Scope and Contents: The first part of this collection contains six letters (with typescripts and transcriber's footnotes) written by members of the Turner Family during and following the Civil War. The letters appear to have been dictated to and written by someone other than the author. These letters mainly refer to the health and activities of family and friends. These include letters from family members who served as "Buffalo Soldiers" - the name given to African-American soldiers during the Civil War.
The second part of this collection provides glimpses of African-American life in Madison County, Kentucky during the 20th century. These items include ephemeral material about local African Americans and correspondence about African-American history in Richmond, Kentucky. There is also a historical sketch detailing significant African-Americans in Richmond.
The final part of this collection consists of two Turner family reunion booklets which contain photographs, family history, copies of documents, and address lists.
Copies of supporting documents, such as census records, are included with the collection.