Histories

Biographical Information: JOHN MURRAY PURVIS of Singapore, born 1833, died 1893. Succeeded his father in the Singapore merchant business John Purvis & Co., becoming a partner in 1856 and taking sole charge in 1862 when the firm was renamed John Purvis & Son. Robert Raaff Purvis (see 1.1.3.5.2.1. below), his 2nd cousin, and family stayed with him at ? Rogu, Singapore, in October 1882 when on their way from Hawaii to Java (this visit is described in the journal of Edith Winifred Purvis or Holdsworth (see 1.1.3.5.2.1.5. below) in the Greenwell Collection, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii). At this time his wife and three daughters had gone to live permanently in England and he was keeping house together with a Mr Thompson. His wife's brother (Mr Glass) and his wife (formerly a Miss d'Almedas or ? d'Almeida of another long established merchant family in Singapore), were also living in Singapore at this time. Married (in ? Liverpool, England) Barbara Glass (born 1834, died 1917) of Insh, Inverness-shire, Scotland, living (1902) as a widow at Banstead, Surrey, England, having five children:-