Skip to content

Key local figure

Josiah Turner Jr.

Josiah Turner Jr. (1821–1901) was born in Hillsborough, son of a longtime Orange County sheriff, and studied law there. He bought the Raleigh Sentinel late in 1868 and used it to attack Governor William W. Holden, whose militia briefly imprisoned him in 1870. He died at his Hillsborough home and was buried at St. Matthew's Church.

Source: NCpedia (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography): Turner, Josiah, Jr.

Also found in catalogs as Josiah Turner.

1821–1901 · Dates from the Library of Congress · On the Friends’ Local Authors roster as Josiah Turner → · Library of Congress authority record ↗

7 works about Josiah Turner Jr. are indexed here, as are 2 works by Turner.

Josiah Turner Jr., portrait published 1919
Josiah Turner Jr., portrait published 1919

Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineWhigs, Democrats and Know Nothings in Orange County, 1841–18591841–1859 · 16 events · Orange County's elections from 1841 to 1859 were often close, as Whigs, Democrats and for a time the Know Nothings contested the county. In 1841 Orange narrowly backed the Whig James S. Smith for Congress, though the Democrat Romulus M. Saunders won the district. In 1844 the county elected its whole Whig ticket and gave its own William A. Graham a majority for governor. A tied 1848 state Senate race, broken by the sheriff's casting vote, ended in a new election. Orange backed Graham's 1852 run for vice president, voted for the Know Nothing, or American, candidate for Congress in 1855 and went Democratic in 1856. In December 1859 a Whig and Opposition meeting denounced John Brown's raid. StorylineKirk-Holden War connections, 1870October 1869–March 1871 · 49 events · Governor Holden named Orange County in his October 1869 warning about Klan violence, Hillsborough men were named in a Klan plot against Senator T. M. Shoffner, and Kirk's militia arrested Josiah Turner Jr. at Hillsborough in August 1870. Orange men Frederick N. Strudwick, William A. Graham and John W. Graham then helped bring, prosecute and decide Holden's impeachment. StorylineGovernor Holden’s impeachment and trial, 1870–1871December 1870–March 1871 · 20 events · Frederick N. Strudwick of Orange moved to impeach Governor William W. Holden on December 9, 1870. Article III charged the August 1870 arrest of Josiah Turner Jr. at Hillsborough; William A. Graham joined the prosecution, Turner and other Orange witnesses testified, and on March 22, 1871 the state Senate convicted Holden, 37 to 12 on that article, and removed him from office on the motion of Senator John W. Graham of Orange. StorylineThe congressional Ku Klux hearings, 1871January–September 1871 · 22 events · In 1871 two committees of Congress took sworn testimony on the Klan in North Carolina. Before the Senate select committee in January and February, Hillsborough constable W. G. Turrentine, clerk of court George Laws and editor Josiah Turner Jr. gave opposed accounts of the jail raid, hangings and whippings in Orange; before the Joint Select Committee that summer and fall, Dr. Pride Jones told of persuading the Orange Klan to disband in 1870, and William L. Saunders refused to answer.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 68 dated events in the chronology →

During their lifetime

  1. Josiah Turner Jr. is born in Hillsborough Josiah Turner Jr. was born in Hillsborough, the eldest son of Josiah and Eliza Evans Turner. His father was a longtime sheriff and large landowner in Orange County. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Eliza Evans TurnerSearch the index · NCpedia (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography): Turner, Josiah, Jr.
  2. Commissioners seek bids to repair the Eno bridge at Hillsborough John U. Kirkland was one of five commissioners, with Cadwallader Jones, Edmund Strudwick, Josiah Turner and Catlett Campbell, who advertised for proposals to repair the bridge over the Eno at Hillsborough, with bids due in November. People: John U. Kirkland, Edmund Strudwick, Cadwallader Jones, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Eno River bridge, Hillsborough · Also named: Catlett CampbellSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, October 18, 1838
  3. Josiah Turner Jr. is admitted to the bar after studying law in Hillsborough After schooling at the Caldwell Institute in Greensboro and a year at the University of North Carolina, Josiah Turner Jr. studied law for two years in Hillsborough and was admitted to the bar in about 1845. He soon built a large practice. Place: Hillsborough · Also mentions: Caldwell InstituteSearch the index · NCpedia (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography): Turner, Josiah, Jr.
  4. Hillsborough meeting of both parties backs Zachary Taylor for president Citizens of both parties met in the court house during spring court week, put Peyton P. Moore in the chair and resolved that Gen. Zachary Taylor was their first choice for president; John W. Kerr urged men of both parties to rally to Taylor, and only one voice was heard against the main resolutions. People: Josiah Turner Jr., Josiah Turner Sr. Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Peyton P. Moore, John W. KerrSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, March 22, 1848, p. 3
  5. Orange Whig convention nominates Hugh Waddell and a Commons ticket Meeting at the Masonic Hall in Hillsborough on Tuesday of May court with Dr. Edmund Strudwick presiding, the Whig county convention nominated Hugh Waddell for the state Senate and Giles Mebane, Josiah Turner Jr., Isaac Holt and John B. Leathers for the House of Commons; when Leathers withdrew days later, a court-week meeting of Whigs named William W. Guess in his place. People: Hugh Waddell, Edmund Strudwick, Giles Mebane, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Masonic Hall, Hillsborough · Also named: Isaac Holt, John B. Leathers, William W. Guess, Michael W. HoltSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 31, 1848, p. 3
  6. Orange railroad meeting names a committee to raise subscriptions A meeting of Orange County citizens at the court house in Hillsborough appointed a committee, among them Dr. W. A. Norwood, D. C. Parrish, John Berry, J. U. Kirkland, W. N. Pratt, C. W. Johnston and Josiah Turner Jr., to solicit subscriptions to the North Carolina Railroad and report at the February county court. People: Walter A. Norwood, John Berry, John U. Kirkland, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: D. C. Parrish, W. N. Pratt, C. W. Johnston · Also mentions: North Carolina RailroadSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, February 13, 1850, p. 3
  7. Orange returns John Berry to the state Senate and splits its Commons seats In the state election John Berry, a Whig, won Orange County's seat in the state Senate. The House of Commons seats for Orange and Alamance went to Democrats B. L. Durham and John F. Lyon and Whigs Samuel F. Phillips and Josiah Turner Jr. People: John Berry, Samuel (Samuel Field) Phillips, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange County · Also named: B. L. Durham, John F. LyonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, September 1, 1852, p. 3
  8. Hillsborough meeting resolves to build a plank road to Milton Citizens of Orange and neighboring counties met in Hillsborough during court week and resolved to build a plank road from Hillsborough to Milton, naming committees to sell stock in $50 shares and to ask the next legislature for a charter and state aid. Hugh Waddell urged a branch to Haywood by way of Chapel Hill. People: Giles Mebane, Hugh Waddell, Josiah Turner Jr., John U. Kirkland, Cadwallader Jones Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, March 8, 1854, p. 3
  9. Orange elects William A. Graham to the state Senate and Phillips and Turner to the Commons Orange County voters elected the Whig ticket: William A. Graham to the state Senate over Cadwallader Jones Jr., and Samuel F. Phillips and Josiah Turner Jr. to the House of Commons over John F. Lyon and William Nelson. The county gave Alfred Dockery, the Whig candidate for governor, 1,080 votes to Thomas Bragg's 963, and voted against the liquor 'Reform' question. People: William A. Graham, Samuel (Samuel Field) Phillips, Josiah Turner Jr., William Nelson, Thomas Bragg, Cadwallader Jones Place: Orange County · Also named: John F. Lyon, Alfred DockerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 9, 1854, p. 2
  10. Joseph Brockwell's murder case is moved to Chatham and ends in a manslaughter verdict Orange Superior Court moved the murder case against Joseph Brockwell, charged with killing James Davis at Chapel Hill in March, to Chatham County on the prisoner's plea that he could not get a fair trial in Orange. At Chatham Superior Court the next week he was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to be branded and imprisoned six months. People: Hugh Waddell, John Wall Norwood, Samuel (Samuel Field) Phillips, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Court house, Hillsborough; trial at Pittsborough · Also named: Joseph Brockwell, James DavisSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, September 27, 1854, p. 2
  11. Orange County citizens meet at Hillsborough to raise aid for Norfolk and Portsmouth yellow fever sufferers A meeting of Orange citizens chaired by William A. Graham, with Paul C. Cameron as secretary, adopted Josiah Turner Jr.'s resolutions for a collection and named a committee of sixteen to solicit money and provisions for yellow fever sufferers in Norfolk and Portsmouth. The Episcopal and Presbyterian churches in Hillsborough had already taken up collections of $159 and $46 on Sunday, September 9, and sent them on. People: William A. Graham, Paul C. Cameron, Josiah Turner Jr., Thomas Webb, John Wall Norwood Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, September 19, 1855, p. 2
  12. Orange County's American party convention names its legislative ticket A crowded American party convention at the Hillsborough court house, with Willie P. Mangum in the chair, heard speeches by Jones Watson and Henry K. Nash. A committee chaired by Harrison Parker recommended Josiah Turner Jr. for the state Senate and William N. Patterson and Frederick N. Strudwick for the House of Commons, and the convention ratified them unanimously. People: Harrison Parker, Willie P. Mangum, Jones Watson, Henry Kollock Nash, Josiah Turner Jr., William N. Patterson, Frederick N. Strudwick, James C. Turrentine Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, June 4, 1856, p. 3 ("Orange County American Convention")
Show all 67 dated events
  1. Orange elects Paul C. Cameron to the state Senate over Josiah Turner Jr. In the state election, Democrat Paul C. Cameron won Orange's Senate seat by 30 votes over Josiah Turner Jr., an old-line Whig running with American party support; the editor credited Cameron's old associations and character with carrying many Whig votes. The American party's Commons candidates, young men new to politics, finished within fifty votes of one another. People: Paul C. Cameron, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 13, 1856, p. 2
  2. Orange County elects Josiah Turner Jr. to the state Senate over Paul C. Cameron Orange County voters on August 5, 1858, elected Josiah Turner Jr., running as an independent Whig, to the state Senate over the Democratic nominee Paul C. Cameron. In the same poll the county gave John W. Ellis 1,012 votes for governor and Duncan K. McRae 1,037. People: Paul C. Cameron Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 11, 1858, p. 2
  3. Hillsborough holds a town meeting over an outrage at the Female Academy and three men are bound over After young men committed what the editor called a scandalous outrage in the Hillsborough Female Academy building on the night of September 28, 1858, citizens met the next morning with Cadwallader Jones in the chair, heard Judge Frederick Nash, and resolved that town and county officers should bring the offenders to trial. The culprits were arrested that afternoon and on September 30 three were bound over by Calvin E. Parish to the March Superior Court. People: Cadwallader Jones, Dennis Heartt, Frederick Nash, William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., Calvin E. Parish Place: Hillsborough Female Academy, HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, October 6, 1858, p. 2
  4. Orange Whigs condemn John Brown's raid and name delegates to the state convention A Whig and Opposition meeting at the Hillsborough court house, with Harrison Parker in the chair, heard William A. Graham and Maurice Q. Waddell and adopted resolutions from a committee led by Josiah Turner Jr. They denounced the raid on Virginia as the work of abolition incendiaries, approved its swift punishment, pledged Orange's help to Virginia and the South, blamed the Democrats for stirring the slavery question for party ends, and named Orange delegates to the party's state convention at Raleigh in February 1860. People: William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., Samuel Wellwood Hughes, Henry Kollock Nash, Harrison Parker Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Maurice Q. WaddellSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, December 21, 1859, p. 2
  5. The Orange Opposition convention nominates Josiah Turner Jr., Jones Watson and Henry K. Nash A Constitutional Union (Whig and Opposition) county meeting on Tuesday of May court, with William A. Graham in the chair, nominated Josiah Turner Jr. for the state senate and Jones Watson and Henry K. Nash for the House of Commons on a platform of ad valorem taxation. The nominees accepted before the meeting. People: William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., Jones Watson, Edmund Strudwick, James C. Turrentine, Henry Kollock Nash Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 30, 1860, p. 3
  6. Orange County elects Josiah Turner Jr. to the Senate and William N. Patterson and Hugh B. Guthrie to the Commons In the state election of August 2, Orange County returned the Whigs Josiah Turner Jr. to the state Senate and William N. Patterson and Hugh B. Guthrie to the House of Commons. People: Josiah Turner Jr., William N. Patterson, Hugh B. Guthrie Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 22, 1860, p. 3
  7. The Orange Cavalry leaves its Hillsborough camp for the coast The Orange Cavalry, Capt. Josiah Turner Jr.'s company, left its camp at Hillsborough for a camp near Kittrell's Springs and then Hertford, and by mid-October was at Camp Pembroke near Edenton. First Lt. William A. Graham Jr., commanding, thanked the women of Hillsborough for their kindness during the encampment, and in November the company received uniforms they had made. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Camp at Hillsborough · Also named: William A. Graham Jr.Hillsborough Recorder, October 30, 1861, p. 3
  8. Orange's Josiah Turner Jr. loses the Fifth District race for the Confederate Congress In the November 6 election of presidential electors and members of the first Confederate Congress, A. H. Arrington of Nash won the Fifth District, which included Orange, over A. W. Venable and Josiah Turner Jr. of Orange. The vote in Orange was thin. Place: Orange County · Also named: A. H. Arrington, A. W. VenableSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 27, 1861, p. 3
  9. Josiah Turner Jr. resigns as Orange County's state senator In a public letter dated at Hillsborough on November 10, Josiah Turner Jr. resigned his seat as Orange County's state senator, saying the constitution barred an army officer from sitting in the legislature. He praised the Orange Light Infantry, the Flat River Guards and the Orange Grays and warned his constituents not to underrate the enemy. Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 13, 1861, p. 3
  10. Fire destroys the block at the northwest corner of Churton and King streets A fire that broke out about 1 a.m. destroyed seventeen buildings on the northwest corner of Churton and King streets in Hillsborough, among them the corner store owned by John U. Kirkland and occupied by W. F. and T. J. Strayhorn. The Recorder reported that few owners were insured. People: John U. Kirkland, Josiah Turner Jr., William Strayhorn Place: Churton and King streets, Hillsborough · Also named: Thomas J. StrayhornSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, September 30, 1863
  11. Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough is elected to the Confederate Congress Turner won as an anti-administration candidate in the Confederate congressional election of November 4, 1863, carrying Orange by a majority of 739. In Congress his resolutions supported Graham's push for the Hampton Roads peace conference. People: Josiah Turner Jr., Zebulon B. Vance, William W. Holden, William A. Graham Place: Orange CountyLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 108 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, November 11, 1863, p. 2
  12. Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough is elected to Congress Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough won the Fourth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives over J. P. H. Russ, L. C. Edwards and A. H. Arrington, although he was still unpardoned and William A. Graham had publicly defended his eligibility. People: William A. Graham Place: Fourth Congressional District (Orange and seven other counties) · Also named: A. H. ArringtonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 22, 1865, p. 2
  13. Thomas Webb of Hillsborough becomes president of the North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad's stockholders held their seventeenth annual meeting at Hillsborough on Thursday, July 12, 1866, and the directors elected Thomas Webb president in place of Nathaniel Boyden, with P. B. Ruffin as treasurer, F. A. Stagg as secretary and Edward Wilkes as superintendent. The state's directors for the year included John Berry and Josiah Turner Jr. of Orange. People: Thomas Webb, John Berry, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: P. B. Ruffin, F. A. Stagg, Edward WilkesSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, July 18, 1866, p. 2
  14. A Hillsborough meeting backs the National Union Convention and names district delegates A public meeting at Hillsborough, with James P. Clark in the chair and Dr. Charles J. Freeland as secretary, endorsed the call for a National Union Convention at Philadelphia on August 14, 1866, in support of President Johnson's restoration policy. On resolutions offered by Josiah Turner Jr. it named thirteen men, among them Henry K. Nash, Thomas Webb, John W. Graham, Samuel F. Phillips and Paul C. Cameron, to a district convention at Raleigh, and recommended William A. Graham as a delegate for the state at large. People: Josiah Turner Jr., William A. Graham, Paul C. Cameron, Thomas Webb, John W. Graham, Henry Kollock Nash Place: Hillsborough · Also named: James P. Clark, Charles J. Freeland, Samuel F. PhillipsSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, July 25, 1866, p. 2
  15. Orange Superior Court sends Wesley Watson and seven others to the whipping post At the fall term of Orange Superior Court at Hillsborough, Judge Fowle had eight people whipped, four white and four Black, most of them for theft. Wesley Watson, described in evidence as a wartime deserter who had broken jail twice and led a band that robbed people in Orange and nearby counties, was sentenced for stealing a mule to thirty-nine lashes at once and more at the November and March terms, despite a plea for mercy from his counsel Josiah Turner Jr. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Wesley WatsonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, September 26, 1866, p. 2
  16. An Orange County meeting at the courthouse resolves to submit to the Reconstruction Acts A meeting of Orange County citizens at the Hillsborough courthouse, chaired by Thomas Wilson, resolved to bear the Reconstruction Acts while protesting them, thanked President Johnson for his vetoes and named a committee of five to memorialize Congress. Capt. John F. Lyon urged every man not disfranchised to register and vote, and Lieut. Porter of the army and the Freedmen's Bureau told the meeting he knew of no one in Orange persecuted for loyalty to the Union. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Thomas Wilson, John F. LyonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, April 10, 1867, p. 2
  17. Josiah Turner Jr. wins Orange's Senate seat but is excluded under the Fourteenth Amendment Turner won election as state senator in 1868 but was not seated, since his disabilities under the Fourteenth Amendment were still in force. John W. Graham was elected instead. People: John W. Graham Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 113
  18. Orange Conservatives hold a county meeting at the courthouse and name an executive committee A large Conservative meeting at the courthouse in Hillsborough, chaired by Capt. John Berry, heard William A. Graham speak for more than an hour and Josiah Turner Jr. after him. It adopted resolutions backing the state Conservative convention, calling for government by white men and opposing Black suffrage, and the chair named a county executive committee under the party's plan of organization. People: John Berry, William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., Calvin E. Parish Place: Court house, HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, March 4, 1868, p. 2
  19. Conservatives win every Orange County office in the first election under the 1868 constitution In the three-day election on the new constitution, Orange County's Conservatives elected their entire county ticket. George Laws won the Superior Court clerkship by about 1,100 votes, John Turner the sheriff's office, Josiah Turner Jr. the state Senate seat by 863, and John Laws the register's office by about 1,500, while the county voted against the constitution by 850. People: George Laws, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange County · Also named: John Turner, John LawsSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, April 29, 1868, p. 2
  20. Destitute Orange residents, white and Black, apply to the Bureau office at Hillsborough for rations In July 1868 the Hillsborough office received about 112 certificates asking rations for about 116 destitute people, 57 described as Black or freed, 51 as white and 8 not stated, most of them old, sick, disabled, widowed or caring for children. Justices of the peace and other residents of Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Durham, Rock Spring, Caldwell and St. Mark's district signed them, Josiah Turner Jr. among them, and the white applicants included a veteran of the War of 1812 and a Confederate soldier who had lost a leg near Petersburg. Notes on two show rations paid to one applicant on July 13 and refused to another. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Freedmen's Bureau, North Carolina Field Offices, Hillsboro: Records Relating to Cases Tried & Destitute Freedmen, Part 1, transcription p. 178
  21. Josiah Turner Jr. dismisses a freedman at a Conservative rally for belonging to the Union League At an adjourned Conservative meeting at the Hillsborough courthouse, chaired by John W. Norwood and moved into the open air by the crowd, Josiah Turner Jr. announced that he had dismissed Solomon, a freedman in his service, because Solomon belonged to the Union League, defying the new state law against discharging workers to sway their votes. William A. Graham and others spoke, and the meeting named twenty-five delegates to a district convention. Testifying under oath before a Senate committee in February 1871, Turner said he had declared in a speech at Hillsborough that he would keep no freedman who did not vote with him, but swore he had never acted on it. People: John Wall Norwood, William A. Graham Place: Court house square, Hillsborough · Also named: SolomonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 19, 1868, p. 3 · Also: Turner testimony: Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States
  22. Orange elects John W. Graham to the Senate seat denied Josiah Turner Jr. and votes for Seymour In a quiet election held under Governor Holden's writ to fill the Senate seat from which Josiah Turner Jr. had been excluded under the Fourteenth Amendment, Orange chose the Conservative John W. Graham by about 400 votes, and the Seymour and Blair electors carried the county by about the same margin. A county Conservative convention had nominated Graham on October 17, though a second Conservative candidate refused to withdraw. People: John W. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., William W. Holden Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 4, 1868, p. 2
  23. Cornelia Phillips Spencer publishes her Pen and Ink Sketches of the University Writing unsigned from Chapel Hill for Josiah Turner's Raleigh Sentinel, Spencer published a series on the history of the university under its old faculty, addressed to the alumni. Other Southern papers and the North Carolina Presbyterian reprinted the sketches, and they helped build the alumni opinion that later brought the university back. People: Cornelia Phillips Spencer, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · Hope Summerell Chamberlain, Old Days in Chapel Hill (1926), scan p. 180
  24. A shot through the window of Josiah Turner Jr.'s Hillsborough house narrowly misses his wife Someone fired a gun or pistol through a window of Josiah Turner Jr.'s house in Hillsborough while he was away, missing his wife's head by about a foot as she stooped for a cup, according to Turner's testimony before the Senate committee in February 1871. Turner came home on a telegram and found bullet marks on the house and powder in her face; he said he did not know who fired but blamed the Union League, which he said had also fired on him and once gathered as a mob against him. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Josiah Turner Jr.'s house, HillsboroughU.S. Senate, Select Committee, Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States (1871), p. 354
  25. Josiah Turner Jr. turns down a militia guard after shots are fired into his Hillsborough house After shots were fired into Josiah Turner Jr.'s house near Hillsborough while he was away, Colonel William J. Clarke wired that he was sending a guard of twenty men with orders to arrest every suspicious person, and Holden's private secretary, W. R. Richardson, asked Turner for particulars of the attempted outrage on Mrs. Turner. Turner replied from Hillsborough that the attackers were unknown, pointed to two Black men he said had been seen nearby, and said he had told Clarke the civil law was ample in Orange and he would have the militia arrested for trespass if they set foot on his land. Holden's defense put the exchange in evidence on February 18, 1871. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Josiah Turner Jr.'s house, Hillsborough · Also named: William J. Clarke, W. R. RichardsonTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 1007
  26. Josiah Turner Jr. tells James E. Boyd at Hillsborough of a planned election-eve Klan ride At the North Carolina Railroad stockholders' meeting in Hillsborough in July 1870, Josiah Turner Jr. told James E. Boyd, then a Conservative candidate in Alamance, that he had heard the Ku Klux would ride the night before the August election and warn Black voters they would be met on the road home if they voted; Turner advised Boyd neither to back the plan nor speak against it. Boyd swore to the conversation in an affidavit taken by Colonel Kirk on July 19, 1870, and repeated it to the Senate select committee on January 28, 1871. Turner testified to the same committee on February 24, 1871; his reply is not on these pages. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Hillsborough (North Carolina Railroad stockholders' meeting) · Also named: James E. Boyd · Also mentions: North Carolina RailroadU.S. Senate, Select Committee, Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States (1871), p. 21
  27. Josiah Turner Jr. dares Governor Holden in print to arrest him In a card dated at Hillsborough on August 3, 1870 and printed in his Raleigh Sentinel, Josiah Turner Jr. dared Holden to arrest him and charged that Holden's followers, stirred by talk of Turner as head of the Klan, had shot powder in Mrs. Turner's face and thrown a rock through her window near one of his children. Kirk's militia arrested Turner at Hillsborough two days later; Holden's counsel read the card at the impeachment trial on March 13, 1871 to show the spirit in which Turner had invited arrest. In a second letter dated at Hillsborough on August 4 and printed in the Sentinel on August 6, read by the House managers on February 18, he told Holden to come on with his chains. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: HillsboroughTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 2, p. 2183
  28. Captain Hancock at Hillsborough wires Burgen that he has news he cannot send without breaking orders On August 5, 1870, the day Josiah Turner Jr. was arrested at Hillsborough, Captain Hancock, commanding the state troops there, telegraphed his superior, Lieutenant Colonel B. G. Burgen at Company Shops, that he had a matter of great importance to report but could not do so without violating orders. Thomas Bragg, closing for the House managers on March 20, 1871, cited the telegram as evidence that Holden ordered the arrest and said the telegrams kept at the Shops were spirited away before they could be called for. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: B. G. Burgen, Thomas BraggTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 3, p. 2496
  29. Kirk's militia arrests Josiah Turner Jr. at Hillsborough On August 5, 1870, a detachment of Kirk's state militia seized Raleigh Sentinel editor Josiah Turner Jr. at the Hillsborough depot, took him by rail to Company Shops and then held him with Kirk's other prisoners in the Caswell County courthouse at Yanceyville. U.S. District Judge George W. Brooks ordered him discharged on August 19, 1870, on his habeas corpus petition. The impeachment article and the trial testimony name the officer as Lieutenant J. W. Hunnicutt, sent from Company Shops with about ten men by Lieutenant Colonel Burgen, and Judge Brooks ordered Kirk to pay the costs. People: William W. Holden, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: George W. Kirk, John Hunnicutt, George W. Brooks, J. W. HunnicuttInternet Archive: Trial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina, vol. 1 (1871) · Also: Turner testimony: Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States; Trial of William W. Holden; Internet Archive; Trial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1
  30. Lieutenant Hunnicutt wires from Hillsborough that he has Turner under guard, and Burgen orders anyone who tries to free him shot On August 5, 1870, Lieutenant J. W. Hunnicutt telegraphed Lieutenant Colonel Burgen at Company Shops from Hillsborough that he had arrested Josiah Turner Jr., had him under the bayonet and wanted an extra train. Burgen answered that Hunnicutt should come up on the freight and shoot on the spot anyone who tried to release Turner. The telegrams, from the Hillsborough telegraph office, were read into evidence by the House managers at Holden's impeachment trial on February 18, 1871. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Telegraph office, Hillsborough · Also named: J. W. Hunnicutt, B. G. BurgenTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 1005
  31. State troops search Josiah Turner Jr.'s house outside Hillsborough and carry off his guns While Lieutenant Hunnicutt held Josiah Turner Jr. at the Hillsborough depot, two or three of his men went to Turner's house about a mile off to search for arms and came back with two pistols and two guns. Turner, testifying at Holden's impeachment trial on February 16, 1871, said one pistol came back only after he offered a $10 reward and the rest stayed with Kirk; a Sentinel editorial of August 9, 1870, read into evidence, said every room was searched without a warrant and his boys' shotguns taken. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Josiah Turner Jr.'s house, about a mile from the depot, Hillsborough · Also named: J. W. HunnicuttTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 893
  32. The officer holding Josiah Turner Jr. at Hillsborough says he will arrest anyone who brings a habeas corpus writ At the Hillsborough depot, Lieutenant J. W. Hunnicutt told Senator John W. Graham that he had arrested Josiah Turner Jr. by Governor Holden's order and that he had a general order, passed down through Colonel Burgen, to arrest anyone who came with writs of habeas corpus, Graham included. Graham gave this account under oath at Holden's impeachment trial on February 16, 1871, adding that Hunnicutt said Burgen had detailed him to take ten men to Hillsborough for the arrest. People: John W. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Railroad depot, Hillsborough · Also named: J. W. HunnicuttTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 916
  33. An Orange County court indictment is found against Colonel George W. Kirk An indictment was found in the Orange County court against Colonel George W. Kirk, whose militia had arrested Josiah Turner Jr. at Hillsborough in 1870, according to Turner's testimony before the Senate committee in February 1871. Turner said he gave the capias and a bench warrant to the sheriff of Wake County, but the U.S. marshal, who held Kirk on a federal writ Turner had sued out, would not let them be served, and Kirk slipped out of Raleigh. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange County court, Hillsborough · Also named: George W. KirkU.S. Senate, Select Committee, Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States (1871), p. 372
  34. Josiah Turner Jr. asks Justices Dick and Settle for a bench warrant against Holden, Kirk and Bergen After Kirk's men arrested him at Hillsborough, Josiah Turner Jr. filed an affidavit and applied to Justices Dick and Settle of the state supreme court for a bench warrant against Governor Holden and Colonels Kirk and Bergen. The justices had counsel argue whether a warrant could issue against the governor and whether the colonels could be taken outside the insurrection counties, with Mr. Bailey on one side and William H. Battle on the other, according to Battle's testimony before the Senate committee on February 13, 1871; he read his argument from the Daily Sentinel of October 7, 1870. People: Josiah Turner Jr., W. W. Holden, William Horn Battle Place: before the state supreme court justices (place not stated) · Also named: George W. KirkU.S. Senate, Select Committee, Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States (1871), p. 162
  35. Holden answers that he never ordered Josiah Turner Jr. arrested in Orange County In his written answer read to the Senate on January 23, 1871, Governor Holden denied ordering Josiah Turner Jr.'s arrest in Orange. He said he had told the militia officers to arrest Turner only if found in Alamance or Caswell, that any arrest in Orange was against his orders and without his knowledge, and that when told Turner was under arrest in Alamance he ordered him held there and in Caswell. Holden also said he believed Turner belonged to the secret organizations and was urging citizens to drive out the militia, a charge the answer states as Holden's belief. People: Josiah Turner Jr., William W. Holden Place: North Carolina Senate chamber, RaleighTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 45
  36. U.S. Senate committee hears Orange County testimony on Klan violence A Senate select committee created on January 19, 1871 took testimony in Washington on Klan violence in North Carolina. Orange County witnesses, including Hillsborough constable W. G. Turrentine, court clerk George Laws and editor Josiah Turner Jr., described the 1869 jail raid, hangings and whippings in the county. The committee reported on March 10, 1871. People: George Laws, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Countywide · Also named: W. G. TurrentineU.S. Senate: Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States by the Select Committee of the Senate, March 10, 1871 (Internet Archive)
  37. Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough testifies at Holden's impeachment trial about his arrest Josiah Turner Jr. told the Senate court that on August 5, 1870, armed men from Company Shops, eight or ten white men and two Black men, came to Hillsborough on a freight train, ran at him with guns cocked as he rode away from the depot, and held him there under Lieutenant Hunnicutt from about eleven until near three while Captain Hancock paraded his company before the depot. He testified for the House managers on February 16, 1871, and on cross-examination denied any tie to the Klan but admitted saying in private talk that the militia ought to be shot. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: North Carolina Senate chamber, Raleigh (witness of Hillsborough) · Also named: J. W. HunnicuttTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 1, p. 892
  38. Impeachment court admits Holden's 1870 letters with Pride Jones on the Orange Klan The Senate, sitting as the court of impeachment, voted 25 to 19 to admit Governor Holden's March 1870 correspondence with Dr. Pride Jones of Hillsborough, which the defense offered to show that Holden tried peaceful means against the Klan in Orange before he used troops in Alamance. The managers objected that the court had already shut out evidence of Klan activity outside Alamance and Caswell; the presiding officer let it in as bearing on Holden's motive, noting Holden's answer that Josiah Turner Jr.'s arrest was justified by the excitement Turner had stirred in Orange. Holden's secretary John B. Neathery then read Jones's March 4 letter, the March 5 recommendation by six Orange men and Holden's March 7 commission. People: Pride Jones, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: North Carolina Senate chamber, Raleigh · Also named: John B. NeatheryTrial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina (1871), vol. 2, p. 1157
  39. Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough testifies before the Senate committee on Southern outrages Josiah Turner Jr., Conservative editor of the Raleigh Sentinel, who kept his family home at Hillsborough, testified under oath before the Senate select committee in Washington on February 24, 1871. He said he had known nothing of the White Brotherhood until the habeas corpus hearings at Raleigh in the summer of 1870, put the toll in Orange at four men hanged and one shot, besides five whipped, and called the violence a war between two secret societies, the Klan and the Union League. Asked whether he had told James E. Boyd of Graham to let the Klan ride before an election, he denied it. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Senate select committee, Washington, D.C. (witness of Hillsborough) · Also named: James E. BoydU.S. Senate, Select Committee, Report on the Alleged Outrages in the Southern States (1871), p. 349
  40. Senate convicts Holden on the article charging Turner's arrest in Orange County The state Senate found Governor Holden guilty, 37 to 12, on Article III, which charged him with the unlawful arrest of Josiah Turner Jr. in Orange County on August 5, 1870, and also convicted him on Articles IV through VIII. Senator John W. Graham of Orange then offered the order of judgment removing Holden from office and barring him from state office, which the Senate adopted. People: William W. Holden, Josiah Turner Jr., John W. Graham Place: North Carolina Senate chamber, RaleighInternet Archive: Trial of William W. Holden, Governor of North Carolina, vol. 3 (1871)
  41. Orange Superior Court dismisses the assault case against W. W. Holden under the amnesty act Judge Tourgee dismissed the indictment of former Governor W. W. Holden for the 1870 arrest of Josiah Turner Jr. by Lt. John Hunnicutt of the state troops, ruling it covered by the amnesty and pardon act of March 3, 1873; Turner, the prosecutor, was first denied an appeal and then granted one. People: W. W. Holden, Josiah Turner Jr., Albion W. Tourgee Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: John HunnicuttHillsborough Recorder, November 5, 1873, p. 3
  42. An Orange County meeting nominates William A. Graham and Josiah Turner Jr. for the constitutional convention A county meeting at the courthouse in Hillsborough, called by the Conservative executive committee, named William A. Graham by acclamation as a delegate to the constitutional convention. After a dispute over voting by townships, a ballot gave Josiah Turner Jr. 141 votes to 93 for W. N. Patterson, and his nomination was made unanimous. People: William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., William N. Patterson Place: Court house, HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 5, 1875, p. 3
  43. William A. Graham defeats Washington Duke for a seat in the 1875 convention On August 5, 1875, Orange elected Graham over Duke, 1,908 to 1,528, and Josiah Turner Jr. over John T. Hogan. Graham died before the convention met, and William N. Patterson beat Duke again in a special election on September 16, 2,000 to 1,297. People: William A. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., Washington Duke, John T. Hogan, William N. Patterson Place: Orange CountySearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 120-121 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, August 11, 1875, p. 3; Hillsborough Recorder, September 22, 1875, p. 3
  44. Orange County gives the Democrats a sweeping victory in the 1876 election Orange polled more than 4,100 votes, some 800 more than at any earlier election, in a quiet contest that went to the Democratic ticket: Thomas J. Jarvis carried the county for lieutenant governor 2,420 to 1,669, Calvin E. Parish and John K. Hughes won its House seats, and John W. Graham beat Josiah Turner Jr., who had run against the party's nominee with Republican backing, for the state Senate. The county officers, among them Treasurer D. C. Parks and Register John Laws, won with about 2,700 votes each. People: Thomas Jordan Jarvis, Calvin E. Parish, John W. Graham, Josiah Turner Jr., David C. Parks, John Knox Hughes Place: Orange County · Also named: John LawsSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 15, 1876, p. 3
  45. Orange Superior Court quashes the libel indictment brought for Josiah Turner against the Raleigh News At the spring term of Orange Superior Court under Judge Cox, the indictment against Walter Clark, John D. Cameron and the other owners and editors of the Raleigh Daily News for an alleged libel on Josiah Turner Jr. was quashed on motion of their counsel, John W. Graham and Thomas Ruffin Jr. People: Josiah Turner Jr., Walter Clark, John W. Graham, Thomas Ruffin Jr. Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: John D. CameronSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 9, 1877, p. 3
  46. A street meeting at the Hillsborough court house calls for primary elections On October 16, 1877, during Superior Court week, Josiah Turner Jr. held a public meeting in the street before the court house in Hillsborough that adopted his resolutions for choosing Democratic candidates by ballot: congressional nominees in primary meetings and a popular vote on the party's choice for United States senator. The Recorder denied that the meeting spoke for Orange's people, and Turner answered that hundreds took part, with R. Harris as chairman and W. Mangum as secretary. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Court house square, HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 7, 1877, p. 3
  47. Orange sends Josiah Turner to the House and votes down A. W. Graham In the state election Orange chose Josiah Turner, running independently against the Democratic ticket, and the Democrat M. A. Angier for the House, Turner leading Angier by more than 500 votes; the county voted against A. W. Graham for the Senate and John R. Hutchins for the House, the district's Senate seats went to Giles Mebane and George Williamson, and the Democratic county ticket was elected as nominated. People: Josiah Turner Jr., Giles Mebane, Augustus Washington Graham, John R. Hutchins Place: Orange County · Also named: M. A. Angier, George WilliamsonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 7, 1878, p. 3
  48. Orange votes for Joseph J. Davis over Josiah Turner for Congress In the Fourth District congressional election Orange gave the Democrat Joseph J. Davis more votes than Josiah Turner of Hillsborough, who ran with Republican support, though Turner carried the Hillsborough box 260 to 212 and Davis carried Chapel Hill 194 to 163. The official county returns gave Orange to Davis with more than 1,580 votes to Turner's 1,378, and Davis won the district by 495 votes over Turner and the Republican Jones combined. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange County · Also named: Joseph J. DavisSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Ledger, November 16, 1878, p. 2
  49. Josiah Turner Jr. wins a jury verdict against W. W. Holden over his 1870 arrest A jury found for Josiah Turner Jr. in his long damage suit against former Governor W. W. Holden for his arrest and imprisonment during the Kirk-Holden War of 1870. The jury was out about an hour, and Judge Buxton refused the defense a new trial. People: Josiah Turner Jr., William W. Holden Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Ralph P. Buxton, W. W. HoldenThe Chapel Hill Ledger, April 5, 1879, p. 2
  50. The state House expels Orange's member Josiah Turner Jr. The state House of Representatives expelled Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough, one of Orange County's members, on the Friday night before the special session ended. The session, called to sell the Western North Carolina Railroad, adjourned the following Monday. Place: House of Representatives, RaleighSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Ledger, April 3, 1880, p. 2
  51. Independents put up W. W. Allison, Josiah Turner and John Berry against the Democratic ticket An independent ticket was put up in Orange County for the November election, with W. W. Allison of Cedar Grove for the state Senate and Josiah Turner of Hillsborough and John Berry of Little River for the House, plus a candidate for treasurer. Republicans had been advised to back independent Democrats rather than name their own men. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Orange County · Also named: W. W. Allison, John BerrySearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 23, 1880, p. 3
  52. Candidates for governor Scales and York debate at Hillsborough Alfred M. Scales and Tyre York, the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor, held a joint discussion at Hillsborough; afterward Congressman W. R. Cox announced for re-election and Josiah Turner and John Moring announced themselves as candidates for Congress. People: William R. Cox, Josiah Turner Jr. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Alfred M. Scales, Tyre York, John MoringSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 4, 1884, p. 2
  53. Josiah Turner Jr. announces he will run again for the House seat from which he had been expelled In a letter to the Observer, Josiah Turner Jr. told Orange voters he was a candidate to reclaim his vacant seat in the state House, saying he had been expelled not for any crime but for naming Democrats and Republicans who had shared in the Reconstruction railroad bond frauds. He promised to tell the rest during the canvass. Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), August 18, 1894, p. 3
  54. Josiah Turner announces for the House as a free silver fusion candidate Josiah Turner Jr. of Hillsborough declared himself a free silver fusion candidate for Orange County's seat in the state House of Representatives. People: Josiah Turner Jr. Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), August 6, 1896, p. 3
  55. Josiah Turner Jr. dies at his Hillsborough home Josiah Turner Jr., former Confederate congressman and editor of the Raleigh Sentinel, died at his home in Hillsborough and was buried in the churchyard of St. Matthew's Church. Place: Hillsborough (St. Matthew's Church) · Also mentions: St. Matthew's ChurchSearch the index · NCpedia (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography): Turner, Josiah, Jr.

After their death in 1901

Later events: estates and burials, and the buildings, honors and histories that remember them.

  1. County commissioners give $10 toward a portrait of Josiah Turner for the Hall of History At their November 1, 1915 meeting the Orange County commissioners gave $10 toward a portrait of the late Josiah Turner of Hillsboro, to be hung in the state Hall of History at Raleigh. The same session settled the 1914 taxes with Sheriff Bain and accepted his $57,000 bond. People: Josiah Turner Jr., Robert D. Bain Place: Court house, HillsboroughSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), November 11, 1915, p. 4

People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as Josiah Turner Jr., those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

Show 35 more

Indexed works

Works about or by Josiah Turner Jr.. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it. Background reading appears below.

By Josiah Turner Jr.

600 acres of land for sale on a credit of ten years.

Turner, Josiah · 1866

Josiah Turner senior offered 600 acres for sale on ten years of credit in this broadside, signed at Hillsborough on June 1, 1866, the first summer after the Civil War. A single sheet, 30 by 21 centimeters, covering real property in Hillsborough. Land advertisements of this kind record how Orange County property was put on the market and on what terms.

Speech of Josiah Turner, Jr., of Orange : delivered in the Senate, January, 1861

Turner, Josiah, 1821-1901 · 1861 · The author?

Josiah Turner, Jr., of Orange County delivered this speech in the state Senate in January 1861, the winter before North Carolina left the Union. The printing is attributed to the author. North Carolina politics and government from 1861 to 1865 and the United States Constitution are the subjects, and the piece was printed in Orange County in 1861.

UNC

About Josiah Turner Jr.

Address to the colored voters of Orange County.

Haughawaut, A. H. · 1849

A campaign appeal addressed to Black voters in Orange County, signed by A. H. Haughawaut and urging support for Josiah Turner over Lewis Jinkins, Sr. Topics include African American political activity in the county and Republican campaign literature. Dated 1849, although the publication year is uncertain. The title itself uses the period term of address.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Turner, Josiah, 1821-1901.

UNC

Orange County Historical Museum

North Carolina ECHO (Project) · 2002

Josiah Turner Sr. in a portrait at the Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough, from a set of North Carolina ECHO photographs taken on 6 April 2002.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Papers, 1865-1973.

Crumpacker family · 1865

Crumpacker family papers, 27 items dated 1865 to 1973. Among them are three 1896 letters from Pearle Davis in Las Vegas, New Mexico, to her cousin Alonzo Crumpacker, a copy of an 1865 sermon by the Reverend Archibald A. McMannen, a Methodist minister in Orange County, an 1869 deed from Josiah Turner of Orange County conveying a house and land to his grandchild John W. Graham, and family genealogy.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

Cornelia Phillips Spencer (1825-1908) Papers

Spencer, Cornelia Phillips, 1825-1908 · 1857

Letters and papers of Cornelia Phillips Spencer, the Chapel Hill writer and historian and daughter of professor James Phillips, 1857 to 1905. Most of the correspondence, from 1859 to 1895, concerns the university and life in the village, with letters exchanged with Swain, Kemp P. Battle and George T. Winston, successive heads of the university, and with Mrs. Swain and W. C. Kerr. State Archives of North Carolina, PC.7.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

Eliza Evans Turner

1817

Oil portrait of Eliza Evans Turner, painted in 1817. Born 18 January 1790, she died 25 September 1873 and was the wife of Josiah Turner Sr. An Orange County painting in the Images of North Carolina collection.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

James Iredell Waddell Family Papers

Waddell, James I. (James Iredell), 1824-1886 · 1762

Papers of the Waddell, Moore and related families of New Hanover, Brunswick, Bladen and Orange counties, 1762 to 1919, centered on Captain James Iredell Waddell, who commanded the Confederate cruiser Shenandoah. His own letters and naval correspondence sit alongside family land, estate and plantation papers and material on the University of North Carolina. State Archives of North Carolina, PC.87.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

Places in this person’s story

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows the 6 with a known location.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

All places and the county map →

Research sources

Sources and research tools for this person. For ready-made searches of other catalogs, see Search further. Research guide: Trace a family through historical records.

Records of the time

Collections and databases

Local help

Search further

Search other catalogs and collections for this name. Results may include other people with the same name and have not been reviewed by the Friends.

Books about Josiah Turner Jr.

Books by Josiah Turner Jr.

Find copies at other libraries

Photographs, papers, and newspapers

Historical records and collections

Catalog searches use the Library of Congress name heading: Turner, Josiah, 1821-1901. Historical-record searches use the person’s name and may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

Picture: Josiah Turner Jr., portrait published 1919. Public domain. Hamilton, J. G. de Roulhac (1919) History of North Carolina: North Carolina since 1860, III, Chicago & New York: Lewis Publishing Company, p. 131; via Wikimedia Commons

More to discover

Keep Reading Local

The Friends connect people with new library materials, local writers and publishers, and resources documenting Orange County.

Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026