Wilfred Dent Turner was born in Iredell County, North Carolina, on January 30, 1855. His grandfather, Samuel Turner moved to Iredell County from Port Tobacco, Maryland, in 1818. Wilfred's parents were Wilfred Turner (1809–1893) and Dorcas (Tomlinson) Turner (1813–1900). The Turner family was the namesake of both the present day town of Turnersburg and Turnersburg township. Wilfred attended Duke University, Class of 1876, and was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He died on November 8, 1933, and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville, North Carolina.[1][2]