Lawrence Edward Turley

Sharing our Links to the Past
by Wally and Frances Gray

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Lawrence Edward Turley (1908-1987)

The Theodore Turley Family Book, pp. 328-330

Lawrence was the fourth child of Edward Franklin and Annie Sariah Martineau Turley. He remembers the day in July when his mother with her children joined the other Saints in the exodus to El Paso, Texas. From there his family moved to Logan, Utah.

Lawrence was farmed out to a family on a farm at nine years of age where he learned farm chores and went to school where four grades were taught in one room. There he worked for his board, room, and clothes. Lawrence's mother remarried and life became more complex with a step-father whose religion was hard work, long hours and many tasks. Still Lawrence grew to love farming and the challenge in making the earth produce the necessities of life. The animal life on the farm fascinated him as he watched the animals grow and mature, all except the milk cows. Milking he grew to dislike.

He left home at 16 to work on a dry farm in western Utah. He attended Brigham Young College one winter, worked in mines in Arizona, and met his future wife in Glenbar, Arizona while working for and with his older brother. Lawrence and Florence McBride were married in the Salt Lake Temple April 23, 1930. They lived in Logan, Utah for 14 years where he worked as a carpenter, policeman, mail clerk and carrier. Gunsmithing and sporting goods business took him to Brigham City, Utah for 9 years where he built custom rifles for sportsmen the country over and gained a national rating as a gunsmith.

To make a better living for his family he learned the machinist trade. To relieve a severe rheumatic condition they moved to Mesa, Arizona where he established Turley Industries Mfg. Corp.

Church activities for Lawrence have been varied: Scout Master, Elders Quorum instructor, High Priest Group Leader and instructor, Sunday School teacher, High Priest Quorum presidency, ward teacher, assistant ward clerk, Genealogical Counselor, chairman, and advisor.

When Lawrence started his serious genealogical activity in 1958, Florence started with him. Since then they have worked together in most phases of genealogical work. Of course the crowning achievement was the call to the Branch Library in Mesa where they worked together for 5 years. The weekly genealogical work shops held in their home for 15 years were Florence’s joy, where she helped hundreds of people start Books of Remembrance.

A rewarding service began in Dec., 1958 when Lawrence was voted President of the Turley Family Organization serving two years. The same year he instigated the Family Newsletter, and continued its publication through approximately 14 years. Under the direction of Viola Turley Haws he helped spearhead the requests for material for this Turley Book.

Children of Lawrence and Florence McBride Turley:

Elsie Louise Turley Hess, born March 19, 1931 in Logan, Utah

Anna Jean Turley MacDonald, born Aug. 26, 1932 in Logan

David Lawrence Turley, born May 27, 1935 in Logan

Mark Edward Turley, born Aug. 3, 1937 in Logan

Marie McBride Turley Dugger, born Oct. 5, 1944 in Brigham City, Utah

Evelyn Turley Hanks, born Aug. 1, 1948 in Brigham City

Joyce Turley Richardson, born Dec. 25, 1949 in Brigham City

[Lawrence died 30 July 1987 and Florence died 16 March 2003.]