HEADER
Fred F Turner
FRED F. TURNER, a retired engineer of the Pennsylvania railroad, residing
at Kittanning, was born Aug. 3, 1847, at Concord, N. H., son of John M.
Turner, and grandson of Milton Turner.John M. Turner was also a native of New Hampshire, where he lived until
after his marriage to Margaret Ann Bosto. She, too was born in that State, a
sister of Charles Bosto, an extensive refiner of oil, of Boston, Mass., and
niece of colonel Whittmore, of Pembroke, N. H. Mr. Turner was a stage driver
by occupation. After his marriage he spent some time in New Hampshire and
Massachusetts before bringing his family to western Pennsylvania; they made
the journey to Pittsburgh by stagecoach, and as the driver had been drinking
he himself drove. From Pittsburgh the family went by boat to Franklin, and
thence to Warren, Pa., by stagecoach again. Mr. Turner was employed for a time
as a painter at Warren and then established a livery stable, building up such
a large business that he kept from twenty-five to thirty horses. He had
considerable patronage among the commercial travelers for a number of years.
He afterward sold his livery and moved to Corry, Pa., and at the time of his
death was conducting a large tobacco business there, having eight or ten men
in his employ. He died at the age of forty-nine years, and is buried at Corry.
His wife subsequently moved to Pittsburgh, where she died when sixty-nine
years old, and she is also buried in the cemetery at Corry. They attended the
Presbyterian Church. Mr. Turner was a Democrat, but not active in politics. He
and his wife had three children, Charles, Margaret, and Fred F., all born in
New Hampshire.Fred F. Turner received his education in the public schools at Warren, Pa.
In 1862 he commenced to learn the trade of machinist, serving an
apprenticeship at Worcester, Mass. Returning to Warren, he was employed for a
time at the Struthers machine shop, and afterward entered the employ of the
Philadelphia & Erie Railroad Company as freight brakeman. After six months
he was promoted to flagman, being thus engaged nine months, when he became
conductor on a freight train. He left that Company to become brakeman of the
Warren & Franklin railroad, being brakeman on a passenger train for three
years, after which he became baggage man and extra passenger conductor. He
then changed to the position of fireman on the run between Warren and
Franklin, and after a year and a half of that work became engineer. In 1873 he
left that road to take a position on the Allegheny Valley road, a part of the
Pennsylvania system, on which he was engaged as engineer between Pittsburgh
and Oil City until his retirement, March 4, 1913. His record was highly
creditable, and he was a respected and trusted employee for many years. He is
considered one of the progressive citizens of his section of Kittanning, and
was one of the original stockholders of the Wickboro Cooperative Water
Company. Politically he has always been a Democrat, and a stanch believer in
the principles of the party. He is a Mason, belonging to blue lodge and
chapter at Kittanning, and holds membership in the Presbyterian Church.Mr. Turner was married to Emma E. Murphy, a native of Pine Creek Furnace,
Armstrong county, whose parents, John and Anna (Bell) Murphy, were both born
July 4, 1834. They were married April 9, 1854, and had a family of ten
children, all of whom lived to grow up. One of this family is now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Murphy now reside at Knox, Pa. Mr. Murphy served at one time as
county commissioner. Mrs. Murphy is a daughter of George Bell. Mrs. Turner was
the ninth child born to her parents. Some time after their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Turner moved to Kittanning, their home being at No. 603 Woodward avenue.
Their two children, Rose Fanning and Anna Core, were born at Emlenton. They
received their literary education in the public school, and have also been
well educated in music.Source: Pages 941-942, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed November 1998 by Kathy Zagorac for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format, for any presentation, without prior written permission.Return to the Beers Project
Â
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy ProjectÂ
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy Project
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy Project
(c) Armstrong County
Genealogy Project
About Author
