By Mary Ann Clements
Just in time for Pioneer Day, we’ve added some great new content to the website! We’ve also simplified many of our menus to make them more mobile-friendly.1 Some highlights of the website changes are below.2
Pioneer Sketches
We often get requests from family members for brief biographical sketches of Theodore Turley and his family members related to pioneer-themed events (Pioneer Day, trek, etc.). We’ve now compiled a list of pioneer sketches about Theodore Turley, his wives, his children, and the spouses of his children. This page is located under the Resources menu. Go to Pioneer Sketches…
New Historical Documents
For those who like to geek out at original documents from the life of Theodore Turley, we’ve got some new goodies for you over at the Historical Documents page. Also, we’ve rearranged the Historical Documents page to make the list easier to navigate.
- Church of England records. These include Theodore’s 1801 christening record, Frances Kimberley’s 1800 christening record, and Theodore and Frances’ 1821 marriage record. It also has the christening records for Theodore and Frances’ first two children: Theodore Turley, Jr. and Frances Amelia Turley. Go to Church of England records…
- Far West Committee records. Theodore Turley was appointed to the committee on removal on 29 January 1839. Read the original minutes of that meeting at the Church History Library website. Go to Far West Committee Records…
- Theodore’s 1843 brewery advertisement in the Nauvoo Neighbor. Theodore Turley asked Joseph Smith for permission to build a brewery in Nauvoo in early 1843. By the end of the year, the brewery was up and running. Check out the advertisement for the brewery that Theodore used in the Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper. Go to 1843 brewery advertisement…
- March 1871 letter from Theodore Turley to Louisa M. Lyman, first wife of Amasa M. Lyman. This letter, viewable at the Church History Library website, was written about five months before Theodore’s death. View Theodore’s 1871 letter here…
Missing Family Heirlooms
Several documents and items from Theodore Turley were passed down to family members. These include Theodore Turley’s 1814 indenture (agreement for his apprenticeship), a tea chest, and more. Do you know where any of these family heirlooms are today? This page can be accessed via “Family Treasures” under the “Resources” menu. Go to Missing Family Heirlooms…
Blog posts
We’ve also added a couple new blog posts. We finally posted the minutes of our April 10th Zoom meeting by TTFO Secretary Adrienne Williams. We had twenty-six participants with a bunch of first-timers and got some great input for the direction of the organization, family representatives, and the website.
One surprising research finding from the last few weeks was that apparently Theodore Turley’s first wife, Frances Kimberley, did not have the middle name of “Amelia.” Theodore and Frances did, however, name their first daughter Frances Amelia Turley. Read more about what the historical records show in Setting the Record Straight: Frances Kimberley vs. Frances Amelia Kimberley.
Just for fun
Also, remember that blog post about the Theodore Turley descendants involved in the new Netflix true-crime documentary, “Murder Among the Mormons”? At the Mormon History Association conference in June, I got to grab a pick of both Theodore Turley descendants, Jared Hess and Rick Turley, sitting together just ahead of the panel discussion. So fun to see these Turley cousins in action!
- We’ve eliminated all submenus except for the listing of Theodore’s five wives. This will make navigation more consistent and eliminate redundant pages.
- For a complete list of recent updates/additions, check out our Website Changelog.
Again, Mary Ann, you have organized a delightful TTFO Blog!! You are such a blessing to the family. Thank you!!
Luana