| Description | Letters from C. E. Turner, Birmingham, Huerfano County, Colorado, USA to Neville Chamberlain.
Turner was one of Chamberlain's school friends at Rugby. He later moved to a remote rural area in Colorado, USA where he kept chickens, but soon found this boring and lonely and found it difficult to earn sufficient money to make a living out of farming. His letters mainly relate to his life there. These letters do not relate to the sisal growing scheme except for very brief references, in response to Chamberlain's letters referring to it, and so appear to be placed in this series in error.
See also NC7/11/29/55 and NC7/11/30/132 for later letters from Turner.
The following is a summary of the main topics in each of the letters:
/1: An account of Turner's life alone in a remote rural area in America. 5 February 1889.
/2: Turner housing the local post office for the area at his house, though 'only about 3 people post letters here'; account of Turner's life; his 'need to look after every penny now'; his belief in spiritualism; his house. 6 April 1889.
/3: Turner having nothing to do but read and him wishing to return to England but that he does not 'see a chance' of that happening and that 'things look awfully black for me here'; death of Turner's brother and his belief that his brother's wife caused his death; Turner's work in keeping chickens; 'the frightful monotony and loneliness' of his life. 28 October 1889.
/4: Turner wishing to return to England but thinking it 'would be very foolish to do so unless I had a sure thing'; work in keeping chickens; request for news about old school friends. 4 January 1890.
/5: Mud houses; Turner's chickens doing badly and his feeling he will have to give them up and go to work for someone else; his bleak outlook at his future in the local area; his dislike of his school days. 18 May 1890.
/6: Books; the lack of letters received by Turner; Turner having previously worked at the same accountants firm where Chamberlain was then working and about Turner having been dismissed; Turner doing various odd-jobs for people; him being unable to make a living on his ranch; him becoming 'most fearfully sick of this lonely life'; hopes that Chamberlain will visit him if he visits the USA; his dislike of various pupils at Rugby School; him being glad at the death of his late brother's wife [Turner felt that she murdered his brother]; fears of negative comments from Turner's ex-colleagues at the accountants firm and that Chamberlain would stop writing. 17 September 1890.
/7: Books and other reading material; Turner selling all his chickens; Christmas; smoking; visit to mountains. 21 December 1890.
/8: Turner being bored and being unable to make a living; Chamberlain going to emigrate to the Bahamas to manage the sisal growing business; Turner's recollections of Rugby School and his dislike of Hanbury at the school; his work at his ranch. 17 March 1891.
/9: Turner's concern at lack of letter from Chamberlain; his work and life on his ranch; his brother's financial difficulties. 25 September 1891.
/10: Turner's difficulty in returning to England without knowing a profession or trade; his wish to seek a farm 'in a more lively part'; his work and life at his ranch and difficulty in making a living; his family. 18 January 1892.
/11: Poor growing conditions at Turner's ranch; his life at the ranch; his brother in Birmingham seeking employment; books; lack of optimism about the future. 11 June 1892.
/12: Books; work on Turner's ranch; Turner having got part-time work as a postman; request to borrow money or arrange a loan so that he can buy his own horses; Rugby School; his brother moving to the USA; his family having changed from being formerly wealthy, his father having been 'one of the best off men in Birmingham at one time' to being poor. 16 October 1892.
/13: Thanks for Chamberlain's offer of a loan but that he does not expect he will need it now due to promise of loan from his aunt. 19 November 1892.
/14: Request for loan due to Turner's brother moving and them wanting to buy a new bigger ranch together; his other brother Hebus Turner who is a loan agent. 15 February 1893.
/15: Change of plans to stay at his existing ranch on his own due to him not getting along well with his brother and so has decided to return his cheque from Chamberlain; his work on his ranch. 25 March 1893.
/16: A 'terrible year' on his ranch with poor growth of crops; poor state of the local economy. 22 October 1893. |