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Note: ! THIS IS THE GREAT MAN THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS GENEALOGY
BEING UP TO DATE FOR HIS FAMILY TO FOLLOW. DAD WORKED 45+ YEARS ON "MY TURNER FAMILY"IN 1987 AT THANKSGIVING WE (HELEN AND FRED SR.) VISITED HIM AND I STARTED TO TAKE HIS "NOTES" TO RUN THROUGH THE LITTLE DEDICATED MAGNAVOX WORD PROCESSOR TO GET THEM IN PRINTED FORM FOR HIM..IT ENDED UP WITH ABOUT 200+ PAGES; HOWEVER IT GOT ME SO INTERESTED IN MY "ROOTS", THAT WE BOUGHT THIS COMPUTER, A GENEALOGY PROGRAM, TWO MOREYEARS WORK, THREE DIFFERENT COURSES ON COMPUTERS, THE MAKING OF A VCR FILM ON THIS FAMILY,SO THE CHILDREN CAN SEE MUCH OF IT ON THEIR TV SCREEN AT HOME, AS WELL AS READING IT..I HOPE TO FINISH IT THIS YEAR IN TIME FOR DAD'S 95TH. BIRTHDAY ON DEC.31, 1989.
!DAD SAYS HE HAS LIVED THRU THE MOST THRILLING PART OF HISTORY, AND MAN WILL NEVER AGAIN MAKE THE SAME PROGRESS IN ONE LIFETIME..HE HAS SEEN THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE ---TO---MEN LANDING ON THE MOON AND RETURNING TO EARTH.
!TO BEGIN TO RECOUNT "THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT MY DAD" WOULD TAKE TOO MANY PAGES..ONE DAY I INTEND TO WRITE IT..HIS WIFE..MY MOTHER, EUALLIE MARIE BEATTY WAS "THE GREATEST"..HOW I HAVE MISSED HER SINCE HER UNTIMELY DEATH IN 1955; ONE SHORT VERSE FROM THEBIBLE SUMS UP MY FEELING ABOUT MY MOTHER AND FATHER, IN MUCH BETTER WORDS THAN I HAVE THE COMMAND OF.READ..PHIL 1-3 (TO PARAPHRASE-"I THANK MY GOD UPON EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF THEE".)..
!"ON 11 NOV. 1988 IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA THE FLORIDA STATE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY RECOGNIZED, CERITIFIED AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY PRESENTING TO JESSE CAWTHON TURNER, AGE 93; HIS TWO SONS( FRED "SR" AND EMORY),HIS GRANDSON FRED JR.AND THE TWO DAUGHTERS OF FRED JR.(JESSE'S GREAT GRANDDAUGHTERS) KELLY MARIE AND CRISTY ANN TURNER WITH "FLORIDA PIONEER DESCENDANT" CERTIFICATES BASED UPON BEING DESCENDED FROM A FLORIDA PIONEER..Z.N.P.TURNER..(GRANDFATHER OF JESSE C. TURNER) ATTESTED BY APPROVED AND RECOGNIZED GENEALOGY RECORDS, AS COMPILED BY JESSE CAWTHONTURNER AND HIS SON FRED BEATTY TURNER SR..THESE RECORDS ARE NOW IN THE FLORIDA STATE ARCHIVES IN TALLAHASEE, FLORIDA. JESSE CAWTHON TURNER AT THE CEREMONY RECEIVED A PERSONAL LETTER FROM FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE, THE HON. JIM SMITH (KEEPEROF THE ARCHIVES). ADDED RECOGNITION WAS A PERSONAL LETTER TO JESSE C. TURNER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, RONALD REGAN AND HIS WIFE NANCY..THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE SOCIETY THAT FOUR GENERATIONS HAD BEENPRESENT TO RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE AND JESSE C. TURNER WAS THE OLDEST PERSON EVER TO RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE. ALSO RECEIVED WERE CERTIFICATES BASED ON PIONEER RESIDENCY OF JOHN BENJAMIN MEIGS, FATHER OF JESSE'S MOTHER AND HER GRANDFATHER, ELIJAH WARD WHO SETTLED AT WARD'S BASIN, NEAR PRESENT MILTON, FLA. IN 1821..TO QUALIFY AS A "PIONEER" A PERSON HAD TO BE RESIDING IN FLORIDA PRIOR TO THE FIRST ELECTION HELD ON MARCH 3,1845 ONE OF THE POLLING PLACES IN WALTON COUNTY WAS AT THE HOME OF ELIJAH WARD.THESE RECORDS AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE NOW IN THE FLORIDA STATE ARCHIVES IN TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA...THUS, "MY TURNER FAMILY" HAS NOW BEEN RECOGNIZED, CERTIFIED AND RECORDED AS OFFICIAL FLORIDA PIONEER'S..
!NOTICE TO PRESENT ANDFUTURE GENERATIONS...THE RECORDS HAVE BEEN COMPILED, THE DOCUMENTATION IS AVAILABLE, ITS ALL IN THE RECORD NOW..SHOULD ANY DESIRE, THEY NEED ONLY TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION--THEY ARE QUALIFIED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN.. DAUGHTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS, AND THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI TO NAME A FEW AMONG THE OLDEST,LARGEST AND BEST KNOWN HEREDITARY SOCIETIES. MOST ARE BY INVITATION ONLY--ANY WHO BECOME INTERESTED SHOULD TALK TO MEMBERS OF THEIR LOCAL OR STATE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES TO LEARN WHO ARE MEMBERS AND HOW YOU MAY BE INVITED TO JOIN..DAD..YOUR HEIRS YET TO BE BORN WILL SAY "THANKS" FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THEM..(F.B.T.).
! On November 21, 1993 Jesse Cawthon died at the Crestview Nursing Home; he had been resident there since April 1993. Death came at 1:45 a.m. Nov. 21, 1993 The death was announced from the pulpit of many of the Churches that Sunday morning, especially the First Presbyterian where he had served as Elder and Trustee, his membership in that church began in 1939.
! Visitation was held at Whitehurst Funeral home from 6 to 8 P.M. Nov. 22,1993; Graveside services were held at 11:00 A.M. November 23,1993 in the Turner Family Section. He had been honored with two World War One medals presented to him on NOvember 11, 1993 at the Nursing home. Rev. Ray Wilson (former Sheriff) presided at the graveside service and many remarked that Ray Wilson did the greatest job they had ever heard, It was most impressive.
! Usually when a person of that age dies, he has outlived most of his friends and a dozen people will attend the services. This was a most unusual exhibition of friends,the entire Officers (Elders) of the Presbyterian Church attended, also an unusually large crowd attended the graveside service at the "little Country Cemetery". Dad was the last original trustees of the Cemetery, he had been a large factor in building the Chapel building. A pew in the Chapel is dedicated in his honor. The Florida Genealogical Society is placing a suitable memorial in the library that his son selects ( I have proposed the Bob Sikes Library in Crestview which in nearest to his home, andwhere his genealogy records will repose so that others may hava the benefit of them for their research.
! (
!Josiah MEIGS was professor of Math and Law at Yale, later practiced law in Bermuda; was selected as First President of University ofGeorgia at Athens, Ga. Rare Books & Manuscripts Library at Univ. of Ga. has collection of papers; life size Oil hangs in center of "Board Room" at the Presidents Cottage on Campus; Meigs Hall named for Josiah. Later went to Cincinnati, then to Washington D.C. as Commissioner of the General Land Office. Greater part of duties of that office is now handled by office of "Secretary of the Interior" a Cabinet level Office. Was also among the founders of Columbian College,(now known as George Washington University) in Washington D.C.
!See Ibid ; D.A.B. XII 507-9 Life of Josiah Meigs (Philadelphia 1887).
!Josiah married Clara Benjamin, daughter of Col. John Benjamin, lineage back to Mayflower. See the "One page" Meigs descendant line that is on another page. Dr. Charles DeLucena MEIGS, son of Josiah, is the father of Maj. Gen Montgomery Cunningham MEIGS. General MEIGS had the body of Prof. Josiah (his Grandfather) moved to Arlington National Cemetery and it is buried just a few feet North of the General's grave. in "Lot #1, Section #1, on MEIGS Drive" in what is referred to, by the Tour-mobile sightseeing narrators as the most famous section of Arlington. Each tour-mobile bus through Arlington goes by this grave site and the story of Arlington is told to approximately 5 to 6 MILLION VISITORS TO ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY EACH YEAR. (Number of visitors courtesy Arlington National Cemetery publication).
The condition of these gravesis quite bad, it would appear that somewhere in the national budget, or of the National Park service, or Veterans Amdinistration, that a little money could be found to keep this lot in the conditon it deserves, especially since its a stop oneach tour bus route, after leaving the ampitheater for the "Changing of the guard"..
Suggested reading- Henry B. MEIGS book, MEIGS Descendants in America, publishedin 1901 in Baltimore. The chapter on Jossiah Meigs is interesting reading.
Theyoungest Son of Prof. Josiah MEIGS was John Benjamin MEIGS, who was my Great Grandfather. John Benjamin is buried in Crowder Chapel Cemetery near Mossy Head, Florida. See "Notes" on John Benjamin MEIGS.
Josiah's daughter Clara b. 18 Sept. 1784 d. 17 July 1853 married John Forsyth who later became Governor of Georgia, then U.S.Senator, then Minister to Spain and arranged the purchase of Florida from Spain, then U. S. Senator again, and followed that as U.S.Secretary of State, serving Two Presidents of the United States. Senator Forsyth, appointed Montgomery C. MEIGS to West Point, at age 16; where he finished #5 in his class.. Reading of John Forsyth his deeds, correspondence between John Benjamin and him, etc. is quite interesting.
!The "notes" section here, does not provided adequate space for detail comment on Josiah, or the others mentioned. See "Notes" on each of them for addtional details.
Of more than Passing Interest,to me, was the positions thisfamily had in the Government in Washington during this time frame. Example; Josiah was what today is called Secretary of the Interior; a brother became Postmaster General, another was a Member of Congress, a Son-in-law as Senator and Secretaryof State, and Montgomery C. Meigs as Quartermaster General of the U.S.Army under President Abe Lincoln, As an Engineer, Montgomery C.Meigs left quite a heritage for the MEIGS name in the buildings he constructed in Washington-ie, House & Senatewings and Dome on the U.S.Capitol; the Pension Building, Washington Aqueduct, Cabin John Bridge (now called American Legion bridge), Smithsonion Institute building, and ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY and others. See"Quartermaster General of theU.S.Army" a Biography of M.C.MEIGS by Russell F. Weigley Columbia University Press 1959. He was among those present in the bedroom at the death of President Lincoln.
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