Census Sunday~What Happen to Daniel Turnage and his brother, John Turnage

The 1850 Census, page 143 , for Chesterfield County contains a real genealogical mystery:

What happen to Daniel Turnage and his brother, John Turnage?

This is the only Census in which these two boys appear. In this Census they are enumerated in the household of Vicey Purvis

• Line 19, Dwelling  685, Family 685
• Vicy PURVIS, age 64
• Daniel Turnage, age 12
• John Turnage, age  11

The John Turnage in Vicy’s household may also be the John Turnage enumerated in Dwelling  684, Family 684, Line 18 with Mourning Turnage, age 42. 

Also on this same page just above Mourning Turnage is the Family of Mathew Sellers, age 32 and his wife Sally. (Dwelling  683, Family 683, Line 10

John and Daniel Turnage are,  as stated, enumerated in the Household of Vicy Purvis. An extensive search of records has been made to locate these two boys in Censuses after 1850. That effort has been futile. 

About mid-year 1859, Mathew Sellers and Sally moved their family to Choctaw County Alabama. We know that their youngest child was 6 month old in 1860 and was born in SC.

1860 CENSUS: Northern Division, Choctaw County, Alabama; Roll: M653_5; Image: 544; Family History Library Film: 803005, Page: 534(stamped); Line 29, Dwelling 541, Family 515; M. SELLERS, male, age 42, born in SC and S. SELLERS, female [wife], age 37, born in SC; J. [Jerusha]  SELLERS, Female, age 13, born in SC; M. SELLERS, Male, age 9, born in SC; S.[Sarah]  SELLERS, Female, age 11, born in SC; M. SELLERS, Female, age 6, born in SC; M. SELLERS, Male, age 3, born in SC and S. SELLERS, Female, age 6/12, born in SC. 

In 1860, their oldest daughter, Zilpha Ann, who has just barely turned 16 is no longer in the household of her parents Mathew and Sally Sellers. However, she is next door married to D. J. PURVIS. Line 37




But, Who is D. J. Purvis? Further research shows that D. J. Purvis is Daniel J. Purvis. After extensive searching no record of Daniel J. Purvis has been found until his appearance in the 1860 Choctaw County, Alabama census. 

Is Daniel Turnage and Daniel Purvis the same individual? I think so.

• Daniel Turnage was born in 1838 (1850 Census)
• Daniel J. Purvis was born 1837
• Daniel Turnage disappears after 1850
• Daniel J. Purvis did not exits prior to 1860.

I think that the Turnage boys took the name of their caregiver, Vicy Purvis. DNA testing is the only way this mystery will be solved. 

If you have any information that may contribute to solving this mystery please contact me by posting your comments to this blog post. 








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[1] 1850 CENSUS: Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; Roll:  M432_851; Image: 290, Page: 143A(stamped); Line 19, Dwelling 685, Family 685; Vicy PERVIS, female, age 64, born in SC; Daniel TURNAGE, male, age 12, born in SC and John TURNAGE, male, age 11, born in SC.  
[2] 1860 CENSUS: Northern Division, Choctaw County, Alabama; Roll: M653_5; Image: 544; Family History Library Film: 803005, Page: 534(stamped); Line 37, Dwelling 542, Family 516; D. J. PERREY [PURVIS], male, age 23, born in SC and Z. [Zylpha Ann] PERREY [PURVIS], female [wife], age 16,  born in SC.