By Adrienne Williams, TTFO Secretary
Attending (24): Janet Packham, Mary Ann Clements, Kay Lovell, Anna Clare & Earl Shepherd, Ted Pyper, Peggy & Sarah Simpson, Daniel Pyper, Gaye Breillatt, Nancy Turley, Margaret B. Summers, Russ Christensen, Adrienne Williams, Sherman Feher, Delisa Hargrove, Steve Turley, Jeri Maynard, Tawnya Smart, Sharon Gray, Darla & Darrell Bushman, Ann Lewis, Mar Lou Myers.
Opening prayer: Russ Christensen
Welcome by President Janet Packham. Introductions were made by all in attendance.
Secretary Adrienne Williams read the minutes from the April 10, 2021, meeting.
Mary Ann Clements made a request to change the date on the Theodore Turley Family Organization Logo from 1958 to 1959. The change was approved.
Background for change request:
Prior to summer 1959, descendants of Isaac Turley had annual reunions and referred to themselves as the “Turley Family Clan.” They had officers, historians, genealogists, etc., but they hadn’t formally organized. They sent out the December 1958 newsletter, and it’s addressed to the Turley Family Clan (it was their first ever newsletter, though it’s now archived as the first ever TTFO newsletter). That newsletter announced new officers that had been installed the previous summer and advertised the forthcoming summer 1959 get-together.At the summer get-together in 1959, the group decided to expand their scope and formerly organize as the Theodore Turley Family Organization, not just Isaac Turley. That’s why the by-laws and constitution are dated 1959. They retained the same organizational structure and the same officers that had been newly installed as the leadership of the “Turley Family Clan” in 1958.
The financial report was presented by Treasurer Kay Lovell. The bank balance on September 30, 2021, was $6,881.20. There were $1,361.00 in receipts ($250.00 in book sales/shipping; $1,111.00 donations) and $34.55 in expenses (shipping/PayPal/ bank fees) over the past 6 months.
Webmaster Mary Ann Clements reported on email communications and the Theodore Turley Family Organization Website:
Email List Report
- 961 current subscribers, down eight from last meeting: (2 new, 4 unsubscribed, 4 found invalid, 2 died).
- Two TTFO emails sent since last meeting. Each performed well.
- July 21st (Pioneer Day) – 41.2% opened (396), 10.3% unique clicks (99). Total 1,048 opens, 222 clicks.
- October 3rd (October meeting) – 32.0% opened (304), 5.6% unique clicks (53). Total 747 opens, 187 clicks.
Website Report
- YTD 2021 totals: 3,329 views, 1,139 visitors. Note: It’s the beginning of October and we just passed the year-end totals for 2020 (3,257 views, 1,090 visitors)
- Top five posts/pages: (1) Pioneer Sketches, (2) Theodore Turley, (3)Theodore Turley: A Biography by Richard E. Turley, Jr., (4) Red Book, (5) In Memoriam.
- July 2021 was the best performing month we’ve ever had at 680 views. We added a bunch of content just ahead of Pioneer Day, and those new posts/pages were among the most popular of that month. New blog posts included “Setting the Record Straight: Frances Kimberley vs. Frances Amelia Kimberley,” “April 10th TTFO Meeting Minutes,” and “Pioneer Sketches, Family Heirlooms, and More: Updates and New Content on the Website!” A new page was “What Can I Do?”
- As is typical, we always get a big bump in visitors and views after an email is sent out.
- Notable additions/changes to website since last meeting:
- Cleaned up and simplified several menus. Removed many of the nested links to simplify the main menus. Deleted two redundant pages and added permanent redirects (“Who was Theodore Turley?” and “Table of Contents” pages).
- Created “Pioneer Sketches” page, made sure all Theodore Turley’s children and stepchildren had at least a basic page each with birth, marriage, and death info. Added Red Book biographies where available.
- Created “What Can I Do?” page to list volunteer/contribution activities
- Added over 100 individuals to In Memoriam page (died 2015-2021). I’ve now added all deceased individuals I located during my October 2020 review of the TTFO contact lists.
- Uploaded file of August 1996 TTFO newsletter and added link to Newsletter Archive page – we now have a complete digitized archive! Previous TTFO newsletter editor Helen Skinner donated a collection of TTFO newsletters from the 1990s and 2000s.
- Missing Family Heirlooms page: TT’s 1814 indenture record, TT’s number dies, TT’s gun with octagonal barrel, early 1800s tea chest, 1840s earthenware vessel.
Research Updates:
- Apparently, Frances Kimberley did NOT have the middle name Amelia.
- We’ve found the likely location of Theodore Turley’s property in Beaver, Utah (along Main Street).
- Received 1974 archaeological report of 1973 Turley site excavation in Nauvoo.
Vice President Ted Pyper shared pictures and information from a trip taken to Birmingham, England in 2008. This is Theodore Turley’s birthplace. He asked Rick Turley, Jr., before he went for tips on what to visit and Rick put together a travel log of things to visit to assist with family research. The pictures will be added to the Birmingham location on the website. (See Places page.)
- St. Peter’s Church Harborne Parish – Theodore & Frances Kimberley were married here. The tower is original. Ted shared multiple pictures. The Marriage Record is currently the only record of Frances Kimberley’s signature.
- St. Mary’s Row – Where Theodore apprenticed as a stamper, piercer, & tool maker. The St. Mary’s row that is northeast by the Children’s Hospital/Ronald McDonald House is the correct location in the Gun Quarter; not the one in Moseley Village that Google sends you to.
- Hurst Street – Theodore visited his parents here when he returned to England on his mission. On Hurst Street there is a museum called Back-to-Back that shows what living would have looked like in the 1840’s. (Museum website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs)
- Livery Street – Theodore’s Step Grandfather, John Bolton/Boughton, worked here.
- Town Hall – This building would have been a brand-new building when Theodore returned to England. Theodore writes about his visit here in his mission journal. He visited at the beginning and the end of his mission. He took Joseph Fielding with him the 2nd time.
- Other Birmingham locations:
- St. Martins – Where Theodore was baptized
- St. Paul’s Church (NW Birmingham) – all the Turley burials are here. Not headstones but inscriptions.
- If you find an address on a census, Google Earth Street view can put you in front of the property if it’s still standing.
- If we’re researching anything with family history to search the website on Google search – start with TheodoreTurleyFamily.org as your first parameter and then the item you’re searching for this will pull it up for you.
Other Items of Interest:
- Church History Library has reopened. Rick Turley had been looking for help with cataloguing Turley archives donated there. Requires 5-10 hours/week with a 1-year commitment.
- May 14th was International Day of Families. The focus was on Families & New Technologies. How digital technologies are impacting families, parents, & children.
- LDSAFA meeting is April 9, 2022, which is the same date/time as our TTFO meeting. Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022 @ 10 am to not conflict with other activities.
- The Spark video invitation to the meeting got a lot of attention. More videos should be made. If you have short stories, maybe your kids would be interested in making a video out of it. Or send stories/ideas to Mary Ann. Please send obituaries to Mary Ann through the newsletter email or use TurleyFamilyOrg@gmail.com.
Benediction: Nancy Turley