Turgeon Family History

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TURGEON VITAL STATISTICS 

Abraham died on September 5, 1890 in Wheeler, Charles Mix County, South Dakota.  He is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Burke, Gregory County, South Dakota. 

Francois died on July 8, 1925 in Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota.  He is buried in St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota. 

Onesime died on April 8, 1930 in Bijou Hills, Brule County, South Dakota.  He is buried in St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota. 

In 1904 the western three fourths of Gregory County was opened to homesteaders due to the high demand for land.  Depending on who you talk to they were either settlers or squatters.  During the 1800's Congress had declared "Free Range" in this area.  The early pioneers in Gregory County included the families of Emery, Drappeau, Mahrt, Gaughen, McGhees, Sully, Hansen, Turgeon, Reynolds, Durfee, and Pete located in the northeastern area of the West River country. 

Ludger Turgeon died on July 22, 1940, in Bonesteel, Gregory County, South Dakota.  He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bonesteel, South Dakota. 

Benjamin Turgeon died on July 12, 1926, in Burke, Gregory County, South Dakota.  He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bonesteel, South Dakota. 

I am not sure where Philias (Phileas) Turgeon is buried; however, I saw mention of Bijou Hills as his place of death.  It is possible he is buried near there. 

There is also a Turgeon township in Gregory County.

 Second Generation – Phileas Turgeon 

Family Lore:  

Phileas Turgeon drowned in the Missouri River.  One winter he was leading a team of horses and wagon across the Missouri River when the ice broke through.  Phileas was able to save the horses by removing the harnesses; however, he left the harnesses and other equipment behind.  Later after the ice began to melt, Phileas attempted to retrieve the lost equipment.  It is said he and another person rowed a boat out to the site where his wagon sunk and Phileas fell overboard trying to retrieve his lost stuff.  In one version of the story, his body did not surface for several weeks.  He was 35 years old when he died. 

So what was Phileas doing at the time?  Abraham Turgeon and his brother Benjamin used to haul freight with ox drawn wagons to Deadwood and other points in South Dakota during that time period.  By this time Abraham had died.  It is possible that Phileas accompanied some of the Turgeons on one of their freight runs, and perhaps helped them from time to time. Our family story mentions horses, but it could possibly have been oxen. 

Sometime later Phileas’s wife remarried.  There was some confusion whether she married a man by the name of ‘Delire’ or ‘Chevalier’.  She married ‘Peter G. Delire’.  The Chevalier family were friends of the family.  

Phileas Turgeon married Merida Patry.  Actually, her real name was probably Merilda.  This is the name I found in the 1881 Canadian census as well as the name of the grieving wife in Phileas Turgeon’s obituary.  She used ‘Merida’ instead as this was the most common variation of the name used in Canada.  There is also some confusion as to how Phil spelled his name.  In Canadian records it appears as ‘Phileas’ and in some references in America it shows either as ‘Phileas’ or ‘Philias’. 

Another family lore story concerns our American Indian heritage.  Our father, John W. Smith, thought we were part Indian.  His sister, Mary Cecile Smith, thought we could have Indian blood, possibly Sioux.  Actually, I could not find any Indian heritage on the Turgeon side.  The Patry side is uncertain as I could not find any genealogical information for Merida’s parents, but nothing suggests this family ever lived anywhere but Bellechasse County, Quebec.  Many French people are naturally dark skinned.  We have Indian relatives due to other Turgeons intermarrying with the indigenous tribes.   So the jury is still out on this topic. 

One of Philias and Merida’s children was an excellent artist.  (Tim Smith has the old picture that hung up in the Smith family dining room.)  She won quite a few blue ribbons for her artwork.  The name has faded on the painting; however, it could have been painted by either Laura or Flora Turgeon. 

Family lore suggests a Turgeon owned a trading post along the Missouri River. 

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What We Know… 

Phileas is pronounced ‘fee – lay – us’ and the name is taken from an Egyptian saint who was beheaded in the 4^th century for his faith. 

The Patry Family 

The following information was taken from the 1881 Canadian Census.  Patry is a French form of the name ‘Patrick’.  Our great grandmother, Merida or Merilda, was born in Quebec in the same homeland where Charles Turgeon first settled.  Merida’s real name was ‘Merilda’ as shown in the 1881 Canadian census. The Patry family lived in Bellechasse, Beaumont, Quebec.  

Patry Family Household: 

I could not find any genealogical information beyond Louis Patry; however, I will keep looking.  It is possible that the Patry family was already related, even if distantly, to the Turgeon family.  In other Turgeon family genealogies I have seen the following Patry entries: 

Louis m. 1787 – Lauzon

Louis m. 1754 – Levis

Marie-Louise m. 1785 – St-Joseph de Levis 

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Phileas and Merida Family 

Phileas (Philias) Turgeon married Merida (Merilda) Patry on February 5, 1883, in Beaumont, Bellechasse, Quebec.  They immigrated to America later that year.  Merida and Phileas had the following seven children: 

Mary J. Turgeon born December 19, 1883, in South Dakota

Delia Turgeon birth date unknown

Joseph Turgeon born December 1886 in South Dakota

Laura Turgeon born  December 1885 in South Dakota

Edgar Turgeon born April 1891 in South Dakota

Francis Turgeon born September 1891 in South Dakota

Florida Turgeon born January 1894 in South Dakota 

I do not have any information about Delia Turgeon.  It is possible Delia died prior to 1900.  The 1900 census indicates that Merida had 8 children, but only 7 survived.  In 1900 she had one other child, Louis Delire; therefore, Delia must have been the child that died as Delia’s name is missing on the census records. 

The following is a biography for Mr. J. U. Steichen and appeared in the book ‘History of Dakota Territory’  by George W. Kingsbury on pages 981 – 982.  The article mentions his marriage to Flora Turgeon daughter of Phil Turgeon: 

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J. U. Steichen – Flora Turgeon’s Husband 

J. U. STEICHEN. 

        J. U. Steichen, an enterprising and promising young citizen of 

Hutchinson county and South Dakota, has served as cashier of the Dimock 

State Bank since its organization and is likewise a director and 

stockholder of the institution. His birth occurred in Alexandria, 

Hanson county, South Dakota, on the 8th of March, 1891, his parents 

being James and Lena Steichen. The father came to this state about 

thirty-four years ago and located on a homestead near Alexandria. 

Subsequently he embarked in business as a general merchant of Salem, 

McCook county, and later conducted a similar enterprise at Emery, in 

Hanson county. Elected to the position of county auditor, he held that 

office for two terms and then engaged in the grain business at Emery. 

In 1896 he embarked in the grain business at Parkston, Hutchinson 

county, and afterward conducted business as a dealer in implements 

until he entered the Hutchinson County Bank as cashier, in which 

capacity he has since remained. His wife is also yet living and they 

enjoy a very extensive and favorable acquaintance throughout their home 

community. 

        J. U. Steichen attended the parochial, graded and high schools in the acquirement of an education and after putting aside his textbooks entered the Security State Bank at Ethan, Davison county, remaining with the institution for two years. On the expiration of that period he came to Dimock to take the position of cashier of the newly organized Dimock State Bank, of which W. H. Shaw is the president. Mr. Steichen is also one of the directors and stockholders of the institution, the business of which is constantly increasing, and his efforts are a factor in its growth, for he is a capable, courteous and popular official. 

        On the 16th of September, 1913, Mr. Steichen was united in 

marriage to Miss Flora Turgeon, a daughter of Phil Turgeon. He gives 

his political allegiance to the democracy and is a devout communicant 

of the Catholic church, while fraternally he is identified with the 

Knights of Columbus, belonging to Maher Council, No. 1076. He is fond 

of outdoor sports and enjoys enviable recognition as a progressive and 

esteemed young citizen of his community and a worthy native son of 

South Dakota, in the development of which he is deeply and also 

helpfully interested.  

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Merida and Peter G. Delire Family

Merida Turgeon married Peter G. Delire in either 1898 or 1899.  Peter’s family lived in Charles Mix County and very likely met Merida Turgeon there.  Peter’s father was from Belgium and his mother was from Austria.  From Grandmother Mary J. (Turgeon) Smith we understand Peter was a nice man.  

I found the following land records for the Delire family in Charles Mix County:

Last Name               First Name             Section   Twp. No.    Range No. Twp Name        Comments

Delire                       Emma                      20         100N          67W          Carroll

Delire                       John                         29         100N          68W          Forbes

Delire                       John                         2           97N            66W          Goose Lake

Delire                       Joseph                     19          100N          67W          Carroll

Delire                       Peter                        19         100N          67W           Carroll

Delire                       Peter                        24         100N          68W           Forbes

 Merida and Peter had the following children together:

 1.  Louis Delire born approximately 1899

2.  Agnes Delire born approximately 1901

3.  Cecilia Delire born approximately 1905

The Mitchell City Directory for 1911-1912 shows the following information for Merida and Peter G. Delire.  The directory also misspelled Merida’s name as ‘Mereda’.

Mitchell      City Directory 1911-1912  

Lname         Fname         Spouse      Address            Occupation

Delire          Flora            None         b901 E. 4^th       tchr

Delire          Peter G        Mereda      r901 E 4^th        dist mgr New York Life Ins Co

TURGEON / DELIRE VITAL STATISTICS

Edgar Turgeon was born on April 27, 1890, in South Dakota and died on December 5, 1958, in Santa Clara County, California.

Joseph A. Turgeon was born on December 19, 1886, in South Dakota and died on April 24, 1969, in Santa Clara County, California.

Merida (Patry, Turgeon) Delire was born on March 31, 1864, in Canada and died on March 9, 1956, in Alameda County, California.  Peter G. Delire was born on April 12, 1870, in either Iowa or South Dakota, and died on October 30, 1949, in Alameda County, California. 

First Generation – Mary J. Turgeon

FAMILY LORE: 

Mary J. Turgeon homesteaded land in Western South Dakota to earn enough money for a dowry.

Our Grandfather, Frank Ryan, once said that Mary Turgeon was the most beautiful woman in the area.  Merida knew Mary’s beauty was an asset and she would only allow the Smith boys to date her.  (Merida wanted her daughter to marry well.)

Mary Turgeon rode side saddle on horseback.  Family lore suggests she could outride most men who rode horses regular style.

Speaking of horses, there is one story of a horse that Grandmother Mary found as a stray wandering the prairie.  It was a beautiful horse and Mary loved it.  Unfortunately for her, the owner of the horse eventually discovered that Mary had the horse and came to claim it.

One story suggests Mamie Smith also homesteaded near Mary Turgeon’s homestead.  Mamie was the sister to Mary Turgeon’s future husband, William P. Smith.

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What We Know…

The following Federal Land Record was found in the Bureau of Land Management Database for Jones County, South Dakota:

NAME                           MERIDIAN    TWP      RANGE    SECTION   ACREAGE   TYPE      CASETYPE    DOCID     DATE       

TURGEON MARY J     07                    001 S    027 E         027              160                272002    PA                  2306      05/21/1907 

Mary Turgeon married William P. Smith in 1910, probably in Kimball, South Dakota, as this was where both families lived.  William Smith was born in Bear Creek Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, on February 1, 1879, and died in November of 1962.

William Smith began as a Clerk with the Stickney State Bank and eventually became its President.  After the bank failed, he became the Postmaster for Stickney, South Dakota.

Mary Turgeon and William P. Smith had the following children:

1.  Mary Cecile Smith born May 18, 909

2.  Mildred Josephine Smith born 1915

3.  John William Smith born September 8, 1920

John William Smith is our descendent 

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