Tuesday, April 20, 2010

MY DEAR ASHBY AND AUSTIN


Brothers Ashby, Austin, and Carl Julian Turpin, all sons of Thomas James Turpin and Ellmandia Kennerly Turpin, shown here in the late thirties at the farm of Ashby Turpin outside of Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas. Ashby, Austin and Carl Julian were all born in Quantico, Wicomico County, Maryland.


Copies of the following letters came into my possession through my grandfather. They are a gold mine of information, mentioning names familiar on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Family historians researching the Eastern Shore of Maryland, might see a relative or two mentioned in the following letters. My Great Grand Uncle Carl J. Turpin wrote detailed letters about his 1927 trip back east. (I find it amusing because he mentions that it rained or snowed on him and his wife Frances all the way there. We had a similar weather experience when we visited the Eastern Shore in October 2009. It rained all the time, whether we were in Oklahoma or states in between.)


Bleu

Letter from Carl Julian Turpin, dated December 12, 1927

Letterhead reads: Beaver, Meade & Englewood Railroad Company

My dear Ashby and Austin:

We arrived home today from our trip to Washington where I attended the American Short Line R. R. Assn. annual meeting and will tell you something of our trip.

We left here Wednesday, November 30, arrived in Baltimore Friday about noon in the rain; it rained all the way going or else snowed.

Friday afternoon I called on Gale Turpin who is Asst. Vice President of the Baltimore Trust Co. In the evening Frances and I went out to see Cousin Lizzie Dorman and from there to Robert Ballard's.

Cousin Lizzie was feeling very good she said but could not get around very much without holding onto something, she is 82 years old she said. Julia Giles Maddox was there. Cousin Lizzie lives with Julia and Julia's son, a young man about 35, who is an automobile salesman. They own the apartment they live in. "Cousin Julia" lost her husband Bryan 20 years ago. Cousin Lizzie talked about Austin most of the time and when we left to go to Bob Ballard's, she says, "Now Austin you be sure and give my love to Austin."

Amelia, Bob Ballard's wife, fell and injured her ankle and could not walk. Bob was looking well and we had a very nice visit with them. Their son Lester is Asst. Pastor of the M.P. Church at High Point, NC and is married, only married recently. He is over thirty years of age.

Did not get to call on Dolly Ballard Ward; it was very disagreeable weather, rained all the time.

Saturday morning we left for Salisbury via Wilmington and arrived a little late - 2:30 P.M. Judge Joe Bailey had his man meet us at the train and take us to the house. He was in Cambridge and arrived home just as we sat down to the table as Mrs. (Astelle McNeil) Bailey was waiting dinner for him. He brought some oysters with him and had them on the half shell. He also brought a wild goose which we had for dinner the next day. He told me that Slick Collier had died Friday. He was called Slick and that we would go to the funeral Sunday which we did in the rain. The church was full of people but when we came out, we went to the car to get out of the rain, except Joe and he went to the grave against the protest of his wife. Joe ordered his driver to drive to his sister's Ida who married a Hodgson and who died leaving one son, Herman. She then married Lee Taylor, a brother of Orlando Taylor, and had one son named Paul.

Paul and Herman are law partners in Salisbury. Herman is about 38 and Paul is about 25. Herman lived with Joe and Paul lives with his mother at Quantico, driving back and forth each day as on the paved roads now it is only about 20 minutes drive. Austin will remember Herman. Paul was at law school when he was there. After the Judge had his visit out with his sister, Ida, we started to leave the house and I saw a pan of Maryland biscuits on the table and took one, Joe took a half dozen. She saw us and got a sack and filled it. We ate some at Baileys and I brought some home that Mrs. Bailey put in a metal candy box for me.

The Judge is a busy man. We were to start for Quantico the next morning as it had cleared up but did not get started until after two o'clock. At Quantico called at the stores of Will Gillis, Elmer Disharoon and George Graham and saw those boys. Also Lillie Brady and Crawford. Crawford lives with Lillie He was injured in a B & O wreck and draws a pension from the B. & O. as a retired employee.

We saw Charlie Gillis on the street and he took me in to see Fanny. The two live in the same house. They are brother and sister and Charlie is a brother of Will. Also saw John Bailey, a brother of Joe's. By that time, it was getting late and Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Taylor were in Quantico. I just had to ride in his car down to his house and the Bailey car followed.

They showed us all the vast amount of presents they got on their 50th wedding anniversary several years ago and opened up a bottle of homemade strawberry wine. They showed us all through the house and I brought some horse chestnuts back with me from the trees that Grandfather Caleb Kennerly planted. Before going down to the Taylors, however, we stopped at the church yard and I copied some of the inscriptions from some of the old tombstones of our people. I also took some snap shots. We left Taylors after dark and went back to Salisbury. The Judge expected to take me in another direction the next day Tuesday, but I had not seen all of the folks I wanted to see so we were to start back the next morning but did not get started until 11 o'clock. Somebody stopped the Judge downtown and we waited for him until it was after twelve and then he decided to go back home and get dinner so we did not get started again until two o'clock. At Quantico called on Mr. and Mrs. Albert Jones, Ella Brady, Graham George's wife who was getting ready to kill hogs but glad to see us. Saw Tom Venable and his wife who was Rena Kennerly. Then Dashiell who had been quail hunting the day before and said he did considerable fox hunting. He lives alone and is 70 years old, he said. Stopped at the house next to the Church and called on Irving Kennerly's widow who lives alone with her granddaughter. When Austin and I were there three years ago, there was a younger woman spoke to him and said she lived in that house and I expected to see her but could not remember who it was. Mrs. Kennerly is quite old and feeble and had fallen down and hurt herself. Joe insisted that we call on Mrs. Tell Collier which we did although I did not remember her only by name. We did and she was very glad to see us and kissed us good by for old times sake, she said.

Sadie Jones Chesnut had visited her about two weeks before. Mrs. Collier said that Sadie felt hurt because she was not notified of her cousin May's death. I told Mrs. Collier that I did not and was sure that Austin did not have her address.

We drove on down to Hebron and back to Salisbury which I will write you about in another letter as I think you have about all you want of this in one sitting.

Will say this, however, in this letter that most everybody called me Austin and asked all about Ashby and Austin and Ruth and wanted to be remembered to them. I forgot to say that I also called on Lee Ackworth's widow, May Kennerly. Lives just around the corner in the Disharoon property. They were killing hogs as were a number of others.

Will send the second installment of this when I get time and am not as sleepy as I am now.

Love to all from us both,
Carl J. Turpin

* * * * *


December 13, 1927

Ashby and Austin:

This is the second installment of my letter about our trip to Maryland. I wrote a part of it last night and was so tired and sleepy that I had to quit. Frances says that I have to finish it tonight before I forget what we did.

Frank Howard's place adjoins Hebron on the railroad. Cousin Lula Langsdale, Frank Howard's wife, was at home, but Frank had just left for Salisbury. She was glad to see us. All her children are grown up and married. Don't know how many she has but know she has one who married Boss Bounds. We had a little visit with her and she was glad to see us.

We drove over to Hebron and called on Clifton (Boss) Bounds and Will Phillips. They have a big outfit - canning factory, basket factory & etc. Boss is the business end of it while Will looks after the factories and shops. Judge Bailey said they had made lots of money and plenty of funds. They certainly looked prosperous. Boss was better dressed than I was. We drove back to Salisbury via Spring Hill, all paved roads. Before leaving Quantico, I saw Lit Cotman, the colored man who used to live in that little house in the edge of the woods on the left hand side of the road from our old home to Quantico. He lives between Quantico and Hebron and owns the place he lives on so he said and that he was fixed for the rest of his life and did not owe anyone. Judge Bailey told me afterwards that his wife had the money when he married her and Lit had done very little work since. He used to take me fishing with him when I was a little fellow.

We also drove up to Marion Messick's house (the old Dashiell farm) and had a little visit with he and his wife. This was before we left Quantico for Hebron. Also I went to see Retta Langsdale who must be about 90 years old. She talked freely and intelligently in whispers; wanted to know about Ashby and Austin and sent her love. They say she has been about like that for twenty years. I never saw a person before so near skin and bones. Gladys Langsdale who I think is her granddaughter takes care of her. I ask lots of questions at the time and then get mixed up and forget who is who and which is which.

I went back from Hebron to tell you what I had failed to tell about Quantico. Judge Bailey had invited Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Taylor to take dinner with us at his home so they were there and we had a very pleasant evening. This was Tuesday evening. Mr. Taylor told all about how Father (Thomas James Turpin) had made him rich by persuading him to buy the Waters farm and some other farms which I am not sure about. Told a lot of stories, he and Bailey, some of which I thought I had hear Father tell. Joe Bailey sang a son which he said he used to sing when he was a boy, a part of which is something like this:

There are no old maids in Kansas
When they get 31, the Sheriff takes his gun,
And shoots them for fun - in Kansas.

He says he sure wants to go to Kansas if he ever comes to see me in Oklahoma.

Orlando Taylor told me about cutting down the largest pine tree (which he always regretted) that he ever saw; that had an eagles' nest 125 feet from the ground and a growing corn stalk in the nest with tassels on it. He and his wife and one girl live in the old Kennerly-Farrington Place, the other children are all married and live by themselves. I saw Clifford in Quantico; he came to the car during the funeral and spoke to us. I saw Bird in Salisbury; he is County Commissioner, both sons of Orlando.

I also saw Will Brady and Rodney Jones in Quantico. Rod, in the language of Judge Bailey, is just "wore out"; he is very feeble.

Will Brady gets around very well and looks well. Larry Jones, Albert Jones's younger son runs a filling station in Salisbury.

Well, after supper Tuesday night the Taylors went home and the Judge decided that we would drive to Ocean City Wednesday morning. We got started after a while; it had cleared up some. It was, of course, out of season at Ocean City. There had been a storm and washed things around and out more or less. After looking at the ocean a while and taking a stroll on the board walk, we started for Snow Hill, where the judge stopped to see somebody and showed us the courthouse where he holds court and etc. From there to Pocook City; enquired where Emma Blades lived and found her out in the street. Did not get out of the car except that I got out to let her in. She was much disappointed that we would not go in, but we had to catch our train at 3:06 P.M. and dinner was waiting for us at Mrs. Bailey's home. Mrs. Bailey was with us but she had given orders. I told her that I wanted her to stop calling me Austin, that everybody down to Quantico called me Austin and would say, “Austin, now give my love to Austin." She said she didn't care; she wanted to send her love to Austin, too; that he was nice to her and sent her a Christmas card every Christmas. We had to break away and leave. Drove within a half mile of Westover and through Princess Anne, but could not stop to see Cash Dashiell as had only a little over an hour until train time.

We made the train all right and arrived in Washington at 8:40 P.M. and drove to the Willard Hotel. Was there Thursday, Friday, and until 2:15 P.M. Saturday. Attended the Short Line RR convention and transacted business with the Fourth Section Bureau of the Interstate Commerce Commission. We got to shake hands with "Cal" (President Calvin Coolidge) while there.

That is about all I can think of so goodnight with love from us both to all.

Yours,
Carl J. Turpin

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