William W. Turnbull

TURNBULL, DAVIDSON, WINTER, WORRELL, REGAN

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 3/6/2007 at 12:09:13

Biographies from the 1914 "Past and Present of O'Brien and Osceola Counties of Iowa"

WILLIAM W. TURNBULL.

One of the residents of Sibley, Iowa, who has had an interesting career is William W. Turnbull, a prominent real estate dealer of the county seat. He has been identified with the history of this county for more than twenty-five years, and in that time has made his impress upon the community. Beginning the battle of life at the age of eleven, he has never ceased his efforts and today is reaping the results of his many years of hard work. William W. Turnbull, the son of John and Margaret (Davidson) Turnbull, was born in Brushland, Delaware County, New York, October 7, 1852. His parents were both natives of New York, and his father died in that state in 1857, while his mother died in Sibley, Iowa, in April, 1892.

Shortly after the death of his father, W. W. Turnbull started to school, but when he was eleven years of age he felt that he had to get out and help support his mother. Consequently, he hired out to a fanner for six months at eleven dollars a month. As he grew older he was able to command better wages, and before he was fourteen years of age was working in the tan-bark forests of Pennsylvania and doing the heaviest kinds of farm labor. A stray circular fell into his hands one day when he was fourteen years of age and changed his whole career. This innocent advertisement was from Lowell Commercial College, of Binghamton, New York, and the youth read it through eagerly. He got the idea that he could work his way through college and immediately wrote to the president of the college for information. President Lowell told him to come to Binghamton and upon his arrival there he was warmly received by the president. He had one hundred dollars saved and with this and the work which he was able to get to do in Binghamton he succeeded in staying in college until he graduated. He received his tuition and board for keeping the college rooms clean and soon after graduation came west, where he felt there were opportunities for a young man.

Mr. Turnbull was only seventeen years of age when he and his mother came to Iowa from New York and settled in Traer. Tama County, where he engaged in farming and incidentally learned the trade of a mason. For the next six years he followed the mason's trade, and in 1878 returned to New York and married Belle J. Winter. His marriage occurred December 26, 1878, and he immediately brought his young bride to Tama County, this state, to live. In 1882 he moved to Sibley, where he followed his trade as a mason until 1891. Since that time he has been engaged in the real estate business, handling Minnesota lands especially. He has sold thousands of acres on commission, as well as much land on his own account. He has made good in the best sense of the term and is recognized as one of the leading and substantial citizens of Sibley.

Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull are the parents of six children: Mrs. Bertha M. Worrell, deputy postmistress of Sibley; A. C, who is a railroad conductor at St. James, Minnesota; Mrs. Mable E. Regan, whose husband is a salesman at Sibley; John H., deputy postmaster at Sibley for six years, and now assistant county surveyor and superintendent of public construction; Will P., who is also a salesman of Sibley, and Viola M., who is in the Gazette printing office of Sibley.

Mr. Turnbull has always been a Republican in politics and has been a great student of the issues of the day. He has never been a seeker for political office, although he held the office of township clerk and town clerk while living in Tama county. He and his family are loyal members of the Congregational Church and contribute liberally to its support. Mr. Turnbull is a great reader and student and keeps fully abreast of the times. He is a man of essentially domestic tastes and is never as happy as when by his own fireside, surrounded by his family and with good books to while away his idle hours. He has always taken an active interest in every enterprise which might benefit his city and has always thrown his influence in favor of good government.

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