Samantha Lyons-Pauley

My g-g-granddad, Chas Turner, buried his gold under his oak tree @ beginning of Cival War instead of turning it in for confederate script. At wars end, dug it up, payed off debt of Ft worth incurred during Civil War, thus saving city. Tree is believed to be over 300 years old. Land is now Greenwood cemetery and tree is at the front entrance to cemetery. I was glad I made the trip to see it. It is also listed in the book "Famous Trees of Texas" which was published in December 1970 by the Texas Forest Service. This is the article from the book...."When the war between the states broke out, Charles Turner (1822-1875) one of the founders of Ft Worth, opposed the session of Texas from the Union. However, when the state voted to secede, he abided by the majority decision of his kinsman. Evidence of his acceptance of the mandate was manifest in his equipping a company of locan volunteers out of his own pocket. But when the Confederacy demanded that its citizens exchange their gold for Confederate notes, Turner chose not to follow the directive. Instead, he buried his gold under a live oak which was growing on the farm he had settled in 1851. Afther the War, Turner used his gold to aid in restoring to prosperity the town he had helped found.
Side note: The Turner Oak is about 200 yards North of the corner of White Settlement Dr & Boland St in Greewood Cemetery, Ft Worth. A bronze marker set in granite has been placed near the tree by the DAR."