Oral History Interview with John Gregory Sr.

Partial Transcript: Dad, I'd like first to discuss the [clears throat] family tree, so to speak, of the Turners . . .

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. traces the Turner family line from the late 18th century. William Turner, Sr. was the first Turner ancestor to settle in Harlan County. William Turner married Elizabeth Brittain Turner and they had one son, George Brittain Turner (who is the narrator's grandfather and the interviewer's great-grandfather). William Turner also remarried and had three sons, William Jr., Charles, and David, and three daughters, Susan, Lutie, and Jodie. Gregory Sr.'s grandfather, George Turner married Margaret Crump and had four daughters, Nancy Turner Howard (m. Mose W. Howard), Louise Turner Jones (m. Milt Jones), Eliza Turner Gregory (m. Walter Gregory), and Suasan "Sudie" Turner Howard (m. Hiram J. Howard). Crump and Turner also had five sons, William III, George Turner, Jr., Robert Turner, Green Turner, and John Turner. Gregory Sr. also details the life of William Turner, Sr., who owned 39,000 acres of land along the Cumberland River and Clover Fork in Harlan County. Turner Sr. was an enslaver who owned approximately sixty enslaved people.

Keywords: William Turner; Elizabeth Britton; George Britton Turner; William Turner Jr.; Charles Turner; David Y. Turner; Susan Turner; Lutie Turner; Jodie Turner; Margaret Crump; Nancy Turner Howard; Mose W. Howard; William Turner III; George Turner Jr.; Louise Turner Jones; Robert Turner; Green Turner; John Turner; Eliza Turner Gregory; Walter Gregory; Sudie Turner Howard; Hiram J. Howard; Clover Street (Harlan, Ky.); Land; Clover Fork (Harlan County, Ky.); American Civil War, 1861-1865; Enslaved people; Enslavers

Subjects: Genealogy; Family history; Harlan County (Ky.); Turner family; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Children; Sons; Daughters; Grandfathers; Farmers; Harlan (Ky.); Cumberland River (Ky. and Tenn.); Slaves

Partial Transcript: Your grandfather, what was his occupation primarily?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. discusses the life of his grandfather, George Turner. Turner inherited his father's farmland and managed properties in Harlan County with his brother. Turner was also an attorney and became close friends with Governor James B. McCreary when they were serving in the Kentucky General Assembly together. Turner was appointed as Harlan County Judge by Governor McCreary. Gregory Sr. says that his grandfather would write letters of appeal on behalf of community members going through the court system. Turner also served as Mayor of Harlan during an unnamed period of time.

Keywords: George Turner; Land; Property management; James B. McCreary; County judges

Subjects: Family history; Genealogy; Turner family; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Harlan County (Ky.); Harlan (Ky.); Farms; Grandfathers; Lawyers; Kentucky. General Assembly; McCreary, James B. (James Bennett), 1838-1918; Governors; Friendship; Correspondence; Letters; Judges; Mayors; Uncles

Partial Transcript: Okay--uh--tell me who Crump was?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. briefly discusses his maternal grandfather, George Crump (great-grandfather to interviewer). Gregory Sr.'s maternal great-grandfather, John Crump, was the first Circuit Clerk of Harlan County. Gregory Sr. also mentions that George Turner (Margaret Crump's son) was most likely educated at a college in Lee County, Virginia.

Keywords: George Crump; John Crump; Margaret Crump Turner; George Turner

Subjects: Genealogy; Family history; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Crump family; Grandparents; Grandfathers; Grandmothers; Marriage; Clerks; Courthouses; Turner family; Virginia; Education; Lee County (Va.); Virginia; Great-grandfathers

Partial Transcript: . . . What you've been told by your father about the Gregory side of the family?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. describes the genealogy of the Gregory family. Gregory's great-grandfather was raised on a farm near Buffalo. Gregory's grandfather, Robert Wason Gregory, left the farm at fourteen and was a talented violinist. Robert Wason Gregory married Eliza Denton Gregory and they had five sons, Alva, Alonzo, Norman, Walter, and Granville. The Denton family originated from Washington County, Virginia, which is where Robert Gregory met Eliza Denton. The couple subsequently moved to Lee County, Virginia and later Harlan. Gregory Sr.'s grandmother died in 1861 when Gregory's father (Walter) was around seven years old. Gregory Sr.'s grandfather was as a carpenter and the family moved to Barbourville so he could work on the construction of the county courthouse in the mid-1880s. Gregory Sr.'s father Walter married his mother in the late 1880s. Robert Wason Gregory remained in Lee County, Virginia with his other sons and died in 1897.

Keywords: Robert Wason Gregory; Eliza Denton; Alva Gregory; Alonzo Gregory; Norman Gregory; Walter Gregory; Granville Gregory

Subjects: Genealogy; Family history; Gregory family; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Great-grandfathers; Buffalo (N.Y.); Grandfathers; Farmers; Farms; Virginia; Denton family; Children; Washington County (Va.); Lee County (Va.); Grandmothers; Death; Carpenters; Carpentry; Woodworking industries; Father; Barbourville (Ky.); Courthouses; Architecture

Partial Transcript: And he was here about five years and married my mother, in Harlan County.

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr.'s parents, Walter and Eliza Gregory, married in 1889 and lived on 409 East Central Street in Harlan. The original family home was a cottage-like structure, where it used to stand is across the street from where Gregory Sr. currently lives. Gregory Sr. and his sister were born on East Central Street. The family bought a lot from Gregory Sr.'s grandfather on Clover Street in 1900 and built a house. The Clover Street house is where Gregory Sr.'s younger sister Bernice was born. Gregory Sr. says that the family home on Clover Street was across the street from the Presbyterian Church. Gregory Sr. also briefly discusses the origins of the Denton family, who hailed from England. The first Denton in the colonies was a Methodist preacher who arrived in about 1626 and settled in Washington County, Virginia. There is a place called Denton Valley near Abingdon, Virginia that is named after the family.

Keywords: East Central Street (Harlan, Ky.); Clover Street (Harlan, Ky.); Preachers; Denton Valley (Virginia); Walter Gregory; Eliza Gregory

Subjects: Parents; Genealogy; Family history; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Cottages; Childhood; Early life; Brothers; Sisters; Grandfathers; Denton family; England; Washington County (Va.); Great Britain; Methodists; Abingdon (Va.); Marriage; Parents

Partial Transcript: What--um--occupation did your father continue to follow after coming to Harlan?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr.'s father, Walter Gregory, owned a hardware store and later a music shop. Walter Gregory transitioned to operating a music shop when his hardware store burned down in 1913. The first music store was on the corner of Clover and Main Street in downtown Harlan. The music store burned down about a year later and Walter Gregory then re-established it at a new location on Central and Main Street, near the Kelly Hotel. Gregory Sr.'s grandfather, Robert Gregory, was a violinist and was able to read music. Robert Gregory ran away from the family farm near Buffalo at fourteen and became a musician in a traveling circus. Gregory Sr. says that his grandfather's family in New York never heard from him again after he ran away as a teenager. Gregory Sr. says that his grandfather was a Republican and fought in the Civil War.

Keywords: Walter Gregory; Clover Street (Harlan, Ky.); Main Street (Harlan, Ky.); Central Street (Harlan, Ky.); Kelly Hotel (Harlan, Ky.); Republicans; American Civil War, 1861-1865

Subjects: Father; Grandfathers; Kentucky; Genealogy; Kentuckians; Family history; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Merchants; Music stores; Music; Hardware stores; Fire; Musicians; Violinists; Circus; Denton family; Gregory family; Virginia; Farms; Buffalo (N.Y.); Runaways

Partial Transcript: And I think one of the most interesting parts of it, I've heard, is directly related to our family, and that is the Howard and Turner feud. --Uh--tell me what you know about that beginning--starting with how the feud began.

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. says that all but one of his uncles died in the Howard-Turner feud of the 1880s in Harlan County. Gregory Sr.'s mother was a young girl when the feud began. Gregory Sr. says the feud began when his uncle Robert Turner was killed by Wilkerson "Wix" Howard in 1882. According to Gregory Sr., Wix and several members of the Howard family were drinking together when someone encouraged Wix Howard to kill Robert Turner, since Turner was going to appear as a witness in an upcoming trial against a Howard family member. Robert Turner was killed by bullets from a shotgun fired by Wix Howard from a hotel window. Gregory Sr.'s father fired back at Wix Howard in retaliation and Robert Turner, despite the injuries he had sustained, also tried to shoot Wix Howard. Gregory Sr.'s uncle William Turner III was killed from gunfire that originated from the courthouse. Gregory Sr. is unsure who killed William Turner III, but James L. Howard (Wix Howard's brother) and Bill Jennings were seen at the courthouse at the time of the murder.

Keywords: Feuds; Robert Turner; William Turner III; George B. Turner; John Turner; Boney Turner; Eliza Turner Gregory; Howard-Turner feud; Wix Howard

Subjects: Kentucky; Kentuckians; Howard family; Turner family; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Uncles; Mother; Father; Marriage; Death; Violence

Partial Transcript: Now, who was killed after William and how?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr.'s uncle George Turner was killed by another Howard relative, Wilson "Wilkes" Howard. Gregory Sr. chronicles several altercations between Wilkes Howard and George Turner, including an attempted shooting at Turner's general store. George Turner was killed by Wilkes Howard when he went out to visit friends at Martin's Fork, near Howard family territory. The two exchanged gunfire, but George Turner ultimately died from the injuries he sustained.

Keywords: George B. Turner; Howard-Turner feud; Feuds; Wilson "Wilkes" Howard"; Bill Jennings

Subjects: Uncles; Howard family; Turner family; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Kentucky; Kentuckians; Violence; Murder; Death; Shotguns

Partial Transcript: Did this--was this what finally made the feud develop or was it actually a feud before that time?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. says that the Howard-Turner feud started when William Turner III sought to avenge the death of his brother, Robert Turner, who had been killed by Wix Howard. William Turner III went to Wix Howard's home and attempted to shoot him, which precipitated the Howard-Turner feud.

Keywords: Howard-Turner feud; Feuds; Wix Howard; Robert Turner; William Turner III

Subjects: Kentucky; Kentuckians; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Turner family; Howard family; Revenge; Violence; Threats; Shotguns

Partial Transcript: I don't believe John was killed in the feud, but he was later killed about 18 and 94, that was about ten years after Robert Turner was killed.

Segment Synopsis: John Turner was killed in 1894, about ten years after the murder of Robert Turner. Gregory Sr. says that Robert Turner was killed by either Bill or Robert Nolan from a hotel window. Bill Nolan had murdered William Turner III, George Turner's half-brother. John Turner's uncle, who was also named William Turner, was killed in the feud. Boney Turner, another uncle of Gregory Sr.'s, was the only Turner brother who married. Boney Turner lived in Dryden, Virginia, and had three daughters, and one son, George Turner III. Boney Turner died under mysterious circumstances. Gregory Sr. says that he was killed in a railroad accident when he was hit by a train, with it being unclear whether he was intentionally or unintentionally killed.

Keywords: Howard-Turner feud; Feuds; Robert Turner; John Turner; Central Street (Harlan, Ky.); Bill Nolan; Boney Turner; Dryden (Va.); George Turner III; Train accidents

Subjects: Death; Violence; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Uncles; Shotguns; Murder; Hotels; Howard family; Turner family; Marriage; Lee County (Va.); Virginia; Children; Cousins; Sons; Daughters; Accidents; Railroad

Partial Transcript: I've also heard you speak of a--extended shootings they'd have in Harlan where the Turners and the townspeople would be in the courthouse and the Howards would be on the hillside called Ivy Hill, tell me about that.

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. says that the high point of the feud came when vigilantes came into downtown and started firing at people. Many people barricaded themselves in the county courthouse and the people of Harlan were able to drive the outlaws away from downtown. Then, word of another raid spread and people gathered at Ivy Hill and gunfire was exchanged between the people outside Ivy Hill and the outlaws who had barricaded themselves in a house there. Several people were killed in the crossfire and the outlaws had been defeated. Gregory Sr. recalls finding lead bullets in the river adjacent to Ivy Hill and the Turner family home. Gregory Sr. says that several visitors to the Turner family home were accidentally killed or injured when they were mistaken for Turners during the feud.

Keywords: Howard-Turner feud; Feuds; Ivy Hill (Harlan, Ky.); Back porch; Breakfast; Clover Fork (Harlan, Ky.)

Subjects: Howard family; Turner family; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Kentucky; Kentuckians; Outlaws; Courthouses; Grandfathers; Death; Murder; Violence; Bullets; Cumberland River (Ky. and Tenn.); Childhood; Shotguns

Partial Transcript: How long after the feud--uh--ended was it that these families then began to intermarry again, the Howards and the Turners?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. says that the Howards and the Turners never intermarried after the feud. Mose Howard had married into the family prior to the feud. The Turner brothers killed in the feud were originally laid to rest on the grounds of the Turner Home at Ivy Hill. Gregory Sr.'s grandmother wanted her sons to be buried close to her. The brothers' graves were eventually moved out to Rest Haven Cemetery in Harlan County.

Keywords: Howard-Turner feud; Mose Howard; George B. Turner house; Graves; Rest Haven Cemetery (Harlan, Ky.); Ivy Hill (Harlan, Ky.)

Subjects: Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Kentucky; Kentuckians; Howard family; Turner family; Marriage; Uncles; Mother

Partial Transcript: How old was your mother when she died?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr.'s mother died when she was thirty-seven, possibly from tuberculosis. Gregory Sr.'s father married Susie Sergent and they did not have any children. Gregory Sr.'s oldest brother, George Gregory left Harlan when he was seventeen to find a place with a warmer climate after he contracted tuberculosis. George Gregory lived in Oklahoma, Colorado, and California and studied to be a pharmacist while working as a pharmacy clerk in Colorado via correspondence school. George Gregory also founded the Mutual Drug Company, which had both wholesale and retail pharmacy operations. George Gregory then moved to California and worked in real estate. Gregory Sr.'s second oldest brother, Robert worked as an engineer for the LA County Government. Gregory Sr.'s sister, Lila moved to Denver and met her husband there and subsequently moved to Greenville, Pennsylvania and then lived in California.

Keywords: Walter Gregory; Susie Sergent Gregory; Eliza Gregory; Mutual Drug Company; Retail pharmacies; Wholesale pharmacies; Real estate; George Gregory; Robert Gregory; Interstate Commerce Commission (U.S.); Lila Gregory; Greenville (Pa.); California Reserve Company

Subjects: Mother; Death; Brothers; Sisters; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Gregory family; Kentucky; Kentuckians; Marriage; Stepmothers; Tuberculosis; Health; Oklahoma; Colorado; Ranches; Clerks; Drugstores; Pharmacists; Correspondence schools and courses; Alexander Hamilton Institute (U.S.); San Francisco (Calif.); Los Angeles (Calif.); Finance; University of Kentucky; Engineers; Engineering; Denver (Colo.); Los Angeles County (Calif.); Pennsylvania; California; Children; Marriage

Partial Transcript: Dad, I'd like for you now to--uh--tell me--uh--when and how you and mother met?

Segment Synopsis: Gregory Sr. met his wife Lila when she was a teacher in the Harlan city schools. Gregory Sr. was helping his father run the music store at the time they met through a mutual friend. Once they got married, the couple lived in a house in Smith, a small community in Harlan County. The couple now live in a home they built in 1925 on Central Street in downtown Harlan.

Keywords: Wife; House; Central Street (Harlan, Ky.); Clover Street (Harlan, Ky.); Smith (Ky.)

Subjects: Marriage; Harlan (Ky.); Harlan County (Ky.); Kentucky; Kentuckians; Teachers; Teaching; Music stores; Apartments