Turpin Family History - Other Generations

White Turpin's Middle Son - Joseph Alexander Turpin - White Turpin's middle son was Joseph Alexander Turpin and he was the current owner of White Turpin House's ggg-grandfather. Joseph was only two years old when his mother Rebecca died in childbirth with his younger brother, White, Jr. Joseph grew up on his father's "Oakland Plantation" in Washington, Ms. At this time, we have been unable to find a photograph of him, but we hope to come across one in our research.

Medical Hall - the home of Dr. John Archer is still standing in Maryland

From the Joseph A. Turpin Bible: White Turpin sent his son, Joseph, to the University of Virginia to go to school. During the Christmas Holidays, Joseph visited in the home of Stevenson Archer (Medical Hall, Harford County, Maryland), the Chief Justice of the Maryland Supreme Court, where he met Stevenson's daughter, Laura, with whom he fell in love. When he wrote to his father that he wished to marry instead of completing his college education, his father replied that a good wife was more important than a college education. ~~ Ellen Steele Satterfield

I suppose having lost his wife, Rebecca, so early in their married life caused White Turpin to make this statement to his middle son. Joseph and Laura married and came to live at White Turpin's "Oakland Plantation".

Laura and Joseph Alexander Turpin fell in love and were married at Dr. Archer's home, "Medical Hall", in Harford County, Maryland on October 17, 1836. They came back to Washington, Ms. and lived many years on White Turpin's "Oakland Plantation". Laura and Joseph were Kendell's (the current owner of WTH) ggg-grandparents. They had nine children- Stevenson White Turpin; Emily Mason Turpin; Laura Archer Turpin; Pamelia Lavinia Turpin; White Turpin; James Archer Turpin; Rebecca Hutton Turpin; Ellen Davis Turpin; Mary Hunt Turpin. Kendell is directly descended from their daughter, Emily Mason Turpin, who would be her great-great-grandmother.

Laura Stevenson Archer Turpin had two other siblings that moved to this area. They were James Archer and Pamelia Archer. James Archer married Mary Ann Hunt and they lived on their plantation called "Oakwood" in the Churchill area. Laura's sister, Pamelia, married Dr. Charles Thomson Chamberlain and they are buried in the Natchez City Cemetery.

Laura Stevenson Archer Turpin and Joseph Alexander Turpin are buried in the cemetery behind St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Innis, La. This is a small town outside of New Roads, La. and at one time was known as Williamsport. They are buried there with several of their children.

John George Archer was the first graduate of medicine in the United States. He was awarded his M.B. degree in 1765 from the College and Academy of Philadelphia which became the University of Pennsylvania. The first medical class in the United States had ten members, including an Englishman named Potts. As the faculty of the College of Philadelphia had been educated in England, they wanted to award to Potts the first American medical degree. The nine American students rebelled, and threatened to transfer to Princeton College, which was eager to award the first medical degrees. As the College of Philadelphia did not want to lose nine of its class of ten, they relented and agreed to permit the degrees to be awarded alphabetically. John Archer was first.