This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Turner Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.dnb.general/313.317.323/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi I thought you may know something about Turners in your area or know someone else who does. A Short Australian Turner History - by Dean Turner, 2006 If it wasn't for Robert Turner's desire to find gold in Australia - I wouldn't be here. Robert was my great, great pa. He was born sometime around 1824, probably in Jedburgh in Scotland north of the Cheviot Hills. He was the third son of George Turner who was a Carrier from Jedburgh. George married Janet Christie in 1814 in Jedburgh. Her family were from Garvald in East Lothian north of the Lammermuir Hills and George had to have church permission published three times to marry her successfully. In his latter years George became a grocer in Garvald with a two storey house, a piggery and four other small houses (one for each of his 4 children). His daughter Margaret and her husband, Alexander Dalgleish worked with him and kept his business on after his death in 1864. George and Janet, whom he called Jane, seem to have been close, as the will was written together a few months before Janet's death and George died only a year after her at age 77. George's father was Peter Turner and his mother was Susanna Wilson and all I know about them is that they were married on 1 December 1788 in Roseneath, Dunbarton, Scotland with George being christened there on 4 October 1789. Out in Australia, Robert Turner was sending gold money home to Scotland to help his father. In George's will, which was read at Haddington, he instructed his daughter Margaret to pay all his debts including 62 pounds owed to Robert, 10 to William and 20 to Alexander and to 'manage Robert's rents until he returns from Australia'. He was obviously hopeful that Robert was simply making hay whilst the sun shone in Australia. George's first son William was a merchant in nearby Hawick. William and Robert wrote to each other regularly over the years. I don't know when Robert actually arrived in Australia but I do know he was supervisor of the 'Break of Day' gold mine at Corandap on the Colac-Ballarat road 2 miles from Rokewood. He courted the school teacher at the mine, Mary Helinor Neil for 2 years and told his brother that 'I trust by God's blessing that I have got a good partner'. Apparently she was always known to wear beautiful silk clothes. Robert settled in Grenville in 1859 on 640 acres. He was a supervisor of mines at Rokewood and Enfield. He initiated the Grenville Union Church in 1892 (uniting Protestants from the Episcapalian/Church of England, Methodist and Presbyterian branches). Today the church is in the tourist gold town of Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. Robert's oldest son, born on 6 April 1873 was also called George. One of 6 children (only two were boys) George become a long standing councillor on what is now the Buningyong Shire. George started a treed Avenue of Honour for fallen soldiers and he ran for a parliamentary seat in the Liberal equivalent of the time, the United Australia Party. He retired to Sebastapol after being Mayor there, a valuer, and a board member of Dookie Agricultural College and of the local butter factory. He lived to be 71 and had five children with his wife Matha Jane Gilbert. She died three years before him. The 'Kardinia' property at Grenville was 400 acres. The property went to William Gordon Turner the fourth of George's five children who was born on 8 April 1903, (he was known as Gordon). Gordon became a dedicated Mason and a sheep and cattle farmer. He married Dorothy Violet Wyatt (known as Dot to her friends) In later years Gordon became a keen lawn bowler and gardener living to the age of 82.