In 1915, Mary Virginia Hagerman Watson was inducted into the DAR as a descendant of Gilbert Purvis. She was assigned DAR #115797. She is the only descendant of Gilbert to be successfully inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution based on his participation in the Revolutionary War. Her lineage is shown in the below snippet from the DAR Lineage Books.
In her application she states “Effica Purvis (Wife of Gilbert) grandmother to James P. J. Purvis afterwards lived with her Grandson James & from her Elizabeth R. Purvis learned the particulars of their experiences during the war & her husband being wounded at the battle of Eutaw Springs.”
To summarize the above lineage we have:
- Mary Virginia Hagerman Watson daughter of Mary Anna Purvis,
- Mary Anna Purvis daughter of Elizabeth Rose Campbell & James P. J. Purvis
- James P. J. Purvis son of Johnson Purvis and his wife Sarah
- Johnson Purvis oldest son of Gilbert Purvis and Effica Howell
- Gilbert Purvis, Revolutionary Soldier
Gilbert Purvis, Sr. died sometime late 1829 or early 1830 in Rankin County, Mississippi. It was at this time that Efficia Howell Purvis went to live with her Grandson James P. J. Purvis.
When Effica Howell died in July 1834, James P. J. Purvis petitioned the County for Letters of administration stating “That your petitioner is the grandson of the said deceased being the oldest son of her oldest son James.”
So, why did James P. J. Purvis, the grandson, petition the Court and not her son Johnson Purvis? I believe the answer to this question is because Johnson Purvis had passed away sometime before the death of his Mother, Effica Howell Purvis.
There’s a James Purvis that died in 1818 back in South Carolina and the Administrative Bond is on file in Horry County, South Carolina. For years I thought this James Purvis was the Father of James P. J. Purvis. Further research however shows that J. J. Purvis (Johnston James or James Johnston) made the trip to Mississippi and appears in three Tax List for Simpson County, Mississippi (1831, 1832 and 1833).
In this 1832 Simpson County Tax list we find both Father and son listed.
Gilbert Johnston Purvis, a uncle of James P. J. Purvis, states in his WILL ”I hereby direct my Executors to file a bill in chancery or commence such other suit as may be necessary & proper to procure from the aforesaid James P. J. Purvis, administrator as aforesaid, the full distribution & share of the estate of my deceased parents to which I am entitled insisting upon the advance made by my deceased father the said Gilbert Purvis to James Purvis the father of the said James P. J Purvis in the lifetime of them both, …”
Gilbert Johnson Purvis makes three important statement in the above comments:
- That James Purvis is the Father of James P. J. Purvis
- That James Purvis is his brother
- That Gilbert Purvis is the father of James and Gilbert Johnston
NOTE: Johnson/Johnston
For years the name has been shown to be Johnson because Gilbert Purvis parents are John Purvis and Sarah Johnson. But we can see from the tax list above that Johnston is correct and I have a land deed from SC that shows the Gilbert Johnson correct middle name is Johnston
.
The DAR application along with the probate and Wills of Effica Howell Purvis, James P.J. Purvis and Gilbert Johnston Purvis all states that the Father of James P. J. Purvis is either James or Johnson Purvis. The two tax list shows that Johnston Purvis is Johnston J. Purvis hence Johnston James Purvis.
Piecing together the clues within the above documents and we have a clear case that:
Johnston James Purvis is the father of James P. J. Purvis
So who is his Mother of James P. J. Purvis?
This one was a little tougher to answer; but, I believe with about 99% certainty that we have also found his Mother.
In August 1834, Effica Howell Purvis, grandmother of James P. J. Purvis died Hinds County, Mississippi leaving a sizable estate of slaves and personal property.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-30941-1653-18?cc=2036959.
Image 152 from Effica Purvis estate is partially transcribed below:
"Milly & her children, John, Frances and her child to J.P.J. Purvis & William Purvis, Jr. which said negroes we valued to the sum of $3100, upon the said William Purvis, John Purvis paying to the said JPJ Purvis & William Purvis, Jr. each the sum of $150, it being equal half of the difference in the valuations of the afs'd negroes when divided between said heirs. All of which is respectfully submitted to the Hon. Henry…"
Gilbert Johnson Purvis made the following 2 statements in his WILL:
"all of my property is now in dispute between myself & James P. I. [or J.] Purvis and William Purvis and in consequence thereof upon the advance made by my deceased father the said Gilbert Purvis to James Purvis the father of the said James P. I. [or J.] Purvis in the lifetime of them both, and after my Executors"
and
“I do hereby nominate my friends and relatives John Purvis & William Purvis of Hinds County my executors to this my last will and testament”
Close examination of the estate documents and Wills shows that the estate was left two groups of men:
J. P. J. Purvis and William Purvis
and
John Purvis and William Purvis (relatives)
I believe that William Jr. and James P. J. Purvis are in fact sibling and children of James Purvis. I also believe that William Jr. is William H. H. Purvis and was referred to as Jr because he had an older Uncle William mentioned in the 2nd group of men with John Purvis. I have no document proving this but I have researched this line for 41 years and I base my conclusions on all the data and research I have done in those 41 years.
William and John Purvis are referred to in the WILL as"my friends and relatives John Purvis & William Purvis of Hinds County my executors to this my"
(note: William & John are two sons of James F. Purvis, Sr. a brother of Gilbert Purvis)
William H. H. Purvis married Jemima Magee about 1830. After the death of Effica Howell Purvis (Grandmother) in August 1834 and brother James P. J. Purvis in 1836; William H. H. Purvis gather up his Mother, Wife Jemima and their 3 children and moved to Polk County, Texas. There William H. H. and Jemima would add two additional children to their family.
There also, came the first clue to the Mother of William H. H. Purvis and his brother James Purdee J. Purvis.
Line 10, Sarah Purvis, widow, age 60, born in SC. The Purvis left Chesterfield County, SC about 1818, migrated to Clarke County, Alabama and them on to Hinds , Simpson and Rankin County, Mississippi.
I think there is enough direct and circumstantial evidence to show the reconstructed composition of this family to be:
- Johnston James Purvis, male, b. 1784-1790, d. aft 1833, Simpson Co., MS
- Sarah [LNU], born 1790, d. aft 1850, Polk Co., TX.
- James Purdee J. Purvis, son, b. abt 1811, d. bef 22 Feb. 1836, Hinds Co., MS.
- William H. H. Purvis, b. abt 1813, d. June 1855, Polk Co., TX.
Related Readings:
http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-elusive-parents-of-james-p-j-purvis.html
http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2012/04/clues-to-parents-of-william-h-h-purvis.html
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[1] "Mississippi, Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-31017-15069-8?cc=2036959&wc=M79W-ZNP:344538201,346634901 : accessed 7 December 2014), Hinds > Wills 1832-1917 vol 1-2 > image 53 of 624; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.
[2] Hinds County Chancery Court, MS, Mississippi, Probate Court Estates, Old Series,, MDAH Microfilm #10391, Family History Library Film # 1738590: Estate # 264, Gilbert Johnson Purvis; died Nov 1835.
[3] "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-30941-1632-13?cc=2036959&wc=M7M1-WWL:344538201,345915201 : accessed 31 August 2015), Hinds > Estates (series 1) 1838-1843 no 234-283 > image 683 of 1719; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.
[3] "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-30941-1653-18?cc=2036959 : 21 May 2014), Hinds > Estates (series 1) 1838-1843 no 234-283 > image 132 of 1719; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.
[4] "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21381-30365-21?cc=1919687&wc=M6J9-YWL:211953101,211963301 : accessed 27 Apr 2014), Simpson > County tax rolls 1824-1845, Box 3764 > image 57 of 276; citing Government Records, Jackson.
[5] "Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21381-30272-71?cc=1919687&wc=M6J9-YWL:211953101,211963301 : accessed 27 Apr 2014), Simpson > County tax rolls 1824-1845, Box 3764 > image 70 of 276; citing Government Records, Jackson.
[6] "Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21381-31596-87?cc=1919687&wc=M6J9-YWL:211953101,211963301 : accessed 27 Apr 2014), Simpson > County tax rolls 1824-1845, Box 3764 > image 86 of 276; citing Government Records, Jackson.
[7] "Mississippi, Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-31017-15011-30?cc=2036959&wc=M79W-ZNP:344538201,346634901 : accessed 7 December 2014), Hinds > Wills 1832-1917 vol 1-2 > image 62 of 624; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.
[8] "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-30999-25361-1?cc=2036959&wc=M797-F3D:344538201,346502101 : accessed 1 September 2015), Hinds > Estates (series 1) 1835-1845 no 283-322 > image 1473 of 1703; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.
[9] DAR APP#115797 shows Johnson Purvis as a son of Gilbert and Effica Howell Purvis, born before 1792 and died 183x in Mississippi. Wife named Sarah.
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