John Turner

Baptised in St Pauls church, Dublin, 6th December 1817. Godparents were Michael Nugent and Anne Kelly.

John Turner must have accompanied his parents and siblings to Coventry, circa 1832, because his name appears in the communion records of the local Catholic church, Most Holy Sacrament and St Osburg's. This church was also the location of his marriage with Harriet Dillon, and the baptism of their first two children, Mary Anne (1840) and John Patrick (1841).

They travelled to Sydney, Australia on the ship 'Shamrock', which departed from the port of Launceston, Tasmania, on 28th December 1844.

From: https://www.sydney.edu.au/paradisec/australharmony/register-T-2.php

TURNER, John (John TURNER; Mr. J. TURNER; Mr. TURNER)

Professor of music, teacher of singing and pianoforte, vocalist, Irish comic vocalist, actor, organist, choral conductor, string band conductor, musicseller, piano tuner. In 1868 he was a teacher of music, and lived at South Head Road, Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Born ? Dublin, Ireland, 1817; ? baptised St. Paul's (RC), Dublin, 29 November 1817; son of Luke TURNER and Mary ? Active Sydney, NSW, by c. 1845 Married ? Harriet ? (d. 1866), by c. 1850 Active Sydney, NSW, by 1866 Died Paddington, NSW, 19 November 1889, aged 72

Death record states: TURNER. — November 19, at his residence, Broombee, 169, Glenmore-road, Paddington, John Turner, professor of music, and for many years organist to the Sacred Heart Church, aged 72 years.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/search?l-publictag=John+Turner+d1889 (TROVE tagged by Australharmony)

https://sydney.edu.au/paradisec/australharmony/register-T-2.php#TUR... (shareable link to this entry)

Summary:

John Turner's death records give his parents' names as Luke and Mary and his birth around 1817, details which match a record of baptism at St. Paul's, Dublin City, on 29 November 1817.

According to a later advertisement, Turner was "leader of the choir" at St. Mary's cathedral, Sydney. He made his debut as a concert singer for Maria Hinckesman at the Royal City Theatre in May 1845, when another Turner was also billed as a member of the theatrical band. John Turner is nowhere documented playing or teaching any orchestral instrument, so this was probably Stephen Turner (not related).

By late 1856, Turner had relocated to Maitland, where he was organist of St. John the Baptist's Catholic church, West Maitland.

In February 1847 he advertised as a teacher of singing and pianoforte and proprietor of a music retail business. At his Maitland concert in 1849 he was assisted by former Drury Lane singer, Marian Maria Chester. In 1850 he advertised that he had formed a "STRINGED QUADRILLE BAND, performing all the modern Polkas, Mazourkas, Waltzes, Quadrilles &c.", though again, since there is no record of him being a violinist himself, he probably relied on the services of his local musical colleague Edward Faning.

There is no indexed record of Turner's marriage, or of his wife Harriet's family name. Nor is their eldest son Tobias's birth indexed; he was reportedly 17 when he died in 1863, and therefore born around 1846. In that case John and Harriet probably married in Sydney, no later than 1845, presumably at St. Mary's cathedral.

Helen (Ellen), later described as their second daughter, was born in 1848 and registered in Sydney (she married Charles Whittell in 1868 and died in 1935), and a second son, William John, later also a professional musician, was born and registered in Maitland in 1850.

John and his family had returned by mid 1852 to Sydney, where, in July, he was first billed as a vocalist between the pieces at the Royal Victoria Theatre, specialising in Irish songs, and in August and September as an actor in small and character parts. This association continued through seasons in 1853, 1854, and 1855, mainly as an actor, but also including occasional reprises of his popular local song, Paddy Malone's adventures in Australia.

When Andrew Torning and the Howsons began to reintroduce operas at the Victoria again at Christmas 1854, with The night dancers by Edward Loder, Turner took the part of the duke, as well as, presumably, singing in the chorus, and again in February 1855 took a small part in Barnett's The mountain sylph.

In the early part of 1856 he was in Anna Bishop's Sydney company, and in April 1857 in Frank Howson and Lewis Lavenu's production of Lucia di Lammermoor, his last theatrical billing.

From September 1858 onward he advertised regularly as a piano tuner, regulator and repairer.

He was organist and choirmaster of Sacred Heart church, Darlinghurst, by 1851, if not earlier.

TURNER. — November 19, at his residence, Broombee, 169, Glenmore-road, Paddington, John Turner, professor of music, and for many years organist to the Sacred Heart Church, aged 72 years.

Died in November 1889. (The Sydney Morning Herald of 21st November 1889 has the following:

THE FRIENDS of the late Mr. JOHN TURNER, Professor of Music, are respectfully invited to attend his
Funeral THIS (Thursday) AFTERNOON ; to move from his late residence, Broombee House, Glenmore-road, Paddington, at half-past 1 o'clock, to the R. Catholic Cemetery, Waverley.