Carolina Outlander

The author (Heath Capps) might be a descendant of John and Patience. I suspect that my ancestor Stephen Turner (c1810) is their great grandson, perhaps born out of wedlock to their granddaughter Martha. Here is a link to Martha’s story, from Marty Grant (a fellow researcher who also hails from Marion, SC).

And here are some other sources, work that other genealogists have already done:

Link to John Turner and Patience Smith research by Marty Grant

Link to John and Patience Turner blog, Roots and Blood

John married Patience in the 1760’s, while he was still a slave. This happened in Halifax County, North Carolina. There is a deed from 22 July 1769 saying such. This same deed shows up 30 years later in Marion, SC court records–likely as proof that the “mulatto man named John” was a free person of color, and not a runaway slave. Records show that Turner was taxed for 100 acres in 1786. He was listed in the 1800 census Marion District, and he was neighbors with Osborne Lane (another one of my ancestors, but on my mother’s side). Patience was of Irish descent, and is rumored to have had some African ancestry herself, though this is disputed. Patience’s mother’s name was Rachel. John and Patience’s children and grandchildren had to deal with their racial origins over the ensuing years, according to numerous deeds and court minutes.

My ancestor, Stephen Turner Jr (1844-1932)., is the son of Stephen Turner (c1810) and Mary Ann Cooper of Marion, SC. Stephen Sr. and Mary Cooper had at least eight children (proven by the 1860 through 1880 census) but probably more. Fellow researcher Marty Grant interviewed Turner family members who shared that the Marion County Turners were of Irish descent, by way of Charleston, SC. Marty disagrees, however. Grant contends that Stephen Turner Sr. was the grandson or great grandson of John Turner and Patience Smith, as Turner lived in the Catfish Creek community, and John and Patience were the progenitors of the Turner family in that area.

In short, there weren’t any other Turners that Stephen could have belonged to, which makes me wonder if he is descended from Martha. This is speculation on my part, but it’s certainly funny when you hear a story and immediately have it resonate. My family being descended from the daughter who had children by multiple fathers out of wedlock…yeah, that fits! But obviously it isn’t proof. Hopefully more research will follow.

Further research could be reading a book entitled A Stranger and a Sojourner, by Billy D. Higgins. This book details the story of Peter Caulder, a man with Marion County, SC ties who was a relative of the Turner family. It’s a powerful story, and the focus is Caulder, but there’s some crossover with the Turner family of Marion, SC.

Lastly, my own DNA (and the DNA of one of my cousins) points to