Turney, William A.

Born: 1832-03-23 Galena, Illinois

Died: 1875-03-13 Springfield, Illinois

William A. Turney was a court clerk, Democrat, soldier, and member of the Knights Templar of the State of Illinois. In 1855, he won election to the office of clerk of the Illinois Supreme Court. In June 1856, he married Maria Warren, with whom he eventually had at least four children. In 1860, he served as a delegate to and secretary for the Democratic Party convention in Sangamon County, Illinois. By that time, he owned more than $17,000 in real and personal property. During the Civil War, he served in Company C of the First Illinois U.S. Cavalry at the rank of private from July 1861 until his discharge on March 1, 1862.

Daily Illinois State Register (Springfield), 21 June 1855, 2:4; History of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the State of Illinois (Chicago: John Morris, 1885), 138; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Morgan County, 10 June 1856, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 22 December 1859, 3:2; Illinois Daily State Journal (Springfield), 11 June 1860, 3:2; 15 March 1875, 4:1; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 121; Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Ninth Census of the United States (1870), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 261; Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL.