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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Bradley County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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A. B. Turner is a prominent farmer of Washington Township, Bradley County, Ark., and was born within one mile of the present town of Warren in 1834, being the youngest of a family of seven children born to James and Kissia (Hunter) Turner, who were born in Virginia and Tennessee, respectively, and were among the early pioneers of this part of Arkansas, the country at that time being a wilderness. Mr. Turner entered several hundred acres of land which he succeeded in improving to some extent, and sold his produce at New Orleans, going to this city sometimes by steamboat but oftener on a flatboat. He died in 1844, and his wife shortly after the birth of the subject of this sketch. The latter was sent to Tennessee to his only sister, with whom he made his home until he was about seventeen years of age, then came back to his old home in Bradley County, and began farming for himself, purchasing some time after 100 acres of land which he set energetically to work to improve. After clearing a few acres he sold the property and purchased his present farm of 302 1/2 acres, which was also practically wild land, when he took possession but he soon reduced it to a good state of cultivation, erecting a dwelling and putting up fences, etc. On the seventy-five acres which he now has under cultivation, he raises principally cotton and corn, but gives some attention to the raising of other farm products also. His cultivated land will average one-half bale of cotton to the acre, and that which is uncultivated is heavily covered with timber. In the spring of 1862 Mr. Turner enlisted in Company B, of an Arkansas Infantry Regiment, but was shortly after transferred to the Ninth Arkansas Cavalry, and was on duty principally in Arkansas, Missouri, and the Indian Territory, and was in the engagements at Cane Hill, Fayetteville, Pine Bluff, Mark’s Mill, Port Gibson, Poison Spring and others. He was with Price in all the battles of his Missouri raid, but was never wounded nor captured. He was married in 1852, to Miss Nancy Davis, a native of Tennessee, and to them a family of six children have been born: James A., John H. (who died on April 12, 1878, at the age of twenty-three years), Martha A. (wife of A. C. Ivy), Charles B. (married to Florence Hampton, and lives on his father’s farm, the father of two children named Charles H. and James Barton), Florence Alice (deceased), and Stephen (who died in infancy). The family are members of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. Turner being a very active member in church work, and he belongs to the Masonic fraternity.
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This family biography is one of 64 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Bradley County, Arkansas published in 1890. For the complete description, click here: Bradley County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps
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