The Marriage of James F. Purvis

Today’s posting will be a short note concerning the marriage of my grandparents. For many years I have searched for a marriage certificate or Bible entry that would reveal exactly when my grandparents were married without success. Even going to the point of paying someone to search for the document.

There was one clue in this search. John Calvin Deese was the father of my grandmother. On 14 Mar 1908, John Calvin wrote his Will. Item 5 of that WILL reads:

Item V. I give and bequeath to my daughter, Lucy Pearly Purvis, the sum of One Dollar ($1.00).

I knew that my grandparents, James Francis Purvis and Lucy Pearl Deese were married sometime before 14 March 1908. But finding proof of the marriage continues to elude all search attempts until this past week.

This week I found a notice of their marriage in a County newspaper for Anson County, North Carolina. The newspaper was “The Messenger and Intelligencer” (Wadesboro, North Carolina), 12 Mar 1908, Thu, Page 1, col 6.]. James Francis Purvis and Lucy Pearl Deese were married on 8 March 1908 in Chesterfield County, SC over the objections of her Father. Lucy’s mother had passed away during childbirth when Lucy was about 4 years old. Her father had re-married. It is not known if the step-mother also objected to the marriage. Lucy and Jim had 7 children of which 6 lived to adulthood. They raised their children together until Jim’s untimely death in 1936. Lucy lived another 34 years without ever remarrying.  

Morven News
Miss Pearly Dees and Mr. James Purvis were married Sunday [8 Mar 1908]. Owing to the objections to the match by the parents of the bride, they used the South Carolina Ceremony.




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[1] "Miss Pearly Dees & Mr. James Purvis," Marriage, The Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, North Carolina), 12 March 1908, Page 1, col 6.; Digital On-Line Archives, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ : viewed & copied 6 May 2020); https://www.newspapers.com/.