Turpin Origins in Chattanooga, TN

On July 1st I spent the day in Chattanooga, Tennessee with a video camera in hand to search for sites of significance to our Turpin family history.

My grandfather, King ("Little King") Turpin, Jr. was born in a house boat on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga on Februrary 3, 1903. Until his early teens, Chattanooga seems to have been Little King's home town.

In addition to scenes of the Tennessee River, the following video also captures shots of (1) the approximate place where King's mother died, (2) the children's home where he lived after the authorities removed him and his sister from their father's home, and (3) the site of Captain Frazier's estate where Little King and his sister stayed after running away from home.

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The Kindness of Captain Frazier

At some point between 1908 and 1915, "Little King" Turpin and his sister, Minnie Belle, ran away from their home at Mullins Cove on the Tennessee River and were embraced for several days by the kindness of a gentleman in Chattanooga, Tennessee referred to as "Captain Frazier."

The complete story is told in the post entitled, "Runaways at Mullins Cove."

Minnie described Captain Frazier as old, wealthy, and kind. She also reported that he had sons who became well-known lawyers. He had house servants as well.

In light of Minnie's words, Captain S. J. A. Frazier fits the description.

S. J. A. Frazier was a former Confederate captain residing in Chattanooga at the time of the runaway story. Some details about his life may be reviewed at Chattanoogan.com.

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