Turnbow, Turnbough, Turnbaugh etc

Did you ever hear stories of how your ancestor -- some grandmother way, way, back -- was a Cherokee Indian or some other tribe of Native American? It seems as if every family has a tradition like this, but so few of us are able to PROVE this with census data, tribal membership numbers, and the like.


I am also one that was told that somewhere in my Turnbow ancestry, there was Cherokee blood. Proving it has been impossible!

(photo: Alan Starks, Wilmer TURNBOW Starks, Elzie Lincoln Starks)

I am going through my records, collecting census images, and photos of my Turnbow ancestors. My Great-Grandmother, Wilmer Turnbow Starks, was the daughter of Levi Turnbow and Nancy Elizabeth Munhollan(d). I realized as I have been working on this that there are a dozen ways to spell (and misspell!) Turnbow. Genealogists have to look for clues all over the place, as sometimes it's as simple as imagining you are an indexer. What do the letters TURNBOW mesh into? Tumbow, Tumbough, Tumbol... I feel like I am a handwriting detective sometimes! :)

I will begin posting photos, documents, and other pertinent photos and data to a folder offsite, but a link will be found in my "links" section of this blog. I hope it can help you in your search for your elusive ancestors. :)

Off to dig through indexes...
Dece