HISTORY OF GEORGE TURNER

George Turner was born in Fillmore, Utah, on February 7, 1877, a son of Thomas Turner who left his home at Glouscestershire, England, when he was seventeen to join the church and emigrate to Utah. Turner's mother, Eunice Teeples, was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, and crossed the plains by ox team as a child. His father was a school teacher, a shoemaker, and a farmer at Fillmore, Utah. He served his ward as the leader of the choir, a Sunday School Teacher, and a leader in Priesthood activities. From his mother, too, Turner as a young boy, learned of service both by precept and example, for she was a natural nurse, and was called into nearly every home in Fillmore to help in their illness. She also cared for her own family of fourteen.

Although it is only a few miles to Stockton, from his home in Tooele, George R. Turner has traveled a distance equivalent of going around the world in his church service of building the Stockton Sunday School, later a branch, to its present state of being the progressive Stockton Ward in the Tooele Stake. A few Sundays the entire sacramental meeting was given over to a testimonial in appreciation for the good life and work of kindly Elder Turner, now 75 years old. Members turned out in mass to offer their tributes for services as Branch President in building up the organizations and furnishing the leadership which has results in the adequate chapel which they now enjoy.

After a number of years of active church service in Tooele in the Young Men's MIA, as an officer of the Elders Quorum, teaching Sunday School classes, and being a member of the ward choir, Elder Turner was called on a short mission to Stockton, seven miles South of Tooele. For the first seven years, he served as Superintendent of the Sunday School. After the seven years, the little group was organized into a dependent branch of the Tooele South Ward, and Elder Turner was sustained Branch President. With his counselors, they went into their task with alacrity and reorganized the Sunday School, organized a Primary Association, Relief Society, and Mutual Improvement Association, and established Ward Teaching.

At once the branch began to thrive and the building of a suitable meeting house became an obvious need and project. Through the leadership of Elder Turner, the chapel, now owned by the ward, was arranged for and remodeled.

George Turner went through the grade schools at Fillmore and attended a branch of Brigham Young Academy under the leadership of Principal J.E. Hickman. Since there were no free schools in those days, young George built fires, cleaned the school house after school, and cut wood on Saturday to pay for his schooling.

He traveled thousands of miles driving stage from Juab to Kanash as a young man. They would change horses at Scipio and Fillmore. In the good weather he traveled with a buckboard and two horses, but when the snow was deep, he had to travel horseback. He remembers temperatures as low as 45 degrees below zero.

Later he obtained work on a newspaper at De Larnare, Nevada, where he served for a number of years. One day a portion of the town caught fire which burned down 81 buildings including the printing office and all his possessions. From De Lamare he went to Peranogett Valley in South-western Nevada where he was employed to supervise Indian workers. Later he returned to Fillmore and continued in the printing business. Then moved to Salt Lake City and was the driver for a Dr. Miles. He moved to Ophir, Utah to engage in the mining business and while at Ophir, he met and courted Olive Dymock. For a time after they were married, he operated a barbershop in Salt Lake City and then in 1900 moved to Tooele where he barbered for the next 30 years.

His hobby has been checker playing, and he has enjoyed a reputation of being almost professional. In 1940, he was invited to play Willie Ryan, American Champion, and secured a draw with the master when Ryan played 22 opponents simultaneously. At this writing he is still living in Tooele.