Tony L. Turnbow

Tony L. Turnbow, a Southern U.S. author, has studied the history of the Natchez Trace for more than 40 years. His grandparents lived on his ancestors’ early-1800s farm along the historic Natchez Trace Chickasaw Trail. Since the time he grew up exploring his ancestors’ farm along the old Natchez Trace and listening to the stories they passed down, he has fed his love of history with historical research into the primary documents—original journals, letters, and official records.

On January 24, 2026, he will release Jefferson's Spy: The Secret Life of Meriwether Lewis, book one of a two-volume series about Lewis's life and mysterious death on the old Natchez Trace in Tennessee. After publishing works in scholarly historical journals, in 2018, he released his first nonfiction, Hardened to Hickory: The Missing Chapter in Andrew Jackson’s Life, from unpublished documents he tracked down over seven years. He has since released a young adult historical fiction trilogy, Fighting Devil’s Backbone, including The Shadow of E. Z.’s Fear, E. Z. and the Chikasha Warrior, and E. Z. in the Den of Thieves. The trilogy allows both young and old readers to explore the world of the old Natchez Trace.

Mr. Turnbow practices law in Franklin, Tennessee. With a Bachelor of Arts and a concentration in southern U.S. history from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law, he has continued to apply his training to explore unpublished primary sources about the Natchez Trace.

He frequently speaks to groups, and he enjoys telling the stories of the Natchez Trace.