William Purdon

1813 - 1896  (82 years)

• Name	William Purdon
  Birth	15 Dec 1813	England
  Gender	Male
  FamilySearch ID	LZPL-L74
  	https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZPL-L74
  FindaGrave Memorial ID	46624296
  	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46624296
  _UID	0303526BDD76460A9D8E1D05A348C1C42307
  Death	4 Sep 1896	Lanark County, Ontario, Canada
  	In the death of William Purdon, Sr., which occurred at his residence in the township of Dalhousie on the evening of Friday, Sept. 4, the well known figure in the community has been removed. In the year 1821 his parents came from Glasgow and with other families of Scotland formed the nucleus of a new settlement in what is now known as Dalhousie Township. His father was an officer in the Lancashire Militia and it was during a sojourn in England that the subject of this sketch was born. The event took place December 15, 1813. One cannot but admire the hardiness and bravery of the early pioneers. The majority of them were unacquainted with farming and did not even know how to chop down a tree. But with that Scottish determination which will never give in even when things are at their worst, they set to work to clear the land and by degrees hewed out their farms and forced a subsistence from the unwilling soil. The stories of the hardships endured in those early days in which he fully shared was told some years ago by Mr. Purdon himself in a column in the Courier. Mr. Purdon was a Reformer in politics and one who was such by reading and thinking. He was an ardent admirer of the late Alexander McKenzie the humble born Premier of Canada. Mr. Purdon was a man of intelligence and a wide reader. He assisted in the establishment and was a constant patron of the Dalhousie library which was formed early in the history of the township and provided the best intellectual food at a time when newspapers and magazines wee not so numerous or available as today. He was ever ready to forward every movement for the good of the community. He served the community for many years both as councilor and reeve and was a member of Dalhousie's firs council. For 20 years he served as a school trustee and secretary-treasurer of that section. Thoroughly honest and upright in all his dealings, a kind neighbor and general friend, he won the love and respect of the entire community. It is related of him that during the Franco-Prussian War when wheat was over $2.00 a bushel he refused to take more than $1.50 a bushel considering that enough to ask of his neighbors, many of whom required it for seed. As another instance of his kindness of heart, he required that he should be buried in a plain coffin and without a hearse which he himself could well afford lest such an example should lead another to extravagance beyond his means and the widow and orphans be thereby robbed of their support. His last illness was long. He was stricken with the terrible disease of cancer. The constant pain he suffered he bore with Christian fortitude. He was in possession of all his faculties to the last and faced death without fear, looking forward to Christ the Savior to the hope of a glorious immortality. His partner in life whose maiden name was Isabella Chalmers died three years ago in December of 1893. They reared a large family 12 of whom, 9 sons and 3 daughters, grew up to adulthood and survive their parents. One died in infancy. Of the children, five sons and two daughters reside in Dalhousie, one son in the county of Huron; on daughter in Michigan; three sons in the northwestern States; all have done well. James, who is a merchant in Dakota, has served for some time in the state legislature. The funeral took place on Sunday September 6 and was largely attended. The remains were interred in the Highland Line Cemetery. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. Jas. Binnie, B.A. of McDonald's Corners. With Mr. Purdon's death closes the first 75 years of Dalhousie's history
  Burial	Highland Line Cemetery, McDonald Corners, Lanark Highlands, Lanark, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I47993	Lanark County Origins
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2023

  
  

  Father	Robert Purdon,   b. 1 Mar 1780, Glasgow (Maryhill), Glasgow City, Scotland d. 2 Jan 1852, Lanark Highlands (Dalhousie), Lanark County, Ontario, Canada (Age 71 years)
  Mother	Jean "Jane" Ferguson,   b. 1788, Perth and Kinross, Scotland d. 25 Nov 1872, Lanark Highlands (Dalhousie), Lanark County, Ontario, Canada (Age 84 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1810	of Glasgow, Scotland
  Family ID	F17299	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Isabella Chalmers,   b. 3 Sep 1816, Hamilton Parish, South Lanarkshire, Scotland d. 7 Dec 1893, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada (Age 77 years)
  Children	+ 1. James Purdon,   b. 21 Apr 1840, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada d. 2 Sep 1926, Wahpeton, Richland County, North Dakota, United States (Age 86 years) + 2. Andrew Purdon,   b. 25 Jun 1846, Dalhousie Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada d. 4 Feb 1933, Alexandria Twp, Douglas County, Minnesota, United States (Age 86 years)   3. Henry Barrie Purdon,   b. 3 Oct 1860, Dalhousie Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada d. 6 Jan 1928, Powassan, Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada (Age 67 years)
  Family ID	F16311	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	4 Mar 2024

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 15 Dec 1813 - England Death - 4 Sep 1896 - Lanark County, Ontario, Canada Burial - - Highland Line Cemetery, McDonald Corners, Lanark Highlands, Lanark, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth