![]() NPS Artwork by Meliya Evans Background InformationIn 2018, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSMNP) started the African American Experiences in the Smokies (AAES) project. This project focuses on the experiences and stories of African Americans in the Smokies and surrounding areas to bring visibility to a historically overlooked population.One name known to some in the Smokies is George Turner, an African American man who was born in Sevier County, TN. In the 1960s, Great Smoky Mountains National Park purchased his land. Remains of his home still exist in the park today in Wears Valley near the Tremont Institute. Margaret J. “Sook” TurnerMargaret Jane Turner, also commonly known by her nickname “Sook” Turner in the Smokies, was a resident of Sevier County, TN in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was a Black woman who has also been listed as “mulatto” in some census records.1 According to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, Turner was a formerly enslaved woman. While this is a common narrative in the Smokies, the AAE project has not yet found any primary documents that support this. Because there are inconsistencies concerning Turner’s racial background, birth year, marital relationship(s), and even her name in historical documents, there is a lot that we do not know about her. However, by connecting some of the dots and tracing the consistencies that do exist, we have been able to learn more about her and speculate some details about her life. The two pieces of information that have remained consistent in the documents is that Turner was born in South Carolina and that she was the mother of six sons: John Turner, Christopher Turner, James Turner, George Turner, Logan Turner, and Major Turner.1 Mulatto was a term that was used to racially classify individuals of African and European parentage or ancestry. This is an outdated term that is considered offensive today, it should not be used outside of a historical context.
At this time, the couple had four sons who are each marked as mulatto. The oldest two were John Turner who was 17 years old and Christopher Turner who was 15 years old. The record states that both sons were born in North Carolina and worked as farm laborers in 1880. Their youngest sons were James L. Turner who was nine years old, and George Turner who was one year old. According to the document, both James and George were born in Tennessee. While he is not commonly referred to as a junior in the Smokies, Margaret Turner’s son George will be referred to as George Turner Jr. throughout this article so that he is not confused with her husband, Geo. W. Turner. 1910 Census Record, Sevier County, TN
As far as the inconsistencies in race and age in the census records discussed previously, there are two possible explanations. Firstly, census enumerators typically recorded age and race based off of what they believed they saw. It was not uncommon for the person collecting census data to make a guess at one’s age or race. This provides an explanation to the inconsistencies in name spelling over the decades, as the census enumerator likely guessed at the spellings after hearing the name. Secondly, there is a possibility that George Turner Sr. may have been passing as a white man at one point, possibly to purchase land in the Smokies or find employment. The fact that his race was recorded as white at one point tells us that he had light skin that could pass for white. With Margaret being listed as both Black and mulatto over the decades, one can speculate that she must have had light skin as well. There is also some confusion or mystery concerning Margaret’s marital relationship(s). While the 1880 and 1900 census records imply that George Turner Sr. is the father of George Turner Jr., George Turner Jr.’s death certificate states that a white man named William Marion Walker was his father. According to park archivist Michael Aday, it was alleged that William Walker had several extralegal wives, including Margaret Turner. While there is no information to prove this as fact, Walker’s name being listed on George Turner Jr.’s. death certificate does provide some credibility to this rumor. On an online blog, a descendant of the Turner family stated that Margaret was Walker’s common law wife. Walker is also listed as George Turner Jr.’s father on Family Search, an online genealogical resource. The AAES project is still searching for information on Margaret and George Turner Sr.’s lives in South Carolina before they moved to East Tennessee. Margaret Turner is buried at the Meigs Mountain Cemetery along with John, Logan, and Major Turner. 3 Her gravestone identifies her as Sook Turner with no date of birth or death. George W. Turner Jr.George Washington Turner was one of Margaret Turner’s six children. Records indicate that he was born March 1, 1879. While his father is implied to be George W. Turner Sr. per the 1880 and 1900 census records, his death certificate lists William M. Walker as his father. He was married to Mary E. B. Turner who was born on February 2, 1889. She is commonly known as Birdie Turner and is listed in historical records under several names: Mary E. B. Turner, Mary Turner, Birdie Turner, Birddie Turner, Berddie Turner, and Birdie or Berdie Wilkerson. According to their marriage certificate, George and Mary Turner were married on July 7, 1907. They had nine children: Margaret J. Turner, John Russell Turner, Bonnie Helen Bailey, Georgia Turner, Willie Turner, Clyde Turner, Carl P. Turner, Blaine Turner, and Roy Harrison Turner.Remains of the Turner family’s stone house is in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Meigs Mountain in Tremont. After the park purchased the land in the 1960s, George and Birdie Turner moved to Townsend, TN. George Turner passed away on February 26, 1966. He is buried in the Tremont Cemetery with Birdie Turner who passed away in January 1981. George Turner Jr.’s death certificate identifies him as a white man. Over the decades both his and Birdie’s race was recorded as Black, mulatto, and white. The couple is listed as mulatto in the 1910 census record. A decade later, the 1920 census record lists George as Black and Birdie as white. Both are listed as “negro” (Black) in the 1930 and 1940 census records.4
Research SourcesReedy, David. “Stories from the Valley: George Turner.” Tremont Institute, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, 19 Feb. 2020, gsmit.org/stories-from-the-valley-george-turner/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023. “Smoky Mountain Cemetery Creeping: Meigs Mountain Cemetery.” Smoky Mountain Cemetery Creeping, Blogger, 2014, smokymountaincemeterycreeping.blogspot.com/2014/10/meigs-mountain-cemetery.html. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023. Registration State: Tennessee; Registration County: Warren County Year: 1880; Census Place: Wears Valley, Sevier, Tennessee; Roll: 1277; Page: 385C; Enumeration District: 183 Year: 1930; Census Place: District 3, Sevier, Tennessee; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0003; FHL microfilm: 2342005 |
Last updated: March 14, 2023