The Turner Family and the Annasmead Farm
- Yen Ho
- Sep 4
- 4 min read
Initially, I wanted to write about a Penllyn resident who attended an institute in New York relating to domestic arts and sciences, but something came up online that changed my research process in this post: In a Facebook group, Nathan Mackey stumbled upon a photo album that belonged to Robert and Annie Turner that provided brief details about their personal lives. After realizing the Penllyn resident I was researching about was related to the Turner family, I decided to take a look at how they connect with the Wissahickon Valley Region.
The Turners Immigrated to America
Annie Eliza Warburton Turner (1869-1928) was born in Newton-le-Willows, England, and married Robert Anderton Turner on August 29, 1894. According to the inscription in the album, they had their honeymoon at Lake District and Scotland. The couple had two daughters: Doris (1895-1980) and Marjory (1905-1987).
In 1908, the Turner family made a decision to move to America for Robert to find work at a farm. They lived in Tennessee for four years along with his parents John and Harriet Turner. The family made another move to Pennsylvania where Robert was hired to run a farm owned by Henry Pratt McKean (1866-1922) in Horsham. He worked at the Pine Run Farms for almost nine years before moving to Pine Plains, New York to run another farm.
The photos seen below were from Nathan Mackey's post in the Facebook group.
Life of Doris Turner
While her parents moved to New York, Doris and her sister Marjorie remained in Pennsylvania. For Doris, she attended the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in Scranton, PA, founded by Mary Brooks Picken, where she took a course on the art of millinery.
"I have been very successful with winter hats for all the family, which I have made from silks and velvets I had on hand."
- The Ladies' Home Journal (1917)
Doris was worked in the Ambler Red Cross during World War I as an assistant or a teacher in surgical classes. After the war, she married Claudius W. Haywood, II, and moved into the property that belonged to the Clayton family during the 19th century. The home was built in 1852 by Jeremiah Clayton, and it was passed on to his son George R. Clayton.
Fun Fact # 1: Claudius W. Haywood was the son of Joseph Haywood who had a home that later became the Artman Home, and the brother of Joseph M. Haywood, publisher for the Ambler Gazette.
Claudius W. Haywood, III
Claudius W. Haywood, III (1920-1942) graduated in Ambler High School in 1938 where he played football and ran track. After high school, he spent five months at the Army's Technical Training School at Chanute Field in Illinois. He was enlisted in the US Army in March 1941, and was stationed at the McClelland Field in Sacramento, California where he was an aviation mechanic. He was then transferred to the Kellogg Field in Michigan.
On July 1, 1942, his plane crashed down in McDowell County, West Virginia, killing all 21 members of the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was one of the victims of the crash. His body was brought back home in Lower Gwynedd where he was properly buried.
A memorial was erected in West Virginia in honor of the 21 victims of the crash.
Bibliography
"ANNIE ELIZA TURNER." Ambler Gazette. November 1, 1928. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_16807.
"Annie Warburton Turner’s Album." The Warburton Website. Accessed January 29, 2025. https://warburton.one-name.net/?page_id=4375.
"Haywood Burial Held From Home." Ambler Gazette. July 9, 1942. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_19136.
"Local History. East Corner of Gwynedd--Hugh Plantation--Garret Clemens--Farm of George Clayton--Old House on Welsh Road." Ambler Gazette. May 17, 1900. Page 7. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_2991.
Morris, William E, and Smith & Wistar. Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: from original surveys. [Philadelphia: Smith & Wistar, 1849] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012590207/.
"Plane Crash Memorial." Clio. Accessed June 11, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/66075.
"Premier Plane Crash." The McDowell County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Accessed June 11, 2025. https://meetmcdowell.com/locations/premier-plane-crash/.
"Robert Anderton Turner." The Warburton Website. Last modified October 31, 2020. https://warburton.one-name.net/clans/Partington/ps02/ps02_119.html.
Roberts, Ellwood. Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Containing Genealogical Records of Representative Families, Including Many of the Early Settlers and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens, Volume 2. (New York: T.S. Benham, 1904): 14-15.
"The Ambler Red Cross." Ambler Gazette. December 19, 1918. Page 2. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_6824.
The Field Illustrated: A Journal of Advanced Agriculture, Scientific Breeding and Rural Sports, Volume 25. (New York: The Advanced Agricultural Publishing Co., 1915): 866.
The Ladies' Home Journal (April 1917): 89.
The Ladies' Home Journal (September 1917): 76.
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