Andrew Purcell (1797 - 1891)

Born 25 Dec 1797 in Knox County, Northwest Territory, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 2 Mar 1891 at age 93 in Iowa, USA

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Biography

In census records he reports himself as born in Indiana. At the time of his birth, Indiana Territory had not yet been created, and so it was still part of the Northwest Territory.

In the probate of his estate, his heirs are listed as:

• Mary Ann Purcell, Wife, b 30 Aug 1823
• Ellen Cox, b 18 May 1854
• Mary Starr, b 20 May 1856
• A.S. (Andrew Stephen) Purcell, b 6 May 1858
• Lovica Cox, b 4 Oct 1860
• Charles Purcell, b 29 Dec 1868
• Laura Purcell, b 13 Sep 1869
• Hannah Colclazier, b 31 Mar 1827
• John Purcell, b 18 Aug 1825
• Thomas Purcell, b 10 Apr 1829

With the last three heirs written at the end, and being born within 10 years of his widow's birth, it seems very likely Hanna, John, and Thomas are children from a first wife, while Ellen, Mary, Andrew, Lavica, Charles, and Laura are children from Mary Ann, his second wife.

Evidence indicates he had children quite late in life. The 1880 census has him living with wife, Mary, and several of his children, the youngest was 10. It appears these are his children, and not a case of him caring for grandchildren.

His age in the census records flips about a bit. In 1860, he was 63. In 1870, 68. In 1880, 80. Headstone of Andrew Purcell and Mary Ann Doak in North McDonald Cemetery, Jefferson township, Madison County, Iowa, United States: Andrew died mar 2, 1891, age 93y 2m 5d, Mary died Apr 30, 1909, age 85y 8m.

Research Notes

Parents born in Virginia.^[1]

There is a Jonathan Purcell^[2], b 1754 in Virginia, m Catherine Douthit, who had several children and moved his family to Knox, Indiana. The 4 oldest sons, Noah^[3], Jacob, Andrew^[4], and John all are the right age to be this Andrew's father. Noah's children include a different Andrew born in 1799 and married to Elizabeth Dooling, leaving Jacob, Andrew, and John as potential parents. The family has the right relocations and Andrew is a common family name. It is suggested Jonathan and his brothers Edward and William, and families, arrived in Knox County the year this Andrew was born. Edward, Johnathan, and William were in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1782, and had left by 1784.^[5] This would be Jonathan Purcell, the profile needs some cleaning up, but I don't have a substantiated link to him yet. Online ancestry trees suggest William Purcell, m Margaret Lang, is his father, but without much cited evidence.

Probate for Johnathan Purcell, Indiana Territory, Knox County, 1813, lists his heirs as Noah Purcell, Andrew Purcell, John Purcell, Jonathan Purcell, and Elizabeth Purcell + Leonard Crosby.^[6]

I'm not sure if these are the Noah and Andrew Purcell mentioned in the early histories of Knox County^[7].

Sources

• "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDLM-C3Q : accessed 10 Jan 2013), Andrew Purcell, Union, Madison, Iowa, United States; citing sheet 63B, family 0, NARA microfilm publication T9-0353.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8L3-C55 : 30 December 2015), Andrew Purcell, 1860.

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKK-CLK1 : 13 December 2015), Andrew Purcell, 1891; Burial, Winterset, Madison, Iowa, United States of America, North McDonald Cemetery; citing record ID 50931214, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• Madison County, Iowa, Probate Case Files, 1851-1918; Author: Madison County (Iowa). Clerk of the District Court; Probate Place: Madison, Iowa, Probate records for Andrew Purcell

1. ↑ 1880 US Census
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 60463070
3. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 94270563
4. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 135652011
5. ↑ Clara McCormack Sage, Laura Elizabeth (Sage) Jones; Early records, Hampshire County, Virginia: now West Virginia, including at the start most of known Va. aside from Augusta district Genealogical Pub. Co., 1939 (reprint): Pg 95
6. ↑ Purcell, Jonathan 1813, Indiana Territory. Probate Court (Knox County), Knox County Public Library, McGrady-Brockman House, 502 N. 7th St., Vincennes, IN 47591, (812) 886-4380 accessed http://visions.indstate.edu:8888/cdm/compoundobject/collection/ving/id/7442/rec/1
7. ↑ History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, Volume 1, George E. Greene, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1911