Purcellr
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
RALPH PURCELL is one of the younger
men whose industry and thrift have accumulated good holdings in the Big
Bend country. He resides about three miles northwest from Lamona
on a half section of land, a portion of which he secured by homestead in
1898 and the rest by purchase. It is a well improved farm provided
with buildings and other necessaries and is handled mostly to wheat.
Mr. Purcell has a young orchard situated on his place and everything about
the premises shows an air of thrift that commend very favorably the owner
in his labors.
Ralph Purcell was born in Lewis county, Washington,
on December 11, 1872. His father, Albert P., was born in Ohio and
crossed the plains to Washington with ox teams in the early 'sixties.
He located in Lewis county and gave his attention to farming, steadily
following that occupation on the same place until 1901, the year of his
death. At that time he was ninety-one years of age and had won for
himself great respect and esteem from all the old pioneers of Washington
territory as well as those who knew him in later years. The mother
of our subject, Susan (Lyons) Purcell, was also born in Ohio and accompanied
her husband across the plains in the early pioneer days. She still
lives in Lewis county. Our subject was educated in the public schools
of his native country and labored with his father on the farm until 1898,
when he came to his present location and took a homestead as stated above.
He has gained everything that he owns from his labors as he started with
no money and has shown wisdom, integrity, and uprightness that have won
for him many friends. He is very favorably known in this community
and stands well. Mr. Purcell has the following brothers, James, Benjamin,
Elwood, John, Grant, and Albert. He also has one sister, Emma, a
stenographer in Portland.
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