Mission Statement
"The Mission of the Thomas Turner Association of Virginia is to conduct historical and genealogical research and education, in addition to the collection of historical materials for preservation and future reference."
Saint-Memin Engraving of Maj Thomas Turner IV of Kinloch 1772-1839
OUR HISTORY
The Thomas Turner Association held their first reunion at Port Royal, VA, in 1947. More than 100 descendants of Col. Thomas Turner, 1689-1758, immigrant from England, were present at the reunion, ranging in age from small children to esteemed elders. They came from six or more surrounding states. As some of them had not met before, time was spent getting to know each other and discussing the various branches of the Turner family descendants. Lunch followed, then a business meeting where Turner family papers and documents were presented.
The reunion was such a success, that plans were made to meet the following year at “Kinloch”, the home built by Maj. Thomas Turner IV, 1772-1839, located in Fauquier County, VA. And so began the Thomas Turner Association family reunions which have continued up to the current day.
As Turner descendants continued their reunions and began to research family history, it became clear that our family played a major role in the history of Virginia and that we had a number of documents, photos and diaries that would be of interest to historians. A small core of us decided to create a nonprofit. So, the Thomas Turner Association of Virginia was formed with IRS 501(C)(3) approval. We continue our mission to increase the availability of historical resources to those interested in the history of Virginia.
About Us
Our Officers and Directors
Officers
Edward Shirley Turner III, President
Edward (aka Ted) is a retired CIO, CTO of an Internet Company which was an Accounting and Compliance Consultancy. He served on the Board of Directors 15 years. He taught sciences and math for several years at a High School and Philosophy at the College level and currently serves on the board of a Liberal Arts High School. He loves family history and had the advantage of growing up in Fauquier County. He is a member of the Westwood Branch of the family and Edward Carter Turner 1816-1891 is his great great grandfather.
Andrew LaRowe, Vice President
Andrew LaRowe lives in Winston-Salem, NC and is a retired Chief Operations Officer for Guilford County Schools.
He is married to Sarah Herbert Albritton, descendant of Susan Baynton Turner 1799-1826 of Fauquier County, VA.
Lisa Aiken Turner, Treasurer
Lisa has spent much of her life in or near The Plains and raised her two children there. Her grandfather, Charles Green Turner, was raised at Kinloch. Col. Thomas Turner II, 1689-1758, is her 6th great grandfather.
Directors
Laura Benali
Croom Lawrence
Robert Lawrence
Eliza Marshall
Eliza Marshall is the daughter of two genealogists, and has been interested in genealogy since she was a young child. She lives in Connecticut with her partner and cat. She works in marketing. She is descended from Edward Carter Turner 1816-1891.
John McMurray
Sarah O'Neil
Sarah O’Neil lives in Winchester, VA and is a retired director of St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Picayune, MS. She is married to Charles Thorne. Her great-great-grandfather was Edward Carter Turner 1816-1891, Kinloch, Fauquier County.
Jane Beverley Turner
Jane Beverley Turner lives near Chicago and is the Executive Director of Adoption Center of Illinois. She has fondest memories of her countless visits to Fauquier County spending with her grandparents and many (many!) Turner cousins. Her grandmother, Sarah Beverley Turner, was born and raised at Kinloch.
Robert Fauntleroy Turner
Robert lives in New Ipswitch, New Hampshire and supports sales and marketing for a B2B Marketing firm. His great great grandfather Robert Fauntleroy Turner grew up at Kinloch, Fauquier County.
Current Project - Turner Genealogy Database
Visit the Database of Descendants of Col Thomas Turner II; purchase Kinloch the ECT Civil War Diary
Purchase KINLOCH - The Civil War Diary of Edward Carter Turner
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/kinloch
Kinloch: Edward Carter Turner's Civil War Diary and Southern Claims Testimony brings to life Edward Carter Turner, a Virginia farmer from a storied family tied to the nation's founding. His diary (1839–1863) captures the rhythms of Kinloch Farm—weather, crops, and community—until the Civil War's chaos engulfs his world. Caught between Virginia's secession and Union loyalty, Turner's entries reveal a man torn by family, state, and national ties as armies plunder his land. The book's second part details his nine-year Southern Claims Commission struggle for $6,338 in restitution, with more than fifty witnesses, including a formerly enslaved woman and Confederate Colonel John Mosby, testifying to his Union loyalty. Diary and testimony offer dual lenses: Turner's private reflections expose his conflicted heart, while public depositions reveal his actions. Set in Fauquier County, a geographical and ideological battleground, this narrative probes the demands of loyalty during America's darkest hour. Was Turner a Union man or a Virginian at heart? Kinloch challenges readers to weigh the evidence and reflect on a nation divided by slavery, states' rights, and the fight for a more perfect Union.
Current Project - Restoration-Headstone of Maj Harry Turner
Headstone of Major Harry Turner, 1715-1751, son of Col Thomas Turner prior to cleaning
Close up of headstone of Major Harry Turner prior to cleaning
Additional image of headstone prior to cleaning
Current condition. Headstone still needs restoration.
Anticipated Project - restoration of Turner Family Cemetery
Entrance to the Cemetery
Current condition of one of the headstones
Turner Headstone
Turner Headstone
Anticipated Project - Updating of linear family tree
Our printed linear tree for our family reunion in October, 2022, measured 105' long and 24" high
It contained 2,461 entries, including living people
Cost was $250 plus tax and shipping due to a sale. Regular cost would have been $400
Rough estimate of cost to reprint with 500+ additional entries, including additional information on current entries, is $600 plus tax and shipping.
Anticipated Project - Publish Diary of Edward Carter Turner
This is one of only a few of his diaries that have survived. The original diary has been donated to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond, VA.
Original page of the diary
Original page of the diary
Original page of the diary
Anticipated Project - Research English Ancestry
Research the English ancestry of Col. Thomas Turner II, 1689-1758
Anticipated Project - DNA Project to discover new relatives
Voluntary DNA project to discover long lost relatives
One of our Turner cousins meets our newly discovered cousins from the Philippines