Brief Life History of William
When William Turner was born about 1821, in Illinois, United States, his father, Thomas Turner, was 60 and his mother, Sarah Ketchum, was 58. He married Julia A. Smith on 9 October 1829, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, New York, United States.
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World Events (8)
1821 · Financial Relief for Public Land
A United States law to provide financial relief for the purchasers of Public Lands. It permitted the earlier buyers, that couldn't pay completely for the land, to return the land back to the government. This granted them a credit towards the debt they had on land. Congress, also, extended credit to buyer for eight more years. Still while being in economic panic and the shortage of currency made by citizens, the government hoped that with the time extension, the economy would improve.
1832 · Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of other tribes, known as the "British Band", crossed the Mississippi River, into Illinois, from Iowa Indian Territory in April 1832. Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but records show that he was hoping to avoid bloodshed while resettling on tribal land that had been given to the United States in the 1804 Treaty of St. Louis.
1856 · The Largest Map Company in the World
William Rand opened a small printing shop in Chicago. Doing most of the work himself for the first two years he decided to hire some help. Rand Hired Andrew McNally, an Irish Immigrant, to work in his shop. After doing business with the Chicago Tribune, Rand and McNally were hired to run the Tribune's entire printing operation. Years later, Rand and McNally established Rand McNally & Co after purchasing the Tribune's printing business. They focused mainly on printing tickets, complete railroad guides and timetables for the booming railroad industry around the city. What made the company successful was the detailed maps of roadways, along with directions to certain places. Rand McNally was the first major map publisher to embrace a system of numbered highways and erected many of the roadside highway signs that have been adopted by state and federal highway authorities. The company is still making and updating the world maps that are looked at every day.
Name Meaning
English: occupational name from Middle English t(o)urnour, turner ‘turner’ (Old French to(u)rn(e)our), mainly denoting someone who fashioned small objects of wood, metal, or bone on a lathe, but also a variety of other occupations, including turnspit and translator or interpreter. This surname may have become confused with Toner . In North America, it is also very common among African Americans.
English: occasionally perhaps a nickname from Middle English turn-hare, a compound of Middle English tournen ‘to turn, direct, steer’ + hare ‘hare’, a name for someone in charge of the greyhounds in hare coursing or an exaggerated compliment for someone who could run fast. See also Turnbull .
English: perhaps also from Middle English t(o)urn(e)our ‘jouster, one who takes part in a tournament’ (Old French tornoieor, tournoieur).
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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