TURNER, Robert
TURNER, JACKSON, GRAHAM
Posted By: Lisa Walden (email)
Date: 9/3/2021 at 22:48:18
Robert Turner, 100, Civil War veteran and oldest resident of Decatur county, who died Saturday morning was laid to rest Monday with full military honors. Reverend J. Vincent Gray of Albany, Mo., was the officiating minister and was assisted in the service by the members of the Ralph A. Judson Post of the American Legion, which was responsible for the military rites conducted under the direction of Commander Marsh. The entire congregation arose to salute the dead and remained standing while taps sounded. Prayer was given by Chaplain Ralph Johnson. Pallbearers were A.W. Fleet, J.C. Danielson, T.J. Smith, Walter Hayer, W.A. Grenawalt, and Charles Haskins.
Dignitaries attending the services were Brigadier General Charles H. Grahl, Adjutant General of Iowa, and W.E. Hathaway, director of graves registration division, adjutant general’s office of Des Moines Brigadier Grahl acted as personal representative of Governor Herring.
Uncle Robert’s last days were made very happy when W.F. Hathaway had occasion to drive to Lamoni in the company of GAR National Commander Nelson and visit with him.
Mr. Hathaway attended the services of Uncle Robert as the representative of the Sons of Union Veterans and also the National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.
According to Mr. Hathaway, who keeps a record of all Civil War veterans, Uncle Robert Turner was the second oldest veteran in Iowa
Edward Haskin, of Garner, Iowa, who reached his one-hundredth birth-day just 15 days before Mr. Turner was credited with being the oldest Civil War Veteran, and with the passing of Uncle Robert, William Houdesheldt of Cincinnati, Iowa, is now the second oldest Iowa veteran.
Mr. Turner was born in Berkley county, Virginia, now West Virginia, on December 2 in the year of 1835, the only child of Robert and Nancy Jackson Turner who died when their son was still quite young.
The deceased attended school in his native state until 1855 when in the company of another young man, he went to Texas. Not being contented in that state he came to Iowa by way of New Orleans arriving at Burlington where he continued his education.
In 1862 he enlisted in the Civil War and served his country for two years and eight months being with Sherman in practically all of the battles in which he engaged. In a diary which Mr. Turner kept daily, is recorded many interesting bits of information. The names Helena, Ark., Vicksburg, Greenville, and Grand Gulf, Miss., Memphis, and Bridgeport, Tenn., Florence, Ala., and Mission Ridge, Ga. are recorded as places where major scrimmages were participated in.
From this valuable document, we also learned much concerning the very long marches, muddy roads, swollen streams, swamps, sands, the horror of death, hardships, and sickness which the Civil War Veterans learned to know so well. According to Mr. Turner's record, "Days followed each other marked only by heavier scrimmages, or longer marches." When the war was ended he wrote these words, "Thank God that we are once more blessed with peace, for I know not whom else to thank.”
Mr. Turner was among the first schoolmasters of the county teaching in Davis City, Fayette, and Eden townships. It was while teaching that he met Miss Dora Graham, one of his pupils, who later became his wife. They were married in January 1871. To this union four children were born: Inez, now Mrs. C.V. Anderson, Gilbert E., Lydia B., now Mrs. Frank Horton, of Goodland, Kan., and Robert Clyde, who died when a small child. The mother passed from this life in June 1883. Mr. Turner later married Mrs. Helen B. Lawhorn who preceded her husband in death four years ago.
The deceased had resided in Decatur county since 1866 and shared in its transformation from a pioneer region to one with all of the comforts and conveniences of this modern age. That Uncle Robert was a resident of the county was not by chance. According to his statement, he traveled by horseback through several counties in southern Iowa and northern Missouri studying conditions and natural advantages offered by each.
After careful consideration, he bought 160 acres of land near Lamoni. A short time later he purchased 20 acres of timber in Missouri and from this tract secured rails for fencing and lumber enough for building purposes on his farm.
On his seventy-ninth birthday, he attributed his unusual health and long life to the fact that he "obeyed the laws of nature, kept regular hours, abstained from the use of tobacco in any form and used liquor for medical purposes only.” It was after he reached his ninetieth birthday that he began to set his lifespan goal at the century mark which he reached seven weeks before his death.
Until his ninety-eighth birthday, Uncle Robert made regular trips to town visiting the barbershop each Friday. He was a familiar figure on the streets as he always wore a large, wide-brimmed tan hat which he had owned for 30 years. The hat and his GAR pin were among his valued possessions.
Mr. Turner served the town as mayor and acted as Justice of the Peace for many years. Although he had never affiliated with any church organization, he was always in sympathy with all movements which were for the betterment of society and the community. His last years were made pleasant by the realization that he had earned and maintained the respect of his friends, lived a long and useful life and had never committed a great many wrongs.
Since his one-hundredth birthday, Uncle Robert’s health gradually failed and he spent the last few weeks in bed. His last days were marked by the exceptional care and affection shown him by his friends, his competent housekeeper, and his family.
Source: The Lamoni Chronicle published in Lamoni, Iowa on Thursday, January 23rd, 1936, pgs. 1, 5.
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Decatur Obituaries maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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