Photo of the Robert Purdon family, Whitechurch, Ontario, Canada

CHARLES DOBIE : LOCAL HISTORY
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.

Descendant List of Robert Purdon

Robert Purdon, born 29-Jun-1836 in Dalhousie Township, Lanark, ON, (son of William Purdon and sabella 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.

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


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