Parents of Malinda Purvis
John Purvis and Sarah Ginn
by
Jane Van Gundy
John was born the same year his father died, an only child. He might have
been raised by his Uncle William Purvis, since he migrated with William's family.
Other family histories do not include the following children as part of John's family: Sarah, Tabitha, and Mahala. (Could Mahala & Malinda be one
and the same person?)
Residences & other events in his life:
Abt 1795 Culpeper Co, KY. He joined a party preparing to go west which consisted of the family of his uncle, William Purvis, the Burks, and
possibly the Ginns, all from Culpeper Co. The journey took them through the mountains of MD and PA, then down the Ohio River on a flatboat.
Maysville, Mason Co, KY. Leaving the river, the journey would continue by land after his marriage and a short stay here.
1808 Hardin Co, KY, in the Licking River Valley near Elizabethtown, where son, William, was born. Sarah's brother, James, was in the next county east
while her parents were 2 counties away.
1810 Fleming Co, KY. He and Uncle William were the only "Purvisses" in KY according to the census. They were neighbors, just 5 doors apart.
1811 His father being deceased, he was instead mentioned in the will of his
Uncle James Purvis.
11/10/1814 Owingsville, Bath Co, KY. With the US threatened by British invasion on all borders, John enlisted in the 28th Inf of KY, commanded by
Thomas Owings, and was sent to the Canadian border.
Following the War of 1812, he remained in the army for his 5 yr enlistment, serving as Pvt in 3rd Inf, Capt Daniel Baker's Co, because the 28th Inf had
been disbanded. For his service he received 160 acres of land "to be located agreeably to the said act on any unlocated parts of the six millions
of acres appropriated by law for the original grantees of such military warrants; and this warrant is not assignable or transferable in any manner
whatever."
1819 Bath Co, KY. Returning from the service he returned to farming.
1820 Bath Co, KY. He bought 70 acres of land.
1820 Sva (?) Co, KY. John was the only Purvis in the county at census time
while William, Charles, and George, were all in Nelson Co.
1820s He became infected by "Illinois Fever" which was raging in KY and moved on.
8/7/1826 Sangamon Co, IL. John voted at the Springfield Courthouse, the only Purvis listed.
10/3/1826 Sangamon Co, IL. John and a Leroy Hill were named in early probate records in connection with the estate of a Jesse Southwick, both
with notes due on 4/1/1829.
John sold some land to Thomas Morgan, details unknown.
1828/1829 Sugar Creek Twp, Sangamon Co, IL. He bought the county's first water mill which had been built in 1827 in Section 2 on Sugar Creek from A
Lathrop. It was then used as a saw mill but he added a grist mill and ran a distillery as well. The distillery, "like others at that day, was
extensively patronized." He sold out to Leroy Hill.
He sold more land, this time to Bennet C Johnson, other details unknown.
2/22/1830 Springfield, Sangamon Co, IL. Listed among the voters at the courthouse were John (Pervis) and sons, Isaac, William, and Thomas.
5/1830. Shelby Co, IL. County history said that on this date John, his wife and 2 children, George and Malinda, joined sons, James and John, who
had already settled in the county. However, other records as noted below,
indicate they moved later.
8/2/1830 Springfield, Sangamon Co, IL. Again voting at the courthouse was John G Purvis, William, and son-in-law, John Bracken.
1830 John was not listed in the census in either Sangamon or Shelby Co, indicating he was living with relatives as previously stated. Son, Isaac,
was still in Sangamon Co.
It is unlikely that John ever owned land in either Shelby or Moultrie counties as no records have been found for him, only the children. He
probably just came along with the family.
Sarah's family was among the early settlers of Noble Co, OH. John and James
Ginn emigrated to Ohio early but moved west long before 1887. They were weavers by trade.
John's lineage is still under construction. Some say they were John Purvis,
b 1755 Culpeper Co, VA, probably d bef 5/1777 in PA, m Eliza Ann Pritchard, 1775 in SC. She d 1792 Edgefield, SC.
I haven't verified any of this but am working on it. Anyway, if so, his lineage goes back to John
Purvis, b abt 1650, d 1709-10 Middlesex Co, VA & Mary Shippey, b 4/12/1655 in St Martin Parish, Leicester, Eng, d 12/16/1720 in Christ Church, Middlesex Co, VA.
PURVIS FAMILY
From Moultrie County
Record and History Book
The Purvis family are well known early settlers of this county. James and John Purvis, brothers, located in what is now East Nelson, April 1st, 1830, and erected a small cabin on Section 7, where George Purvis still resides. They broke the first prairie in that township.
In the month following, their father, John Purvis, his wife and Malinda, their daughter, came from Sangamon county, Illinois, and moved into the cabin with his sons, where they all lived together for a year; soon after which the elder Purvis moved to the Mill seat, at the bend of the Okaw river, and made his home with his sons, James and John G.
John Purvis the elder, was a soldier in the war of 1812: he died in this county in 1833. Sarah, his wife, survived him several years.
James Purvis married Mahala Jones. By that union were born two children. James died about the year 1836. His widow subsequently married and moved to California.
George Purvis married Cassa Waller, by whom he had four children, three of whom are residents of this county. His wife died, and he afterwards married Mahala Poor. He has held several township offices, and is still living on the place where he settled in 1830.
Thomas, a brother of George Purvis, is dead; but some of his children are yet living in the county. Isaac Purvis with his family, settled here in 1831; he and his wife are both deceased.
William lives on the same place where he first settled in 1837. He has raised a large family of children, and has held many offices of trust, and was always an active and enterprising citizen of the county .
John G. moved to Missouri.
Elizabeth married John Bracken who came here in 1832, and died making an over-land trip to California.
Mahala Purvis married Jeremiah Standerfer, and is now living in Jonathan Creek township.
