Fay Turpin, daughter of Austin Caleb Turpin and Iva Gertrude Lawry Turpin

A couple of years ago I discovered a gold mine in the form of a collection of letters and documents left by my great granduncle Carl Julian Turpin and his wife Frances Linton Turpin to the Western History Library, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. I discovered wonderful correspondence between great aunts and uncles and great great grandmothers and great great grand aunts whom I had never met. They wrote back and forth, however, about relatives whom I did have the opportunity to meet, although they were young children and young adults during the time period that these letters cover. These letters have enriched the living Turpin family immensely. Handwritten correspondence was frequent in the early part of the 1900s, the post being delivered twice a day. I am not sure what email and texting is going to leave behind for future family historians.

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The beautiful young woman shown above is Fay Turpin, my first cousin twice removed. She born 09 Dec 1892 in Holton KS. She was the daughter of Austin Caleb Turpin and Gertrude Lawry Turpin. According to my paternal great aunt, Ella Turpin Person, Fay attended Chicago public schools and the Chicago Art Institute.

At one point during W.W.I, Fay was planning to marry a soldier. On 6 Jan 1918, Gertrude Lawry Turpin, Fay's mother, writes to Carl Julian Turpin's wife, Frances Linton Turpin:

"I think Austin said he wrote Carl of Fay's engagement to Burton Carnes and the gay time I had. Made 2 trips to Fort Riley in November. Austin and I stopped there the first of November and when Burton wrote that he could not get the furlough he expected as they were ordered to Texas, Fay decided to go to Fort Riley. Of course I had to be chaperone. We had supper with Burton in Manhattan (KS) Thanksgiving Day. We should have arrived in Manhattan at 3 p.m. but missed connections and had to drive from McFarland to Manhattan in a Ford, arriving there at 6 p.m. Burton's troop left the next day so we did not see much of him. . . . Fay announced her engagement Dec. 9. . . . I told Fay I would try to give her something for her hope box every payday (it will not be much while I am paying coal bills)."

(Source: Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

Gertrude writes to Frances again on 27 Oct 1918 the following: "Fay would be overjoyed to have you attend her wedding. The trouble is we do not know just when it will occur but think about the middle of the month. It will be a quiet affair."

(Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

On 22 Dec 1918 Gertrude writes to Frances: "Burton cannot get leave to come home Christmas. We are in hopes that means he will get his discharge immediately after. If not he says he will try and get leave to come and get Fay and then he will not care how long they keep him down there. I don't suppose Carl (Julian Turpin) ever goes to Little Rock (Arkansas). If he does tell him to look up Lieutenant Carnes of the Depot Brig. Burton would be glad to see him." (Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

Then on 18 Mar 1919, in a letter to Frances, Gertrude writes: "Fay has just started in a studio of her own and is therefore a little short of cash so I am going to make her dress as I want her to go to the dance. She broke her engagement with Burton about the 1st of February and she feels pretty badly. You know Fay does not do anything by halves. When she loved, she loved with all her heart. And when she found the object of her affections was not worthy of it she was all broke up. She and two other girls have a studio together. She went in with them the first week in February and she is doing real well. I think she will do better than when working for someone else as she can stop and rest whenever she pleases."

(Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

In 1919 Fay traveled to Toronto as told in this 22 Dec 1919 letter from Austin's wife to Carl Julian Turpin's wife, Frances: "Fay is going to take a little vacation and to go Toronto the day after Christmas and last Friday she rec'd a letter from Helene telling her to be sure & bring her party dress as they were having formal dances again with everybody in full evening dress." (Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

Fay verifies her trip in this letter she wrote to Carl Julian Turpin's wife Frances on 9 Jan 1920: "I suppose some other members of the family have told you that I took a little trip to Canada after Christmas. I didn't have one minute to write up there and mighty few since I came home." (Carl Julian Turpin collection, Western History Library, University of Oklahoma)

In the 1920 US census, Fay is living with her parents in Chicago and working as a commercial artist. She illustrated for children's books. One of the books she illustrated was Little Sally Dutcher by Beth Proctor. First printing was 1924 by the Albert Whitman Company in Chicago.
(A copy of that illustration appears above. It was scanned from an actual book in my possession.)

On 5 Apr 1926 Fay married William Jabine. They took their honeymoon in Hamilton, Bermuda as reflected by the passenger list for the liner, Fort Victoria.

William was born in Yonkers NY on 8 Jan 1886. His parents' names were Theodore and Florence Jabine. (1910 census) I believe William met Fay when he moved to Chicago, IL to take the position as editor of a Chicago newspaper. In the 1920 census, he is lodging with the Fox family in Chicago. When he was living in New York City, he was a reporter for a newspaper there. (1910 US census) Austin Caleb Turpin and his family were also living in Chicago according to the 1920 US census.

Ella Turpin Person's notes show that Fay separated two years later from Mr. Jabine. In 1928 Fay set up her own artist's studio at 321 East 43rd Street in New York City. (Source: Ella Turpin Person) The 1930 US census shows Fay living in Manhattan and working as a studio artist.

Fay was Episcopalian and attended a little church around the corner from where she lived called Church of the Transfiguration. (Source: Ella Turpin Person.)

In 1931 Fay took a trip on the Empress of Britain. She departed 3 Dec 1931 and returned 8 Apr 1932. The passenger list shows her living at 6 Prospect Place, NYC.

Fay Turpin Jabine passed away 02 June 1967. Her last address was New York City, NY. (Social Security Death Index.)