Thomas Turner was one of many who was born a Scot and died a naturalised American, but unusually for many early footballers not in one of the industrial cities of the East or the Great Lakes but in sunny California, in Alameda on San Francisco Bay. His home-town was Barrhead. His birth was in 1858 and he was a one-club man, goalkeeper for a dozen years for the local team, Arthurlie. His father was from Ayrshire and earned his living from a combination of the drinks trade and then as an auctioneer. His mother was from Mearns and at twenty-two Thomas was a Cashier in a local bank.

By then he was four seasons into his football career that would also see him regularly play for Renfrewshire and the Scotch Counties, on top of which he would be capped once, in 1884. In his first season between the sticks Arthurlie would reach the third round of the Scottish Cup. The following year it would be the Quarter-Finals, the same the year after and that would the maximum level reached as they were perhaps unlucky to keep coming up against opponents that would win or at least reach the final. 

In fact Tommy might have carried on playing or otherwise active in the game for longer. He was just into his thirties and also refereeing. But clearly a decision had been made. In 1889 he emigrated to the USA. A year later he was followed by Neilston/Barrhead girl, Isabella Watson. They had not married in Scotland but did so in the States on her arrival with the first of their two daughters born in California in 1891.