Pioneer collector of Ozark folklore and oral history. Turnbo amassed one of the most
important collections of Ozark material. He acted on his own without funding, working
intuitively without prior guidelines and often without much encouragement. Turnbo’s
collecting began as early as 1866 and continued at least until 1913. His earliest interviews
were, apparently, done incidentally; whenever he met someone with worthwhile
information, he usually made notes and filed them away for later use. It was not until the
1890s that he started thinking in terms of a larger project, one in which he actively sought
out old-time Ozarkers who would supply him with details about the past.
Turnbo’s material was first published in numerous columns about “old-times” in
several Arkansas and Missouri newspapers from 1898 to 1907. Two self-published
books, both tided Fireside Stories of the Early Days in the Ozarks, appeared in 1905 and
1907 and registered disappointing sales. Attempts to convert his massive collection into
profitable books were unsuccessful. In 1913 Turnbo sold his collection to William Elsey
Connelley, secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, for $27.50—the only
moneyTurnbo ever received for his work. Portions of the Turnbo manuscripts made their
way to various libraries in Arkansas and Missouri, and in 1987 sk volumes of Turnbo’s
stories were printed without contextual commentary.
Turnbos collectanea is still valuable because the data are very detailed and the
documentation is good. It is strongest in the areas of material culture and folk narrative.
W.K.McNeil
References
Allen, Desmond Walls, ed. 1987 Turnbos Tales of the Ozarks. 6 vols. Conway, AR: Arkansas
Research.