Peter Turney, Magistrate
Submitted by Mary Turney Miller
Peter Turney born 1795, TN, died 1842, Van Buren Co, Arkansas, married wife Hannah Adams, 1812, Smith Co, TN. His children all came to VBC, AR, with him ca early 1835. They married into Bailey, Gadberry, Bittle, Cullum, Gilley, Gray, Presley, Graham, Potter families, all early settlers of Van Buren County.
Peter Turney, late Nov 1834, sold his land on Clear Forks in Smith Co, Tennessee. His wife was Hannah Adams, they married in 1812, Smith Co, TN. This land today is mostly in Dekalb County, TN, flowing into neighbor Cannon Co, TN.
Peter Turney's oldest son, Henry Turney, born 1815, TN, married Minerva Gilley, d/o Gideon, about the end of 1834 in TN. They moved along with all the other children of Peter Turney to Van Buren Co, AR, after Nov 1834, arriving according to family story ca March or so of 1835 in Van Buren Co, AR.
Minerva Gilley Turney had two sisters who also eventually arrived VBC, AR, they might have traveled together from Smith Co, TN. Sarah Gilley married a Smith, Lucinda Gilley married James Cornwell who is on the 1837 and 1839 tax list for VBC, AR. Thos. Cornwell is listed as magistrate 1835 of VBC. I think James Cornwell was also moving from Smith Co, TN.
1840 census for Giles Twp, VBC, AR, has Peter Turney, James Cornwell, and Thomas Cornwell.
Minerva Gilley Turney's brother, Spencer Gilley is on the 1850 VBC, AR, census with his sister Edith, living in his house, he married in Lawrence Co, MO, 1858, and died there in 1859, his wife's sister in MO was married to a Hunt.
A sister to Peter Turney was Mary Turney, who married John Barnes, 27 Dec 1796, Sumner Co, TN, (with the name being spelled as Baird); Elisha Clary was bondsman on this marriage and some of their line is also supposed to have moved to Arkansas. So I wonder about the James Baird on the 1833-34 magistrate listing.
One daughter of Peter Turney was Elizabeth, born 1820, who married a John Bailey (in Tennessee), they had 3 children, all born in Arkansas beginning in 1840. John Bailey died sometime after 1844 but before 1849 in VBC, AR. 1850 Elizabeth Turney Bailey is living with her widowed mother, Hannah Turney; sometime after 1850, she married a Gadberry. I wonder at connection to the Saml. Baley on 1835 magistrate list.
These are some of the connections between Cornwell, Turney, Baley/Bailey and possibly Barnes mentioned as early magistrates of Van Buren Co Arkansas.