Antioch Woman, Cornelia Bounds Purvis, Passes Away

Funeral services will be held from the Antioch Baptist church at 11 o'clock this morning for Mrs. Cornelia Bounds Purvis, 85, who died Monday morning. Mrs. Purvis death at her home at Antioch, which is near Pelahatchie, came after an Illness. Rev. D. W. Moulder will recite the final rites. Taylor funeral home has charge of arrangements.

Survivors Include a daughter, Mrs. Clara Purvis Dear, and three sons, A. G. Purvis, H. M. Purvis and H. L. Purvis.

Cornelia Bounds Purvis was born 5 June 1856 in Rankin County, Mississippi, a daughter of William Bounds and Eliza Abercrombie.

On 19 December 1881, she and William J. Purvis were married in Rankin County, Mississippi. William was born 28 April 1851, a son of George Washington Purvis and Mary Ann Patrick. William J. Purvis was a farmer and his wife stayed home and cared for their growing family.

Cornelia and William shared 35 years 2 months 21 days before his death on 12 March 1917. She lived another 24 years 4 months 9 days, as his widow, until her death on 21 July 1941. Cornelia and William are buried in Antioch Cemetery, Rufus, Rankin County, Mississippi. While on a trip to Texas a few years ago, the wife and I stopped and visited the graves of many of our Purvis ancestors.

William J. Purvis and Cornelia C. Bounds had the following children:

i. Albert Guy Purvis, born 19 Oct 1882, Rankin County, Mississippi; died aft Jul 1941.

ii. Hulon Morris Purvis, born 28 Apr 1885, Rankin County, Mississippi; married Ella M. Patrick, 9 Jan 1910, Rankin County, Mississippi; died 18 Apr 1977.

iii. Hollis Lee Purvis was born on 7 Jan 1888 in Rankin County, Mississippi. Hollis died on 3 Jan 1953 at the age of 64 in Rankin County, Mississippi.

iv. Clara E. Purvis, born 20 Mar 1890, Rankin County, Mississippi; married Walter Simpson Dear Sr.; died 15 Feb 1963.

v. William Vilas Purvis was born on 30 Jun 1893 in Rankin County, Mississippi. He died on 17 Jan 1918 at the age of 24 in Norfork, Virginia. On active duty, died Naval Hospital, Norfork, Virginia.

Note: The Virginia Marriage licensee for Albert Guy Purvis b. 1882 shows his parents to be William Jennings Purvis and Cornelia Bounds. This is the only known document that shows a middle name for William; all others simply lists him as William J. Purvis.  

Cornelia Bounds is the wife of my 2nd Cousin 5X Removed.

__________________________________

1. 1900 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Cato, Rankin County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 0084, Page: 14B/259 (stamped); Line 62, Dwelling 254, Family 254, Household of William PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2 January 2014); citing NARA publication T623_826.

2. 1910 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Cato, Rankin County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 0050, Page: 18B/236(stamped); Line 79, Dwelling 348, Family 348, Household of William J. PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 February 2014); citing NARA publication T624_758.

3. 1930 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 5, Rankin County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 16, Page 182A; Line 1, Dwelling 1, Family 1, Household of Hollis PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 February 2014); citing NARA publication T626_1164.

4. 1940 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Rankin County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 61-17, Page: 5A/327(stamped); Line 33, Household #80, Household of Hollis T. PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 February 2014); citing NARA publication T627_2062.

5. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 30 December 2014); Memorial page for Cornelia C. Bounds PURVIS; (5 June 1856-21 July 1941); Find a Grave memorial # 13998613, Citing Antioch Cemetery; Rufus, Rankin County, Mississippi, USA.

6. "Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935," digital index of Mississippi marriages, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 January 2014), Miss C. C. Bounds & W. J. Purvis, Marriage Date: 19 Dec 1881.

7. 1860 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Rankin County, Mississippi, Page: 989; Line 6, Dwelling 834, Family 885, Household of G. W. PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 13 April 2012); citing National Archives Microfilm M653 Roll 590.

8. 1870 U. S. Census, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Township 4, Rankin County, Mississippi, Page: 62B; Line 17, Dwelling 434, Family 434, Household of George W. PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 13 April 2012); citing National Archives Microfilm M593 Roll 748.

9. 1880, Rankin County, Mississippi, population schedule, Cato, Rankin County, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) #078, Page 456A, Line 38, Dwelling 452, Family 452, Household of G. W. PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 13 April 2012); citing NARA publication T9, Roll: 663.

10. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, W. J. PURVIS (28 April 1851–12 May 1917), Memorial # 13998651.

11. "Funeral Today For Antioch Woman," obituary, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson Mississippi, 22 July 1941, Page 9, column 2; Digital On-Line Archives, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ : viewed November 2022); https://www.newspapers.com/.

Irish Ties Between New Zealand Purvis and Chesterfield County, SC Purvis Families

While I haven’t broken down the “Brick Wall” of who the parents of my 2nd great
grandfather William A. Purvis are; I have made progress. In all cases DNA has been the key to breaking down these barriers.

For 46 years I have documented every known Purvis in Anson County, NC and Chesterfield County, SC the roots of my Purvis Line. Around  1818 there was a large migration of Purvis’ and other families from Chesterfield County SC, to Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. A majority, if not all, of those Purvis’ have been added to my database and connected as families. 

My first DNA break when a Miley Cousin contacted me and wanted to know what I knew about his Purvis 3rd great grandparents, William James Purvis and Millie Cook. He wanted to know because he and I shared 12.3 cM of Chromosome 9 DNA. His ancestor, William James Purvis and I are most likely 1st Cousin 6 times removed. My Great Grandfather is a William James Purvis.

William James Purvis husband of Millie Cook is the son of James Purvis, Sr. born 1760 and an unknown wife.

The next DNA break came from New Zealand from another Purvis cousin. She reported that she also was related to me through DNA. This week Miss Purvis  informed me that she, her brother, I and a cousin by the surname “JOSEPH” are all  related.  This connection travels back to a male Purvis who left Chesterfield, SC and migrated to Alabama about 1818-1819. He was likely with all the other Purvis’ who migrated during this time period.

His name was Alexander Purvis, born abt 1790 in Chesterfield County, SC to parents currently unknown.  He is reported to have married Elizabeth Johnson, 11 Nov 1819 in Madison County, Alabama. Like so much misinformation this too has not been confirmed. As matter of fact, my research shows Alexander in Chesterfield County, SC and Conecuh County, Alabama and no where else. He did marry Elizabeth as shown in 1850 Census but her surname of Johnson has not been confirmed. Alexander was a farmer.

The 1850 Census shows five children in The Alexander and Elizabeth Purvis household. Six children have been identified.

The children of Alexander and Elizabeth (LNU) Purvis are:

i. Beady Purvis was born about 1821 in Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina.

ii. Thomas Franklin Purvis, born abt 1824, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina; married Eleanor Hilliard, abt 1847; married Mary Elizabeth Newberry, 1871; died 4 Jan 1889, Jay, Santa Rosa, Florida.

iii. Malakiah Purvis was born about 1832 in Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina.

iv. David Purvis was born about 1835 in Conecuh County, Alabama.

v. Elizabeth Purvis was born about 1837 in Conecuh County, Alabama.

vi. Sarah Purvis, born Jan 1845, Conecuh County, Alabama; married William A. Cobb, 27 Aug 1888, Escambia, Alabama; died aft 1910.

The Death dates of both Alexander and Elizabeth (Maiden name unknown) Purvis are unknown. No record of their demise like death notices, obituaries or tombstones have been found.

The “Joseph” surname researcher and I are 5th – 8th Cousin sharing 13 CM of DNA.

Most of the Purvis' who left Chesterfield I know are related but the destruction of records by Gen. Sherman’s  Army makes it almost impossible to reconstruct families in the county.

The New Zealand connection ties us all together back in the original homeland of the Purvis’. We share DNA but her line has never been to America. Miss Purvis ancestors originated in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.  Her ancestor emigrated on 2 Jan 1841 from Northern Ireland to Port Phillip, Australia.

________________________

1. 1850 U. S. Census, Conecuh County, Alabama, population schedule, Conecuh County, Alabama, Page 346B, Line 31, Dwelling 237, Family 237, Household of Alexander PURVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 3.