Col. William Henry Purnell, Sr.

1826 - 1902  (76 years)

• Name	William Henry Purnell  [1]
  Prefix	Col.
  Suffix	Sr.
  Birth	3 Feb 1826	Snow Hill, Worcester Co, Maryland   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Anecdote	1846  [2]
  	In 1846 Purnell received a degree from Delaware College (now the University of Delaware). He practiced law and was Comptroller of Maryland 1856-1861. He was appointed post master of Baltimore and served as a Union Army officer in the Civil War. He raised a military unit for the Union cause known as Purnell's Legion in Worcester Co, MD. He resigned from the military, holding the rank of colonel in Feb 1862 and resumed the position of post master of Baltimore. His resignation was endorsed by Maj. Gen. John Adams Dix. He was president of Delaware College 1870-1885.
  Census with another person	1850	Worcester Co., Maryland   [3]
  	William Purnell, 24, lawyer, is living in the household of E. D. Martin, Clerk of County. Also in the household were Margaret Purnell, 24, and one month old Mary Purnell.
  Civil War	Worcester Co., Maryland   [4]
  	He served as a Union Army officer in the Civil War. He raised a military unit for the Union cause known as Purnell's Legion in Worcester Co, MD. He resigned from the military, holding the rank of colonel in Feb 1862
  Will - Fathers	21 Feb 1850	Worcester Co, Maryland   [5]
  	In his will Moses Purnell, wife Maria, named: son Theodore Moses Purnell, son William Henry Purnell, son Levi Matthew Purnell, son Daniel M. Purnell, daughter Evenim Sarah Pitts, daughter Josephine E.M. Purnell, and granddaughter Maria Virginia Purnell Handy.
  Reference Identifier	Maggie 006
  Record ID	91806
  Death	30 Mar 1902  [1, 2]
  	He died in either Newark, DE or Atlantic City, NY.
  Burial	St. Anne's Cemetery, Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland   [2]
  Person ID	I91806	MilesFiles23
  Last Modified	9 Jun 2023

  
  

  Father	Moses Purnell,   b. Abt 1785, Worcester Co, Maryland d. Bef 19 Apr 1859, Worcester Co, Maryland (Age < 74 years)
  Mother	Maria Bowen,   b. Abt 1804, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 1870, Worcester Co, Maryland (Age 66 years)
  Marriage	16 Feb 1821	Worcester Co, Maryland   [6]
  	They were shown as Moses Purnell and Maria Bowen.
  Family ID	F30294	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Margaret Neill Martin,   b. 5 Sep 1825   d. 5 Sep 1895, New Windsor, Maryland (Age 70 years)
  Marriage	13 Jun 1849	Snow Hill, Worcester Co, Maryland   [6]
  	They were shown as William H. Purnell and Margaret N. Martin.
  Children	1. Mary Rosella Purnell,   b. 23 May 1850, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 29 Jul 1860, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Age 10 years)   2. Martin Purnell,   b. 16 Dec 1851, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 1 Jul 1860, Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland (Age 8 years)   3. Margaret 'Maggie' Neil Purnell,   b. 28 Mar 1853, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 23 Aug 1855, Snow Hill, Worcester Co, Maryland (Age 2 years)   4. Rebecca Grace Purnell,   b. 22 Apr 1855, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 7 Jul 1860, Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland (Age 5 years)   5. Maria Bowen Purnell,   b. 16 Dec 1856, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 2 Sep 1860, Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland (Age 3 years) + 6. Elizabeth Harwood Purnell,   b. 9 Feb 1859, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 20 Jun 1918, Baltimore, Maryland (Age 59 years)   7. Dr. Caroline 'Carrie' Martin Purnell,   b. 3 Sep 1860, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 3 Feb 1923 (Age 62 years) + 8. William Henry Purnell, Jr.,   b. Abt 1862, Worcester Co, Maryland d. Yes, date unknown   9. Edward Duffield Purnell,   b. 8 Feb 1864, Worcester Co, Maryland d. Yes, date unknown + 10. Grace Duffield Purnell,   b. 17 Mar 1869, Worcester Co, Maryland d. 12 Nov 1945 (Age 76 years)
  Last Modified	13 Mar 2023
  Family ID	F30295	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S1955] Rob Hall (C.R.V. Hall) [email protected], Corrections & Additions to MilesFiles, 1955. [S2469] Margaret Ann (Connell) O'Donnell Webster Davis, Davis, Margaret Connell - The Purnells, (7631 S. Galileo Lane, Tucson, AZ 85747), 2469. [S1330] In 1850 Census, 1330. [S2468] Melanie Ayres Merryweather, Merryweather, Melanie Ayres - Purnell Family, (Self Published, Cambridge, MD, revised Aug 2007), 2468. [S2483] Worcester Co, MD Wills, 1851-1873, vol II, no 8, p. 258-263 (will of Moses Purnell, wife Maria), 2483. [S594] Powell, Jody - Worcester Co, MD, Marriage Records 1795-1865, (Roanoke, TX: Jody Powell, 1990), 594.