The Theodore Turley Family Book, published in 1978, was a labor of love decades in the making. Members of the Theodore Turley Family Organization worked for years to record what they could find about the lives of Theodore Turley and his descendants through the 1970s. The volume has well over 500 pages, and, because of it’s distinct cover, is often referred to simply as the “Red Book.” Physical copies are limited and can be expensive, but digitized versions of the book have since been created (family members may contact us for the most recent PDF). A text-only version of the book is available online via FamilySearch.

Much of the material in the Red Book can be found in the “Memories” section in FamilySearch for Theodore Turley’s descendants. Some family members have also reproduced extensive material from the Red Book (plus additional research) on their own family history websites, such as Ann Lewis and Frances & Wally Gray. We have also reprinted an updated version of Ella Mae Judd’s biography of Theodore Turley from the Red Book on our website.

We recently obtained permission from Nancy Romans Turley to post chapters of the Red Book here on the TTFO website. Where chapters contain information about individuals believed to be living as of September 2020, only the biography of the primary chapter subject is posted (these PDF files are noted with an asterisk). Corrections to The Theodore Turley Family Book are noted at the bottom of this page. Please contact us to note further corrections.

Corrections

p. 60: Death info incorrect for John Cook. The book states, “John James Cook, while travelling by train through Arizona, was murdered and no one seems to know where he was buried or any more of the details.” John Cook died 8 June 1883 in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, and was buried in that town. Newspapers in Arizona and California initially reported the death as a homicide, likely the source for the family’s statement that he was murdered. A coroner’s inquest later ruled the gunshot was self-inflicted.1

p. 61: Spouse & marriage info incorrect for Henry Theodore Cook. His first wife was Sarah Ellen Wilkinson (not Sarah Ella Wilkerson). They were married 7 December 1876 or 9 December 1876 (not 1877) in Ventura County, California. Sarah Ellen died 27 October 1930 (not 1920) in Santa Ana, Orange County, California.2 Henry’s second wife was Mary Ollie Fuller (not Olive Hunt) and they were married 24 October 1916 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California.3 Henry’s fourth wife was Jennie E. Johnson, widow of Joseph A. Pifer, and they were married 15 June 1939 in Clark County, Nevada.4

p. 398: Individual misidentified in photo. Caption should state “From Left: Bernice and Claude Quackenbush, Centenna and Ernest Turley, Beatrice and Wilson Turley.” Photo was likely taken in 1955 (celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ernest & Centenna Turley) rather than 1945.5

  1. See newspaper articles on Mary Ann Turley Cook‘s page. “Mysterious Shooting in Tucson,” Los Angeles Daily Times, Saturday, 9 Jun. 1883, p. 1, col. 8, Newspapers.com; “Was He Murdered?,” Arizona Weekly Citizen, Saturday, 9 June 1883, p. 3, col. 3, Newspapers.com; “Coroner’s Verdict,” Arizona Daily Star, Sunday, 10 Jun. 1883, p. 4, col. 2, Newspapers.com; “It Was a Suicide,” Arizona Weekly Citizen, Saturday, 16 Jun. 1883, p. 4, col. 2, Newspapers.com.
  2. A newspaper notice for the marriage stated 9 Dec. 1876. Ventura County records state 7 Dec. 1876, but it is unclear if that was the license date or marriage date. “Married,” The Ventura Signal, Saturday, 16 Dec. 1876, p. 3. col. 4, Newspapers.com; Marriages 1873-1940, database, 7 Dec. 1876, marriage of Henry T. Cook and Sarah A. Wilkinson, Ventura County Genealogical Society, https://venturacogensoc.org/marriages-1873-1940/; “Deaths,” Santa Ana Daily Register, Tuesday, 28 Oct. 1930, p. 3, col. 1, Newspapers.com.
  3. California, City and County of San Francisco, marriage records, 1904-1975, State marriage certificates, vol. 23, 1916, p. 239, cert. 4688, marriage of Henry Theodore Cook and Mary Ollie Fuller, 24 Oct. 1916, image at FamilySearch.org, film 4349884.
  4. Clark Co., Nevada, Marriages, 1928-1954, Marriage certificates 1939 vol. 11, p. 120, marriage of Henry T. Cook and Jennie E. Pifer, 15 Jun. 1939, image at FamilySearch.org, film 5241852.
  5. Correction requested by Beatrice’s granddaughter who recognized the error and contacted the TTFO. Walter Wilson Turley married Beatrice Stone (his second wife) on 29 Sep. 1953.