Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/456

 PURNELL

PURVIANCE

quently of Virginia, and a maternal descendant of Jolin Aldon of the Mai/ flower. George D. Pur- inton received a liberal preparatory education ; tauglit school in Virginia, and after serving as principal of George's Creek academy, Pa., of the Cherokee Male seminary and of the national high school of the Cherokee Indians. Tahlequah. In- dian Territory, was graduated from the university of Missouri. M.D., IsTl. and from the West Vir- ginia university, A.B.. 1S79, A.M. 18S2. In 1871 he was married to Helen B. Fordyce of Morgan- town. W. Va. He was co-proprietor and joint president of Broadus college. W. Va., 1879-80 ; was subsequently suj>erintendent of the Piedmont schools. W. Va.. but resigned to become vice- president and professor of physical sciences and natural history in the University of Des Moines, Iowa, and was president of the university, 1881- 82. He wa-s made professor of chemistiy and physics in Furraan university, S.C, in 1882, at the same time ser\nng as analj^tical chemist and assayer to the trade and as official chemist to various manufactories, and was subsequently professor of chemistry and biology in Arkansas Industrial university ; professor of chemistry, and superintendent of agriculture, which latter department he had founded. He was professor of biology and director and curator of the museum in the State University of Missouri, 1887-94. act- ing as organizer and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station of Delaware, 1888. From 1894 till his death he practised medicine in St. Louis. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from the State University of West Virginia, He is the author of : Systematic Descriptive Botany, A Guide to the Botanical iMboratory ; Analytical Chemistry and Plaut Chemistry. He died at St. Louis. Mo.. Mamh 27. is(i7.

PURNELL, Thomas Richard, jurist, was born in Wilmington. N.C., Aug. 10, 1846: son of Thomas Richard and Eliza Ann (Dudley) Pur- nell ; grand.son of John and Sarah Purnell and of Gov. Edward B. and Elizabeth (Ruffii)) Dudley ; great-grandson of John Purnell (1st), who set- tled in North Carolina in 1780. and a descendant of Cliristoplier Dudley. John Haywood, one of the first .settlers in Edgecomb county, N.C. (1675), and Thomas Purnell. who came from England, 1634. and settled in Virginia or Maryland. Heat- tended Hillsboro Military academy, and in 1864 served in the C. S. army as orderly to Gen. W. H. C. Whitney at Wilmington, and in 186.1 as topographical engineer in the Army of Northern Virginia with the rank of lieutenant. He was paroled at Greensboro. N.C, May, 186.5, and was graduated at Trinity college. N.C. A.B.. 1869, A.M.. 1872. He studied law under Col. Robert Strange in Wilmington: was married. Nov. 11, 1870, to Adelia E., daughter of Dr. Alexander T.

and Lucinda B. (Blum) Zevely of Salem, N.C. ; practised law in Baltimore, Md., 1870-71 ; Salem, N.C, 1871-73 ; was state librarian at Raleigh, 1873-76 ; representative in the state legislature, 1876-77 ; state senator, 1883-84 ; Republican can- didate for presidential elector, 1884 and 1888 ; candidate for attorney-general of the state, 1892 ; for solicitor of the 4th judicial district, 1894; was commissioner for the U.S. circuit court, 1877-97; practised law in Raleigh, 1876-97, and on May 5, 1897, succeeded Augustus Seymour, deceased, as U.S. district judge for the eastern district of North Carolina.

PURVES, George Tybout, clergyman and author, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 27, 1852 ; son of William and Anna (Kennedy) Purves. He was graduated from the University of Penn- sylvania, A.B., 1872, A.M., 1875. and at Princeton Theological seminary in 1876. He was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Wayne, Pa., 1877-80; of the Boundary Avenue church, Baltimore, Md., 1880-86 ; declined the chair of systematic theology in McCormick Tlieological seminary, Chicago ; the chair of church history in Princeton Theolo- gical seminary and the pastorate of the Collegiate Reformed church in New York city in 1889 ; was pastor of the First cliurch, Pittsburg, Pa., 1886- 92 ; professor of New Testament literature and Greek exegesis at Princeton Theological semin- ary, co-pastor of the First church, Princeton, and preacher at Princeton university, 1892-1900, and pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church. New York city, as successor to the Rev. Dr. John Hall, 1900-01. He received the degree D.D. from Washington and Jefferson college in 1888, and from the University' of Pennsylvania and Prince- ton university in 1894, and LL.D. from Lafayette college in 1895. He was married to Rebecca Bird, daughter of E. M. Sellers of Philadelphia, Pa., and at Dr. Purves's death in 1901 she was left with one son and six daughters. He is the author of : 77te Testimony of Justin Martyr to Early Christianity (1888); Christianity iri the Apostolic Age (1900). and sermons and numerous articles on New Testament themes. He died in New York city. Sept. 24, 1901.

PURVIANCE, Hugh Young, naval officer, was born in Baltimore, Md.. March 22, 1799. He at- tended St. Mary's college, Baltimore, and onNov. 3, 1818, was warranted midsiiipman in the U.S. navy. His midshipman service was on the frig- ates Congress and Franldin of the Pacific squad- ron, 1819-23. and on the Sorth Carolina of the Mediterranean squadron, 1824-27. He was pro- moted lieutenant, March 3, 1827 ; was an officer on the sloop Falmouth of the West India squad- ron, 1828-30: on the sloop Peacock of the East India squadron, 1833-.34 ; on rendezvous at Balti- more, Md., 1836-37, and on the Brazil squadron.