Guide to the William Mason Turner Papers, 1857-1877

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2023

Collection Overview

Title:	William Mason Turner Papers
Date range:	1857-1877
Creator:	Turner, Wm. Mason (William Mason), 1835-1877
Extent:	0.25 Linear Feet
Abstract:	Contains personal correspondence, legal documents, poetry, photographs, and sketches of William Mason Turner, a graduate of Brown University (1855), physician, Confederate surgeon, traveler and author.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.77.1

Scope & content

The collection consists of personal letters written to William Mason Turner (1835-1877), along with family and carte-de-visite photographs, legal documents, poetry, a sketchbook, and newspaper clippings of Turner's verse, family obituaries and other items of interest. Of particular note are the remnants of a sketchbook with fine pencil sketches of various Civil War sites as well as numerous Union and Confederate gunboats.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Funeral journey to Springfield
• Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Assassination
• Turner, Hannah Adelia Ford
• Turner, Joseph Augustine
• Turner, Wm. Mason (William Mason), 1835-1877

Subject Organizations

• Brown University. Class of 1855.
• Confederate States of America

Subject Topics

• Physicians
• Enslaved persons -- United States -- Social conditions

Geographical Names

• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Correspondence
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Pictorial works

Occupations

• Surgeons
• Soldiers
• Authors

Document Types

• cartes-de-visite
• Clippings
• Drawings
• Letters (Correspondence)
• Legal documents
• Photographs
• Poems
• Portraits
• Sketchbooks

Arrangement

The collection is divided into 5 series by type of manuscript and then arranged chronologically within each series.

• Series 1. Correspondence
• Series 2. Legal documents
• Series 3. Poem
• Series 4. Miscellaneous clippings
• Series 5. Portraits, photographs and sketchbook

Biographical note

A native Virginian, William Mason Turner attended Brown University
, from which he received a Ph.B. degree in 1855. Following Brown, Turner enrolled in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for a three year course of study. After completing his studies in medicine, Turner made a tour of Europe and the Middle East with a group of fellow doctors. His travel journal, entitled El-Khuds, the Holy; Or, Glimpses in the Orient, was published in Philadelphia in 1861. He subsequently established his medical practice in Petersburg, Virginia, where he married Hannah Adelie Ford.

With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Turner joined the Confederate Army as a surgeon. In September that year, he was on the staff of the General Hospital at C.S. Fort Nelson in Norfolk, Virginia. He was later assigned to the Confederate Navy in Richmond. By 1863, he was serving aboard the C.S.S. Chicora, a Confederate gunboat stationed at Charleston, South Carolina. However, he was eventually captured and spent the last months of the war in a prisoner of war camp.

After his parole, he resumed the practice of medicine in Philadelphia, where he became a regular contributor of poetry, prose, and medical literature to local publications, including Saturday Night. He also authored several dime novels for the Beadle & Adams publishing house. Turner died in 1877 at the age of forty-two.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	The items in the collection are not in good condition. The paper on which the letters are written is brittle, the binding of the sketchbook has disintegrated, and on several of the encased daguerrotypes the image has degraded due to previous breakage or environmental problems. These materials may not be handled except by special permission of the curator.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Brown University Library. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	William Mason Turner papers, Ms. 77.1, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The William Mason Turner Papers were given to Brown University by Randolph H. George, a grandson of William Mason Turner, in August 1977. Mr. George had previously received these materials from another of Turner's grandchildren, Mrs. Harold E. Hamblen.
Processing information:	The title page image of William Mason Turner is from a photostat of a daguerreotype located in Series 5 (Portraits, photographs and sketchbooks) of this collection. The daguerreotype is loose within its frame and the glass is cracked. The frame of the daguerreotype is extremely fragile.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-06-21.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Additional Information

Related material:	The Brown University Archives maintains a biographical file on Turner which contains additional information on his studies at Brown and his post-Brown career, including a bibliography of his publications and a presentation copy of his book on the Middle East. For further information on Turner's writings, see "The House of Beadle and Adams," an online database compiled by the Northern Illinois University Libraries (DeKalb, Ill) and the author page for Turner, with biographical information: The House of Beadle and AdamsTurner, Dr. William MasonThe Smithsonian Institution Libraries have a web exhibit on American travelers in Egypt, entitled "Nile Notes of a Howadji," that includes Turner on its timeline: Nile Notes of a HowadjiTurner's Civil War service in Richmond is documented on the Civil War Richmond Inc. website: Civil War Richmond / Surgeons in Richmond
Separated material:	Materials originally in Series 6 of this collection have been separated (2 monographs and 1 title page). The monographs were cataloged separately: Latham, R.J. Man and his migrations. New York: Charles B. Norton, 1852 (Call number: GN370 L38x 1852 Hay Star) Anon. The Reformation in Europe. New York: American Tract Society, 18-- (Call number: BR305 B86x 1850z Hay Star)
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: William Mason Turner Papers

Inventory

---