From "PURVES Erath County, Texas" by Raymond Hancock (Rt.1, Box 153,Dublin, Texas 76446) pg. 22, W. W. PURVES:
"W. W. Purves was born in 1824 in Mississippi and died in 1910 inErath County. His wife, Rose Anna, was born in Mississippi in 1827 anddied in Erath County in 1906.
On April 6, 1877, he paid a sum of $11.00 to the tax collector ofErath County to cover court cost and one year back taxes on 135 acresout of the southeast corner of the John Harmon Survey. Here he built alog home for his family. The following year, 1878, he paid one yearback taxes and court costs, total of $31.88, on the remaining 505acres of the John Harmon Survey. This gave him a tax title to the 640acre survey. For the next seven years, Mr. Purves labored here toprovide for his family of nine children, dividing the acrege with thechildren as they reached maturity.
In 1885 the heirs of John Harmon brought suit and won the land incourt. J. W. McKinzie, W. T. Hancock, and Robert Martia were appointedcommissioners by the court to partition the land for the heirs. OnNovember 16, 1886, W. W. Purves bought 186 acres from the John Harmonheirs for $422.35. In every instance in this area the heirs werewilling and sold the land to the inhabitants. The price usually rangedfrom $2.00 to $2.50 per acre. Children of W. W. and Rose Anna Purveswere: Enoch, John, Jim, Frank, Dalton, Asa, R. L. (Bob), Susan, andAmerica. We regret that we do not have the names of the wives andchildren of the sons. America never married. Susan married W. L.Moorhead.
W. W. and Rose Anna Purves are buried in Pecan Cemetery."
His headstone in the Pecan Cemetery in Erath County, TX has a Masonicemblem on the back.Instead of his birth date, it shows he lived 86years, 7 months, and 5 days.That makes his birth date of 12-25-1823 assuspected.
