James Purnell Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS-255

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contents: 2 letters, one containing information on Mississippi congressmen; and appointment by the governor. Several newspapers and church papers from Winona, Mississippi.

Dates

1883 - 1910

Creator

Purnell, James (Creator, Person)

Access Restrictions

Open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions

Any requests for permission to publish, quote, or reproduce materials from this collection must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian for Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Mississippi State University as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical Note

James Carstaphen Purnell, was born Duck Hill, Mississippi, in 1847. His parents died when he was two years old, after which he was raised by relatives. He served in the Civil War, where he achieved the rank of Captain. After the war he returned to Mississippi and initially became a planter, and later a business man and president of Citizens Bank. He was active in civic organization in Winona, and served as an alderman, president of the Board of Trade, and of the Winona Land & Improvement Company. He also served as superintendent of the Sunday School and the Senior Warden of Immanuel Episcopal Church, in Winona.

He married Jane Boyd Hawkins in 1870, and together they had several children. Purnell died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1921.

One of the letters in the collection is from United States Senator Thomas U. Sisson (1869-1923), husband of Purnell’s daughter Mary Helen Sutherland Purnell.