John H. Tunstall
by J. Young
Events & Genealogy
Born: John Henry Tunstall
Birthdate: March 6, 1853
Birthplace: Hackney district. London, England
Marriage: No
Children: No
Death: February 18, 1878
Cause of Death: Gunshot wounds
Burial: Lincoln, New Mexico (private property)
Siblings (click)
Emily Frances Tunstall (1850-?)
Clara Tunstall (1851-1863)
Lilian La Feuvre Tunstall (1868-1909)
Selina S. Tunstall (1869-?)
Mabel Tunstall (1870-1956)
Parents
John Partridge Tunstall (1815-1882)
Emily Ramie (1831-1906)
John Henry Tunstall was born on March 6th, 1853 in the Hackney district of London, England. John was one of six siblings, and the only son of John Partridge Tunstall and Emilie Ramie, who were wed on May 2nd, 1849. Tunstall likely attended the London Polytechnic school as well as other boarding schools in London. He was well educated and fluent in French. At age 15, Tunstall began working for the firm E.C. Foreman at 32 Gresham Street in London.
In 1869, John Tunstall departed from his job to embark on a grand tour of Europe, courtesy of his father. This trip took him through numerous countries, such as Switzerland, Vienna, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Paris. Upon his return, Tunstall undertook a business apprenticeship with the esteemed London firm, Ayers & Saunders, to learn the intricacies of the trade. Following the untimely passing of his dear sister Clara, the Tunstall family relocated to 7 Belsize Terrace in Hampstead in 1871.
In 1872, John Tunstall traveled to Canada to expand his family business, which his father already partnered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada as Turner, Beeton, and Tunstall. The London House on Wharf Street served as the primary business location, with further establishments on Government Street and Fort Street. Their business encompassed general imports and clothing manufacture. It was during this time that young Tunstall began to dream of building his own empire. John arrived in September and settled into the home of his new partner, John Turner, whom Tunstall referred to as an amiable gentleman.
At the age of 20, John Tunstall stood at approximately 5’7″ tall and weighed around 138 pounds. He had sandy brown hair, was clean-shaven, and suffered from poor eyesight, with near blindness in one eye. Tunstall had an affinity for women and had been involved with a few during his time in Victoria, including Jinny Cooper and Fanny Palmer, as mentioned in his letters to his parents in London. However, Tunstall upheld high standards and ultimately lived a solitary existence.
During Tunstall’s stay at the Turner house, his welcome began to diminish. After scolding Mr. Turner’s young son one day, Mrs. Turner angrily asked Tunstall to move out on account of the incident. Mr. Turner also wrote a letter to Tunstall’s father, expressing concerns about his son’s habits, including keeping too many dogs, oversleeping, and being impolite to hosts by staying at their houses too late. Other accusations included John taking his horse out while it was unfed and ungroomed, being messy, lazy, and careless in his work, and being overly familiar with the female store shoppers in particular.
John sought refuge at The Francis residence – a dwelling Tunstall had rented two rooms for his stay. During his time there, John expressed his satisfaction with the gas-powered rooms and appreciated the warm hospitality shown to him and his dogs. However, when Fanny fell from one of Tunstall’s horses, John expressed his desire to move, as if embarrassed. Eventually, Fanny passed away the following year when the boat she was on sank at sea. In the summer of 1875, John corresponded with his father about his intention to venture out on his own to California and explore the possibility of raising sheep.
After consulting with California sheep herder, Captain Martin Kimberly John Tunstall made up his mind to pursue his fortune in the United States. On February 14, 1876, he left Victoria, and after three days at sea on the Pacific, arrived in San Francisco on the 21st, where he checked into the Palace Hotel on Market Street. Without delay, Tunstall sought help to acquire land that he could stock with sheep. His goal was to gain comprehensive knowledge about goat raising. Mr. Kimberly set Tunstall up with an attorney named McClellan in Santa Barbara.
After spending two weeks in San Francisco, John departed for Santa Barbara on March 4th. Tunstall was seeking land that was either free or deeply discounted, and New Mexico seemed to be an appealing option. The attorney, Mr. McClellan informed Tunstall about the Spanish land grants and suggested that if John could court a beautiful senorita, he might acquire two things at once: a land grant and a girl. McClellan offered to introduce Tunstall to Samuel B. Axtell, who had been appointed governor of the New Mexico territory. McClelland convinced Tunstall that he should go to Santa Fe to begin his quest. On March 28th 1876 John left Santa Barbara for Santa Fe and wrote to his parents:
Once John reached Santa Fe, he checked into Paul Harlow’s Hotel on San Francisco street also known as Burrow Alley.
Full story coming soon! Please revisit this page later for full story!
Tunstall’s ranch house is described as a 14-foot-square log cabin with sand-filled grain sacks piled in front. During the inventory of the property, Sheriff Brady’s posse discovered 360 head of cattle, two shovels, and an anvil.
The Tunstall ranch is now known as the Flying H and is situated along Highway 82, twelve miles east of Elk.
Below is the location of The old Tunstall Ranch (private property) For best results, switch to satellite (click box bottom left on map)
About that croquet photo...
This tintype has been the subject of much discussion and analysis. Here is some pertinent information about this exquisite image. Randy Guijarro purchased the photo on June 10, 2010, from Fulton's Antique Shop in California. According to Randy's account, it is the wedding portrait of Charlie Bowdre and his wife, Manuela, with possibly Susan McSween standing alongside them on the horses. The man pointing is believed to be Tom Folliard. The photo was taken on the old Tunstall ranch, which is approximately 60 miles south of Lincoln. I had the pleasure of chatting with Randy about the photo back in 2020.. Here is what he revealed: “I found the tintype approximately June 2010, I always refer to it as Fulton’s Follies, an antique shop that has been long closed. I got three photos, two tintypes and a cabinet card, for $2.00 . I got two tintypes; the other one is related to the Croquet Kid. “Sally Chisum set up the tintype photo for the wedding celebration of Charlie and Manuela Bowdre. Sally wrote in her diary about this event. She wrote about the trip on the drive out to Tunstall's ranch, mentioning the flinty ground. You should see it in person! I have some flinty ground from the cabin site. Sally bought gingham cloth in Las Vegas, NM, and other things for the celebration. In my tintype, the girls are wearing new dresses made from gingham cloth, and the lace she mentions is there. The store in Las Vegas, NM, also advertised cardigan sweaters, along with croquet sets. If you look closely at Billy, he's wearing the famous hat, and one of the boys in the photo is sporting an Uncle Billy hat look. Here's a missed gem: look at Billy's hand, and you will see his gambler’s ring. As for Susan McSween, she took over as executor of Tunstall's affairs from her dead husband. Back then, the US government did not go after lawbreakers that committed crimes against foreigners. That really pissed off the Tunstall family in England. “The structure in my photograph measures exactly 21x21 ft. square. When we went to the location for the documentary, we measured the structure for the first time, and it came out to 21x42 ft. square. But we noticed that an addition to the original structure had been added; and upon further investigation, it has been verified that the original structure size was 21x21 ft. square. “You can bury the dead but you can't bury the Truth!!” The photograph's origins have been traced by historian and researcher David Turk. According to Turk, the tintype was in possession of the Bowdre family and belonged to Charlie's brother, Benjamin, who resided in Arkansas. Benjamin was said to have been Charlie's closest sibling and presumably collected Charlie's possessions from his widow, Manuela, after his death or after her remarriage. The photograph shows a hole in the top where it was possibly hung by a nail at one time. Eventually, Benjamin's daughter inherited the tintype while residing in California. According to researchers, her descendant would pass away in Fresno CA and leave the tintype in a storage unit Will this tintype get its needed provenance? In Bowdres case I'd say yes...but The Kid? I will say this, after viewing the National Geographic episode about Randy's photo, it reignited my lifelong fascination with the enigmatic life of Billy the Kid.
Suspected location of the croquet photo at Tunstall Ranch (private property)
For best results, switch to satellite
To check out the Tunstall murder site, follow the trail below!
https://palsofbillythekidhistoricalsociety.com/tunstall-murder-site/
