A Letter from America - Family Ties across the Atlantic
Two worlds connected by paper and ink
In the summer of 1899, on what was likely a hot and dry day, Ann (Margetts) Turner sat at her home, a farmstead, in West Jordan, Utah, pen in hand, writing to her husband James. He was thousands of miles away in England, serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and had already been gone for more than a year. Her letter — affectionate, practical, and tinged with longing — spoke of beet harvests, debts, riding on horse drawn wagons, and a trip to the canyon that was not quite the same without him.
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“We did have a good time, but I thought of you all the time… never mind, it will not be very long before you are home.”
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Her words were part of a much larger story: one of family divided by an ocean, linked by faith, obligation, and the fragile lifeline of correspondence.
The Turners of West Jordan and Lenham
The Turner's story stretched across decades and continents. In Utah, James Finch Turner was building his life in the heart of the Mormon community with his wife and large family; James and Ann had at least 12 children born between 1864 and 1887. Having been born in Lenham in 1841, James had moved up to London with his parents as a boy and emigrated with them to Salt Lake City in 1854. (You can read about his parents and the families treacherous journey in another article on my website.)
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At the time of James’ mission to England in 1898, and thousands of miles away, James had an aunt and uncle who were entering old age in modest circumstances, living in the Douglas Almshouses, Lenham, Kent. From the letters it is obvious that during his time in England, James reconnected with his relatives who were still residing at the ancestral family home of Lenham.
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In these letters — preserved between 1899 and 1912 — we see the daily realities of both worlds. Utah was young, growing, and defined by the industrious Mormon settlements. Lenham was centuries old, rooted in English rural life, with the Almshouses a refuge for those of limited means in later years.
See the original letter Ann wrote to James from Utah on 7th September 1899, or read the transcript
View the letter
Read the transcript
Photograph courtesy of James Godfrey (Lenham, 2025)
Background - Douglas Almshouses
Founded in the 17th century by The Honywood Charity, the Douglas Almshouses in Lenham, built on the foundations of the old workhouse, provided small dwellings and modest pensions to elderly residents of the parish.
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When she died in the early part of the 17th century, a wealthy resident of Lenham, Mary Honywood, left considerable lands to finance the building of 6 almshouses. These were built after her death by her son in 1622. Her bequest also included funds to finance annual payments to the almshouse residents. Almshouses could be considered the oldest form of social housing that we know today. Currently, Lenham has 29 almshouses funded by The Honywood and Douglas Charity, the two of which united in 1996.
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Incidentally, Mary Honywood, a legend in her own right, and a remarkable woman, had 16 children and is known for having the greatest number of living recorded descendants at the time of her death, 367. She lived at Royton Manor in Lenham Heath and died in 1620 at the age of 93. She is buried in Lenham Churchyard. Mary’s son Antony, who was childless, died in 1623, by which time he had already transferred the majority of his assets to the charity.
Henry and Mary Turner - pensioners in Lenham
Before Antony had died, he had purchased land which could be utilised to fund the allowance that was paid to the almshouse residents. A couple of centuries later, the economical climate made it more and more difficult for funds raised from the land to cover the expense of the annual stipend made to the residents. In 1892 the resident’s allowance was halved. It wasn’t until 1900 when Isabella Larkins, the daughter of the Lenham stone mason, gifted the charity £1000 that the full amount of 5 shillings was reinstated. Isabella also had a connection to our own family via James’ aunt and uncle, Mary and Henry Turner, who were residing at the almshouses in their later years. Isabella’s father, William Clarke, was the great-great uncle of Henry and Mary’s son in law Fred, who had married their daughter Emma (you can read more about Emma later). I wonder if they knew, or whether this had influenced the fact that they had managed to obtain a place at the Douglas Almshouses.
The old workhouse mortuary which still exists today and is a notable feature in the village of Lenham - the Douglas Almshouses were built next to this, on the foundations of the old workhouse.
Photograph courtesy of James Godfrey (Lenham, 2025)
Henry and Mary Turner had moved into the Douglas Almshouses sometime between 1901 and 1906. We know this because during the 1901 census they are still living at Woodside Green, but by 1906 when we read the first letter that we have available to us, they are living at The Douglas Almshouses.
As you can see above, in 1901 Henry is still working as a labourer at the age of 70, and Mary is 68. They are already pensioners. Unfortunately, in those days, if you did not work, you did not get paid, and you would have to rely on the parish to keep you. When James visited them, which we know he must have done, in the late 1890’s, he would have visited them at Woodside Green. Being allowed to live at the Almshouses, and being paid an allowance to do so, was likely a godsend to Henry and Mary. Despite this allowance, we will see in the letters exchanged with their nephew James in the decade after his visit that they were still living in relative poverty; but likely better off than some.
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In her letter, dated 19th May 1906, Mary writes:
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"You must understand that your uncle can't work much at his age; if he lives till 24th June he will be 76 and his legs have nearly refused to carry his body but he does a little sometimes."
For Henry and Mary Turner, the Douglas Almshouses provided them with a weekly stipend and security. Their letter to James in 1906 details an increase from the 5 shillings allowance available 6 years earlier.
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“We live at Lenham now, in one of the square’s alms, close to the old cage and we get 6 and 5 ½ a week, that’s not much from both of us, but still, it is a great help”
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The almshouses would have provided James’ aunt and uncle with the following:
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Weekly allowance in 1906: 6 shillings and 5½ pence for a couple.
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Facilities: Simple cottages, close to the church and village green.
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Social role: A mark of respectability — not the workhouse, but still a sign of financial need.
The Douglas Almshouses have been providing affordable housing and security to the pensioners of Lenham for more than 4 centuries, and they continue to do so. In our modern times, you can find them advertising vacant accommodation on social media posts. Applicants should be over a certain age, able to look after themselves and have lived in the local parish for a certain number of years - categories required in the 17th century carried over more than 400 years later! The Douglas Almshouses, a godsend to Henry and Mary in the early 1900s, and likely a godsend to the pensioners of Lenham today; some of whom may carry our DNA!