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Brockville Cemetéry is at present located, he
remained on his new farm six years, marrying in
January, 1830, Catherine, daughter of George
Gardiner. He then removed to Yonge, Lot No. 7,
in the znd Concession, and in course of time secured
I,70o acres of land. His family consisted of nine
children. His eldest son, John Purvis, married
Mary Smith, by whom he had ten children, viz.:
Thomas, William, Lovinia, Jane, Henry, George,
Frederick, . John, Jr., Peter Edmund, and Mary.
John Purvis was a volunteer in the War of 1812,
and for twenty years Collector and Assessor for
the Township, also serving as Town Clerk and
Superintendent of Schools. He died in 1853, at
the age of 66.
The second son of Peter was Thomas; married
children: Peter, John, Thomas, George, James,
Catherine, David, and — Thomas was a
major and a volunteer in 1812.
eighty-first year of his age. The Rev. William
Smart preached his funeral sermon, it being the
last service held in Yonge by the veteran Presby¬
terian minister.
George Purvis, third son of Peter, married Lydia
Comstock, by whom he had the following children :
Lovinia, Catherine, Alice, Phoebe, Lydia, Jennette,
Peter, Jane, George, and Sarah. George was a
and received a pension before hisdeath. His sword
is in the possession of his son, who resides on the
homestead. Peter is a Justice of the Peace.
The fourth son of Peter was William, who married
Lois Gideon, by whom he had one child, Mary. His
second wife was Jane Percival, by whom he had the
following children: Catherine, Elizabeth, Walter,
Ann, Peter, James, Susan, Nancy, Jane,and Zacheus.
Mr. Purvis is at present an honored citizen of
Escott.
Peter, Jr., the fifth son of Peter, the elder, was
born February 2oth, 1798 ; married Kesiah Pennock,
by whom he had the following children: Peter,
Jr., Catharine, Abel, Sarah, James, Arthur, Nancy,
Moriah, and Kesiah. At one time he was awakened
in the night by a rapping at his door ; opening it,
he was confronted by five or six armed men, who
demanded his money or his life. Seizing his father’s
sword, he thrust it into one of the robbers, who fell
but was carried off by his comrades. Report says
that from that night a person in the neighborhood
always traveled with a cane.
James, the sixth son, married Ann Brennan ;: his
family consisted of three daughters : Eliza, Nancy
and Isabella. James died in 1852 ; Jane married the
Rev. John Dickey ; Catherine married the late Dr.
Booth, of Unionville ; Nancy married Nelson Ship¬
man. The descendants of Peter Purvis, the elder,
number two hundred and eighty. At one time he
and his family used to walk ten miles every Sunday
to attend divine service at Brockville. -Mr. Purvis
was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and upon
one occasion, when an attempt was made to intro¬
duce instrumental music in the church, in the form
of a bass viol, the old gentleman stalked into the
gallery, seized the bow from a man named Richards
(a relative of the present Chief Justice), and broke it
across his knee, at the same time remarking, “ We'll
have nae fiddles in the house 0" God.” He died
March 27th, 1836, aged eighty-three years.
THE GARVEY FAMILY.
William Garvey was born in Ireland, where he
received an excellent education; removing to
Canada in 1820, he resided in Kingston and Picton,
finally settling near Brockville in the Reed settle¬
ment, where he taught school. Among his pupils
was the Hon. John Simpson. Mr. Garvey married
Amelia Morey, and entered the mercantile business
at Maitland, where he died in 1864. Forseveralterms
he was Warden of the Counties, defeating Ogle R.
Gowan. He served asa Justice of the Peace, and
was justly respected as one of the leading citizens
of Central Canada. His family consisted of five
sons and two daughters : William, Charles, Joseph,
a Doctor in Ottawa, Samuel, James. Harriet married
J. J. Gemmil, Barrister, Ottawa; Sarah married
George H. McHenry, Toronto.
William Garvey, jr., was born in 1827 ; married
Adeline Eliza, daughter of A. B. Pardee, of Nortk
Augusta. He removed to Morrisburg in 1857,
where he became a leading produce buyer, being
known in Eastern Canada as the “ Butter King.”
His family consists of the following children :—
Charles Mills, Barrister, and partner of the Hon.
T. B. Pardee; Samuel Elliott, of Montreal; William
Havelock, Student at Law; A. Albert Edward,
Gordon McKenzie, Jane Amelia and Fred and Emma
(twins.)
¬
AARON B. PARDEE.
The late A. B. Pardee emigrated from Vergennes,
Vermont, walking all the way from that State to
Canada. His mother was a sister of the original
Bellamy’s, who founded North Augusta. Mr. Pardee
was alocal preacher in the M. E. Church, and was
distinguished as the most eloquent and greatest
champion of the temperance cause in Leeds and
Grenville. Few if any gentleman in Grenville had
a greater weight of character ; his honesty, integrity
and firmness of principle making him, in the
words of the poet, " The noblest work of God.” His