While I’ve been unable to find any published works of Clara Newman Turner, more frequently referred to as Mrs. Sidney Turner, this member of the WLCB has proved to be quite fascinating. Namely, because she was a cousin of the famed and beloved Emily Dickinson.

Mrs. Turner was born Clarissa Badger Newman in the year 1844. At the age of eight, Clara’s parents died, and she and her three sisters, Anna, Sara, and Catherine, became wards of Mr. Edward Dickinson, father of Emily. Clara grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, alongside Emily. She went on to marry Sidney Turner in October of 1869.

Turner was from Norwich, Connecticut, and documents indicate that the couple lived there for part of their lives, as well as in Baltimore. While there are no records to indicate that they had children, it appears that the couple had dogs. Mr. Turner served as the Chairman of the Committee of the Kennel Club, and Clara was, for a time, the vice-Chairman of the Ladies’ Branch of the Kennel Club.

Besides being involved with the Kennel Club and the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore, Clara acted as a vice-president of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Baltimore, was a member of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the National Civil Service Reform League, as well as a member of the Women’s Civic League. Turner was also, like several of her WLCB peers, on the executive board for the Edward Allen Poe Memorial Association. Additionally, Mrs. Turner was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore.

While, as mentioned, there are no works of Turner presently available, it is known that she wrote an essay called “My Personal Acquaintance with Emily Dickinson,” and shared it at a WLCB meeting. This personal piece was later edited by Clara Newman Pearl, niece of Clara Newman Turner, and then included in The Life of Emily Dickinson. The writing of Turner indicates that the two women were very close and fond of one another.

Clara Newman Turner passed away in 1920, and a copy of The Civic Courier, distributed by The Women’s Civic League, indicates that she was living The Cecil, a hotel in Baltimore, before her death.

Portrait of Clara Newman Turner, courtesy of The Kennel Club: A History and Record of Its Work