John Turner was born in England, c1822, the son of Joseph Turner and Harriet Jackson.

Harriet was quite a bit younger than her husband – by at least 15 years, so she might have been a second wife and not John’s mother. However, in her will, Harriet left her estate to “my son, John” so unless other information comes to light in the future, Harriet was the mother of John Turner.

The family settled in (then) Bergen County, New Jersey by 1834 in the town that was originally named Saddle River. However, in 1837, Passaic County was set off from Bergen and the Turners found themselves living in Manchester Township, Passaic County. One further change happened in 1847 when Manchester Township was renamed Wayne Township, in honor of “Mad Anthony” Wayne, of Revolutionary War fame.

John Turner married Sarah Hyzer on 29 December 1842 at the Preakness Reformed Church in today’s Wayne, Passaic, New Jersey.

Sarah was the daughter of John Hyzer/Hisor [plus other varied spellings like Hyser and Hiser] and Abby, who I believe to have been Abby Rickey.

Abby Hisor’s Find-a-Grave memorial calls Abby Winans, but no source is given and I’ve found no records to support that theory. Because of two other burials sharing Abby’s gravestone, I believe she was Abby Rickey. That will be a post of its own.

Now, back to John and Sarah Turner.

After their marriage, John and Sarah settled in the “big city” of nearby Newark, Essex, New Jersey, where they appear in the 1850 census.

John was working as a machinist, as the Industrial Revolution was getting underway by this time. Sarah was at home with their two young children, John and Harriet.

By 1855, their family had grown with the addition of two more children and all four were baptized at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newark, Essex, New Jersey on 18 February of that year:

However, John must have been looking to further his career as, later that year, the family moved to Detroit, Wayne, Michigan. The family hasn’t been found in any records there, but son Samuel, born c1856, died in 1938 and his obituary stated he was born in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.

Census records also support that statement as the 1860 census, taken when the family had moved back to Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey, show sons Samuel and Peter born c1856 and c1858 in Michigan.

John’s parents must have been happy to have their son and grandchildren once again living close by. They were in the senior years of their lives and perhaps needed some extra support.

By 1870, John and Sarah were living in Wayne, Passaic, New Jersey, next door to widow Harriet Turner, John’s mother.

There were also two more children in the family – Charles, born in April 1860, and Edward, born in December 1862. Daughter Sarah died at the age of nine years in 1863 in Paterson, but the remaining older children were still at home.

The family remained in Paterson, having sold John’s parents real estate after mother Harriet died in the 1870s.

Children:

1. John, born 25 December 1846, New Jersey; died after 1880; married Anna Hesketts, 31 August 1872, Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey. They had one son, Eddie, born 1878, but John and Anna aren’t found in further records. Eddie appears in 1910, enumerated as a widower living in Paterson.
2. Harriet, born 9 June 1849, New Jersey; died 16 August 1910, probably Saddle River, Bergen, New Jersey, where she lived with daughter Catherine Smith; married Charles G. Babcock She was buried at Preakness Reformed Church cemetery. They had four children.
3. William, born 19 December 1851, New Jersey; died after 1880; married (1)Jessie Kidd, 21 May 1876, Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey. By 1880, William lived at home, married, with his parents and Jessie, marital status not noted, lived at home with her parents. (2) Hannah Matilda Conklin. She had been previously married and had 2/4 children living in 1900. In 1930, they lived in Sloatsburg, Rockland, New York.
4. Sarah, born 7 Mar 1853, New Jersey; died 1863, Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
5. Samuel, born c1856, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; died 9 May 1938, Morristown, Morris, New Jersey; married Maria Gorley, 15 October 1881, Wyckoff, Bergen, New Jersey. They had four children.
6. Peter, born c1858, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; died June 1875, Wayne, Passaic, New Jersey
7. Charles, born April 1860, New Jersey; died 15 February 1907, Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; married Margaret Campbell, c1889. Charles died when he was hit by a Lackawanna Railroad train. They had three children.
8. Edward, born December 1862, New Jersey; buried 17 December 1935, Passaic County, New Jersey; married Mary M. Broderick, c1888. They divorced between 1910-1920. They had seven children, six surviving in 1910.

John died on 22 December 1894 in Paterson, Sarah survived her husband by many years, passing away in early May 1913, also in Paterson.

If you are descended from this couple, please leave a comment!

This family sketch is being share in the hopes that some other relative might be able to add to this story.

Joseph Turner was born c1785-1790 in England. The town isn’t known at the moment, but there are indications that some of the extended family had ties to Manchester, England and Coventry, Warwickshire, England and they were Methodists into the 20th century.

Joseph married Harriet Jackson, also born in England. Her death record noted parents as Benjamin and Harriet Jackson, but because of the age gap, it is possible that she is a second wife and not the mother of John, in spite of the fact that she calls him her son in her will.

Her age is all over the place in the records – born 1803 [1850], born 1810 [1860], born 1799 [burial record], born 1804 [death record], born 1800 [1870].

Joseph Turner settled in New Jersey sometime between the 1830 census, in which he does NOT appear and 19 March 1834, when he purchased land [Bergen County Deed Book V:394-396] from John Doremus in what was then know as Saddle River in Bergen County, New Jersey. However, in 1837, Passaic County was formed and the area in which Joseph lived was then called Manchester Township. However, in 1847, it was renamed for the last time and became Wayne Township, Passaic County, New Jersey.

Joseph and Harriet sold this land in 1841 [Passaic County Deed Book E:506-507] and purchased other property in the Preakness area of Wayne.

Joseph Turner appeared in several New Jersey censuses.

In 1840, Joseph is enumerated in Manchester Township. His neighbors are similar to those found in the 1850 and 1860 censuses, so I believe this is “my” man.

In 1850, Joseph is found in the newly renamed Wayne Township. His age is off by a few years and he was living with wife (identified as such in the land records) Harriet. There had been a female in the home, under 5, in 1840 who is not enumerated in 1850 so they apparently lost a young daughter during the 1840s.

Joseph is still living in Wayne in 1855 for the state census:

His final appearance is in the 1860 census of Wayne, New Jersey. The family is split onto two census pages with wife Harriet on the second page. However, there is a new mystery that hasn’t been solved. Joseph is head of household, but next is Ann, born c1787, place not noted. In examining the census entries, I noticed that the enumerator didn’t note everyone’s birthplace. My assumption is that the empty spaces indicate born in New Jersey, which means Ann would have been born in New Jersey. Even if born in England, who is she and why is Harriet enumerated AFTER her instead of directly below her husband????:

Note that Joseph, born c1785 and Ann, born c1787 are enumerated at the very bottom of the page above. On the next page we find:

Harriet, born c1800, England completes the family.

1860 is the last time Joseph and Ann Turner are found in the records.

Harriet appears once more, in 1870:

John Turner with (presumed) wife Sarah and their family are now enumerated in Wayne with Harriet Turner, now aged 70 years, living next door.

Harriet then disappears from official records, but in 1876, John and Sarah Turner sells real estate, including that from the estate of Joseph Turner, deceased.

Harriet, herself, left a will, written on 11 August 1869 and recorded five years later on 31 August 1874.

Harriet died of cholera, aged 67 years, in June 1871. Her death record states she died on 15 June, but her church burial record states buried on 14 June. Perhaps, she died on 13 June, buried on 14 June and someone misreported the day of the month. The church record also gives her age as 72.

Children:

1. John, born c1822, England; died 22 December 1894, Paterson Passaic, New Jersey; married Sarah Hyzer/Hisor, 29 December 1842, Preakness [Wayne], Passaic, New Jersey
2. Daughter, born 1835-1840; not at home in 1850; no further record

Per Harriet’s will, she left her entire estate to her son, John, with no other heirs mentioned.