jwhardin41 on Family Tree Circles

By going to Brashears Family Records expert Charles Brashear,
Professor at San Diego State University and author of 9 Volumes of work on the Brasseur/Brashear(s)Family History, it was discovered
that on 01 July 1718, Elizabeth Brashears was married in Queen Anne's
Parish, Prince George County, Maryland, to John Turner JUNIOR!... the son of John Turner, who was the son of John Turner, who was the son of William Turner, who emigrated from England in 1653. Some of the References cited by Charles Brashear are:
The Will of Samuel Brashear (father of Elizabeth)
Queen Anne Parish Records ( Marriage )
The Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD
Maryland Historical Magazine v. 23 p. 113

For several years now, I have worked under the mistaken assumption
that Elizabeth Brashears was one of my ancestors, the wife of "my" John Turner (the son of RICHARD Turner, who immigrated from Land's End, Cornwall, England sometime after 1694 and before 1704). John Turner (son of Richard) was the father of the Three Brothers named for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Sons of the Tribe of Judah who
survive the "Fiery Oven" in the OT Book of Daniel.(I am descended
through the line of Meshach I ).

There are countless "S-M-A" Turners and numerous (100+ ??, at least "dozens") of SMA Turner genealogies and family trees posted
on the internet and MANY ( most ??) show Elizabeth BRASHEAR as an ancestor...and the fact is... that she is NOT. Based on the general concensus and significant number of other Turner postings containing that error, I joined right in with the rest.

Thanks go to fellow researcher and SMA Turner descendant Mary Gibson for planting the seed of doubt concerning Elizabeth Brashears
and Charles Brashear for providing proof of the "null hypothesis".

10th Generation Turner,
jwhardin41

Richard Turner m. Elizabeth (unknown surname)

Richard Turner immigrated to Virginia sometime after 1694 (birth year of youngest child, Margaret, born in England) and before 1 July 1718
(date of marriage of son John Turner to Elizabeth Brashears in Queen Anne's Parish, Prince George, Maryland.

Richard Turner d. before 08 Oct. 1742 (date that will was brought before court after death of Richard). Elizabeth d. after 12 Nov 1742
and before 11 Mar 1743 because she was sworn to Oath of Executrix on
12 Nov 1742 and Margaret and Lewis Turner presented the Last Will and Testament of Richard Turner as Executrix and Executor on 11 mar 1743
because Elizabeth was dead.

Some state that Richard's father was Anthony Turner based on record's from St. Blazey (Blaise) Parish transcripts Church of England
(Cornwall) 1608-1837. However, record simply states that Richard and
Anthony Turner paid tax of 8 shillings and 4 pence each. I think that sounds more like two brothers than father and son. There are several more references to Richard Turner at or near that location: as being a Churchwarden of St. Blazey Parish, 26 May 1695, paying tax on a tenement in Tethosa and references to St. Stephen and St. Austell,
ALL within a few miles of each other.

PROBLEM: This area lies on and near the North coast of Cornwall and
INLAND relative to LAND'S END at least 45 miles distance.

I am waiting on a 37-marker test through the Turner DNA Project for
further confirmation. However, there is much evidence suggesting that
the Parents of William Wesley Turner were Abednego and Mary Polly Tatum Turner who were both born in Lincoln Co. GA. If this is TRUE,
then his ancestors since the first immigrants from Land's End, Cornwall Shire, England, would be as follows:

Richard and Elizabeth (unknown surname) Turner

John and Elizabeth Brashears Turner

Meshach and Rebekah Robinson (or Robertson) Turner (2nd m.)

Shadrach and Margaret Hill Turner

Abednego and Mary Polly Tatum Turner

One of the difficulties in finding Abednego and Mary is that many
Internet postings of Shadrach (son of Meshach I) only show his son Shadrach III, or the children from his first marriage, or even have
both wives listed and some of the children from the 2nd marriage but somehow leave out Abednego, the 7th child of Shadrach.
Another problem is that every TURNER posting that I have come across that does have ABEDNEGO and LISTS the name of his WIFE,
lists the WRONG NAME. They have the Tatum correct but have the wrong given name (ie. Sarah, Sally, Patsy, etc.). Even the use of Polly,
her middle name, would have thrown me off, because I knew from family tradition and the 1850 and 1860 Fed. Census that William Wesley's mother was named MARY.
What led to the discovery of this connection is the work of
LINDA TATUM VEAL and information she has posted concerning the
TURNER and TATUM surnames.
Adding to the intertwining of families and thus the confusion:
an AUNT of Mary Polly Tatum married a TURNER (Frances m. Shadrach)
and at least two cousins married TURNERs "of the Fiery Oven". From
the NE counties of Wilkes, Lincoln, Taliaferro many of them moved in the SW direction to Jasper, Monroe, Macon, Lee, and SUMTER Co., GA
beginning in and soon after the 1827 Land Lotteries and resettlement
of the former Creek Indian Lands.
Unfortunately, the 1830 and 1840 Fed. Census do not give the names
of wife and children. However, the 1830 Monroe County Census does show an Abednego Turner with 2 females, one 30-40 and the other 5-10,
and either 6 or 7 males, one 30-40, three 5-10, and either two or three under 5 years old (I am reciting this from memory and do not remember if the youngest son, Richard, was born yet.) It is known from other sources that Abednego and Mary had moved to Monroe County
also. It seems that there are Land Sale or Tax Records that show that they were living there.
Abednego died sometime before the 1840 Monroe County U.S. Census, which shows Mary Turner as the Head of the Household, with 5 children
living with her, all boys, two 15-20 James and Isaac, two 10-15
William W.(Wesley??) and George W.(Whitfield??) and one 5-10 which would have been Richard H. Turner, the 7th child. The next door neighbor was a John Turner age 20-30,(with wife and one infant child) who was almost assuredly her oldest son John. One may assume that Louisa, the 2nd child and only daughter, was also married as she was about 18-19 in 1840.
Mary next appears in the 1850 U.S. Census in Sumter Co, GA living with William Wesley and Cynthia Pennington Turner, along with son Whitfield. She also is living with her son and daughter-in-law as of the 1860 U.S. Census but died sometime after 1860.