KAY LASH COLLECTION, CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, ANGOLA, INDIANA. MARY (BROWN) BEACH PURDY, 23 Oct 1828 - 03 Aug 1908 MARY BROWN PURDY Mary Brown was born Oct. 23, 1828, and died Aug. 3, 1908. She was the second of a family of five children. Her father was a sailor and her childhood was spent on the banks of Lake Erie. On Sept. 20, 1849, she was married to Sidney Beach. To this union were born two children: Sidney, who was killed nine years ago at Sandusky, Ohio, by a train, and Eva with whom she resided at the time of her death. When the gold fever broke out in California, Mr. Beach left his wife and babies and went to the Eldorado. After searching for three years he wrote that he had found gold and would start for home. That was the last that was heard from him. In those days such disappearances were common and as one other of the party disappeared too it was supposed that Mr. Beach was murdered for his gold. On Sept. 15, 1867, she was married to Robert Purdy of Orland with whom she lived thirty nine years. In august 1906, Mrs. Purdy had a slight stroke of paralysis from which she never fully recovered. The extreme heat of the last few weeks was more than she could endure and the end came peacefully. She was ready to go and only waited for the summons. She united with the Methodist church at an early age and was a faithful member. She was not blessed with this world's goods, but of what she had she gave freely, never letting her right hand know what her left hand did; to the husband, love and faithful duty; to her children, a pure life and tenderest care; to the grandchildren whom she loved so dearly, any sacrifice that would give them happiness; to her neighbors, willing service; to the sick, a smile and a word of cheer; to the stranger, a word of welcome. Her life verified the truth, "As ye did it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me." Her life has been one of toil, but in her last days she rested from her labors and received from the hands of her daughter all that love and care could give. Her only fear was that she would be a burden to some one. She leaves to mourn her loss a daughter, three grandchildren and three great- grandchildren. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION; Mary (Brown) Beach Purdy, 23 Oct 1828 - 03 Aug 1908, on 20 Sep 1849, married Sidney Beach. No other information on her husband. Two children were born, son, Sidney Beach died in an accident in Sandusky, OH in 1899, and daughter Eva was living at the time of her mother's death. No information on place of burial. On 15 Sep 1867, Mary married Robert Nelson Purdy, born 01 Jan 1824 in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, and died 12 Aug 1906 in Orland, Steuben County, IN. He was the son of James Purdy, born 11 Feb 1788 in New York and died 14 Apr 1883 in Arcadia, Lapeer County, MI. About 1820 James married Matilda (Holt) Purdy, born about 1792 in Vermont and died in 1849 in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. Robert's 1st marriage was in 1851 in Erie County, OH, to Eliza S. (VanBenschoten) Purdy, 1830 - Sep 1868. CHILDREN OF THIS 1ST MARRIAGE (STEP CHILDREN TO MARY): Tacy Ann (Purdy) Williams, 26 Sep 1852 - 18 Dec 1877, married Charles D. Williams. Wilton Graham Purdy, 10 Aug 1854 - 05 Aug 1855. Jennie H. (Purdy) Gifford, 26 Mar 1856 - 01 Sep 1941, married Horace G. Gifford. Corena (Purdy) Norton, 15 May 1858 - 11 Sep 1928, married Orin `Levi' Norton, 26 Sep 1856 - 06 Sep 1924, son of Hiram and Patience (____) Norton. Corena and Orin are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery, Orland, Steuben County, Indiana. Wilton Ernest Purdy, 04 Nov 1859 - 07 Feb 1944, married Hattie (Robinson) Purdy, born 25 Mar 1861, no date of death. Iona "Ona" (Purdy) Richardson, 23 Mar 1862 - 12 Apr 1908, 1st wife of Charles Edward Richardson, 1860 - 1936. Charles is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery beside his 2nd wife, Flora J. (____) Richardson, 1850 - 1938. Iona is buried in her parent's lot at Greenlawn Cemetery. Howard Eugene Purdy, 01 Apr 1865 - 06 Jan 1959, on 20 Oct 1886, married Lydia Ordelia (Stayner) Purdy, 28 Aug 1866 - 19 Nov 1941. They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. Lydia was the daughter of William Perry Stayner, 11 Feb 1829 - 08 Jan 1915, and Dolly Jane (Powers) Stayner, 02 Apr 1835 - 16 Feb 1925. William and Dolly as small children were pioneer settlers in Steuben County, Indiana. ROBERT NELSON PURDY'S SIBLINGS: Reuben Purdy, on 04 Mar 1828 in Brighton, Ontario, Canada, and died in 1913 in Attica, Lapeer County, MI. On 02 Dec 1851 in Cramahe Township, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, he married Elizabeth Purdy, born 02 Dec 1832 in Ontario, died in 1908 in Arcadia, Lapeer County, MI. Richard Purdy, born in 1829 in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, and died in 1865. The 1860 U. S. Census shows him living in St. Clair County, MI. He married Margaret (Delong) Purdy who was born in 1832 in Ontario, Canada and died in 1852 in Ontario, Canada. Sources: STEUBEN REPUBLICAN, 18 Aug 1909, "Old Settlers" Death List, Mary Brown Purdy. Book #15 in the black notebook collection compiled by Audree Seibel Lewis, located at the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County, Angola, Indiana. "History of Steuben County, Indiana, 1885," page 506, biography of husband, Robert N. Purdy. "Cemeteries of Steuben County, Indiana, 1990," by Audree Seibel Lewis, Vol. 2, pages 1367, 1368, 1474, 1475, 1513, 1514, 1739, 1742. www.rootsweb.com/worldconnect: "The Thackeray Family of Cowthorpe, YKS and related families," entries: 13020, contact: Bill Smith, wdsmith@cogeco.ca: Robert Purdy, ID: I06015 Eliza Benschoten, ID: I09036 Wilton Purdy, ID: I09042 Hattie Robinson, ID: I09043 Iona Purdy, ID: I09037 Howard E. Purdy, ID: I09038 Lydia D. Stayner, ID: I09039 James Purdy, ID: I01735 Matilda Holt, ID: I06014 Reuben Purdy, ID: I06016 Elizabeth Purdy, ID: I06018 Richard Purdy, ID: I06017 Margaret Delong, ID: I02794 "Branches of the Purdey-Reed Family Tree" entries: 2373, contact: Kay Purdey, pkay1968@aol.com: Corena Purdy (Purdey), ID: I361 Orin Norton, ID; I362 "Kim McCollum", Entries: 348, contact Kim McCollum, mkmccollum@earthlink.net: Horace Gifford, ID: I94743708 Jennie UNKNOWN, ID: I94743709 Edward Ripley Gifford, ID: I94743706 Almira Salisbury, ID: I94743707 www.familysearch.org: Individual Record for Charles D. Williams, Robert N. Purdy. Submitted by Mona Hilden-Beckwith e-mail: hilbeck@voyaer.net