| William Iredell Turner | |||||||||||
| Birth Date: | June 7, 1812 | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | New Kent County, Virginia | ||||||||||
| Death Date: | October 28, 1881 | ||||||||||
| Death Place: | Manatee County, Florida | ||||||||||
| Known For: | Helping to found Bradenton and Parrish. | ||||||||||
| Spouse: | Isabell | ||||||||||
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William Iredell Turner (June 7, 1812 – October 28, 1881), also occasionally and erroneously referred to as William J. Turner, was a Florida pioneer and a soldier who helped establish Bradenton, Florida and Parrish, Florida.[1] [2]
Turner was born in Virginia on June 7, 1812. When he was about sixteen years old, he enlisted in the military.[3] He fought during the Second Seminole War, during which time he was injured in the neck.[4] He was discharged from the military in August 1837 but returned to a militia role during the American Civil War, where he served as a Colonel for the Florida State Militia and commanded Fort Brooke in 1861.[5] Prior to the Civil War Turner owned and ran Oak Hill,[6] the largest plantation in Alachua County, Florida.
Turner was a proponent of secession and had unsuccessfully run for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. However, he is known to have been elected to the Florida Senate in 1865.[7]
Turner died on October 28, 1881, and is buried alongside his wife Isabella at the Parrish Cemetery.[8]
United States