William Iredell Turner

William Iredell Turner
BornJune 7, 1812
New Kent County, Virginia
DiedOctober 28, 1881
Manatee County, Florida
Known forHelping to found Bradenton and Parrish.
SpouseIsabell
Military career
Allegiance United States
 Confederate States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Confederate States Army
Years of service1828-1837
1860-1865
RankColonel

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.[4] 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]

  1. ^ Gibson, Pamela N. (1983). Major William Iredell Turner: Town Founder Extraordinaire. Bradenton, Florida.
  2. ^ Favorite, Merab-Michal (2013). Bradenton. Arcadia Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 9780738590783.
  3. ^ Waters, Zack C. (2018). "Tampa's Forgotten Defenders: The Confederate Commanders of Forte Brooke". Sunland Tribune. 17 (3).
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Paul (2001). Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide. Pineapple Press Inc. pp. 168–169. ISBN 9781561642359.
  5. ^ Taylor, Paul (16 December 2018). Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide. Pineapple Press Inc. ISBN 9781561642359 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ O'DONNELL, CHRISTOPHER. "Old Florida in Parrish". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  7. ^ Turner, William (October 15, 1975). "Speech by Mrs. William S. Turner, Jr. "Major William I. Turner"". Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  8. ^ "Bradenton makes American Style Magazine's Top 25 Cities list". bradenton.