Turnbow family letters, 1872-1900.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Arranged in numerical order according to designation noted on each letter. These designations result in the collection being arranged in rough chronological order. Numeric designation probably assigned by donor.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

Housed in Small Collections Box 8 : (17 in. x 11 in. x 3 in.)

Additional information about the Turnbow and Dabbs families, as well as photocopies of most of the letters in this collection, appear in the book, Royal Heritage of the Greers - Supplement by Carolyn Beal.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Twelve letters between members of the Turnbow and Dabbs families, 1872-1900, predominantly written from locations in Middle Tennessee. Most of the letters are written from A. J. (Adaline Jane) Turnbow in Farmers Valley, Perry County, Tenn. and Calvin and Julia Turnbow of Pleasantville, Hickman County, Tenn. to Margaret and Nathaniel Dabbs. Margaret Dabbs was the first child of Calvin Turnbow and his first wife, Adaline Jane. A few letters also appear to be from Margaret's brother, James A. Turnbow, also from Farmers Valley. One letter is from Joseph Dabbs to his brother, Nathaniel Dabbs.

Contents of the letters include general information about various family members and friends, including visits and health, and crops, livestock, and agriculture. Almost every letter includes a report of someone's death or illness. Among those mentioned specifically as dying: Peggy Dabbs (1872); May Dabbs (1872); John Turbow (1872); Wash Goodwin (1877); baby Annis Turnbow (1882); Sallie Bates (1882); Sam Bates (1882); Tom Bates (1882); Josey Goodman (1882); Right Carpenter (1886); and finally, Jane Turnbow reports to her daughter, Margaret, that Margaret's father, Calvin Turnbow, died on March 15, 1900 in West Tennessee. A letter dated May 8, 1882, which refers to the death of baby Annis, also includes the lyrics of a song entitled, "Death of an Infant," which was sung at the funeral.

A compiled family genealogy, "Royal Heritage of the Greers Supplement" by Carolyn Beal, states that Calvin and his first wife, Jane, were divorced. A careful reading of the letters in this collection point to a similar conclusion. Calvin's letters (or those written by his second wife, Julia) typically are addressed from Pleasantville in Hickman County; Jane's letters generally are written from Farmers Valley in Perry County. Jane apparently lived with other relatives or friends after the divorce. Two letters refer to her staying with H.D. Goodman in Maury County, Tenn., and another letter mentions staying with "Bud."

One letter hints at possible marital difficulties between Calvin and his second wife, Julia. An undated fragment from Julia, written from Nutt, Lewis County, Tenn., says that she and Calvin "are getting a long fine so far. We have our things separate don't eat together I can't see why we should not get a long allrite." She also mentions that Calvin "is going to build him a house some where on the place."

Cite as: Turnbow Family Letters, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)

Carolyn Beal;,Gift;,1992.,Acc. RT-230.

John Calvin Turnbow who typically went by his middle name was born in 1833 or 1834 in Lewis County, Tennessee, the son of Jane "Jenny" Turnbow. The identity of his father is uncertain. In 1850 Jenny married Samuel Sanford (b. 1822), and their household that same year included Jenny's two sons, Calvin and Anderson (b.1835); Lucy Sanford (b. 1830), sister of Samuel; and Tennessee Branch (b. 1828), niece of Jenny. Some of these surnames appear in the correspondence.

Calvin Turnbow married on Dec. 24, 1850 in Lewis County, Adaline Jane Goodman who, like her husband, was usually called by her middle name. She was born on May 7, 1831 in Tennessee. Together, they had four children: Margaret, James A., Samuel, and Billy or George (family lore states that Billy was renamed shortly after his birth). Margaret would later marry Nathaniel Dabbs.

Calvin and Jane divorced sometime in the 1870s, and he married Julia Catherine Ament on Sept. 27, 1879 in Lewis County. In the 1880 census, they were living in Hickman County in the household of Sarah Bates. A compiled genealogy indicates that Calvin later had a third wife, Nancy.

Margaret Turnbow, daughter of Calvin and Jane Turnbow, was born on Oct. 27, 1851. On December 5, 1868, in Hickman County, Tennessee, she married Nathaniel Dabbs, who was born on July 7, 1841 in Wayne County, Tennessee, the son of Richard Dabbs and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards. Nathaniel served during the Civil War, though family accounts differ in his allegiance and the specific unit in which he served. Nathaniel and Margaret lived in Tennessee and Kentucky following their marriage, but in 1881 they and their growing family moved to Scott County, Missouri where they settled. Margaret died on July 7, 1909 in Morley, Scott County, Missouri; Nathaniel died on May 4, 1915 in New Madrid, Missouri.

In English

A fairly detailed account of how the letters were preserved and passed down through the family from Margaret Dabbs, through several women of the family identified by first name only, appears on page T-26 in: Royal Heritage of the Greers - Supplement. At the time of publication of this work in 1982, the letters were still in the possession of a family descendent, presumed to be Carolyn Beal, the author. Carolyn Beal donated the original letters to the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library in 1992.

Most of the letters are reproduced as photocopies in Royal Heritage of the Greers, supplemental volume, presented by Carolyn Beal, pages T-27 to T-49. This book includes some transcriptions of the letters, as well as additional family history information on both the Turnbow and Dabbs families.

Process;,2008;,Linda Barnickel;,removed from Biography (Family History) Ephemera Subject Files.

No further accruals are expected.