Eulogy for Jake Turner written by Preston H. Turner
date: label: Date
content: 1906
name: label: Written by
content: Preston H. Turner, American, 1840 - 1911
label: Subject of
content: Jake Turner, American, 1832 - 1906
notes: label: Caption
content: Preston H. Turner (1840-1911) was the son of James S. Turner of Stanly County, North Carolina, who is listed with 31 slaves in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule and 36 slaves in the 1860 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule. Preston Turner served in the Confederate Army, first in the 14th North Carolina Infantry and then the 28th North Carolina Infantry. He was taken prisoner at the end of the war and then returned home in June 1865. Around 1906, he penned this eulogy for Jake Turner, who had been enslaved by Preston's father and who accompanied Preston during his Civil War service as a valet. Preston died a few years later in October 1911.
label: Description
content: A eulogy for Jake Turner written by Preston H. Turner after Jake's death on October 18, 1906. The text is handwritten in graphite on three (3) sheets of paper, with text on the front and back sides of the first two sheets and on the front only of the final paper. The document is title "Tribute to a Servant Faithful to / the Last:" at the top, and begins "On the morning 18th October, '06 Jake Turner died at the ripe old age of 74 years. As a slave belonged to James S. Turner, my father. He was of robust manhood hardy up to his death." This is followed by a narrative account of Jake Turner's role as an enslaved valet to Confederate soldier Turner during the Civil War. Jake continued to work for the Turner family after emancipation, which is also contained in the eulogy. It is signed at the end "P. H. Turner".
place: label: Place made
content: Stanly County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Labor
label: Topic
content: Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1865-1921
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Liljenquist Family Collection
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2016.166.1abc
objectType: label: Type
content: eulogies
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: graphite on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (each): 8 × 5 in. (20.3 × 12.7 cm)