Family History Notes and Photos by Bob Mesenbrink

William Turner was my 2g grandfather. His life was divided about equally between Scotland, Iowa, and Washington, with a brief time in England. He was born 13 July 1828 in Burnt Island, Fifeshire, Scotland, which is on the east side of Scotland, across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, son of Robert Turner and Isabella Cowan. His Turner ancestors had been minor landowners at Balgrochan, north of Glasgow. By the time William came along, the family fortunes seem to have gone. In 1851, the census showed that his father was a quarryman. In 1855, William married Margaret Bell, in Glasgow. Their first son, Robert, was born 16 October 1856 in Govan, Lanark, Scotland, on the outskirts of Glasgow. The second son, William, was born 8 March 1859 in Strathblane, Stirling, Scotland, not far from the home of his ancestors. The Turners soon moved to Sunderland, England, where William could pursue his boilermaker trade. Sunderland was known for shipbuilding and boilermakers were in great de