ontariohistory.org
WILLIAM PURDON FAMILY of
WHITECHURCH, ONTARIO

The Family of
Robert Purdon & Jane Thom,
Whitechurch, Ontario, c.1890

Robert Purdon family, Whitechurch, Ontario

Back row, L to R: Robert Henry Purdon, Betsy (Purdon) Laidlaw, William Purdon, James Purdon.
Front: Isabella Purdon (later Henderson), Jane (Thom) Purdon, Alexander Purdon; Robert Purdon, Sr.; Myrtle Purdon (later Dawson).

Many thanks to of Lucknow, Ontario for this photo,
and for the descendant list below.

The Family of Robert Purdon and Betsy & Jane Thom

A brief history by .

Robert Purdon and Betsy Thom had three children. After Betsy's death, Robert remarried her younger sister Jane Thom. Robert and Jane continued the family with the addition of two more children. In the late 1870's they left the Lanark area for Huron County and settled in West Wawanash Township. Here they had three more children and farmed for many years before retiring to the small hamlet of Whitechurch where they built a home. When Robert died in 1910, their granddaughter Cassie, (my grandmother), d/o Alexander & Christina, came to live with Jane for several years. The descendants of Robert Purdon abound in large numbers, predominantly in southwestern Ontario; one son went to Saskatchewan.

More information on the Purdon family of Lanark County can be found at Alan Falconer's homepage.
The Access Code for his Purdon site is purdon

Descendant List of Robert Purdon

Robert Purdon, born 29-Jun-1836 in Dalhousie Township, Lanark, ON, (son of William Purdon and Isabella Chalmers) died 20-Mar-1910 in Wingham, Huron, ON, buried 24-Mar-1910 in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON. He married (1) Betsy Thom, married 19-Feb-1858 in Dalhousie Township, Lanark, ON, born __-Jan-1839 in Scotland, (daughter of William Thom and Janet Turnbull) died 13-Feb-1863 in Lanark County, ON, buried in Chalmers Cemetery, Dalhousie Twp., ON.
He married (2) Jane Thom, married 28-May-1869 in Lanark, Lanark, ON, born 28-May-1850 in Dalhousie Township, Lanark, ON, (daughter of William Thom and Janet Turnbull) died 21-Feb-1930, buried 24-Feb-1930 in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON.

  • Children by Betsy Thom :
    1. Mary Janet Purdon, also known as Janet, born Jan-1859 in Lanark, Lanark, ON, died 24-Oct-1879 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, buried in St. Helen's, Huron, ON, resided in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON.
    2. William Purdon, born 12-Sep-1861 in Lanark, Lanark, ON, died 25-Jan-1950 in Huron County, ON, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON. He married Isabella Stein, married 14-Mar-1888 in Huron County, ON, born 7-May-1863 in Huron County, ON, (daughter of John Stein and Mary Davidson) died 3-Jun-1936 in Huron County, ON, buried 6-Jun-1936 in Wingham, Huron, ON.
    3. Elizabeth Thom Purdon, also known as Betsy, born 30-Jan-1863 in Lanark, Lanark, ON, died 26-Mar-1905 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON. She married Joseph Taylor Laidlaw, married 13-Jan-1886 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, born 15-May-1859 in Waterloo County, ON, (son of James Laidlaw and Anne Taylor) died 3-Aug-1946 in East Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, buried 5-Aug-1946 in Wingham, Huron, ON.
  • Children by Jane Thom:
    1. Robert Henry Purdon, born 10-Jul-1872 in Lanark County, ON, died 28-Mar-1963 in Weyburn, SK, buried in Walpole, SK. He married Mary Jane Taylor, married 20-Nov-1895 in Wingham, Huron, ON, born 25-Apr-1873 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, (daughter of Thomas Taylor and Alice McGuire) died 15-Jun-1942 in Langbank, SK, buried in Walpole, SK.
    2. James Chalmers Purdon, born 10-Jun-1875 in Lanark, Lanark, ON, died 9-May-1949 in Wingham, Huron, ON, buried 12-May-1949 in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON. He married Barbara Jane Stein, also known as Jennie, married 14-Sep-1897 in Wingham, Huron, ON, born 5-Dec-1877 in ON, (daughter of John Stein and Mary Davidson) died 5-Aug-1946, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON.
    3. Alexander Edward Purdon, also known as Sandy, born 4-May-1879 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, died 3-Jan-1968 in Victoria Hospital, London, ON, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON. He married Christina Ann MacKay, married 22-May-1901 in Turnberry Township, Huron, ON, born 25-Jan-1877 in Culross Township, Bruce, ON, (daughter of Hector Donald MacKay and Catherine Marie MacDonald) died 15-Aug-1974 in Wingham, Huron, ON, buried 17-Aug-1974 in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON.
    4. Isabella Jane Purdon, also known as Bella, born 7-Jul-1884 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, died 27-Mar-1935 in Walkerton Hospital, Walkerton, On, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON. She married Thomas Henderson, married 10-Oct-1907 in Kinloss Township, Bruce, ON, born 18-Jun-1877 in Kinloss Township, Bruce, ON, (son of Hugh David Henderson and Elizabeth Hamilton) died 17-May-1954, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON.
    5. Myrtle Mary Purdon, born 3-Mar-1886 in West Wawanash Township, Huron, ON, died 20-Apr-1966 in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON, buried 23-Apr-1966 in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON. She married William John Dawson, also known as Billy, married 10-Oct-1906 in Kinloss Township, Bruce, ON, born 28-May-1881 in Kinloss Township, Bruce, ON, (son of John Dawson and Frances Hamilton) died 14-Feb-1955, buried in Wingham, Huron, ON, resided in Whitechurch, Bruce, ON.

– Alan Falconer, Lucknow, Ontario.
26 May, 2006.

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