Philip, I retreat a bit from what I said earlier. I didn't realize that Solomon Purdy was a minister. It's possible that the Baptist archives might have some record of them. Also, the Wayne County Historical Society has the printed records of the Wayne County Baptist Association. Unfortunately, they are not indexed and they may not cover the very early years. There may be a family file at WCHS as well. Just curious, was Mynis Purdy the daughter of Francis Nicholson? It's an unusual name. Marenda is also an unusual name; is it a variation on (or alternate spelling of) Miranda? I found a reference (see below) in Mathews' "History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties" (1886) to a minister named Harvey Gray, but since he was active by 1845 he could not be your Harvey. Anyway, following is what Mathews has to say about Solomon's father William and his cousin Silas. I didn't copy references to Silas's family or the other children of Solomon, but they are in the book. Since it says that William was married to Rachel Purdy, Silas's sister, and that William was Silas's cousin, there must be a connection a generation or so back, probably in Connecticut. Bear in mind that most of what is in Mathews came from the memories of family members, so its accuracy is only as good as the source, which is unknown. Mathews, Page 683: "Among the other early settlers of the township (Palmyra) were many whose names will be found on the assessment list given below. It was made out in 1801 by Abisha Woodward, and is the oldest one preserved among the county archives. Amos Purdy Ephraim Purdy Reuben Purdy Silas Purdy Solomon Purdy William Purdy William Purdy, Jr." [I only copied the Purdys.] Page 691: "In 1845 the present church edifice [Paupack Eddy Baptist Church] was erected. Mr. Harvey H. Gray, a licentiate from the Bridgewater Association, succeeded Mr. Leach." [Paupack Eddy became Hawley.] Page 701-702: [Chapter on Paupack Twp., formed in 1850 from Palmyra] "Silas Purdy and his family were the first settlers who located in the then unbroken wilderness on the west side of the Wallenpaupack, having come from Kingston, N. Y., by the way of Cushutunk [near Damascus, PA] and the Wallenpaupack settlement, in what is now Pike County, in 1783. He was surrounded on all sides by dense forest. [There is more on Silas's family]. Page 702: "Elder William Purdy, a cousin of Silas, was of Connecticut origin, having ben born in Fairfield County. In 1769 he married Rachel, a sister of Silas Purdy, and soon afterward moved to New York State, residing for some time at "Nine Partners," in Dutchess County. Afterward he moved to New Marlborough, where he was baptized on profession of faith by Rev. Jacob Drake. He settled at Pleasant Valley, and was soon ordained a deacon of the church there, and was subsequently licensed to preach. In 1793 he moved with his family to Paupack, and settled about two miles west of Silas, on lands that had been taken up two years previous. He erected a house of hewn logs, and aided by his sons commenced clearing up a farm. He immediately commenced preaching, too, and his labors soon extended to the surrounding settlements. A number of his own family were converted, and soon the interest in religious life was so strong that the Palmyra Baptist Church was organized, and he ! was made its pastor. His ministerial labors were not confined to this church and its dependencies. Following the rough road over the Moosic Mountain, he carried the Word all through the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys. He continued the esteemed pastor of the Palmyra Church for nearly a quarter of a century, laboring without stated salary, and sustaining his family by his own exertions, and died in 1824, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He had a family of six boys and two girls." "Solomon Purdy, a second son of the elder [William Purdy, cousin of Silas], occupied lands adjoining his father on the north, and was a prosperous farmer, devoted to hunting and fishing, and beloved by all as a pleasant companion and excellent sportsman. He lived to be eighty years old. " ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phillip Gray" <philgray@lanset.com> To: <PAWAYNE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 10:20 AM Subject: [PAWAYNE] PURDY > Good morning: > > I'm looking for information on my gggrandmother, Marenda Purdy GRAY. > She was born on 11 July 1810 in Wayne County to Solomon and Mynis PURDY. > She married my gggrandfather, Andrew Wheaton GRAY in Wayne County in > December 1834. > > My ggrandfather, Harvey Purdy GRAY was also born in Wayne County in > 1841. Since Solomon PURDYS were Baptists, I was wondering if there are > any Baptist records, specifically baptisms and marriages, that go back > that far. > > Any help would be greatly appreciated. > > > Phillip Gray > > > ==== PAWAYNE Mailing List ==== > If you change your email address; be sure to SUBSCRIBE your NEW address and UNSUBSCRIBE your OLD address > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > > >