INWELLS-L Archives

From: Cathy Burnsed <>
Subject: [INWELLS] Biography of James Perdue
Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2002 19:51:04 -0500

>This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
>
>Surnames: Perdue, Lowery, Price, McNairy, Wall, Moss, Lee
>Classification: Biography
>
>Message Board URL:
>
>http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Ui.2ADI/2382
>
>Message Board Post:
>
> >From "Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana," Logansport, B. F.
> Bowen, 1903, pp. 118-119.
>
>James Perdue was born in Delaware county, Indiana, February 28, 1834. His
>father was James Perdue, Sr., a native of North Carolina, and who was a
>son of John Perdue, also a native of the same state. James Perdue, Sr.,
>married Mary Price, who was likewise a native of North Carolina, a
>daughter of Ellen (Lowery) Price, the wedding taking place in North
>Carolina. The births of both parents took place on the site of the battle
>of Guilford Court House, North Carolina, where the British were commanded
>by Lord Cornwallis and the Americans by General Greene. James Perdue,
>Sr., settled down to farming, but later came to Indiana, stopping a while
>in Wayne county, about 1830, and then came to Delaware county where he
>died, in November 1833, before James, Jr. was born. While in Delaware
>county he farmed and taught school. James, Jr., has the instrument of
>writing, in his father's hand, that the latter made of the section of land
>set apart for the purpose of the school fund in the !
>township where he settled. James, Sr., was the father of four children,
>of whom two are yet living: John, deceased; Emily J., William, now
>residing in Warren, Indiana, and James. Mary, the widow of James Sr.,
>married Francis McNairy in Delaware county and they later moved to Fayette
>county, Indiana, when James Jr. was about ten years old, and the latter
>grew to manhood in that county. He was educated in the public schools
>until he was about twenty years of age. The last term of school he
>attended was taught by a Presbyterian minister, who preached in the
>Ebenezer meeting house and taught a select term of school in an old log
>church. He had worked there during the summer, by the month, and boarded
>with the same man for whom he worked, attending the school during the
>following winter. He remained there the next summer, and in the fall
>returned to Delaware county and worked by the month for his stepfather,
>remaining with him that fall. He remained in Delaware county dur!
>ing the winter and worked until harvest the next summer. September 2,
>1855, the subject of this sketch was married to Mary Wall, a resident of
>Delaware county, Indiana, a native of Ohio, and a duaghter of Christian
>and Hannah (Moss) Wall. The parents of Mary removed to Delaware county in
>an early day, settling on the land before there was any house on it and
>when it was all in woods. The father improvised a sort of shelter tent
>with brush, in which he kept his family until he could build a
>house. Christian Wall was the father of six children: Amanda, deceased;
>Alexander, deceased; John, deceased; Margaret, deceased; David, probably
>dead, went to California and not heard from, and Mary, who married James
>Perdue, was born May 8, 1830. After his marriage James Perdue and wife
>settled in Fayette county, Indiana, where they remained for two years,
>when they removed back to Delaware county and farmed in that county from
>1857 until the former date inclusive. They came to Jac!
>kson township, Wells county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Perdue had six
>children, three sons and three daughters, all deceased but two. Francis
>M. has two children, Frederick and Carl P.; Walter L. was born August 23,
>1861, and died September 13, 1862; William R. was born December 17, 1862,
>and died August 19, 1882; Mary L. was born March 8, 1865, and died
>December 23, 1873; Olive, born November 7, 1866, died September 13, 1867;
>Hettie, born November 15, 1870, married Darwin Lee, now a resident of
>Jackson township, Wells county, Indiana. They have two children, Jay and
>Burle. James Perdue and his wife are members of the Christian church at
>Perry Creek. He was an elder of the church in Delaware county for several
>years, also of the church at Dillman, Indiana, until it was disbanded
>several years ago.
>
>Mr. Perdue is a member of Lodge No. 392, I. O. O. F., of Warren, Indiana,
>and has passed the chairs twice; he has been secretary and representative
>to the grand lodge, and was also deputy grand master under D. B.
>Shideler. Mr. Perdue was formerly a Democrat, voting for Buchanan and
>Douglas, but since that time he has been a Republican. He has never
>missed an opportunity to vote since he was old enough and has been active
>in politics. He served as assessor five times in his native township in
>Delaware county and was at one time a candidate for treasurer of Wells
>county, Indiana.
>
>James Perdue has lived in this state all his life, a period of more than
>two-thirds of a century. He has been a citizen of three counties of
>Indiana and has been a witness of and aided in their development. While
>his life has not been essentially that of the original pioneers of the
>state, he has been conversant with most of the changes through which they
>passed, and the improved methods which has been adopted, both in work and
>manner of living. He has witnessed the development of the state of his
>nativity from a semi-border commonwealth until it occupies today a
>position midway in the great chain of highly cultivated agricultural
>domains which constitute the integral divisions of our wonderful
>country. He has acted well his part in life, seeking to improve his own
>environments and in the performance of his duties as a good citizen and
>neighbor has added to the general welfare of the communities in which he
>has lived.
>
>[poster is not related to this family and has no further information;
>also, please check original source for verification, especially of names
>and dates, as the microfilm from which this biography was transcribed was
>nearly illegible in some places.]

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• [INWELLS] Biography of James Perdue by Cathy Burnsed <>