Person:Bailis Turner (1)

His parents have not been identified but DNA tests have shown he was descended from Richard Turner who was born about 1631 in Cornwall, England and died after 8 Oct 1743 in Caroline County, VA. According to his descendants he said he grew up in the Spartanburg area or SC. He said he was 'Black Dutch' which his descendants have taken to mean that his ancestors were from the Black Forest section of Germany, but later information (and his picture) suggests an euphemism for Indian heritage, or Melungeon heritage. He probably was named for Judge Baylis J. Earle, who was the first Judge of Spartanburg County, SC.He is supposedly buried at the Glade Cemetery, but no grave marker can be found.

Doyle Harper found a transcription of a letter among applications for Cherokee Indian money from Sarah Jane (Parris) Sutton that stated her grandmother was Anna Turner Trammell, sister to Balus Turner.  The transcription was in Misc Test P 2951 App No 25781, as follows:  "I am fifty-nine years of age and was born in Famin (sic) Co., GA; my father was Nathan Paris, who was born in North Carolina, I think just over the line from Famin Co.; he died about fifteen years ago and he was then about seventy five years of age; his mother was a Nancy. My mother was Elizabeth or Betsy Frammel (Trammel) before marriage; she died when I was about fourteen or fifteen years of age; she died in Georgia; she was born in North Carolina, I think and her father was a Cherokee Indian named Jimmie Frammel; his wife was Annie Turner before marriage; I don't know whether she had Indian blood but think she had as her brother Balus Turner was very dark; my father had a brother named Bob and one named Sylvester and one named Nathaniel and a half brother Green Parris; my mother also had brothers named Edward, Daniel and Joseph. Joseph was a cripple and drew Indian money when I was about twelve years old. Balus Turner was my grandmother's brother. I claim Indian blood from both my father and my mother."  Signed: "Sarah Jane Sutton, Tahlequah, Okla., Sep 22, 1908"

C.N. Crumley, Clerk of Superior Court of Union County, GA reported from the Tax Digests of Union Co that Bailis E. Turner was assessed $4.80 for the year 1869; $2.60 for the year 1872; $2.25 for 1875; $2.75 for 1876; $2.00 for 1878/ $1.50 for 1879; $1.50 for 1880; $2.00 for 1883 and $1.50 for 1884. Records for other years not mentioned have been lost or misplaced. Signed the 7th of Feb 1885.

Bailis made application for Pension for Dependant parent as follows: Declaration for an Original Pension of a Father. State of Georgia, County of Union On this the 28th day of April, A.D. one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three, personally appeared before me the same being a court of record within and for the county and State aforesaid, Bailis E. Turner, aged 78 years, who being duly sworn according to law, makes the following declaration in order to obtain the pension provided by Acts of Congress granting pensions to dependent Fathers: That he is the father of Bailis M. Turner who enlisted under the name of Bailis M. Turner at Athens, Tenn on or about the 1st day of March 1863 in Co. “C” 7 Tenn Infr in the war of the Rebellion, who was killed at/in Union County, Georgia on the 28th day of Mch 1865, who bore at the time of his death the rank of Private in service aforesaid; that said son, Bailis M. Turner left neither widow nor child under sixteen years of age surviving; that the declarant was married to the mother of said son at in Pendleton Dist., SC on the 13th day of September, 1829 by W.F. Reid, Justice Peace; the he was in part dependent upon said son for support; that the mother of said son died in Union County, Georgia, on or about 1 day of July 1851.

That he has not heretofore received nor applied for a pension; that he has not aided or abetted the rebellion; that he hereby appoints A.B. Webb of Washington, DC his attorney to prosecute the above claim; that his residence is at Camp Creek in the County of Union, State of Georgia and that his Post Office address is Camp Creek, Union Co., GA.

[signed] Balis E Turner

General Affadavit State of Georgia, County of Union In the matter of Pension Claim of Bailis E. Turner, Father of Bailis M. Turner, No. 304686 on the 26th day of October 1885, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace in anf for the aforesaid County, duly authorized to administer oaths, Bailis E. Turner, aged 80 years, a resident of Dooly District in the county of Union and State of Georgia, whose Post Office Address is Cut Cane, Fannin County, State of Georgia, well known to me to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who being duly sworn, declared in relation to aforesaid case as follows: that affiant is the Claimant in said Cl??? and is the father of said Bailis M. Turner deceased Soldier and late a private in Co C 7th Tenn Cavalry and that he was married to the mother of said soldier in the State of South C. Pendleton District on the 13th day of November A.D 1829 and the following children were born Aviline born Nov 26th, 1830; David B born Sept 7th 1834; Jesse born May 12the 1836, Leander M., born Nov 20th 1838; J????? M, born Aug 26th 1840; Sarah A, born Sept 4th 1842; Bailis M. Turner, born 23rd Sept 1844; Miles C. born Nov 28th 1846; Adeline, born April 1st 1849. That the above named children were taken from the family record now in possession of affiant and that there is no person living near affiant or within the State of Georgia that affiant knows who is cognisant of the marriage of affiant in the State of South Carolina, or above mentioned from the fact the ???? of time has been so long since said marriage that most of the persons who were knowing to the above facts have died. Witness: /Signed/ Bailis E. Turner Claimant W. L. Hunter G.M. Dickey

1. ↑ Internet.

   Email message citing a Pedigree Chart submitted to the "Old Pendleton District, SC Genealogical Society by Patricia Anne Scott in Vol I, published in March of 1997.

2. ↑ Internet.

   Same Pedigree Chart as birth. Email from Gail R. Blancett <ablancett@scescape.net>
   (copy in notebook)

3. ↑ US Census Images Online at (www.ancestry.com) (MyFamily.com).

   Image 54 of 87, Buncombe Co., NC 1840 at <www.ancestry.com>

4. ↑ Georgia's 1867-1868 Returns of Qualified Voters (Georgia Archives)
   Vol 133, Page 28, Microfilm Drawer 297, Box 29.
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Pension record from Dept of Interior
   Application of Bailis E. Turner in matter of Bailis M. Turner.
6.   Doyle Harper, Newspaper article (Fannin County Newspaper).
7. ↑ According to Doyle Harper, Bailis said he grew up in the Broad Rivers Section of SC; but no connection has been found to the Turners of Spartanburg County as yet. His son Miles' death certificate lists his birthplace as Greenville Co., SC
8. ↑ On Page 163 of the Buncombe Co census is found Bail Turner with one white female 20 yrs and under 30; 4 free colored males under 10; one male aged 24-35 and one free white female, under 10. [The female would have been Avaline; 3 of the 4 males under 10 would have been William, Jesse and Leander. The fourth is unknown. Bailis would have been abt 35. Betsy would have been abt 30.]
9. ↑ His post office address was Dora, Fannin Co., GA