This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: vansicklen1 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newyork.counties.kings/15648.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Many references to the organization in the New York Times: "The Turners", "Turnverein", "Turner Association", "Turner Society", affiliated with "The German Freethinkers Association". An old organization, find references to it in the NY Times as far back as the 1850s. Countrywide organization, they had several Turn Halls and Turner schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island alone. They would have yearly "Turnfest" celebrations. " in 1864 ... This league shall be a school for all those revolutionary ideas which emanate from a reasonable and natural view of affairs, and the Turners thus combat Slavery and nativism as also all abrogations of right not compatible with truly human principles." "in 1873 .... the object of the North American Turnverein (verein - means association), which numbered over 20,000 members, was to implant in the minds of German-American citizens and their descendants an intelligent appreciation of and devotion to the principles underlying American liberty. They believe that the grand safeguard of liberty lay in education, and hence their efforts were devoted mainly to the spread of education among their people." "... the Turners in developing their grand idea of intellectual and physical education, without interfering with the spiritual nature of man taught a grand lesson which the American people would do well to learn. They had also taught the Americans some other lessons, among them the possibility of meeting in social and convivial enjoyment without becoming brutalized. " ".... the rise of the Turnverein ...helped the German people in Fatherland as well as America" Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.