Data Analysis - William A. Purvis, 1872 to 1880

William A. and Sarah Jane Purvis have made it through the past 12 years and now little William James has just turn eight (8) this past September. 

Just prior to Christmas 1871, William A. Purvis purchased a parcel of land in Anson County SW of McFarland, North Carolina with the lower portion of the land running with the North and South Carolina State borders. 

The parcel of land (60 acres) was purchased on December 21st, 1871 from James L. Edwards for a cost of $247.80.[1]

On that same day, William A. Purvis obtained a mortgage on this land from James L. Edwards for the exact same dollar value ($247.80) as the cost of the land; due on the first day of January 1873. [2]

Records indicate that James L. Edwards retained title to this land until 1883 even though William A. Purvis had purchased and then mortgaged the land in December 1871. 

On 21 December 1872, William A. Purvis purchased an additional parcel of land from W. P. Brantley consisting of 30 acres more or less for a sum of Sixty dollars ($60.00).[3]

At this point William A. Purvis now owns 90 acres of land in the central southern portion of Anson County just South West of McFarland, North Carolina.

Either the times between the 1870 to 1876 was pretty good for William A. Purvis or records have been misplaced but no activity was found in available records. 

Then on 2 February 1876, William A. Purvis entered into an agreement with J. C. Marshall & Co., Anson Co., NC  whereas:  

"J. C. Marshall & Co. of Anson County North Carolina have agreed to make advances to W. A. Purvis of the county of Anson and state aforesaid for purpose of agriculture during the year AD. 1876 to the value of one hundred dollars and such further amount as the said J. C. Marshall & Co. may deem necessary to be made and whereas the said W. A. Purvis desires to secure to the said J. C. Marshall & Co. prompt payment for the advances made in accordance with the provisions of the Acts of the General Assembly in such cases made and provided ratified on the first day of March 1867 and the Act to re-enact and amend the same ratified March 17, 1873" 

That's the money, $100.00; now what is it going to cost my Great Great Grandfather? My Great Great Grandfather

"shall create a lien in favor of the said J .C. Marshall & Co. to the extent of the advances made or to be made upon all crops. The said W. A. Purvis may raise during the present year and for further security the said W.A. Purvis bargains & sells one, one-horse wagon with the understanding that if the said W. A. Purvis shall will and truly pay the said J. C. Marshall & Co. for the advances as aforesaid on or before the 15th day of October the said lien shall be discharged and the said property shall revert to the said W. A. Purvis otherwise the said J. C. Marshall  & Co. shall have power to take into their possessions all of said property and crop on the farm or elsewhere if removed and sell the same or so much thereof for cash as may be necessary to pay for the advances aforesaid attorney's fees registration and any other expenses incurred in executing this provision first advertising said sale for ten days at three public places in the county. I the said W. A. Purvis do certify that no other lien or mortgage has been given upon said crop or property if this claim is not paid at maturity to bear interest at the rate of 8 per cent per annum from date hereof to the payment. In witnesseth whereof the said W. A. Purvis has hereunto set his hand and seal this 2nd day of Feby A.D. 1876." [4]

From this point on throughout the next four years William A. Purvis is put into a position whereby he must mortgage the "farm" in order to obtain cash to purchase crop seed for the following years.  

• 30 June 1976 - Trust Deed - W. A. Purvis to J. C. Marshall & Co., Anson Co., NC, Book 7, Pages 462-464.[5]
• 12 Mar 1877 - Trust Deed - William A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson, Anson Co., NC, Book 8, Pages 276-278.[6]
• 1 March 1878 - Trust Deed - W. A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson, Anson Co., NC, Book 9, Page 347.[7]
• 1 March 1878 - Trust Deed - W. A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson, Anson Co., NC, Book 9, Pages 351-352.[8]
• 3 March 1879 - Trust Deed - W. A. Purvis to Marshall & Richardson, Anson Co., NC, Book 10, Pages 431-432.[9]

Then on 23 July 1879 William A. Purvis purchases another tract of land consisting of 25 acres more or less from sisters, Mary, Sarah & Martha Gardner.[10]

This is the 4th tract of Land purchased by William A. Purvis; 3 parcels in Anson County, NC and one in Chesterfield, County, SC. 

• 1st - Land Deed (30) - Joseph P. Smith to William A. Purvis,  (This land in Chesterfield, SC and immediately sold to William James Purvis) [11]
• 2nd - Land Deed  (60 acres)- James L. Edwards to W. A. Purvis, Deed Book 22, Page 531-532.[12]
• 3rd - Land Deed  (30 Acres) - W. P. Brantley to Wm. Purvis, Deed Book 21, Page 404-405.[13]
• 4th - Land Deed (25 Acres) - Mary, Sarah & Martha Gardner to W. A. Purvis (DB 20, Pages 584-585)[14]

This takes us through the 10 year period of 1870 to 1880 where William A. Purvis, Sarah Jane Graves Purvis, Betsy Purvis and Mary J. Purvis are living in the same household in the 1880 Census.   

1880 CENSUS: Morven, Anson County, North Carolina; Roll: 951; Family History Film: 1254951; Enumeration District: 2; Image: 0493; Page 350B, Line 36, Dwelling 233, Family 251; William A. PURVIS, age 53, Farmer, born in SC, father born in SC, mother born in NC; Sarah J. PURVIS, Wife, age 48, born in NC, parents born in NC. Dwelling 223, Family 252, Betsy PURVIS, age 30, born in NC, parents born in NC; Mary J. PURVIS, age 7, born in NC, parents born in NC. (Spelled PURVICE on Ancestry).[15]

But, who is Betsy and Mary Jane Purvis?  Later these two become wife and possibly step-daughter of William A. Purvis. 

Up to this point I have not found Betsy in prior censuses. I don't know who the father of Mary J. Purvis is but we will talk about her and her Mother later. Though no husband has been found for Besty, she would have another daughter Ella Frances Purvis in 1886. Is William A. Purvis the father of these children? I don't know. 

Keep all of this in mind as we covered the next 10 years. It's important and surprising.  

---

[1] Anson County, North Carolina, Deed Book 22: Pages 531-532, James L. Edwards to W. A. Purvis; 21 December 1871, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[2] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 2,: Pages 363-365., W. A. Purvis to James L. Edwards; 21 December 1871, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[3] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 21: Page 404-405, W. P. Brantley to Wm. Purvis; 21 December 1872, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[4] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 6: Pages 416-418, W. A. Purvis to J. C. Marshall & Co.; 2 February 1876, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[5] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 7: Pages 462-464, W. A. Purvis to J. C. Marshall & Co.; 30 June 1876, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[6] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 8: Pages 276-278, William A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson; 12 March 1877, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[7] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 9: Pages 347, W. A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson; 1 March 1878, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[8] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 9: Pages 351-352, W. A. Pervis to Marshall & Richardson; 1 March 1878, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[9] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 10: Pages 431-432, W. A. Purvis to Marshall & Richardson; 3 March 1879, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[10] Anson County, North Carolina, Deed Book 20: pages 584-585, Mary, Sarah & Martha Gardner to W. A. Purvis; 23 July 1879, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[11] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Book 8: Page 284-286, Land Deed - Joseph P. Smith to William A. Purvis; 6 December 1866, Register of Deeds, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

[12] Anson County, North Carolina, Deed Book 22: Pages 531-532, James L. Edwards to W. A. Purvis; 21 December 1871, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[13] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 21: Page 404-405, W. P. Brantley to Wm. Purvis; 21 December 1872, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[14] Anson County, North Carolina, Deed Book 20: pages 584-585, Mary, Sarah & Martha Gardner to W. A. Purvis; 23 July 1879, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

[15] 1880 U. S. Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) # 2, Page 350B, Line 36, Dwelling 233, Family 251, Household of William A. Purvis; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 1976); citing National Archives Microfilm T9, Roll 951.

Data Analysis - William A. Purvis, 1860 to 1872

For 36 years I have searched for the parents of my Great Great Grandfather William A. Purvis. Not a single shred of evidence has been found for William A. Purvis prior to 1860. He is listed in the 1860 census for Anson County, NC [1] with wife Sarah Jane and another couple by the name of Joseph & Laura [Brock] White. No record of a marriage date has been found for his marriage to Sarah  In 1863 their only child - William James was born (23 Sept. 1863).

The next record is dated 6 Dec 1866 is William A. Purvis is purchasing 36 acreage of  land from Joseph P. Smith (DB 8: 284-286).[2]  William A. Purvis then sells this same acreage to William J. Purvis on this same date - 6 Dec. 1866 (DB 8: 421-423).[3]

For years I thought he was selling the land to his son William James until it hit me while writing this blog post that this William J. Purvis CANNOT be his son because his son is only 3 years old. (more research required) [4]

             Such misstep as this one is why we need to sit down and write out our thought on individual facts and sources for those we are researching. When you start to put you information in a narrative form you realize when  the data just does not add up - a light bulb comes on just as it did while writing this article.

Land Deeds indicate my My Great Great Grandfather bought and sold the land and a lawsuit brought in Anson County, Spring term 1867 [5] by the heirs of Joseph P. Smith sought damages for the non-payment of this debt. My Great Great Grandfather William A. Purvis lost in court  with the following decision:


"continued from said Term until fall Term 1867 when judgment final by default was rendered in favor of said plaintiff against said Defendant for the sum of $150, and $73 damages for the detention thereof beside the further sum of $12 for costs in that behalf expended that the record thereof was lodged in the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Law for the County aforesaid and that the said office containing the said record was destroyed by fire on the 2nd day of April, A.D. 1868." 

Then we have the 1870 Census for Anson County, NC [6] followed by this document in 1871:

TRUST DEED – W. A. Purvis to James L. Edwards

and then in 1872 by this document:
DB 21 Pages 404-405 [7]


In this brief document we have documented the public life of William A. and Sarah Jane, as we know it,  for the past 12 years. No document has been found to indicate where William A. Purvis resided prior to his appearance in the 1860 Anson County, NC census.

Your comments and suggestions greatly appreciated on a suggested course of action for future research on William A. Purvis.


Other related postings: 

http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2012/11/mystery-monday-parents-of-william-purvis.html

http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-brickwall-william-purvis.html 

http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-brickwall-william-purvis-part-2.html 

_________________
** You can Google "trust deeds" and get a lot of definitions but here is mine: A Trust Deed is in essence a promissory note or mortgage.
[1] 1860 U. S. Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Morven, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 300, line 34, Dwelling 1238, Family 1188, Household of William A. Purvis; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 1976); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 887.
[2] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Book 8: Page 284-286, Land Deed - Joseph P. Smith to William A. Purvis; 6 December 1866, Register of Deeds, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
[3] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Book 8: Page 421-423, William A. Purvis to William James Purvis; 6 December 1866, Register of Deeds, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
[4] http://www.wpclipart.com/signs_symbol/assorted/assorted_2/idea_light_bulb.png.html
[5] Wadesboro, Anson County, NC, Minute Docket, Superior Court, 1868-1884 C.005. 30003, Abram Conlin to the use of W. G. Smith & Saml. Smith Jr., Exc. of J. P. Smith Dec’d VS William A. Purvis, William A. Purvis, Spring Term 1867; NS State Archives, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina.

[6] 1870 U S Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Morven, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 403A, line 38, Dwelling 178; Family 178, Household of William A. Purvis; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 1976); citing National Archive Microfilm M593, Roll 1122.

[7] Anson County, North Carolina, Book 21: Page 404-405, W. P. Brantley to Wm. Purvis; 21 December 1872, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

Trust Deed - W.A. Purvis to James L. Edwards

Trust Deed - W.A. Purvis to James L. Edwards

                                                                                    

 

This indenture made this the 21 December 1871 between W. A. Purvis of the first part and Jas. L. Edwards of the second part both of the county and State of North Carolina witnesseth whereas the said W. A. Purvis is justly indebted to the said Jas. L. Edwards the sum of two hundred and forty-seven 80/100 dollars and whereas the said W. A. Purvis is desirous to secure the payment of the said debt now therefore this indenture witnesseth that for and in consideration of the promises together with the further consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand paid to the said W. A. Purvis by the said Jas. L. Edwards the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged he the said W. A. Purvis hath granted, bargained & sold and by these presents do bargain grant & sell unto the said Jas. L. Edwards a certain tract of land lying and being in the county of Anson and the State of North Carolina on the waters of Westfield Creek and bounded as follows:

beginning at a stake in the state line 4th corner of R. Gaddy's tract & runs No. 15 Wst 38.35 Chs to a stake in McGugans line 3rd corner of the Gaddy tract then No. 88 Wst 11.40 Chs to a stake one pine pointer then So. 37.50 Chs to a stake in the state line then with the state line East 21 Chs to the beginning containing sixty (60) acres being the same land conveyed by Isham Wallace to Jas. L. Edwards to have & to hold the said land & promises and all & singular the ... hereditament's, woods ways waters, rents, improvements, profits and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining thereto to him the said Jas. L. Edwards, his heirs, executors, administrators in fee simple forever free & discharged from any & all encumbrance's whatever in special trust & confidence that the said Jas. L. Edwards shall & will hold, keep, use & apply the same in the use intended following and no other that is to say if the aforesaid debts and every part thereof together with the lawful interest that may have accrued & if the same shall not be (fully) paid off and satisfied by the said W. A. Purvis on or before the first day of January 1873 then and in that case it shall be lawful and shall be at the pleasure of Jas. L. Edwards having first advertised the same at the Court House in the town of Wadesboro and three other public places in the county of Anson the space of twenty days to proceed to sell the said land & premises at public auction to the highest bidder for cash money or such credit the said Edwards may think proper and convey the same by proper & sufficient assurances to the purchaser and all the proceeds and money arising from said sale to retain all necessary expenses of this trust and then payoff and discharge to himself the said debts and interest specified in the foregoing part of this trust that he shall pay all as such part as shall remain unpaid at the time of the sale & the over plus if any he shall pay or return to said W. A. Purvis or his representative in testimony, whereof the said W. A. Purvis doth set his hand & seal the day & date above written.

                                                                                             his

                                                                                       W.A. X Purvis {Seal}

                                                                                            mark

Signed, Sealed & Delivered in the presence of

S. J. Edwards 

Anson County. In the Probate Court Dee 30th 1871. Then the due execution of the foregoing Deed of Trust was proved by the oath of S. J. Edwards, the subscribing witness thereto let the deed with this certificate be registered.

J. M. Covington

Probate Judge 

Anson County. Jany 3rd 1872. This day the following Deed of Trust was duly registered in Trust Book No. 2, Page 360.

John Stacy

Register of Deeds

 Trust Deeds are in essence a promissory note or mortgage. In this case my great great grandfather William A. Purvis is borrowing $247.80 from James L. Edwards repayable on the 1st January 1873.

Instruments of this type were used in this area by farmers to purchase necessary supplies, seed & fertilizer, in order to plant their crops for the year and when the crops are sold the loan is repaid.

Then the cycle starts  all over again. 

This is the earliest trust deed that I have; a few years later the lender tacked on a 7% to 8% interest rate that was repayable along with the original loan. This seems to be excessive for this time period, 1860 and 1870's. I personally think it was an early form of usury.

_______________________________

[1] Anson County, North Carolina, Trust Deed Book 2, Pages 363-365, W. A. Purvis to James L. Edwards; 21 December 1871, Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina. LDS Family History Library Film #1689098, Salt Lake City, Utah.