Sturgills in America

Sturgill, David Bruce

Events

Parents

Families

Narrative

David Bruce Sturgill, born on a farm on Kings Creek, near Piney Creek, N.C., was educated in the Kings Creek Elementary School, the Turkey Knob Academy, and the old A & M State College in Raleigh, N. C., where he took his degree in Civil Engineering. After his marriage to Anne Ruth Weaver, in 1912, they moved to northwestern Montana, where he was employed by the Department of Interior in the Geodetic Survey of that area. While working there, a large section of Chateau County was opened for homesteading; so he filed a claim, leaving government service, two years later. The first four children were born on that homestead.

In the fall of 1921, Anne Ruth Sturgill, my mother, returned to North Carolina with four small children. I can still remember that train ride. I was not quite five years old, and it seemed to last forever. We spent the winter with my grandmother Sturgill. Dad remained behind to try to recoup as much as possible from the sale of the farm machinery and livestock. In the spring of 1922, he gave the homestead back to the grasshoppers and returned to North Carolina to the farm on Kings Creek, which he stilled owned.

After rebuilding an old house on the farm, Dad went to work for the Government again in 1927, as a Treasury Department agent, a "Revenue Officer!" In 1933, he resigned from government service and returned to the Kings Creek farm, wher he spent the remainder of his life. The next four children, whom my mother refers to as "her second family," were all born on that farm in Alleghany County, N. C.

Dad died in the fall of 1957 and was buried in the Piney Creek cemetery. On Xmas eve, 1987, Mom was in a hospital, very feeble but alert. She wanted her children to sing Christmas carols. Not being a very good singer I accompanied my brothers and sisters on the harmonica. Non of us had known until she told us that that was the only time all of her children had been with her on Christmas Eve as some of us were gone from home before our youngest sister was born.

The next day she insisted that she be "unhooked" from all the life support systems she was connected to and taken home. After talking to her Doctor we decided to honor her request. On the evening of Dec 29 she went peacefully to sleep and woke in Heaven. She was buried beside our father on New Years day 1988. She left behind 53 direct descendants of which I am very proud to be one.

David Andrew Sturgill -p. 170

David Bruce was originally named Charles Bruce but when he started to school and other children called him "Charley" he changed his name himself. -p. 170.

Source References

Ancestors