Charles Pursey, who owns a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Polk
township which he acquired by his energy and business ability, is justly
regarded as one of the trustworthy and progressive men of Macoupin county.
He was born in Somersetshire, England, April 28, 1858, and is a son of
Thomas and Sarah Anne (Fields) Pursey. The father was born in Devonshire and
continued with his parents until twenty-one years of age, when he took up
his permanent residence in Somersetshire. He devoted his attention to
general farming and died about 1884. The mother of our subject was born in
Somersetshire and passed her entire life in that section. In the family of
Mr. and Mrs. Pursey were seven children: Sarah Anne, who is the widow of
Frank Wheeler, of England; Eliza, the widow of George Tatner, of Kent,
England; Thomas, who came to America and is now engaged in farming in Polk
township, Macoupin county; Emery, who was killed in a runaway accident;
Charles; George, who is also living in Polk township; and Emily, deceased.
In the public schools of his native land Charles Pursey received his
early education. He continued at home until fourteen years of age and then
began learning the butcher’s trade, at which he continued for five years in
Gloucestershire. He then went to Dartford, Kent, and was employed in the
paper mills for one year, after which he spent a year at home. Having
decided to seek his fortune in America, he went aboard the ship Parthia, of
the Cunard line, at Liverpool, and crossed the ocean landing at Castle
Garden, New York, March 12, 1881. He came direct to Macoupin county,
Illinois, and soon afterwards bought eighty acres in Polk township, which he
cultivated for eighteen months and then began working for wages, in order to
secure more capital. After being employed for four years by farmers of the
neighborhood he settled on his own place, which is located on sections 10
and 11, and now comprises two hundred and forty acres. His land is in an
excellent state of cultivation and as he keeps good grades of stock and
understands marketing the same, his continued prosperity is assured.
In 1887 Mr. Pursey was married to Miss Emily Eddington, who was born in
Somersetshire, England, and came to the United States in the year of her
marriage. She died in 1888, and in 1889 Mr. Pursey was married to Mrs.
Joseph Christian, who was born in Polk township on the farm where she now
makes her home. There are nine children in the family of Mr. and Mrs.
Pursey, namely, Jacob Rudolph, Joseph Wesley, Carl Julius, Edward, Lilly,
Theodore, Dorothy, Mildred, and Charles Earl, all of whom are at home.
Politically Mr. Pursey supports the republican party, and he has served
for two terms as highway commissioner and for fourteen years as a member of
the school board. He was christened in the Church of England, but his wife
is a member of the German Evangelical church of Carlinville. Being a
liberal-hearted man, he is a generous contributor to churches and all worthy
causes. Fraternally he is identified with the Royal Americans, and he is
also connected with the Federal Life Insurance Company of Chicago. Arriving
in America thirty years ago, he set himself bravely to work among strangers,
and has founded a home and established a reputation of which his family and
friends may truly be proud. He has ever recognized his obligations to his
family and to his adopted state and country, and no more loyal citizen is to
be met with in Illinois than the one whose name introduces this sketch.
Extracted 18 May 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 43-44.
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