was on lot seventy-eight, and at the time of Samuel's death was valued at $250.00. It was here in Evansport that Samuel would spend the last years of his life, retired from active life. Though he was more feeble from year to year he was, nevertheless, able to be about until a few weeks before his death. Samuel died on May 30, 1885, in his seventy-ninth year, of cancer of the stomach. The remains were buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Jefferson township, Williams County, ohio, in the presence of a large number of relatives, friends, and neighbors. Shiffler's Cemetery, a popular Williams County burial ground, is located on the west side or United States Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski. About the year 1900 a cyclone swept through Williams County destroying Samuel's grave stone, so that today, it is sad to report, the old imnigrant pioneer lies in an unmarked grave.
Catharine Turrittin outlived her second husband by fifteen years. She died in Tiffin township, Defiance County, July 24,1900. She was buried in the Buck Cemetery, on the Defiance - Williams County line, next to her first husband.
Samuel Turrittin was a hard-working, God-fearing man. He had a keen mind and a restless nature. that would bring him across the Atlantic. to a new life for himself and family in new and strange sur- roundings. By bringing the Turrittin family to America he gave his numerous descendants opportunities that could never have opened up for them in the Old World. The Turrittin children were taught by their father that they owed society much for the privileges that had been given them. The goal of life, was not happiness but fulfilment, excellence, and victory; second best was never enough. What better lesson could we, their offspring. have as a guide today?
Samuel Turrittin, the subject of this sketch and the immigrant ancestor of all members of the family living in the United States, was born on November 8, 1806, in County Donegal, Ireland, the son of Hugh Turrettin and the great-grandson of the Reverend James Turrettin, a Presbyterian minister in Calmon, County Derry, Ireland. During the several years of working on this project no mention has ever ever been found of Samuel's mother. However, Samuel's father had the following additional children: Jane, who died unmarried, Martha who married a Professor Nelson, headmaster of a school in America, and a son Hugh.
We have been able to uncover more data on Samuel's brother, Hugh, than on his two sisters. Hugh was born in 1812 and married Jane McCay. Hugh and Jane had the following children: Margaret, who married Reverend James Heron, George who died in childhood, John Archibald, who had no children and died on December 13, 1919, and Susanna who died in infancy. The following is a part of the death notice for Samuel's brother which was taken from the Belfast Witness of Belfast, Ireland.
Obituary of Hugh Turrettin of Rostivair, County Tyrone, Ireland; A respected elder of Rostivair. Mr. Hugh Turrettin after a short illness, brought on by a slight injury, passed to his rest on June 19, 1882, at the age of 70. He was a man who by strength and real integrity of character and by cheerfullness of dis- position and by the readiness with which at any sacrifice, he was ready to serve others; had in a very uncommon degree, won the esteem and confidence of all classes of the community, Roman Catholic as well as Protestants, and the sorrow of his unlooked for decease is deep and widespread. ...Mr. Turrettin's interest in the Presbyterian Church was deep and he was the great-grandson of Reverend James Turrettin. The family appears to come originally from Italy.
A very interesting letter has recently come to light which gives a great deal of information on members of the family that did not come to the New World. The letter which is dated December 10, 1940, was written by Mr. T. M. Heron, Solicitor, Mayfair, Arthur Square, Belfast. and sent to Mr. George Ruford Turrentine. Arkansas Polytechnic College. Russellville. Arkansas.
It is quoted here in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Turrentine.
It was with very great interest that I and other members of our family read your letter which appeared in the Belfast "News-Letter" of 2nd inst. with reference to the "Turrentine" family as our mother was Margaret Turrettin (this was the spelling of the name used by my grandfather and uncle) daughter of Hugh Turrettin who had a brother Samuel who emigrated to America about the middle of last century. In the Records of the General synod of Ulster the name is spelled "Turretine", in these Records it appears that James Turretine was ordained at Tobermore (Co. Donegal) on 5th June 1744 and on l3th June 1754 he was installed in Rye or Ray (co. Donegal) and died on 21st July 1764, Rev. James Turretine was never at Mountnorris but his son Francis formerly of Rye or Ray was installed in Mountnorris. Co. Armagh. on 5th May 1778 and died on 9th June 1804. We have no records of an Alexander - Turretine, was he a son of the Samuel mentioned in your letter? I enclose a genealogical tree of the family, Rev. James Turretin married the only daughter of a Captain Combe or McComb R. N. , who had married a sister of Charles Edward Stuart the young Pretender, my grandfather Hugh Turrettin and his brother Samuel (who emigrated , to America) were great grandsons of the Rev. James Turretine.
The Samuel Turrentine referred to in your letter as in Orange County. North Carolina in 1761 could not have been the Samuel Turrettin brother of my grandfather Hugh Turrettin as the latter would not have emigrated to America till 1825 to 1855. but he might possibly have been a brother of Rev. James Turretine of Tobermore and Rye or Ray who died in 1764, we have no record of a brother but nevertheless there might quite possibly have been a brother Samuel or Alexander or both.
I on several occasions heard my uncle John Archibald Turrettin (my mother's brother) speak of his uncle Samuel who had emigrated to America and express regret that he had been lost sight of, my uncle John Archibald Turrettin died on 13th December 1919, he was the last of the male line of the Turrettin family in Ireland so far as we know.
The name of Turrettin is still continued in our family, I had a brother Hugh Turrettin Heron a Doctor now dead, and a brother Francis Turrettin Heron also a Doctor now dead and his elder son , was also called Francis Turrettin Heron, he was a young airman in the last war and was killed in August 1918 , my elder son is Hugh Michael Turrettin Heron, he is a young Officer in the Royal Air Force and is at present stationed in England, my younger son is Anthony Turrettin Heron, he is still at School. It is believed that the family of Turrettin originally came from Northern Italy or Switzerland , there was a well known Swiss Theologian Francois Turrettin 1623-1687. I have four volumes of a Theological book written by him in Latin. There was also a member of the family in Switzerland an eminent Engineer.
The Turrettin crest is a'boar's head.
My father was Rev. James Heron D. D., Professor of Church History at the Assembly's (Presbyterian) College, Belfast, he was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland , 1901-2, he died on 18th April 1918, my - mother predeceased him on 14th November 1915. .
Yours faithfully,
.......................
Here in the north western part of Ireland Samuel grew into boyhood and when he was of the proper age, he was sent away from home to Crookston in County Tyrone where he received his formal education.
Hugh Turrettin was considered a wealthy farmer and when he died he left his entire fortune to Samuel, who was the eldest of the two brothers, because this practice of primogeniture was in accord with the laws and custom of the time. This caused hard feelings between the two brothers which seems to have lasted for the rest of their lives.
Samuel established himself on the family holdings near the town of Letterkenny. Here he went to farming. He soon met Suzanna ( Susan ) Ramsey. She was a daughter of Thomas Ramsey of Lisselman ) County Donegal and his wife Isabelle Allen who was from Letterkenny, County Donegal. S1.1Zanna had one brother) Augustus, (Gust) who would later come to the United States.
Samuel and Suzanna were married on January 3, 1827) in the Presbyterian Church because they were strict observers of that creed. To this union were born seven boys and one girl namely, Thomas born April 14, 1829, Hugh born November 5, 1831, James B. born September 21, 1833, John S, born November 21, 1835, Isabelle born August 23, 1838, Robert Ramsey born February 25, 1842, George Francis born February 22, 1844, and William Alexander born September 8,1846. Family tradition maintains that there were also three Turrittin sons who died at or shortly after birth. But no names have been found for these three boys. Samuel Turrittin was considered to be a "gentleman farmer" for he put his inheritance to work by hireing laborers to work on his farm while he handled the administration end of the farming.
For a number of years Samuel Turrittin had wanted to come to America but his wife did not approve of the idea of moving their family to the United States, and would not leave her homeland. In fact , she was very adamant in her position and though Samuel was constantly bringing up the subject, Suzanna would not consider for one second the idea of leaving the comfort of County Donegal for the wilderness that was America. Then during the spring of 1847, March 13, Suzanna Turrittin died during child birth and was buried in County Donegal. The writer has a small piece of one of her dresses that her children brought to America with them.
Since his wife was dead there was no one to stop Samuel from bringing his family to the Nev World and he wasted little time in making arrangements for the departure. Within six months after the death of his wife, he was in Nev York City. Mr. Turrittin thought that his children could have better opportlmities in America than what the old country could afford and during the years 1845 to 1847 Ireland suffered a disastrous famine resulting from the failure of the potato crop which brought severe economic hardships to all Irish families.
In preparation for the trip Samuel employed three women, two as nurse maids and one as a cook, on the condition that,they look after his motherless children on the voyage across the Atlantic in return for which he would pay their expenses to New York. The names of these women are not known today but the names of a Bridget Davenay and a Mary Ford aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, are just above the Turrittin family on the passenger arrival list in the national archives, and one can not help wondering if these two girls helped care for the Turrittin I children on the trip to America.
After taking leave of his family and friends, though he did not sell his farm, Samuel and his children sailed down the western coast of the Island around Cape Clear and up into the harbor of Queenstown , now known as Cobh. Here on August 11, they boarded a sailing vessel called the Constitution and were thirty days on the way across. The Constitution which was out of Liverpool, England, had a burden of 1327 tons and the Master was a man by the name of John Kniton. They finally arrived in New York City on the ninth day of September and after a two day wait they entered the United States on the eleventh day of September, 1847.
From New York City they went to Albany and took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, thence by boat. to Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio. The first winter was spent at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. But conditions were unsatisfactory there so in the spring of 1848 the Turrittin family went by ox cart to an eighty acre farm in Section twenty-four , Jefferson township near West Unity, Williams County, Ohio. Today the farm is located on county road I-50.
There the family continued to prosper, living the life of settlers in a new country. The land in which the Turrittins settled is at once appealing: its well-kept, large farmyards, fertile fields, pastures and wooded areas please the eye. Nature's own rich endowment has created in this region a civilization recognizable as one of the best America has to offer. Samuel Turrittin, the immigrant pioneer, brought the image of a prosperous future with him: he cleared the woods and plowed his newly won fields; he raised his lines of demarcation and set his goals; he built a home and shelter for all he owned; and he did not abandon these after a brief success.
Samuel soon discovered that he was in great need of a wife and helpmate, and after he made the acquanintance of a young widow living in the neighborhood he lost little time in proposing. The young widow, Mrs. Samuel Snow,. nee Frances Oliver, with a young son of her own, accepted his proposition. They were married on February 20, 1849, by William H. McGrew, a justice of the peace.
Frances oliver was a daughter of Eli Oliver (December 29, 1789- May 13, 1859) and his wife Lucinda Fields Oliver (June 9, 1801- April 16, 1872). Eli oliver's parents were James Oliver (died 1827) and Lucinda Corda Oliver. Nothing else is known of Eli's early life except that he had a brother John (October 4, 1785- January 29, 1861) who came to Ohio with Eli and Lucinda and made his home with them. The O1ivers were from Warren County, Virginia, moving to Todd County in Kentucky. They lived in Kentucky for about twelve years and then moved to Pickaway County in Ohio. It was here in Pickaway County that Frances was born on August 10, 1825. In addition to Frances, Eli and Lucinda Oliver had the following children: James (October 20, 1819- September 18,18921 who never married and lived wi th his parents; John (April 12, 1.822 -February 12, 1880) who also never married and lived with his parents; Virginia the oldest daughter (dates unknown) who married Samuel Beerbower and had two daughters, Lucinda Beerbower Snyder and Elizabeth Beerbower Stiving; Andrew (May 11, 1829 - January 14, 1865) who married late in his life but had no children; Mary (April 10, 1831- March 30,1897) who never married and lived at home; Isabelle (July 23, 1833- September 26, 1868) married a man by the name of J. Denning and had a son and daughter; Ellen (1835- 1903) married John Wineland and had three sons, James, Samuel, and Charles; Eliza M. (1835- 1839); and Cynthia (1839- 1915) who married Israel Kunkle and had two daughters.
The Olivers were among the first settlers in Williams County, coming there in the fall of 1833 from Pickaway County, Ohio. The family farm was located in Section thirteen, on the east side of Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski in Jefferson township. The old Oliver cemetery is located on this farm , and though the farm is no longer in the Oliver family, the cemetery is quite well kept up today.
Frances married, for her first husband, Samuel Snow about 1845. They had one son Charles Tripp, born on August 14, 1846, in Brady township, Williams County, Ohio. His early years were spent in Williams County. He went with his mother when she remarried, but when he was about four years old the Turrittin family was visiting at the Oliver home, and as they were ready to leave, his grandfather, Eli Oliver, said, "But, there is no room for you at the Turrittins, you better stay with us." So from that time he made his home at the O1ivers. At the age of thirty, in 1876, he married Leah A. Pfingsday and to this union were born two children, George and Minnie. After living about one year in Jefferson township, Williams County, they moved to Amboy township, Hil1sdale County, Michigan , where they purchased a farm, three miles north and one-half east of Pioneer, Ohio. They moved back to Ohio in 1915 and settled in the village of Pioneer. He died December 7,1923, and.was buried in Floral Grove Cemetery , Madison township, Williams County, Ohio.
Samuel Snow who was born May 1, 1814, died March 4,1847, at the age of thirty-two years, ten months, and four days. He was buried in the old Bodel Cemetery (now abandoned) which is located on the Harvey Juillard farm in Brady township, Williams County. Though the cemetery is now abandoned his tombstone is still in readable condition. After the death of her husband, Frances moved back with her parents and was living there at the time she met Samuel Turrittin.
Samuel and Frances Turrittin had the following children : Andrew born November 29,1849; Lucinda M born December 18,1850; Eli born September 10,1852; Mary Jane born September 2,1854; George Washington born October 6, 1856; Casey born January 28,1859; Alphons born February 9, 1860; Martha Manerva born September 9,1861; Frances Amelia born September 9, 1864; and Sherman born May 18, 1867. Andrew, Casey, and Alphons died as children ( dates of death unknown ) and were buried in the family plot on the Oliver farm in Jefferson township. Samuel Turrittin made provision in his will for the erection of grave markers for his three sons. If this bequest was ever carried out no one knows, but today these three Turrittin boys lie in unmarked graves.
There are several stories that have been handed down in the family to the effect that the new Mrs. Turrittin was a self-centered person, partial to her own children as against those who were born in Europe. These stories must be understood against the background of the whole story, for without a doubt they do contain some personal feelings. One must remember that when Frances Oliver Snow entered the Turrittin family she was just twenty-four years old. Thomas Turrittin. I her oldest step-son, was in his twentieth year and was more like a brother than a son. One can see that there could have been some friction under the circumstances. This was especially true of the relationship between Frances and her only step-daughter, Isabelle. However, the personality conflict betveen Frances and her step-children can be con- sidered as nothing when compared to the relationship betveen Samuel and his children, especially his sons. Samuel Turrittin was an unbending , tyrannical man who ruled his family with an iron hand. Of the fifteen children who lived to adulthood, nine of them left Ohio to live in different parts of the country. One of the main reasons for this exodus was the desire to get away from the despotism of their father. There are many stories in the family to prove the above but here it will be sufficient to mention a couple. Threshings and beatings were common place in the Turrittin home and none of the children escaped such treatment. Sundays in this Calvinistic household were especially solemn, characterized by dignified and serious formality One time some of the boys went out and picked up some nuts on a Sunday afternoon and Samuel made them take the nuts back where they had gathered them. Also no one was allowed to whistle on a Sunday in the Turrittin home.
The family continued to grow and by the time of the Federal Census of 1860, Samuel Turrittin had real estate worth $2200.00, and his personal property had a valuation of $400.00.
The evidence is not clear, but it seems that Samuel returned to Ireland to try and settle his estate in County Donegal. Mrs. Olive Bayes Doughten Fox Lawson of 4872 Rustic Bridge Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214, a great-granddaughter of Samuel Turrittin, maintains that he went back to Ireland three times to settle his estate, and James Marvin Turrittin of 434 Chapin Street, Toledo, ohio, a grandson of Samuel Turri ttin , has told the wri ter that his grandfather returned to the Old Country every five years for the same purpose. The essence of their stories containes the following facts. When Samuel left Ireland, he did not sell his farm, but kept the land in his name, hoping thereby to receive an income from his European holdings. However, under nineteenth century Irish jurisprudence, if a property owner could not be proven alive for a period of seven years, the property would become the possessions of the next of kin. This is supposed to have been what happened to Samuel's estate. When he did not return to Ireland for a period of seven years, his younger brother, Hugh, had him legally declared dead and thus inherited the family lands. When Samuel did return to the old country , to take control of the farm, he received a very frigid reception from his brother. In fact he is supposed to have had the door literally slammed in his face. How much truth there is in the above story is hard to tell at this late date. But the general story is held to be true by many of the older generation, so that it can not be altogether discounted.
After spending several years on a farm in Jefferson township. the Turrittin family moved to a farm in Section thirty-three, Springfield township, Williams County, less than a half mile north of Evansport, Ohio, on the west side of state route 191. This was an eighty acre farm, which was appraised at $3900.00.
On August 21,1870, at the age of forty-five, Frances Turrittin died. The cause of her death was attribut:ed to "change of life" .She was buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Her death marked the second wife Samuel had lost and again her death was especially sad because she left several young children, the youngest, Sherman, being but three years of age.
Eight years later, to the great amazement of his children, Samuel Turrittin married for the third time. He was seventy-two years old at the time he was married by Reverend G. W. Dinius to Mrs. Catharine Buck. The marriage took place in Defiance County, Ohio, on October 20, 1878. Catharine had been-born December 21,1821, and was the widow of John Buck (Born February 1, 1810, Died August 1,1866). John and Catharine Buck had the following children: Will1am Buck, George Buck (see the account of Frances Amelia Turrittin Mapes (Knox) ), Sarah Buck Hull, and Clara Buck Snider. Mrs. Buck was fifty-six when she married Samuel Turrittin There were no children from this union. The third Mrs. Samuel Turrittin was liked by all of the Turrittin ehildren and was held in high esteem. In fact it is known that she made one trip west to visit her step-children living in Minnesota.
Shortly after their marriage Samuel and Catharine moved into the village of Evansport, Defiance County, Ohio. Their home was on lot seventy-eight, and at the time of Samuel's death was valued at $250.00. It was here in Evansport that Samuel would spend the last years of his life, retired from active life. Though he was more feeble from year to year he was, nevertheless, able to be about until a few weeks before his death. Samuel died on May 30, 1885, in his seventy-ninth year, of cancer of the stomach. The remains were buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Jefferson township, Williams County, ohio, in the presence of a large number of relatives, friends, and neighbors. Shiffler's Cemetery, a popular Williams County burial ground, is located on the west side or United States Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski. About the year 1900 a cyclone swept through Williams County destroying Samuel's grave stone, so that today, it is sad to report, the old imnigrant pioneer lies in an unmarked grave.
Catharine Turrittin outlived her second husband by fifteen years. She died in Tiffin township, Defiance County, July 24,1900. She was buried in the Buck Cemetery, on the Defiance - Williams County line, next to her first husband.
Samuel Turrittin was a hard-working, God-fearing man. He had a keen mind and a restless nature. that would bring him across the Atlantic. to a new life for himself and family in new and strange sur- roundings. By bringing the Turrittin family to America he gave his numerous descendants opportunities that could never have opened up for them in the Old World. The Turrittin children were taught by their father that they owed society much for the privileges that had been given them. The goal of life, was not happiness but fulfilment, excellence, and victory; second best was never enough. What better lesson could we, their offspring. have as a guide today?
We have been able to uncover more data on Samuel's brother, Hugh, than on his two sisters. Hugh was born in 1812 and married Jane McCay. Hugh and Jane had the following children: Margaret, who married Reverend James Heron, George who died in childhood, John Archibald, who had no children and died on December 13, 1919, and Susanna who died in infancy. The following is a part of the death notice for Samuel's brother which was taken from the Belfast Witness of Belfast, Ireland.
Obituary of Hugh Turrettin of Rostivair, County Tyrone, Ireland; A respected elder of Rostivair. Mr. Hugh Turrettin after a short illness, brought on by a slight injury, passed to his rest on June 19, 1882, at the age of 70. He was a man who by strength and real integrity of character and by cheerfullness of dis- position and by the readiness with which at any sacrifice, he was ready to serve others; had in a very uncommon degree, won the esteem and confidence of all classes of the community, Roman Catholic as well as Protestants, and the sorrow of his unlooked for decease is deep and widespread. ...Mr. Turrettin's interest in the Presbyterian Church was deep and he was the great-grandson of Reverend James Turrettin. The family appears to come originally from Italy.
A very interesting letter has recently come to light which gives a great deal of information on members of the family that did not come to the New World. The letter which is dated December 10, 1940, was written by Mr. T. M. Heron, Solicitor, Mayfair, Arthur Square, Belfast. and sent to Mr. George Ruford Turrentine. Arkansas Polytechnic College. Russellville. Arkansas.
It is quoted here in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Turrentine.
It was with very great interest that I and other members of our family read your letter which appeared in the Belfast "News-Letter" of 2nd inst. with reference to the "Turrentine" family as our mother was Margaret Turrettin (this was the spelling of the name used by my grandfather and uncle) daughter of Hugh Turrettin who had a brother Samuel who emigrated to America about the middle of last century. In the Records of the General synod of Ulster the name is spelled "Turretine", in these Records it appears that James Turretine was ordained at Tobermore (Co. Donegal) on 5th June 1744 and on l3th June 1754 he was installed in Rye or Ray (co. Donegal) and died on 21st July 1764, Rev. James Turretine was never at Mountnorris but his son Francis formerly of Rye or Ray was installed in Mountnorris. Co. Armagh. on 5th May 1778 and died on 9th June 1804. We have no records of an Alexander - Turretine, was he a son of the Samuel mentioned in your letter? I enclose a genealogical tree of the family, Rev. James Turretin married the only daughter of a Captain Combe or McComb R. N. , who had married a sister of Charles Edward Stuart the young Pretender, my grandfather Hugh Turrettin and his brother Samuel (who emigrated , to America) were great grandsons of the Rev. James Turretine.
The Samuel Turrentine referred to in your letter as in Orange County. North Carolina in 1761 could not have been the Samuel Turrettin brother of my grandfather Hugh Turrettin as the latter would not have emigrated to America till 1825 to 1855. but he might possibly have been a brother of Rev. James Turretine of Tobermore and Rye or Ray who died in 1764, we have no record of a brother but nevertheless there might quite possibly have been a brother Samuel or Alexander or both.
I on several occasions heard my uncle John Archibald Turrettin (my mother's brother) speak of his uncle Samuel who had emigrated to America and express regret that he had been lost sight of, my uncle John Archibald Turrettin died on 13th December 1919, he was the last of the male line of the Turrettin family in Ireland so far as we know.
The name of Turrettin is still continued in our family, I had a brother Hugh Turrettin Heron a Doctor now dead, and a brother Francis Turrettin Heron also a Doctor now dead and his elder son , was also called Francis Turrettin Heron, he was a young airman in the last war and was killed in August 1918 , my elder son is Hugh Michael Turrettin Heron, he is a young Officer in the Royal Air Force and is at present stationed in England, my younger son is Anthony Turrettin Heron, he is still at School. It is believed that the family of Turrettin originally came from Northern Italy or Switzerland , there was a well known Swiss Theologian Francois Turrettin 1623-1687. I have four volumes of a Theological book written by him in Latin. There was also a member of the family in Switzerland an eminent Engineer.
The Turrettin crest is a'boar's head.
My father was Rev. James Heron D. D., Professor of Church History at the Assembly's (Presbyterian) College, Belfast, he was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland , 1901-2, he died on 18th April 1918, my - mother predeceased him on 14th November 1915. .
Yours faithfully,
.......................
Here in the north western part of Ireland Samuel grew into boyhood and when he was of the proper age, he was sent away from home to Crookston in County Tyrone where he received his formal education.
Hugh Turrettin was considered a wealthy farmer and when he died he left his entire fortune to Samuel, who was the eldest of the two brothers, because this practice of primogeniture was in accord with the laws and custom of the time. This caused hard feelings between the two brothers which seems to have lasted for the rest of their lives.
Samuel established himself on the family holdings near the town of Letterkenny. Here he went to farming. He soon met Suzanna ( Susan ) Ramsey. She was a daughter of Thomas Ramsey of Lisselman ) County Donegal and his wife Isabelle Allen who was from Letterkenny, County Donegal. S1.1Zanna had one brother) Augustus, (Gust) who would later come to the United States.
Samuel and Suzanna were married on January 3, 1827) in the Presbyterian Church because they were strict observers of that creed. To this union were born seven boys and one girl namely, Thomas born April 14, 1829, Hugh born November 5, 1831, James B. born September 21, 1833, John S, born November 21, 1835, Isabelle born August 23, 1838, Robert Ramsey born February 25, 1842, George Francis born February 22, 1844, and William Alexander born September 8,1846. Family tradition maintains that there were also three Turrittin sons who died at or shortly after birth. But no names have been found for these three boys. Samuel Turrittin was considered to be a "gentleman farmer" for he put his inheritance to work by hireing laborers to work on his farm while he handled the administration end of the farming.
For a number of years Samuel Turrittin had wanted to come to America but his wife did not approve of the idea of moving their family to the United States, and would not leave her homeland. In fact , she was very adamant in her position and though Samuel was constantly bringing up the subject, Suzanna would not consider for one second the idea of leaving the comfort of County Donegal for the wilderness that was America. Then during the spring of 1847, March 13, Suzanna Turrittin died during child birth and was buried in County Donegal. The writer has a small piece of one of her dresses that her children brought to America with them.
Since his wife was dead there was no one to stop Samuel from bringing his family to the Nev World and he wasted little time in making arrangements for the departure. Within six months after the death of his wife, he was in Nev York City. Mr. Turrittin thought that his children could have better opportlmities in America than what the old country could afford and during the years 1845 to 1847 Ireland suffered a disastrous famine resulting from the failure of the potato crop which brought severe economic hardships to all Irish families.
In preparation for the trip Samuel employed three women, two as nurse maids and one as a cook, on the condition that,they look after his motherless children on the voyage across the Atlantic in return for which he would pay their expenses to New York. The names of these women are not known today but the names of a Bridget Davenay and a Mary Ford aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, are just above the Turrittin family on the passenger arrival list in the national archives, and one can not help wondering if these two girls helped care for the Turrittin I children on the trip to America.
After taking leave of his family and friends, though he did not sell his farm, Samuel and his children sailed down the western coast of the Island around Cape Clear and up into the harbor of Queenstown , now known as Cobh. Here on August 11, they boarded a sailing vessel called the Constitution and were thirty days on the way across. The Constitution which was out of Liverpool, England, had a burden of 1327 tons and the Master was a man by the name of John Kniton. They finally arrived in New York City on the ninth day of September and after a two day wait they entered the United States on the eleventh day of September, 1847.
From New York City they went to Albany and took the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, thence by boat. to Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio. The first winter was spent at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. But conditions were unsatisfactory there so in the spring of 1848 the Turrittin family went by ox cart to an eighty acre farm in Section twenty-four , Jefferson township near West Unity, Williams County, Ohio. Today the farm is located on county road I-50.
There the family continued to prosper, living the life of settlers in a new country. The land in which the Turrittins settled is at once appealing: its well-kept, large farmyards, fertile fields, pastures and wooded areas please the eye. Nature's own rich endowment has created in this region a civilization recognizable as one of the best America has to offer. Samuel Turrittin, the immigrant pioneer, brought the image of a prosperous future with him: he cleared the woods and plowed his newly won fields; he raised his lines of demarcation and set his goals; he built a home and shelter for all he owned; and he did not abandon these after a brief success.
Samuel soon discovered that he was in great need of a wife and helpmate, and after he made the acquanintance of a young widow living in the neighborhood he lost little time in proposing. The young widow, Mrs. Samuel Snow,. nee Frances Oliver, with a young son of her own, accepted his proposition. They were married on February 20, 1849, by William H. McGrew, a justice of the peace.
Frances oliver was a daughter of Eli Oliver (December 29, 1789- May 13, 1859) and his wife Lucinda Fields Oliver (June 9, 1801- April 16, 1872). Eli oliver's parents were James Oliver (died 1827) and Lucinda Corda Oliver. Nothing else is known of Eli's early life except that he had a brother John (October 4, 1785- January 29, 1861) who came to Ohio with Eli and Lucinda and made his home with them. The O1ivers were from Warren County, Virginia, moving to Todd County in Kentucky. They lived in Kentucky for about twelve years and then moved to Pickaway County in Ohio. It was here in Pickaway County that Frances was born on August 10, 1825. In addition to Frances, Eli and Lucinda Oliver had the following children: James (October 20, 1819- September 18,18921 who never married and lived wi th his parents; John (April 12, 1.822 -February 12, 1880) who also never married and lived with his parents; Virginia the oldest daughter (dates unknown) who married Samuel Beerbower and had two daughters, Lucinda Beerbower Snyder and Elizabeth Beerbower Stiving; Andrew (May 11, 1829 - January 14, 1865) who married late in his life but had no children; Mary (April 10, 1831- March 30,1897) who never married and lived at home; Isabelle (July 23, 1833- September 26, 1868) married a man by the name of J. Denning and had a son and daughter; Ellen (1835- 1903) married John Wineland and had three sons, James, Samuel, and Charles; Eliza M. (1835- 1839); and Cynthia (1839- 1915) who married Israel Kunkle and had two daughters.
The Olivers were among the first settlers in Williams County, coming there in the fall of 1833 from Pickaway County, Ohio. The family farm was located in Section thirteen, on the east side of Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski in Jefferson township. The old Oliver cemetery is located on this farm , and though the farm is no longer in the Oliver family, the cemetery is quite well kept up today.
Frances married, for her first husband, Samuel Snow about 1845. They had one son Charles Tripp, born on August 14, 1846, in Brady township, Williams County, Ohio. His early years were spent in Williams County. He went with his mother when she remarried, but when he was about four years old the Turrittin family was visiting at the Oliver home, and as they were ready to leave, his grandfather, Eli Oliver, said, "But, there is no room for you at the Turrittins, you better stay with us." So from that time he made his home at the O1ivers. At the age of thirty, in 1876, he married Leah A. Pfingsday and to this union were born two children, George and Minnie. After living about one year in Jefferson township, Williams County, they moved to Amboy township, Hil1sdale County, Michigan , where they purchased a farm, three miles north and one-half east of Pioneer, Ohio. They moved back to Ohio in 1915 and settled in the village of Pioneer. He died December 7,1923, and.was buried in Floral Grove Cemetery , Madison township, Williams County, Ohio.
Samuel Snow who was born May 1, 1814, died March 4,1847, at the age of thirty-two years, ten months, and four days. He was buried in the old Bodel Cemetery (now abandoned) which is located on the Harvey Juillard farm in Brady township, Williams County. Though the cemetery is now abandoned his tombstone is still in readable condition. After the death of her husband, Frances moved back with her parents and was living there at the time she met Samuel Turrittin.
Samuel and Frances Turrittin had the following children : Andrew born November 29,1849; Lucinda M born December 18,1850; Eli born September 10,1852; Mary Jane born September 2,1854; George Washington born October 6, 1856; Casey born January 28,1859; Alphons born February 9, 1860; Martha Manerva born September 9,1861; Frances Amelia born September 9, 1864; and Sherman born May 18, 1867. Andrew, Casey, and Alphons died as children ( dates of death unknown ) and were buried in the family plot on the Oliver farm in Jefferson township. Samuel Turrittin made provision in his will for the erection of grave markers for his three sons. If this bequest was ever carried out no one knows, but today these three Turrittin boys lie in unmarked graves.
There are several stories that have been handed down in the family to the effect that the new Mrs. Turrittin was a self-centered person, partial to her own children as against those who were born in Europe. These stories must be understood against the background of the whole story, for without a doubt they do contain some personal feelings. One must remember that when Frances Oliver Snow entered the Turrittin family she was just twenty-four years old. Thomas Turrittin. I her oldest step-son, was in his twentieth year and was more like a brother than a son. One can see that there could have been some friction under the circumstances. This was especially true of the relationship between Frances and her only step-daughter, Isabelle. However, the personality conflict betveen Frances and her step-children can be con- sidered as nothing when compared to the relationship betveen Samuel and his children, especially his sons. Samuel Turrittin was an unbending , tyrannical man who ruled his family with an iron hand. Of the fifteen children who lived to adulthood, nine of them left Ohio to live in different parts of the country. One of the main reasons for this exodus was the desire to get away from the despotism of their father. There are many stories in the family to prove the above but here it will be sufficient to mention a couple. Threshings and beatings were common place in the Turrittin home and none of the children escaped such treatment. Sundays in this Calvinistic household were especially solemn, characterized by dignified and serious formality One time some of the boys went out and picked up some nuts on a Sunday afternoon and Samuel made them take the nuts back where they had gathered them. Also no one was allowed to whistle on a Sunday in the Turrittin home.
The family continued to grow and by the time of the Federal Census of 1860, Samuel Turrittin had real estate worth $2200.00, and his personal property had a valuation of $400.00.
The evidence is not clear, but it seems that Samuel returned to Ireland to try and settle his estate in County Donegal. Mrs. Olive Bayes Doughten Fox Lawson of 4872 Rustic Bridge Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214, a great-granddaughter of Samuel Turrittin, maintains that he went back to Ireland three times to settle his estate, and James Marvin Turrittin of 434 Chapin Street, Toledo, ohio, a grandson of Samuel Turri ttin , has told the wri ter that his grandfather returned to the Old Country every five years for the same purpose. The essence of their stories containes the following facts. When Samuel left Ireland, he did not sell his farm, but kept the land in his name, hoping thereby to receive an income from his European holdings. However, under nineteenth century Irish jurisprudence, if a property owner could not be proven alive for a period of seven years, the property would become the possessions of the next of kin. This is supposed to have been what happened to Samuel's estate. When he did not return to Ireland for a period of seven years, his younger brother, Hugh, had him legally declared dead and thus inherited the family lands. When Samuel did return to the old country , to take control of the farm, he received a very frigid reception from his brother. In fact he is supposed to have had the door literally slammed in his face. How much truth there is in the above story is hard to tell at this late date. But the general story is held to be true by many of the older generation, so that it can not be altogether discounted.
After spending several years on a farm in Jefferson township. the Turrittin family moved to a farm in Section thirty-three, Springfield township, Williams County, less than a half mile north of Evansport, Ohio, on the west side of state route 191. This was an eighty acre farm, which was appraised at $3900.00.
On August 21,1870, at the age of forty-five, Frances Turrittin died. The cause of her death was attribut:ed to "change of life" .She was buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Her death marked the second wife Samuel had lost and again her death was especially sad because she left several young children, the youngest, Sherman, being but three years of age.
Eight years later, to the great amazement of his children, Samuel Turrittin married for the third time. He was seventy-two years old at the time he was married by Reverend G. W. Dinius to Mrs. Catharine Buck. The marriage took place in Defiance County, Ohio, on October 20, 1878. Catharine had been-born December 21,1821, and was the widow of John Buck (Born February 1, 1810, Died August 1,1866). John and Catharine Buck had the following children: Will1am Buck, George Buck (see the account of Frances Amelia Turrittin Mapes (Knox) ), Sarah Buck Hull, and Clara Buck Snider. Mrs. Buck was fifty-six when she married Samuel Turrittin There were no children from this union. The third Mrs. Samuel Turrittin was liked by all of the Turrittin ehildren and was held in high esteem. In fact it is known that she made one trip west to visit her step-children living in Minnesota.
Shortly after their marriage Samuel and Catharine moved into the village of Evansport, Defiance County, Ohio. Their home was on lot seventy-eight, and at the time of Samuel's death was valued at $250.00. It was here in Evansport that Samuel would spend the last years of his life, retired from active life. Though he was more feeble from year to year he was, nevertheless, able to be about until a few weeks before his death. Samuel died on May 30, 1885, in his seventy-ninth year, of cancer of the stomach. The remains were buried in Shiffler's Cemetery. Jefferson township, Williams County, ohio, in the presence of a large number of relatives, friends, and neighbors. Shiffler's Cemetery, a popular Williams County burial ground, is located on the west side or United States Route 127 between West Unity and Pulaski. About the year 1900 a cyclone swept through Williams County destroying Samuel's grave stone, so that today, it is sad to report, the old imnigrant pioneer lies in an unmarked grave.
Catharine Turrittin outlived her second husband by fifteen years. She died in Tiffin township, Defiance County, July 24,1900. She was buried in the Buck Cemetery, on the Defiance - Williams County line, next to her first husband.
Samuel Turrittin was a hard-working, God-fearing man. He had a keen mind and a restless nature. that would bring him across the Atlantic. to a new life for himself and family in new and strange sur- roundings. By bringing the Turrittin family to America he gave his numerous descendants opportunities that could never have opened up for them in the Old World. The Turrittin children were taught by their father that they owed society much for the privileges that had been given them. The goal of life, was not happiness but fulfilment, excellence, and victory; second best was never enough. What better lesson could we, their offspring. have as a guide today?
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