Joseph Turnell
Bluff Pioneer Cemetery Devonport
DEATH
TURNELL – On March 5, at his residence, Rooke Street, Formby, Joseph Turnell, aged 56 years. The funeral will leave his late residence THIS DAY, at 3 p.m. sharp. Friends will please accept this intimation.
The North West Post 6 March 1888
SUDDEN DEATH
An awfully sudden death occurred yesterday morning, shortly before 7 o’clock, when Mr. Joseph Turnell, ironmonger, of Rooke Street, Formby, joined the great majority. Mr. Turnell appeared in his usual health on Sunday evening and woke about half past 6 yesterday morning and rose out of bed for the purpose of getting a drink. On his return his wife requested him to call the servant girl and he remarked it was rather early to call her, but appeared then to be perfectly well. Shortly afterwards Mrs. Turnell spoke to him, but received no answer and was horrified to find that her husband was in the throes of death. She ran into her next door neighbor, Mr. Chapman, informed him of the occurrence and when he viewed the body life was apparently extinct. The police were made acquainted with the facts of the case and Dr. Payne was summoned and as soon as possible was in attendance. He pronounced the cause of death to be apoplexy and the coroner (Dr. Young) being communicated with, he decided that an inquest was unnecessary. Deceased attended church on Sunday evening and had only returned from Launceston train on Saturday night and his sudden death has cast quite a gloom over the district. The deceased gentleman, who was an old member of the Masonic fraternity, was a native of Yorkshire, England and was 56 years of age at the time of his death. When a young man he had been connected with some of the large iron manufactories of the county. He was much traveled and at one time had a business in Cape Colony, South Africa. When the gold fever set in in Victoria, in the early fifties, he left for that colony and after wandering about the diggings for some time, settled in Melbourne, where he acted as agent for a number of years for a London firm of ironmongers. About nine months ago he relinquished this agency and came to Formby, setting up in business in the ironmongery and crockery line in Rooke Street. During this short residence in Formby he made many friends by his genial manner and he took a lively interest in all that affected the welfare of the district. The deceased lost a son (who was 21 years of age at the time of his death) some little time ago and this seems to have preyed on his mind greatly and may have in some way tended to hasten his death. He leaves a widow and one married daughter to mourn their loss. The funeral leaves the deceased’s late residence at 3 p.m. this day
The North West Post 6th March 1888
The late Mr. Thomas Turnell
The funeral of the late Mr. Thomas Turnell took place on Tuesday afternoon and the remains were followed to their last resting place by a large number of friends of the deceased and some members of the local Freemason Lodge of which he was a member. The Rev. E. T. Cox officiated at the grave.
The North West Post 8th March 1888