Posted by Trent Shue
on 12/10/2009, 2:55 pm, in reply to "Re: Jessie B. & Simeon Turley"
141.112.32.188
Hi,
I have done quite a bit of research on Simeon Turley and Arroyo Hondo. This story is well documented in the books Tom Tobin, Frontiersman, by Perkins, and The Taos Massacres, by John Durand. Though, I think John missed a connection,
that being the marriage of Alvina Vigil (daughter of Simeon Turley and Rosita Vigil y Romero) to William LeBlanc. Maria was married to Antonio Vigil, though several accounts state that Simeon was the childrens' father. Rosita had the following children:
Alvina, Tomacito, Jose Narcisco, Maria Pabla, Juan DeDios, Jose Andres, Jose Manuel.
Simeon Turley owned a trading post and a still north of Taos in a small valley called Arroyo Hondo, where he made what was called "Taos Lightning". He was killed during the Rebellion of January 1847, during which the US appointed Governor Charles Bent was scalped and beheaded. The insurgents then went north to Turley's Mill, where a small contingent of mountain men held the riotous mob off as long as they could, before they were forced to flee a burning building. John Albert escaped and traveled over 100 miles in the cold of winter, on foot to southern Colorado, to tell the story to people of a Mormon village, who thought he was delirious. LeBlanc and Turley escaped, but Turley was lame in one leg and could not go on any further. LeBlanc hid him as best he could. But a passerby encountered Simeon and later told the mob where he was. He was found and killed. He is buried in a mass grave in Taos. Same cemetery where Kit Carson is buried.
I'm a descendant of William LeBlanc and Alvina Vigil. William LeBlanc and Alvina Vigil had the following children: Jose Antonio, Juanita Rosalia, Maria Vincenta, Jose de la Luz, Maria Rafaela, Apolonia, Maria Arcadia, Jose Gabriel, and Gabriel(?).
William LeBlanc was a mountain man who, worked for Turley as a carpenter, married his daughter and ran the place after Turley was killed, taking care of his wife, children and mother-in-law. He was also on the jury that tried the insurgents. In his later years, he moved to Del Norte, Colorado with his sons, Antonio and Jose De La Luz. There are still LeBlancs living in the Del Norte, CO area. In the special book collection, The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West, has a write-ups on William LeBlanc v. 5 and Turley v. 7.
Juanita LeBlanc married Fritz Eggert and lived on the east side on the Sangre de Cristos near Las Vegas, near Sapello, eventually settling in the small canyon near Sabinoso, NM.
I'm interested in any information about Turley reunions.
I hope this helps,
Trent Shue
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