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Indian Jim Turner’s Story

This family story was given to Tammy Caffey Meadows (daughter of Daisy Lee Hankins Caffey). It was obtained from an oral interview with Hubert Hall ( son of Commodore Hall and great grandson of Indian Jim Turner). Tammy took notes as he spoke. Here are her notes.....

A Cherokee princess married a Cherokee warrior. They had a son. This warrior refused to go on the Oklahoma reservation and was killed by white men. This was during the "Trail of Tears-1838". .....

The Cherokee princess would not cross the Mississippi and ended up marrying a white man in Memphis named Jim Turner. Her son was adopted by her white husband and given his white name. Indian Jim's step-father was a carpenter. Jim worked for him. While roofing a building in Memphis they got into a fight. The step-father was beating young Jim. Indian Jim kicked him off the roof and killed him. He ran from the law and home. .....

Jim came to Tunica County Mississippi. He cut timber and rafted it to New Orleans. He married Nancy Malone. They had four children, Mary, Pryor, Spensor and Elizabeth (called Betty). Betty married George Henry Hall, son of Philip Shackelford Hall and Paralee Matilda McKnight. .....

Oil was discovered on the Cherokee land in Oklahoma and Jim's half brothers sent for him to come get his inheritance. Jim overheard their plans to kill him and take his share. Jim killed one of his half-brothers and took his clothes and guns. Then he killed the other half-brother. Jim left Oklahoma and came back to Mississippi never to return to OK again. .....

This is story about George Hall (husband of Elizabeth Turner.

While in New Orleans, he bought a broad cloth suit and went to a dance. He got into a fight and a man ripped his new coat. George killed this man. He fled New Orleans and hid in the swamps of Louisiana until the Civil War. George joined the Tennessee volunteers and was captured in the Shenandoah Valley. He was taken to a Yankee prison in Illinois. In prison, George and a friend killed and ate a dog.

George and his friend escaped but were captured again. On the way back to prison, they stopped for water from a stream. There George and his friend killed their guards. They took their guns and escaped back to Mississippi. He carved his initials on the Yankee rifle. Later in life George's knuckles were shot off while he was holding on to a split rail fence. He killed the man who shot his knuckles off. His daughter Doshia Hall Hankins kept the knuckles.

After this he became addicted to morphine. Morphine at this time could be bought over the counter. He died of old age. This ends my notes from Hubert Hall. If you know of anyone or if you have any stories handed down orally or in writing.... contact Tammy Meadows--Grenada, MS 38901 phone 662-294-0563

More information about James Turner

Attached are the 1907 Confederate Soldiers and Widows Applicants Name--Turner, W.J.F. State&CO.-- MS-RU Regiment --? Age--70 Year--1861 BK/PG--S10 RU-RUTLEDGE

This is a list of the units in which Tallahatchie Co. soldiers served. ------RUTLEDGES ARTILLERY(TENN.) --James Turner;

Ellett Cemetery marker Turner, W.J.F. Turner/Co D-2 BN Miss Inf. C.S.A.

1860 census Tallahatchie Co.

463 463 James Turner 24 M x Farmer 200 TN
.. .. ElenorTurner 19 F x .. .. .. TN .. .. .. ..
.. .. Eliza Turner 3 F x .. .. .. MS .. .. .. ..
.. .. Francis Turner 6/12 F x .. .. .. MS

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Thursday, 09-Jun-2005 09:33:06 MDT

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