Frances Amelia Turley
1825-1846

Born: 1 January 1825 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England1
Christened: 24 August 1826 at St. George the Martyr church in south London, England2
Died: 1 December 1846 in Winter Quarters, Douglas County, Nebraska3
Buried: Winter Quarters Cemetery in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska4
FamilySearch ID: KWVM-XQ5
FindaGrave Memorial ID:  36715987

Frances was the daughter of Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley.

Frances married Cyrus Daniels on 24 January 1846 at the Nauvoo Temple in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois.5 They had one child:

  1. Frances G. Daniels (1846-1846)
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“His oldest daughter who died in childbirth at the age of about 22, was always referred to as ‘A wonderful horsewoman.'”6

Once when the mob were stealing stock in Far West, Francis told her father to give her Old John, and she climbed on him with a loaded blackwhip (handle loaded with buckshot). She rode into the herd and got the stock and hit one of the mobbers with the blackwhip. She brought back the cows and the bull. Another time Francis took her father and his friends to a meeting in Nauvoo in a sleigh and on her return the buffalo robe blew up in front of the horse, causing him to run away. She jumped on the horse and brought it to a stop. A man that watched the procedure joked with Theodore and offered him a thousand dollars for Francis. At this it is said that Theodore acted very indignant.

the Theodore turley family, p. 50 (citing 1 Aug. 1951 interview with ernest turley)

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Timeline

1825
January 1: Frances Amelia Turley was born to Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. She was their second child and first daughter.7

Frances was a baby when her family moved from Birmingham to London.

1826
August 24: Frances Amelia Turley was christened at St. George the Martyr church in south London. Her father, Theodore, was noted as a “Toole Maker” living at nearby “Snowsfields.”8

Frances was around two years old when she, her parents, and her older brother sailed from England to Canada in late 1826 or early 1827. The family settled initially in York (now Toronto), Ontario.

1827
April 19: Frances’ father, Theodore Turley, placed an advertisement in The Colonial Advocate, a newspaper based in York, Ontario, soliciting customers for his blacksmithing services. This is the earliest known historical record of the Turley family in Canada.9
July 13: A little sister, Mary Ann Turley, was born in York.10

1829
June 1: A second sister, Priscilla Rebecca Turley, was born in York.11

Frances was likely five or six years old when she, her parents, her older brother, and two little sisters moved to the rural community of Churchville, Ontario.

1832
May 23: A little brother, Frederick Turley, was born in Churchville, Ontario.12

1834
July 5: A sibling, Obia Turley, was born in Churchville. The baby, however, only lived a few weeks.13
July 29: Obia Turley was buried in Churchville, Ontario.14

1835
September 24: Another girl, Sarah Elizabeth Turley, was born to the Turley family in Churchville.15

1837
March 1: Frances’ parents, Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley, were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder Isaac Russell.16
August 3: Frances’ parents sold their property in Churchville to prepare for gathering with the Saints in the United States.17
November 9: Frances’ father wrote a letter to his friend, Isaac Russell, mentioning the death of his oldest child, Theodore Turley, Jr. Frances was twelve when her older brother died in late 1837. He was likely buried in the Churchville Cemetery near their baby sibling, Obia Turley.18
November 22: Another little boy was born to the Turley family in Churchville. He was named Isaac after the missionary who baptized Frances’ parents, Isaac Russell.19

Frances was thirteen years old when she and her family traveled with a group of fellow Latter-day Saints to settle in Far West, Missouri. Theodore later recalled that he, his wife, and their six children (Frances A., Mary Ann, Priscilla, Frederick, Sarah, and Isaac) made the journey with two wagons and four horses.20

1838
July 18: The Turley family arrived in Far West, Missouri.21

Frances was fourteen years old when she and her family finally evacuated Far West, Missouri, in early 1839. The Turley family eventually made their way to the new gathering place of the Saints: Commerce, Hancock County, Illinois. The town was later renamed Nauvoo.

1840
April 15: While Frances’ father was on his mission in England, her mother gave birth to another daughter in Nauvoo. She was named Charlotte Turley.22

1842
September 13: Another son, Johnathan Turley, was born to the Turley family in Nauvoo.23

1845
September 22: Hosea Stout recorded that policeman Cyrus Daniels “was shot through the right arm just above the elbow… he had traveled to Col Turleys. When we got there we found him in a desperate condition his arm was shattered to atoms the ball passed just above the elbow & both bones were broken & his arm in a sling. We had to tear his coat to pieces to get it off of him after which Br Turley set the bones as well as he could & then Dr. J. M. Bernhisel was sent for who undone his arm & set it over again. During which time he suffered the most excruciating pain.” It’s possible Frances may have become acquainted with Cyrus Daniels at this time. Daniels was apparently still under Theodore Turley’s care several days later.24
December 20: Frances, her parents, and two of her sisters, Priscilla and Mary Ann, received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.25

1846
January 8: Cyrus Daniels received his endowment in the Nauvoo Temple.26
January 24: Frances Amelia Turley was sealed to Cyrus Daniels in the Nauvoo Temple.27

Frances, a twenty-one-year-old newlywed, likely evacuated Nauvoo with her husband and the rest of the Turley family in February 1846. The family traveled westward across Iowa.

1846
May 12: Frances’ three-year-old little brother, Johnathan, died at Garden Grove Camp in Iowa. He was buried there the following day.28

Frances would’ve been visibly pregnant with her first child when the family arrived at Winter Quarters in late 1846.

1846
It appears that Cyrus Daniels died before December. On the Winter Quarters sexton death record for Frances, it states that she was the “wife of Cyrus Daniels, Deceas[ed].”
December 1: Frances A. Daniels died after giving birth to her first and only child. The baby girl, Frances G. Daniels, also passed away. Both mother and daughter were buried in the same grave at the Winter Quarters cemetery. It appears that Cyrus Daniels was already dead by this point; Frances A. Daniels was noted as the “wife of Cyrus Daniels, Deceast [deceased].”29 The following year, Frances’ mother also passed away. Frances Kimberley Turley was buried in the same grave as her namesake daughter and granddaughter.30

Important Places

Birmingham, England: Frances Amelia Turley was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England on 1 January 1825.
London, England: Frances was christened at St. George the Martyr church in London, England. The Turley family lived briefly (about 1825-late 1826) in southeast London, at Snowsfields. Snowsfields is located in the Bermondsey District of the London borough of Southwark.
York/Toronto, Ontario: The Turley family lived in the town of York (now Toronto), Ontario, for several years.
Churchville, Ontario: The Turley family lived in rural Churchville for close to a decade. Frances lost two siblings there including her older brother, Theodore Turley, Jr. It was in Churchville that Frances’ parents were introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Far West, Missouri: The Turley family arrived in Far West in the summer of 1838, just in time to experience the troubles of mob violence and Governor Boggs’ infamous “extermination order.” The family evacuated with the last of the Saints in early 1839.
Nauvoo, Illinois: Frances resided with her family in Nauvoo for about five years. She likely met her future husband there, Cyrus Daniels, and they were married in January 1846.
Winter Quarters, Nebraska: Frances died shortly after giving birth to her first child, daughter Frances G. Daniels, in December 1846. The baby also died. They were buried in the same grave at the Winter Quarters Cemetery.

  1. There is some confusion on the year of birth for Frances A. Turley. The Family Memorial and her Nauvoo Temple sealing record both state that Frances was born on 1 January 1824. However, her 1826 christening record, Nauvoo endowment record, and Winter Quarters death record all indicate she was born on 1 January 1825. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920, Southwark, St. George the Martyr, 1823-1838, p. 225, no. 1795, baptism of Frances Amelia daughter of Theodore & Frances Thurley, 24 Aug. 1826, image at Ancestry.com; Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), p. 109; Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 245-246, entry for Frances Amelia Turley, FHL 183374; Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, death of Frances A. Daniels, 1 Dec. 1846, image 14 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/13, accessed July 2021.
  2. The Family Memorial states that Frances was registered at “St. Gorge’s Church Birminsey London.” Bermondsey is a district in Southwark, the same south London borough where St. George the Martyr church is located. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920, Southwark, St. George the Martyr, 1823-1838, p. 225, no. 1795, baptism of Frances Amelia daughter of Theodore & Frances Thurley, 24 Aug. 1826, image at Ancestry.com.
  3. Family Memorial; Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, death of Frances A. Daniels, 1 Dec. 1846, image 14 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/13, accessed July 2021.
  4. Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, death of Frances A. Daniels, 1 Dec. 1846, image 14 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/13, accessed July 2021.
  5. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 245-246, entries for Cyrus Daniels and Frances Amelia Turley, FHL 183374.
  6. 1971 Letter from Joseph Soll Turley to Descendants of Theodore Turley.
  7. There is some confusion on the year of birth for Frances A. Turley. The Family Memorial and her Nauvoo Temple sealing record both state that Frances was born on 1 January 1824. However, her 1826 christening record, Nauvoo endowment record, and Winter Quarters death record all indicate she was born on 1 January 1825. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920, Southwark, St. George the Martyr, 1823-1838, p. 225, no. 1795, baptism of Frances Amelia daughter of Theodore & Frances Thurley, 24 Aug. 1826, image at Ancestry.com; Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), p. 109; Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 245-246, entry for Frances Amelia Turley, FHL 183374; Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, death of Frances A. Daniels, 1 Dec. 1846, image 14 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/13, accessed July 2021.
  8. The Family Memorial states that Frances was registered at “St. Gorge’s Church Birminsey London.” Bermondsey is a district in Southwark, the same south London borough where St. George the Martyr church is located. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917, baptism record of Frances Amelia Thurley, 24 August 1826, Ancestry.com.
  9. The Colonial Advocate, Thursday, April 26, 1827, p. 2, col. 1, Google News Archive, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=DQNrXyjhriIC&dat=18270426&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, accessed April 2020; Ann Laemmlen Lewis Timeline.
  10. Family Memorial.
  11. Family Memorial.
  12. Family Memorial.
  13. It is unclear if Obia was a boy or a girl, as the name was used for both genders at the time. Traditionally, the family has considered Obia a son of Theodore and Frances. Family Memorial.
  14. Family Memorial.
  15. Family Memorial.
  16. Although Theodore seems to suggest Parley P. Pratt baptized them in his personal life sketch written c. 1840, that is impossible; Pratt was in Kirtland, Ohio, on March 1st. See Richard E. Turley, Jr., “3: Joining the Latter-day Saints,” Theodore Turley: A Biography newsletter series.
  17. Theodore and Frances sold their seventy-five acre tract of land in Churchville for three-hundred-twenty-five pounds. Fellow Latter-day Saint William Law was one of the two witnesses to the property transfer. Toronto Township Deeds No. 14467.
  18. View transcript of letter here. Russell, Isaac 1807-1844. Isaac Russell correspondence, accessed April 2020, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=8e24060e-2e53-46bf-8eb1-a3c6f5fd8949&crate=0&index=20. See also Richard E. Turley, Jr., “4: Church Life in Canada, 1837-1838,” Theodore Turley: A Biography newsletter series.
  19. Family Memorial; Richard E. Turley, Jr., “4: Church Life in Canada, 1837-1838,” Theodore Turley: A Biography newsletter series.
  20. Richard E. Turley, Jr., “5: Gathering with the Saints, 1838,” Theodore Turley: A Biography newsletter series, citing Theodore’s missionary diary.
  21. Theodore recorded July 18th as the date of their arrival in his missionary diary. Joseph Smith’s journal records the arrival of Elder Almon W. Babbitt’s company on Saturday, July 28th. Richard E. Turley, Jr., “5: Gathering with the Saints, 1838,” Theodore Turley: A Biography newsletter series.
  22. Family Memorial.
  23. Family Memorial.
  24. See diary entries of 22 Sep. 1845 and 26 Sep. 1845. Juanita Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier: The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844-1861 (Salt Lake City, Ut.: University of Utah Press, 1964), 71 & 73.
  25. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), p. 109.
  26. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), p. 380 & 382.
  27. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 245-246, entries for Cyrus Daniels and Frances Amelia Turley, FHL 183374.
  28. Family Memorial; Eliza R. Snow trail diary, 13 May 1846. See Ann Lewis’ blog post “Jonathan Turley b. 13 September 1842, Nauvoo.”
  29. Cyrus’ death prior to 1 Dec. 1846 contradicts an oft-cited 1996 newspaper article stating “Elsewhere in the city, Cyrus Daniels grieved over the loss of both his wife, Francis, and their one-day-old baby. They were two of at least four Saints who died in Winter Quarters on this day.” It’s likely the author, David R. Crockett, assumed that Cyrus Daniels was still living at this point. Family Memorial; Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, deaths of Frances A. Daniels and Frances G. Daniels, 1 Dec. 1846, image 14 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/13, accessed July 2021; David R. Crockett, “14 die during the week,” Church News, Sunday, 7 Dec. 1996, https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/1996-12-07/14-die-during-the-week-132033, accessed June 2021.
  30. Family Memorial; Winter Quarters sexton’s records, 1846-1848, Record book, death of Francis Turley, 30 Aug. 1847, image 39 of 51, LR 6359 24, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/1647eb3e-6020-4669-91a2-603820678def/0/38, accessed July 2021.