Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Purcell

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Descendants of John Purcell

Generation No. 2

2. WILLIAM² PURCELL (JOHN¹)⁸ was born June 17, 1788⁸, and died June 07, 1834 in Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia ^9,¹⁰. He married ELEANOR BURKE¹⁰ July 11, 1815 in License, Gate City, Virginia ^11,¹². She was born March 20, 1798 ^13,¹⁴, and died Abt. 1880 in Virginia ^15,¹⁶.

Notes for WILLIAM PURCELL:
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!Scant evidence indicates William Purcell was born in Virginia and presumably the son of Joh n and Ursula Purcell. No records of much value are known on John and Ursula Purcell as of th is date. See below for various John's in 1700.

William Purcell purchased a large tract of land in Little Valley, the Maces Spring area of Sc ott County, Virginia near Hiltons, in the year 1815, being the same year he married Eleanor B urk. William remained on the property until his death in 1834 and is buried on an oval knol l near the little log barn, a lone pine nearby standing guard over the simple native stone ma rking his grave. The tomb faces east overlooking the old home site.

According to John W. Hall, Hubbard Springs, Lee County, Virginia, and as told to John by hi s mother; William Purcell died by accident when a log slipped from a scaffold while a buildin g was being erected, causing his death.

Jonathon Wesley Purcell, son of John A & Martha Purcell, born April 4, 1866, at the old Purce ll house in Scott County, Virginia, left in the fall of the same year, as a baby with his par ents, brothers and sisters for Missouri. Returning 40 years later in the month of his birt h to visit and take the only picture known to exist of the old Purcell house in Scott County , as seen on a bulletin produced by John E. Purcell in June 1976.

Jonathon Wesley Purcell gives us the following acount: When he visited the property in Apri l 1906 he took a picture of the graveyard. The following quote by Jonathon W. Purcell: "Th e first stone dimly seen, almost on its edge and in the foreground, is that of grandmother El len Purcell. Then comes a stone lying between it and the one which stands next marking grand father's grave."

When the property was redescovered about 1965, the graveyard revielded several graves marke d by native stone slabs and no record of who was burried there. However that was a native sto ne slab with the date of Williams death at his grave. There was also native stones with nam es and date of both Ursula Ann born Jan. 14, 1829, died in childhood and Julian Purcell bor n Feb. 2, l832, died in childhood. Both buried near their father at the Purcell graveyard i n Scott County. It was thought that whoever did the carving on the stones at their deaths, w as no longer in the area, since Eleanor's grave was not carved, only marked with a stone. Se e above.

After John E. Purcell, of Ormond Beach,Florida, originally from Russell County, Virginia, so n of Henry R. and Rebecca Jones, grandson of James Madison Purcell, Sr. and Mary Ann Wetzel , great grandson of William Purcell and Eleanor Burke made his pilgramage to the homeplace , and graveyard; he purchased three granite markers for the three known graves and placed th e markers behind the hand carved native stone slabs.

William or Wilburn Hensley owned the Purcell property after John A Purcell and family left th ere in 1866 for Missouri. Sometime near the year 1870 Henry Addington bought the property an d it remained with the Addington family about 70 years. In the fall of 1928, while the Van A ddington family lived there, the old house burned.

In 1976, Mr. and Mrs. James Marcum and son, lived in a modern house on the old Purcell homepl ace. The Marcums are very cordial folks and have welcomed the descendents of the Purcell fo r a visit to the old Purcell.

The first person in our generation to find the old Purcell Property and tomb of William Purce ll was Gerald C. Purcell of Marietta, Georgia, originally from Russell County, Virginia, abou t 1965. Had it not been for Gerald and all his efforts and search of our ancestors, the clou d of mystery would still enshroud the unknown depts of our ancestral past.

In the year 1972 the Purcell Family Genealogical Association was formed and Gerald Purcell wa s a charter member of the organization. Thru the Association's wide research, the efforts o f Alice, Forrest, June and Todd Purcell, Gerald located several of the descendents of Joh n A and Martha Purcell in the mid and western states.

DISCOVERY OF THE Purcell HOMESTEAD BY JOHN E. Purcell, ORMOND BEACH, FLORIDA. "It was in Octo ber 1973, when I (John) first set foot upon the old Purcell place in Scott County, being th e same year Gerald Purcell and I started corresponding, after not being in touch for more tha n 20 years. Gerald wrote, and told me he had found the old property and tomb of our great gr andfather William Purcell, and said he would take me to the old homestead sometime, but my cu riosity would not let me wait until Gerald and I finally met nearly a year later.

After two unsuccessful attempts I finally found the old Purcell property and the tomb of Will iam. James Marcum was at the entrance of the old homestead when I stopped to ask if he kne w where an old cemetery would be in that area. He said, "some Purcells are burried up there o n the hill", and then told me a Purcell had been there on a visit some years back. The Purce ll of course was Gerald.

Wondering if there were descents of William and Eleanor Purcell still living in the area of t he old property in Scott County, I set forth to find any that might still be around. Severa l efforts failed to reveal the whereabouts of any of their descendents. One afternoon as I w as traveling route 6l4 northeast of Hiltons, Virginia, I saw two ladies enjoying the comfor t of the shade on the front porch. Mrs. Estelle Bays Sayler was visiting Mrs. Nancy Baker Hi ckham for their daily afternoon chat. After stopping and stating my business, they invited m e to share the afternoon shade and agreed to help me anyway they could in the search for th e long lost cousins of the area.
Thinking prehaps Mrs. Sayler or Mrs. Hickam might come nearer knowing the youngest son of Mat ilda Purcell Bays and James Bays, I asked if they had any knowledge of Flanders M. Bays bor n 1862. Sure they knew where he had lived and said he was burried at Hubbard Springs, Lee Co unty, Virginia. This gave me some encouragement and I had a feeling something was about to u nravel. The next question I asked was about the older child of James and Matilda Bays. I as ked, would you know about Nancy Bays, who married James Carter? Immediately Mrs. Hickam said , "She was my grandmother and i'm names after her!" That was it! I had found a descendent o f william and Eleanor and a far-fetched cousin of mine living in the area. Fom that day on o ther cousins are still being discovered.

While searching for great grandfather William's tomb in Scott County, I discovered Mount Vern on Church nestled in the woods near the old Purcell place, and with all the tranquility of th is church setting upon an oval knoll, surrounded by the depth of a forest. I had no other th ought except to call it, 'The Church In The Wildwood'. This beautiful site was the spot fo r the annual Purcell picnic-reunion on July 11, 1976.

After the reunion, the various autos drove to the Purcell property, and up the country path t o the hill top, to visit the graveside of their ancestor. From the hill top, it is a beautif ul view over the land owned by their ancestor, and thru the valley across the way.

Since that day, I have taken various family members on a pilgramage back to the land of their forefather William Purcell. One person I enjoyed showing the homeplace to, was Anna Purcell Houser and her decendents, when she came back to Virginia for one of the Purcell Renunions . Her father James M. Purcell son of John A. Purcell talked to her about the homeplace in Scott County, Va. etc."
CONCERNING THE BIRTH OF JOHN'S FATHER WILLIAM Purcell AND BROTHER & SISTER

Various research of records have been made to try to locate the area where John Purcell originally was from. Suposedly married to Sarah Dowell.

1. There was a John Purcell living in Henry County, Va. in September 1796 and 1806 (maybe two different Johns). He also sold two slaves to satisfy account at a store in Lynchburg, Va. (Tate & County) in 1793. (deeds in Henry County Courthouse)

2. There was a John Purcell in the Henry County, Va. militia in 1776 or 77.
He marched with General Greene to Guilford Courthouse in N. C. There was mention of a John P urcell involving a tobacco levy during the 1770's, Henry County, Va.

3. It is also suggested that William's birth place was North Fork instead of Norfolk. Geral d Purcell doesn't believe our Purcells ever resided in Norfolk, on the Virginia coast. There is a small town North Fork in MacDowell County, West Va. which was formerly Tazewell County, Va . Matilda, daughter of William in 1880 gave the census taker information that her father was born in West Virginia.

The record below has not been proven:
John Purcell was born (about) ca 1758 in Virginia, died ca 1808. Married Ursula Burke, bor n ca 1765 in Virginia, died ca 1852, her father was Thomas Burke. John's father William Purcell and mother Sarah Dowell. They had 3 chldren:
1. William Purcell, Born June 17, l788, West Va. died June 7, l834, married Eleanor Burk e
2. Elizabeth Purcell (probable), married William Agee ca 1806
3. James Purcell (most probable), married Elizabeth Rouse ca 1826.

More About WILLIAM PURCELL:
Baptism (LDS): LIVE ¹⁷
Burial: Unknown, Purcell Graveyard, Fincastle Rd, Russell County, Virginia ^18,¹⁹
Christening: June 10, 1788, Family Bible Shows ^20,²¹

Notes for ELEANOR BURKE:
Lived with son, John Adams, in 1850 according to the Scott County, Virginia 1850 Census.
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!Where Eleanor Purcell died is unknown. The last account we have she was living with her dau ghter Matilda Purcell Bays and her husband James Bays, during the 1870 census in Scott County , Virginia.

!All we have to assure us of Eleanor's grave is the record Jonathon Wesley Purcell, Son of Jo hn A. & Martha Purcell, Grandson of William and Eleanor, recorded in April 1906 when he visit ed the old Purcell property in Scott County and took pictures of the house and graveyard. Th e following quote by Jonathon W. Purcell, "The first stone dimly seen, almost on its edge an d in the foreground, is that of grandmother Ellen Purcell. Then comes a stone lying betwee n it and the one which stands next marking grandfather's grave. The man stand further on i s James Carter who married cousin Nancy Bays. He stands between the graves of Great-grandmot her "Betsy" Burks, (father's mother's mother) born 1765 and died 1852."

!Jonathan Wesley Purcell was the grandson of William Purcell. Father was John Adams Purcel l and mother Martha C. Cormany (the family that went west).
Eleanor "Ellen" was John Adams' mother. "Betsy" Elizabeth Burks was Eleanor's mother, John A dams' grandmother and Jonathan's great grandmother. Therefore bothEleanor and her mother "Be tsy" are burried in the homeplace graveyard, Maces Springs, Scott County Virginia.

More About ELEANOR BURKE:
Baptism (LDS): LIVE ²²
Burial: Unknown, Purcell Graveyard, Fincastle Rd, Russell County, Virginia ^23,²⁴
Census: 1850, Scott County, Virginia/Age 53

Children of WILLIAM PURCELL and ELEANOR BURKE are:

3.	i.	JEMIMA³ PURCELL, b. May 09, 1816, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia; d. Unknown, Unknown.
4.	ii.	SR. JAMES MADISON PURCELL, b. July 03, 1818, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia; d. December 24, 1886, Homeplace, Russell County, Virginia.
5.	iii.	MATILDA CULLINS PURCELL, b. June 04, 1820, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia; d. 1894.
6.	iv.	SR. JOHN ADAMS PURCELL, b. June 20, 1822, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia; d. June 11, 1891, Vernon County, Missouri.
	v.	NANCY BURNETT PURCELL^24,²⁵, b. December 05, 1824, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia ^26,²⁷; d. Unknown, Unknown ²⁸; m. WILLIAM N. HAMPTON^29,³⁰, August 13, 1840 ^31,³²; d. Unknown.

Notes for NANCY BURNETT PURCELL:
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Nancy Purcell married Aug. 13, 1840 to William N. Hampton. No other records of William and N ancy.

More About NANCY BURNETT PURCELL:
Burial: Unknown, Unknown³²

7.	vi.		ELIZABETH JANE PURCELL, b. December 29, 1826, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia; d. July 18, 1903.
	vii.		URSULA ANN PURCELL^33,³⁴, b. January 14, 1829, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia ^35,³⁶; d. Unknown, Homeplace, Russell County, Virginia ^37,³⁸.

Notes for URSULA ANN PURCELL:
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Ursula Ann died in childhood, and buried ner her father at the Purcell graveyard in Scott County , Va. A hand carved native stone marks her grave as well as a small headstone placed behin d the original stone by John E. Purcell of Ormond Beach, Fl.

More About URSULA ANN PURCELL:
Burial: Unknown, Purcell Graveyard, Fincastle Rd, Russell County, Virginia ^39,⁴⁰

viii.

JULIAN PURCELL⁴⁰, b. February 02, 1832, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia ^41,⁴²; d. Unknown, Homeplace, Russell County, Virginia ^43,⁴⁴.

Notes for JULIAN PURCELL:
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Julian died in childhood and buried near his father at the Purcell graveyard in Scott County, V a. A hand carved native stone marks his grave as well as a granet headstone placed there b y John E. Purcell, of Ormond Beach, Fl.

More About JULIAN PURCELL:
Burial: Unknown, Purcell Graveyard, Fincastle Rd, Russell County, Virginia⁴⁴

ix.

MARY-ANN SUSAN SARAH E. PURCELL⁴⁴, b. September 16, 1833, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia ^45,⁴⁶; d. July 09, 1873 ^47,⁴⁸; m. ARCHIBALD JESSEE⁴⁸; b. 1830^48,⁴⁹; d. July 09, 1873 ^50,⁵¹.

More About MARY-ANN SUSAN SARAH E. PURCELL:
Burial: Unknown, Dale Carter Property, Scott County, Virginia ^52,⁵³

Notes for ARCHIBALD JESSEE:
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!The 1950 census shows a family David & Martha Jessie with 11 children, which shows Archibal d born about 1830, and the oldest child. The other children are 22 Robert about 1828, 18 Amy , 17 Jane, 15 Biddy, 13 Elizabeth, 11 Vincent, 8 Georga, 7 Elihu, 5 Revecca, 2 John. A late r census should be searched for both Archibald Jessee and Mary-Ann as his wife, and see the c hildren named for David and Martha Jessie.

More About ARCHIBALD JESSEE:
Burial: Unknown, Dale Carter Property, Scott County, Virginia ^54,⁵⁵
Census: 1850, Scott County, Virginia/Age 20

MARY-ANN SUSAM SARAH E. PURCELL⁵⁶, b. September 16, 1833, Little Valley, Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia.⁵⁶; d. July 09, 1873⁵⁶; m. ARCHIBALD JESSEE⁵⁷; b. 1830^57,⁵⁸; d. July 09, 1873 ^59,⁶⁰.

Notes for MARY-ANN SUSAM SARAH E. PURCELL:
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Mary Ann was living in the household of her brother John A Purcell when the 1850 census was t aken in Scott County, Va. No information about Mary Ann after the 1850 census.

More About MARY-ANN SUSAM SARAH E. PURCELL:
Burial: Unknown, Dale Carter Prop, Scott County, Virginia.⁶⁰

More About ARCHIBALD JESSEE:
Burial: Unknown, Dale Carter Property, Scott County, Virginia ^61,⁶²
Census: 1850, Scott County, Virginia/Age 20

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