Youth gives talk on ancestors
Friday, December 28, 2012
Ellie Turner, fourth great-granddaughter of L. A. Turner, recently spoke on her Confederate ancestor, a Confederate soldier who is the namesake of the Bastrop Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederate. Ellie, 10, who was accompanied by her mother Kellie Turner, proudly presented the biography of her ancestor.
L. A. Turner was born in Tennessee on July 10, 1837, son of Charles Lee Turner and Mary Jane Spindle. His family moved to Texas when he was a young man and settled in the Alum Creek community. He served in the Terrell Regiment of the 34th Texas Cavalry. After the war, he returned to Bastrop County and worked as a stagecoach driver, traveling from Austin to La Grange.
He married Adrienne (Addie) McDonald in Red Rock on Oct. 14, 1875, and became a successful farmer.
L. A. Turner was a prominent member of the Bastrop community, serving as a school trustee and donating land for the right of way for the Taylor-Bastrop-Houston Railway, the Red Rock Cemetery, and the Turner Family Cemetery. In 1912, he also conveyed land for the Church of Christ, which continues to be an active congregation.
He died on Feb. 1, 1928 at age 90, 6 months and 21 days – one of the oldest living Confederate veterans. He is buried at New Red Rock Cemetery.
The L. A. Turner Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy honors this veteran and pillar of his community. The chapter meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 11 a.m., usually at the First National Bank Community Room. All ladies who are lineal or collateral descendants of a Confederate veteran are invited to join.
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