Turgeons of California

Before we explore the Turgeons of California, take a few moments to look at the photos below. These are the wedding photos of Merida (Merilda) Patry Turgeon Delire. Phileas married Merida on February 5, 1883 when he was 22 years old. Merida was 16 years of age at the time, and after they exchanged vows, both made their way to Dakota territory. Their marriage lasted a little over 12 years before he accidentally drowned in the Missouri River. Merida waited four years to remarry, and in 1899 she exchanged vows with Peter Delire who was "six" years her junior!

 

What did the Turgeons experience when they settled in the Dakota wilderness. I remember talking with Cecelia Renshaw in the early 1980s in her Oakland home, and she asked an unusual question, "do they still have stage coaches in South Dakota?" At the time, it struck me as being humorous. My point is that Merida may not have known what to expect, as Dakota territory at the time was still "the wild wild west." The following story associated with Phileas' brother, Abraham, in 1890, illustrates this point.

"One big scare for the settlers was the Indian Messiah dances on Black Pipe Creek. The fall of 1890 John and other cowhands rode for horses to Black Pipe Creek which was south of Kadoka. John was working for Abraham Turgeon when the Indians came up to Huston Springs. They were prepared with 45’s and plenty of ammunition but the Indians did not accost them in their log headquarters. Ole Flisram was taken captive and held in the Indian’s camp. An Indian woman was making biscuits on a bread board on the dirt floor, stopping to pat the mongrel by her side. Ole was hungry and the biscuits tasted good even though the mongrel dog kept a beady eye on him. The whitemen parleyed with the Indians and asked them not to harm the settlers. Ole was released and the band broke camp, riding away peacefully. Mrs. Samuel Lunn and her small daughter Anna came to John and Ida’s log house for protection and Sam Lunn returned to his claim. He and August Kappelman stayed in their cabins on their claims. One evening they noticed a caravan of Indians riding along the trail, but to their relief they discovered it was a survey crew for the Northwestern Railroad run. The Indians were not of the Messiah dancers and were riding to Fort Randall for protection."

The Turgeons were also very sociable, as this historical note from 1900 suggested:

"The dance was held in a log house at the old Felice Fallas place where a Turgeon then lived. It was located above Snake Creek on the east side of the River. Narcisse Drappeau and big Bill LaRoche were the fiddlers. There were full bloods and half-breed Indians there but John Flisram, Tom Lunn, and George Lane were the only whitemen. The crowd numbered approximately one hundred people. The admission charged was fifty cents per person for the dance and supper."

In 1974, Nora Unglaub from Bonesteel, South Dakota, recorded:

"... the Turgeon brothers were friendly with the Indians, as the Indians never wasted anything, and the Indians served as guides to them. Ludger (Ben's brother) was very defensive of the Indians. Ben's wife was an Indian registered in the Sioux Tribe in Rosebud. Mrs. Unglaub thought that Armine, Ben's wife was only part Indian, as she had fair skin and blue eyes." We learned earlier that Armine's father was French Canadian and her mother came from Yankton Sioux Indian tribe.

Edgar, Margaret and Lynn Turgeon

I should not forget to include Edgar's wife, Margaret (Margie) Fellows. She was the sister to Lynn Fellows, an attorney from Plankinton, that dad frequently talk about. I believe that our father worked in the Fellows law office temporarily (fresh out of law school) before moving to Chamberlain, SD. Margie's son, Lynn, was an economist who gained fame as he wrote several articles and books about the economic impact of the Cold War with Russia.

Lynn Turgeon (ancestry.com).	Lynn, Edgar and Margie Turgeon. Ancestry.com. Click to enlarge.
Edgar Lynn Turgeon (young man). Click Here To view more Turgeon Photos	Lynn and his father, Edgar Turgeon. Ancestry.com. Click to enlarge.

 

Family Lore about Edgar Turgeon

Edgar was the fifth child born to Philias and Merida. The second child, Zelia died early (typhoid?), and without the bravery of Edgar, his youngest brother Frances would have died in a fire set by a farm hand. Edgar was able to save Frances from the cradle when the house burned down. His mother was in town when the fire broke out. This information was provided by Edgar's wife, Margie Lucille Fellows Turgeon on 21 July, 1974.

Newspaper articles

Below are a few selected newspaper articles of our family in Northern California.

1967 One of the boys receives a commendatio	Click to enlarge.	July 1966. Marriage Announcement
1957. Prize Party. Click to Enlarge.	1970 Cecelia's husband. Click to enlarge.	1970 (Jan). Click to enlarge.
Cover of one of Lynn's books.	1935. Christmas Whist organizer. Renshaw See More News Articles Click on News Articles or Photo Click Here to see the second page of photos and articles.

 

Second Page of Turgeon Information

Click Here to see the second page of photos and articles.