Sierra
County
Biographies
HARRY A. TURNER
Among Sierra county’s prominent and
successful dairy farmers stand Harry A. Turner, a native son of this locality
and a member of one of the old and honored families of this section of the state. He resides on
the old Turner ranch of four hundred and forty acres at Sattley, on the highway
leading to Downieville. He was born on
this ranch on November 24, 1872, the eldest of the five children who blessed
the union of his parents, the late Hartwell F. and Agnes (Galloway)
Turner. The father was a son of Thomas
Turner, Jr., who was born at Whitefield, Lincoln County, Maine, on April 28,
1793, and died in 1852, two years after his arrival in this state. He was buried at Snake Bar, two miles west of
Downieville, on the Yuba River, but his grave was lost and forgotten in the
rush of the miners for gold. He was the
son of Thomas Turner, who was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1741, and died at
Whitefield, Maine, on December 15, 1829, he being the first ancestor of the
Turner family of whom there is authentic record. Hartwell F. Turner came around the Horn to
California in 1859. His father, Thomas
Turner, Jr., the latter’s son Merrick and George E. Hale, all from the state of
Maine, had come to this state in 1850 and settled on what is now known as the
old Fourrier ranch, lying between Sierra City and
Downieville. Later Merrick Turner and
George Hale moved to the present Turner ranch.
When Hartwell F. Turner arrived at Nevada City, California, in 1859, he
was met by a messenger, who apprised him of the death of his brother, Merrick
A. He came on to Sierraville and
Sattley, the latter place being at that time known as Church’s Corners, and
there settled on the ranch left by his brother Merrick, later being joined by
his brother, Henry K. Turner. H. F. and
Henry K. Turner also became interested in sawmills and in 1882 built the Turner
waterpower sawmill near Sattley. They
ran that for some years, but finally failed, their properties being then sold
to parties outside the Turner family. H.
F. Turner married Agnes Galloway, who was born in San Francisco, California, in
1852. Her parents came from Pennsylvania
across the plains by ox team and covered wagon in 1849, and she spent her
childhood in Downieville and Sierra City.
She lived to be thirty years old, passing away in 1882. Her husband outlived her by forty years,
dying in 1922, at the age of ninety years.
They became the parents of five children, namely: Harry A., of this review; James Mason, of Portola,
California; Thomas Kennedy, born September 28, 1878, a logging contractor now
living at Sattley; Daisy Agnes, who is the wife of Thomas Miller of
Sierraville, of which place she is the postmaster; and one who died in infancy.
Harry A. Turner received his
education in the public schools and a business college. He was reared on his father’s farm and assisted
in the operation of the Turner sawmill.
He is now the owner of the old Turner farm, which he bought back from
outsiders, the place having changed hands several times before he purchased
it. In addition to his home place of
four hundred and forty acres, he is the owner of other farmlands, timberland,
and some cut-over land, amounting to eight hundred and fifty acres
altogether. He owns one hundred and
fifty head of good grade Hereford beef cattle and runs a dairy of forty milch
cows, the latter being high grades of the Ayrshire breed. His is a hard-working man and is ably assisted
by his three sons and his loyal and capable wife. Mr. Turner has been very active in sawmill
operations, having, in partnership with his brothers, built and operated mills
at Calpine, Sierra County, and at Sloat, Plumas County, on the Feather
River. He also served for a time as
superintendent for the Truckee Lumber Company at Donner Lake, California. He has now disposed of all of his sawmill
interests and is concentrating his attention on his dairy and stock interests.
On March 14, 1906, in San Francisco,
Mr. Turner was united in marriage to Miss Neva Brown, who was born in Ontario,
Canada, where she was reared. To this
union have been born three children, Earl H., Frank R. and Gene A. Mr. Turner
is a member of Sierra Valley Lodge, No. 184, F. & A. M., and he and his
wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star at Sierraville. Mr. Turner has taken a deep interest in
educational matters and has long served as school trustee. He is now a trustee of the Sierraville Union
high school and is engaged in the construction of a new high school building to
cost thirty-one thousand and fourteen dollars.
He is greatly respected throughout the community because of his earnest
and consistent life and is one of Sattley’s representative men.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3 Pages 383-384. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Sierra County Biographies