Minutes from March 26th TTFO Meeting

By Adrienne Williams, TTFO Secretary

Attending (18): Janet Packham, Kay Lovell, Gaye Breillatt, Mary Ann Clements, Nancy Turley, Gordon & Sylvia Turley, Luana Rogers, Sherman Feher, Ted Pyper, Steve & Jane Turley, Darlene Dinsmore, Joy Turley, Rebecca Cushing, Ann Turley, Julie Hatch, Reuben Judd.

Excused: Adrienne Williams, Ann Lewis, Anna Clare Shepherd, Susan Haynes, Russ Christensen

Welcome by Janet Packham, TTFO president
Opening Prayer by Gaye Breillatt
Luana Rogers read the minutes from the October 9, 2021, meeting on behalf of Adrienne Williams, TTFO secretary.

Video segment of Steve Rockwood’s presentation from RootsTech 2022 (7:53–12:50). He shared his thoughts about connecting with others and how easy it can be to develop connections with others. Janet shared some of the Turley statistics from the “Relative Connection” app. This app let you see how many of the people attending RootsTech are related to you and who your common ancestor is.

Introductions were made by those in attendance.

The Financial report was shared by Kay Lovell, TTFO treasurer. He noted that there has been no financial activity. Mary Ann stated that there had been a couple of PayPal donations and that she had not submitted her line items yet. Both Utah and Idaho business licenses have been renewed.

Further details gathered after the Zoom meeting: There were three PayPal donations since our last meeting (11/8/21, 2/4/22, and 3/7/22).

Expenses included $10 for the Utah business license renewal and $697.51 for the website.

• Web hosting through 2026 via SiteGround company ($179.88 for automatic 1 yr renewal, added 3 yr plan on top of that for $377.64 to get better price per year)
• Domain name – added one more year, now through 2030 ($20)
• Site scanning (to make sure the site isn’t hacked) through 2024 ($72 for 2 yrs)
• Domain ID protection (hides phone number and address of whoever is listed on the domain registry as responsible for the website on behalf of the TTFO, right now that’s Mary Ann) through 2024 ($48 for 2 yrs)

Update on the TTFO papers: Per Luana Rogers, Ann Lewis said that she and Rick Turley have not met since she returned from Africa as they have both been busy. Rick wants to return to Ontario, Canada when he has time. David Roche Turley has been working on page layouts.

Update on emails and the website: Mary Ann Clements provided an update on the TTFO email and website. She also shared that some financial information that had not been reported yet (see italicized text above for financial details gathered after the Zoom meeting).

We use the free version of Mailchimp for our emails.

• Current subscriber count is 953, down eight from last meeting (one added, four unsubscribed, three found invalid, two died). Two TTFO emails sent since last meeting, both performed well.
• November 7, 2021 (advertising new Nauvoo Temple page and posting of October minutes): 41.6% opened (395), 12.4% clicks (118), total 1,115 opens, 311 clicks. Most clicked by far was the link for the Nauvoo Temple.
• March 19, 2021 (advertising spring meeting): 41.6% opened (393), 5.8% clicks (55), total 702 opens, 108 clicks. Most clicked were links for Rick’s article on Theodore building the first house in Nauvoo and the Newsletter Archive.

Website:

• End of year 2021 totals: 5,510 views, 1,966 visitors (80% increase from number of visitors in 2020, about 70% increase from number of views in 2020)
• Top five pages: 9: Prophecy Fulfilled, Theodore Turley, Nauvoo Temple, Pioneer Sketches, and Theodore Turley: A Biography by Richard E. Turley, Jr.
• Top blog post: “Former TTFO President Richard E. Turley Sr. Passes Away”
• Best performing month was October 2021 at 1,225 views (due in large part to the Latter-day Saint Come, Follow Me curriculum discussion of placing the corner stone at Far West temple site). It blew away our previous best of all time in July 2021 at 680 views.
• Our three-year starting hosting plan ended in March 2022. Signed up for another four years of hosting (through March 2026), and registered domain through 2030.

We now have a complete physical set of the Turley Family newsletters (1995–2018). Mary Ann requested to donate them to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. This was approved.

Archaeology of the Turley site (homesite in Nauvoo, IL) slideshow presentation. Mary Ann has a background in archaeology which prompted her access to the report.

• Theodore’s property was on Block 147 Lot 4, directly east of Joseph & Emma Smith Mansion House.
• Copper Kettle: 3 men were instructed by Joseph Smith to bury a copper kettle filled with books, records, papers on Theodore’s lot deep enough that a cultivator could not reach them. Kettle was covered with boards & tied with a rope when buried.
  • In William Clayton’s Diary, the kettle was dug up July 3, 1844. The records had water damage. Clayton’s diary was not available in 1973 when they were doing the dig.
• Structures on the property: Theodore’s diary says that a structure of log and stone was built (on the NE corner). Most likely finished by July 18, as James Mulholland’s diary states he moved to Brother Turleys.
  • A second home, made of brick, was built later, probably after Theodore returned from his mission. This home was destroyed by the 1930’s.
  • Excavation was in 2 parts. One was traditional by hand. The second was with road excavators – looking for copper kettle and the area had been an agricultural section.
  • They found the brewery/blacksmith shop foundation, a field cellar, a well from the Mormon period, a section with posts they think was either a vineyard or where hops were grown, 2 lime pits (pits where they were mixing plaster), trash pits (most of the artifacts from these are from later times), and some odd piles of stone (they think these were the stone pillars used for the original cabin).
    • It is known that a metal press was in Theodore’s shop as a man who was accusing him of counterfeiting mentions seeing it in the shop.
  • The archeologists (a professor and 12 students) had 1 week to work and only had permission to excavate the original structure and look for the copper kettle so the excavation of the other finds was not completed.
  • Artifacts that were found from the Mormon period: hand forged nails, door hardware that matches those in the mansion house.
  • Also brass scraps with holes punched (circular objects had been cut, some the same thickness as the medallion) – probably from a later occupant.
• Later archeology work has been done: 1- ground penetrating radar by BYU students, 2 – Lamoni College students: only mentioned they were going to do some but not what. Mary Ann trying to get information from these groups.
• Question asked: Why was Theodore put in prison in England? Official – to stop him from preaching. He’s in a debtor’s prison. This is from the partnership he was in prior to moving to Canada. He was arrested because of debts from this partnership that T.T. had said he would be responsible for.

Date For Next TTFO meeting: Saturday September 24, 2022. Will decide zoom, in-person, hybrid later. There was a positive response to continuing Zoom but also a willingness to meet in person again.

Items for Future Meetings:

• Field trip to Mexican colonies: It has been decided that it is currently not safe to travel so trying to put together a video trip. Luana Roger’s brother has contacts there and is looking into the possibility
• Information on any of Theodore’s children. If anyone has research, stories, a presentation, visited a place of interest etc. that they would like to share, please let us know. We believe there is an interest.
• Ruben Judd has a story with pictures of Isaac Turley and Joseph F. Smith he would be willing to share. He would also be willing to put something together that shows Isaacs’s travels.
• Service Opportunity – 1950 Census. Need volunteers to review the automated index (completed with A.I. and handwriting recognition but has errors) so that it will be correct. Would like Turley family members to review family (and neighborhood if you’re old enough to remember) that are included in the census to ensure accuracy. Plan to participate in this as part of Theodore’s birthday.
• Attend your local temple to recognize Theodore on his birthday (April 10th)
• Possibility of a presentation of research in June?

More Questions Asked:

• Picture of Francis K. Turley is most likely a daughter of Mary Clift and Theodore Turley who was named after Theodore’s 1st wife and who’s first husband was Catholic (thus the cross in the photo).
• Story about why Theodore had the debt that put him in jail in England was because his partner got the revenue, but Theodore never received any to cover the expenses. Is that true? No, that comes from the myth that he was minting coins for the King of England. As far as Rick Turley has been able to find there hasn’t been any evidence to support it. Before Theodore leaves for England, he doesn’t seem to be aware that there are still outstanding debts.

Spread the word that the website is more up to date than FamilySearch or many other sources. The website tries to present the sources to back up the data.

Closing Prayer by Janet Packham.