1959 Alpine School Bus Wreck

Here is an article my dad found online mentioning some notable Turnbulls.

http://www.josephinesjournal.com/1959wreck.htm

Margaret Turnbull

Sorry...

Sorry it has been so long since I posted anything. I am teaching this semester and its been pretty hectic. I do have a nice write up tracing back to the first Turnbull to reach these shores that my dad gave me that Ill put up soon. I'm not sure where it came from, but I'll see if I can put the correct credit on it before it goes up. If anyone has any photos to share feel free to send them my way. I'll try to get them up as soon as I can.

turnbullclanblog@yahoo.com

1985 Turnbull reunion

Click image to enlarge

Here is a photo from the 1985 reunion. Sadly there is no little Will, Dan, or Jesse, but I'm sure you can all pick out some familiar faces.

Zach Turnbull in the news

http://www.planetjh.com/environment/A_102001.aspx

Here is a link to an article featuring Zach Turnbull (one of Hugh's sons). It comes from The Planet News in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The article talks about Zach's role as a bear management specialist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the busy year he has had.

Little Waltons

Here are some Walton images

Click images to enlarge

Abbie and Joe

Jean and Joe

Joe, Jean, David , and Sally

Joe in Cleveland

David and Joey- Father and Son? Long lost Twins?
Joey picture is a detail from a 1985 reunion group shot.
I'll put the entire picture up sometime soon.

Uncle Paul's Stories Part 4

Click on image to enlarge

GRANDPA (Paul) GOES TO JAIL

When Grandpa was in high school at Beaver Falls, the basketball team was playing a league championship game. There were four teams playing in the playoff. Our gym was not large and each team was assigned 1/4 of the tickets. So, even though our team was to play for first place, tickets sold out quickly, and we weren't going to get to see the game.
Uncle John and I wanted to see the game. We knew the layout of the building and about the tunnel that connected the boiler room to the locker room. So, John managed to leave a window unlocked in his home room on ground level. We managed to get into the classroom without any trouble. But there were maybe 25-30 others with all the same idea, and police officers flushed us all out of the building, loaded us into the paddy wagon and then, into jail.
From about 8:00 p.m. to about 1:00 a.m., we taught the whole group to play battleship and generally had a pretty good time in the jail. When they let us go home, we were concerned about our mother's reaction for we were expected to be home as soon as the game was over. To our surprise, she wasn't upset at all, maybe relieved that we were O.K.

Some great photos from Lisa

Here are two older pictures from Lisa-

Click photos to enlarge

Here is a photo of 4 Generations:

Clockwise-
Baby-William T. Turnbull
Elder Woman-Mary Dugan (Ruth Johnson Turnbull's Grandmother)
Ruth Johnson Turnbull
Sara Ure Johnson (Ruth's mother)
Back of photo
Here is a picture of the Wm.-Mary Ure Family. Mary is your (Jesse's Generation) Great, Great, Great, Grandmother. Great huh?!
The center woman standing is Grandma Turnbull's Mother -- Sara Margaret Ure Johnson--.
I will be sending the notes on the back of the photo.
It does list Sara Margaret's siblings.
Lisa

Dan's Wedding

My brother Dan got married last week (Sept. 1) to his new bride Brook. The ceremony was in Lititz, so I got to go back home for a couple of days along with my fiancee. All of the planning came together, and we all enjoyed a lovely day. I didn't have time to grab any new Turnbull pictures when I was back for the wedding, but might have some new stuff to show in the next week or two.

Uncle Paul's Stories Part 3

Thank you Paul for the stories (seen in blue) and thank you Tena for the scan of the article.

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MONTGOMERY WARD

In about 1955, after using worn-out bicycles for her transportation, at seventy-five years of age, my mother visited the Montgomery Ward store at Beaver Falls to look at new bicycles. The salesperson asked if she was looking for a new bicycle for her granddaughter and Mother said, "No, for me." The manager of the store was alerted and he confirmed the story. Sensing the opportunity for a little public relations, he called the News-Tribune and presented her with the bicycle of her choice. The newspaper carried the feature article on page 1 with a picture of her riding it. The Montgomery Ward employee publication also featured the "Biking Grandma".

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Click image below to see the enlarged article
Cycling Grandmother Bundle of Energy

By Patty Sposato
The National Council on Physical Fitness would regard her an exemplary model for its program. At 75, she pedals a bike about the city daily, doing errands. Because Americans are an automobile conscious lot. Ruth Turnbull provokes numerous stares as she cycles down the avenues. Her agility amazes spectators and leaves them wondering what kind of a woman dares be such a nonconformist. Mrs. David Turnbull , of 812 Seventh St., Beaver Falls, is the kind of woman who reared 11 children, all of them college educated. She's the kind of woman who had a minister father, minister father-in-law. and minister husband, and who has three Presbyterian minister sons and one Episcopalian rector son. An advocate of peace, she belongs to the National Council Against Conscription. the Workers Defense league, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. A member of the College Hill United Presbyterian Church, she also belongs to the Association of University Women and the W.C.T.U. Mrs. Turnbull is a supporter of hosteling-travel primarily by bicycle and on foot along scenic trails and byways and to places of historical and cultural interest in America or abroad.

Among her hobbies are collecting agates, Indian arrowheads, coins stamps and postmarks, making rugs, and reading. Bike became a household word for Ruth Turnbull when she was eight years old. She learned to ride in the basement of her parents' flats in Chicago. Her father and mother were cyclists, too. Mrs. Turnbull cycled through school, then put her bike aside temporarily. She renewed her cycling during World War II when the bike she had bought for her youngest daughter to ride to school was not used much because it was not in vogue. That same bike stood her in good stead until last week when she decided it was time to buy a new one. Montgomery-Ward Co. was so impressed with her dexterity, it gave her a new English model. Site remembers owning one that never had to have air added after the original pumping, nor having any trouble with it until it was punctured. Mrs. Turnbull parks the bike along the curb in front of her home. She never uses the kick stand.

The nimble woman finds It easier to cycle than to walk, explaining that she can always rest herself against the bike. She has five walking canes, one cut in 1882 on her grandfather's farm in Scotland. People are more attentive to a woman wielding a cane than one on a bike, she says. And the fancier the cane the more attention it gets and the less paid the person. Mrs. Turnbull has had her share of spills. A recent one scratched both lens of her eyeglasses and left her lame enough to be questioned by a friend at a meeting as to what happened. She sidestepped the question. Though she enjoys hosteling, she hasn't made many trips lately. She can't interest anyone in joining her, although a five-year-old grandson recently suggested an outing on a bicycle built for two. She's counting on him as a potential companion! A native of Stanwood, Ia., Mrs. Turnbull grew up in Omaha, Neb., married in 1907, and came to Beaver Falls in 1936. Her husband died in 1932 in Elizabeth, Pa. One short of a dozen, her children are: William, chaplain of a Presbyterian Homes in Ohio; David, an engineer who recently returned from an assignment in Viet Nam; Frank, a minister in the mountains of Alpine, Tenn ; Mrs. Richard (Mary) Menlger , wife of a judge who also teaches at Oregon State ; Mrs. Albert P. (Jean ) Walton, Patterson Heights whose husband is assistant football coach at Beaver Falls Area High School; Thomas, an Episcopalian rector in Napa, Calif; Robert, in charge of agriculture in Egypt under auspices of the Presbyterian board; Mrs. Dell (Sara) Whelan, Mondovie, Wisc., wife of a farmer; Miss Ruth Turnbull, a former teacher, who resides with her mother; and twins Paul, a postmaster in Bushton,. Kansas and John councelor in Chicago schools.

The children range in age from 34 to 54. An uncle who had an unfulfilled desire to become a minister gave Mrs. Turnbull's oldest son financial backing to study for the ministry. He suggested William pay back the money to his mother to be used for the education of the next oldest child. In this manner each child was able to be college educated with some help on his own part too. Mrs. Turnbull herself is a 1908 graduate of Monmouth College. the alma mater of her parents, in-laws, and aunts and uncles. She studied Greek for five years and had aspirations of becoming a librarian, but instead married. Colleges having awarded degrees to Turnbull children include Princeton, Penn State, University of Washington, Geneva, University of Wisconsin, Sterling, University of Southern Illinois, and Westminster. There are now 40 grandchildren whose pictures are being added to Mrs. Turnbull's family album. And all those of age are also being college educated. That's the story of Beaver Falls' 75 - year - old cycling grandmother.

Twins John and Paul born 1929 ( Uncle Paul's Stories part 2)

:Update: I've added a little to this post since the images are pretty fitting with one of Uncle Paul's stories:
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IN THE BEGINNING

One Sunday evening in December of 1928, my father, David R. Turnbull, a Presbyterian pastor at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania preached a sermon on the text of Genesis 1:28. "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." Later that evening, the twins, John and Paul, began their life journey. This event concluded the family of 11 children of David Russell Turnbull and Ella Ruth Johnson Turnbull.

It was the custom in the Turnbull home to leave family correspondence on the dining room table until after the next meal, where letters would be read out loud and shared. And so it turned out your Great-grandfather had shared with his father, your great-great-grandfather, T. B. Turnbull, this story about the new babies and how this all happened.

I am told that T. B. told his son, David, that the Genesis story was certainly all true, but that didn't mean he had to try to replenish the Earth all by himself.

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Here are two images of John and Paul that Tena had together in a little booklet. We are guessing the first one is them at about 6 months or so and the second is them around 4, but they were labeled with no specific dates. The "Sep 55" date on the side is most likely when copies were made.

Click photos to enlarge

Uncle Paul's Stories Part 1

Linda was kinda enough to send me a collection of stories Uncle Paul wrote out for his grand kids. There are some real treasures in here and they should be passed along to everyone. So without further adieu, here is the first with more to come.

T-SHIRTS

At one of our Turnbull Reunions at Standing Stone State Park, 1979 I think, Aunt Jean asked everyone to bring T-shirts. She had arranged for a design for silk-screen printing. Uncle Bill's family had navy blue; Uncle Frank's had red; Grandpa's family had light blue. Each family had different color of shirts, so if you forgot a name you could identify whose family the child belonged to. There were more red shirts than any other color. This was because Frank had more children and grandchildren.
Later on, in 1995, some of the shirts were worn-out. Several of the families didn't like their colors; some of the original shirts had been out-grown. So, a new set of T-shirts was made. We liked the light blue color, so we did not change. These T-shirts had a picture of a bull on the front and the words "One good Turnbull deserves another". On the back of the 1995 shirts, were pictures of some of the popular activities at the reunion. There was a rocking chair for story time, dice for boogaloo, a ball and bat for softball, a ball for keep-away, a Bible for family worship, and the wording "Time well spent". Cousin Lisa Walton designed them and several of us did the silk-screening on the back patio of the group lodge.
At the time of the first T-shirts, Grandma and I got them for all of our children. Sometimes, they had summer jobs and didn't go to the reunions. By 1995, four had married and there were six grandchildren with two more on the way, so we bought and did T-shirts for all.
We noticed an occasion or two in the week we visited in Richfield that Billy and Miriam had talked their parents into dressing alike in their T-shirts, and Nicole at Gladstone almost daily pointed to the blue T-shirt wanting to wear it and wanting the others in her family to, also. I think this continued until winter when Linda hid them.
We hoped that all would want to wear them to reunions in 1996,1997, 1998, 1999, etc.

Click photos to enlarge

1983 front design (a little worn out)1983 back design

1995 front design1995 back design by Lisa Walton
( copyright Lisa Walton Inc & LW enterprises )

Chicago Visit

I am visiting Rick, Tena, Tim, and Jacqi in Chicago this week with my dad. We had some fun last night going through some old photos and Tena was kind enough to help me scan a few. I'm just going to start with this one, but will add more over the weekend.

GO CUBBIES!

Click photo to enlarge

John, Paul, and Miriam Turnbull (1954-1955, thanks Linda)

Jean in Egypt

Here is a photo of Jean when she was teaching in Egypt. Thanks go out to Lisa Walton!

Click photos to enlarge

"The camel's head is down- not because I am on his back but because his owner is tickling his nose! Notice pyramids in background. 11-18-50"

A few more "Gray Shirts"

Here are some scanned slides that we got from Hugh a few years back. I'm planning a trip to my parent's house later in the month, so I may go through some of their photo collections and post some more eclectic photographs. I know it has been a lot of my direct family's branch of the family tree, but I'm hoping to expand it out more soon.

click pictures to enlarge

Jim, David III, and Hugh Christmas morning (1955?)

David III, Jim, Hugh and Ace at Long Beach

Jim's band practice

David III studying hard

David II relaxing at home

Pictures from Josh

This is a series of pictures provided by my cousin Josh.

Click photos to enlarge

Christmas Greetings 1930

Bill and David

Bill David Frank Mary

David R Turnbull I
Thomas Beveridge Turnbull II

Anna Ruth Turnbull Teaching in Saigon

David R Turnbull II ID Card from Vietnam

David Turnbull II family Taj Mahal

David Turnbull II family Taj Mahal 2 (a very similar photo I had)

Hugh J Turnbull in India 1963

Jim and Ruth Turnbull

DRT II Train stop in Switzerland

DRT II Isle of Iona, Scotland - Search for communion tokens

David R Turnbull II at Buck's Lake Reunion

DRT II and Ruth Turnbull with Josh in Yachats, OR

DRT II and Josh in Yachats

Tom Fred George and Hugh family in Napa 1979

If anyone ever has any additional information to add to pictures (names, dates, locations...) please let me know at: turnbullclanblog@yahoo.com
Thanks for the photos Josh!

Welcome to the Turnbull Clan Blog

Welcome Turnbulls!

This blog is for Turnbulls descended from David Turnbull (I) and Ruth Johnson Turnbull and their 11 children.

There was a bit of discussion this year at the reunion about sharing old photos and letters among one another. It seems like all of the Turnbull artifacts are equally spread out among everyone. I thought this blog might be a good solution to that problem. I wanted to figure out a way to share these special items with everyone
without risking loss or damage or poor image quality. Reading a transcribed letter from a grandmother is nice, but it such a deeper experience to see the age of the paper it was written on and the quality of their handwriting. So here is what I propose to do...

-I would like to update this blog with material from all of the Turnbull. That can include important documents, photos, letters, big news...so on. It would be best if these materials would interest relatives outside of your immediate family.

-At some point in the future I would like to compile a "best of" book from these materials for everyone to have. This will of course depend on the amount of stuff that is collected.

-I want to hear from you! The only way this will work is if everyone participates. Pull out those boxes you have in storage. Pick out some good photos, good excepts from letters, postcards, birth announcements, marriage certificates, newspaper clippings... whatever! Please do not submit 50 page documents. Try to self edit a little bit. Make sure it is something the rest of the family will want to see.


So that is the plan. Now you may be asking several questions...


Q:How should I submit things?

A:You can email me content here: turnbullclanblog@yahoo.com
Please include as much information about the content as possible. (dates, people pictured...) Keep the total email size to under 10 MB please. If you have several large photos you may need to send them over a couple of emails. You can also try zipping the files to shrink the size.
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Q:What format should it be in?

A:Please scan documents at 300 dpi in jpeg format. I will scale down the documents to post online and save the full version for possible printing later on. Please try to use the original documents if possible, steer away from photocopies.
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Q:I don't have a scanner, what should I do?

A:I don't know yet to be honest. I think I will be able to have people send me materials through snail mail so I can scan them, but I'm not ready for that yet, I'll have to see how much interest there is before I have anything sent to me.
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Q:How else can I help?

A:Thank you for asking that, you are a good person. If there is a lot of interest in this than it will translate into a lot of work; more than I will be able to handle. So If you are interested in updating the blog and posting content, let me know.
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Feel free to email me with any further questions or ideas you may have: turnbullclanblog@yahoo.com

There are several things I have in mind for the blog, but this is a good starting point. Check back in from time to time to see whats new.

Thanks,

Jesse Turnbull (Jim and Ellie's son)

Examples Photos

Here are a few photos just to get things started. Please feel free to leave comments, you don't need to sign up for anything or log in to do so.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

David II in Vietnam

Jim (left) and David III (Right) in Finland

Hugh playing dj