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Purdie Family: 1911

Matoaca, Virginia. June 1911. "Lawrence Purdie (right end) has been spinning in the mule room of the cotton mill at Matoaca for two years. His brother, next to him, helps there. Others in the photo are not working yet. The father is not at work now as work is slack." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.

Matoaca, Virginia. June 1911. "Lawrence Purdie (right end) has been spinning in the mule room of the cotton mill at Matoaca for two years. His brother, next to him, helps there. Others in the photo are not working yet. The father is not at work now as work is slack." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.

 

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Thanks Joe Manning

Interesting research on your website; just my kind of thing - thanks!

My Family

The Cox family lived right near those old cotton homes. Right around on Ferndale and near the Appomattox River. Thanks for good memories.

Ila and Ralph

Later in the Purdie family 1 girl name of Ila Purdie married a Ralph Vaughan. Vaughan family came from Petersburg. Ralph Vaughan was from Chesterfield/Colonial Heights. Both Ila and Ralph are gone now. Family still around, Vaughans and Purdies. Ralph Vaughan was my uncle.

lawncut1@yahoo.com

Purdie Family

This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I mananged to find most of the information noted below a while ago, and I interviewed several of the descendants of the family. However, due to some divorces and early deaths in the family, nobody remembered much about these children. You can see what I found at this link:
http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/12/29/purdie-family/

Purdie Family research

While not a member of the Purdie family, a bit of digging on Ancestry.com revealed a few more details on this family.

The Purdies were an old Virginia family, with records going back to the early-18th century.

The five children shown here were the offspring of William H. Purdie (b. May 1864) and his wife Mary (b. Aug 1870).
From the 1910 census, they appear to be left to right: Edward L. (b. 1901), Huse? (b. 1903), Agatha (b. 1907), Joseph Early (b. June 1898) and Lawrence Benjamin (b. July 1896).
There were three older brothers (not shown), Walter L. (b. Jan 1891), James Harris (b. June 1892) and William L. (b. Mar 1894).

As to their lives after the picture, one can only fill in a few sketchy details.

Both Lawrence and Joseph Early completed WWI draft cards. Lawrence was still single, and working in a cotton factory. Joseph E. was married, and working as a suitcase maker for the Plumbers Bag Co. Neither could read or write, and signed their registration cards with an "X".

The 1920 census showed Edward (now 19) still single and living at his parent's home, along with Lawrence (24) but Lawrence is now married and his wife Nevie lived there with him. Another little brother (Miland, b. 1911) also appears. Joseph Early is living with his in-laws and has a daughter (Bertha, b. 1919)

By the 1930 census, Edward has married (to Marinda) and has four children. Living next door are brother Lawrence (33) and his wife Nevie (38), though still apparently childless.

The last public record I was able to find, was Lawrence's WWII registration card (probably completed in 1942). On it, he was shown to be employed by American Hardware in Petersburg, VA. He is still married to Nevie, living on Stuart Avenue in Matoaca. Again, his registration card is signed with an "X" (his mark).

Tracking the girls is obviously more difficult, as once they were married, we lose track of their new names.

Lovely looking children

What lovely looking children. I hope they had happy lives.

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