yesterday's tennessee

COLONEL JOHN PURDY

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

(Page 38)

From the NATIONAL BANNER AND NASHVILLE WHIG, August 27, 1834:

JOHN PURDY. Residence, Henderson County; born April 16th 1798 in Millin /Mifflin/ County, Pennsylvania. Emigrated to Tennessee in 1819. Occupation, a farmer.

  Colonel Purdy appeared among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of Tennessee which convened in Nashville in 1834 and devised a more democratic state constitution which was adopted by the electorate of the state in 1835 and its provisions became effective in 1836.

  Colonel Purdy was Surveyor-General of the Ninth Surveyor's District in the 1820s, which included the area now Henderson County. As such he processed all land claims that were finalized at state land grants for this district. His office was first located in Lexington but was moved to Mifflin shortly where he lived for years. (JACKSON GAZETTE, 11-20-1824)

Appearing in the DISTRICT TELEGRAPH AND STATE SENTINEL, December 14, 1838:

Departed this life at his residence near Mifflin, Henderson County, on the 4th inst., in the 40th year of his age, Col. JOHN PURDY. In the death of Col. Purdy, a loss to his family and to society has been suffered, which cannot be estimated. For 20 years past, Col. Purdy was a citizen of Henderson County and in the time filled many responsible offices of trust, without a shadow of reproach. He was a member of the late Convention in Tennessee for the revisal of the Constitution. As a husband, parent, friend and neighbor, all the mild traits of character were displayed and attested benevolence of heart and good will to men.

Buried in the old Miff lin Cemetery about. 3 mile northeast of Mifflin, off Highway 197 is his burial plot. Until Chester County was organized in 1879, Mifflin and the area around it were located in Civil District Three of Henderson County.

 

COL. JOHN PURDY Died December 4, 1838 Aged 40 years & 7 months	SARAH Daughter of John & F. E. PURDY Died Aug. 8, 1851 Aged 18 yrs.
FRANCES E. PURDY Born In Pittsylvania Co., Va. Dec. 28, 1808 Died April 3, 1881	WILLIAM P. PURDY Died March 26, 1836 Aged 26 years

One tombstone:
Infant Daughter of F. E. Purdy Died 1828
A. M. PURDY daughter of John & F. E. Purdy
Died 1831

"and the village of Mifflin was named by him /Colonel Purdy/ in honor of a town in his old state." W. A. Goodspeed, HISTORY OF TENNESSEE, Chester Co., 1887, page 807.

 

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.