For over seven decades, the Purdums were involved with Fairbury businesses, including a motorcycle dealership, an auto dealership, a grocery store, and a life insurance agency.
The story of the Purdum family began with the birth of John Wesley Purdum in 1819 in Brown County, Ohio. In 1839, J. W. Purdum married Nancy Ann Hamilton. He was 19, and she was 23 when they married. They had four children.
J. W. and Nancy Purdum initially lived in Brown County. By the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, the family had moved to Yates Township, just west of Fairbury. In 1869, John Turner Purdum, son of J. W. and Nancy Purdum, married Mary Jane Anderson. John Turner Purdum and Mary had three sons: William Purdum, John Leonard Purdum, and Charles Anderson "Charley" Purdum.
In 1887, at the age of 48, John Turner Purdum decided to retire from farming and move his family to Tulare, California. After moving to California, John Turner Purdum pursued his favorite hobby of fishing in the ocean. After spending a year in Tulare, John Turner Purdum decided to move to Santa Cruz, California.
On May 23, 1888, John Turner Purdum went ocean fishing with his friend Joel Smith. They traveled in a horse-drawn buggy on Mission Street down to the bay at Black Point. They hitched the horses and took their rods and lines to the point to fish. That day, the waves were much higher than usual. A colossal wave knocked 49-year-old John Turner Purdum into the ocean. Joel Smith recognized that the water was too treacherous for even an experienced swimmer to try to rescue Purdum. Joel Smith yelled at his friend to try to swim, but Purdum did not attempt to swim. John Turner Purdum yelled to his friend, "Tell my family goodbye!" and then he drowned.
The next day, Purdum's body was found when it washed onto the beach in the same area where he drowned. When John Turner Purdum died, his son, Charley Purdum, was 17, and the other son, John L. Purdum, was eight. Mary Purdum was 51 when she became a widow.
Mary Purdum and her two sons moved from California to Bloomington after John Turner Purdum's death. Son Charley Purdum attended Illinois State Normal University for three years. The family then moved to Fairbury. Charley Purdum entered the grocery business with G. R. Farr in 1891. In 1893, Mary Purdum died of consumption at the age of 55 in Fairbury. In that era, consumption was the common name for tuberculosis.
Charley Purdum left the G. R. Farr business in 1894 to attend the Bryant & Stratton business college for one year. Also, in 1894, John W. Purdum died at the age of 75. He was buried in the Chenoa Cemetery.
In 1895, Charley Purdum bought the grocery business of W. J. O'Malley. In 1896, Charley Purdum married Ethel "Anita" Pence in Fairbury. Anita was in the Class of 1894 from Fairbury Township High School. Charley was 24, and Anita was 20 years of age when they married. Charley and Anita Purdum had two children. Charles Hugh "Chuck" Purdum was born in 1912, and Emily Elizabeth Purdum was born in 1917.
In 1898, the Blade published biographies of several promising young businesspeople in Fairbury. One of those biographies featured Charles A. "Charley" Purdum. The Blade story recounted his father drowning while sea fishing in California when Charley was just 17. The Blade reported that Charley had developed his grocery store into one of the best in the state.
After his grocery business career, Charley Purdum became the assistant cashier at the Walton Bank and later held the same position at the Fairbury Bank. In his last working years, he became engaged in the life insurance business. Charlie Purdum was an Indian Grove Supervisor and was on the Livingston County Board from 1939 to 1947.
Charley Purdum's brother, John Purdum, graduated from the Fairbury Township High School with the Class of 1900. Jay Claudon was one of John's classmates. John Purdum then attended the Lake Forrest Academy. John returned to Fairbury and got started in the motorcycle business. John eventually ended up in the car dealership business.
In the 1910s, Fairbury was known as the motorcycle capital of the world. The first motorcycle club in Fairbury was established in 1910 by John L. Purdum. Carl Goudy established an Excelsior motorcycle dealership in Fairbury in this era. Carl Goudy and his brother William Goudy became world-class motorcycle racers and were inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame. The membership in this first motorcycle club peaked at 150 members. Several iconic photographs of large groups of motorcycles in Fairbury still survive today. This club closed out by 1919. After 25 years in the motorcycle and auto dealer businesses, John Purdum retired at the age of 48. He never married and died in 1939 at the age of 59.
In 1930, Chuck Purdum attended Illinois State Normal University and became a school teacher. Later in life, Chuck became a life insurance salesman. In 1939, Charles H. "Chuck" Purdum married Cleo Lucille Troehler. He was 27, and she was 24 years of age when they married. Chuck and Cleo Purdum had two daughters.
In 1940, Emily Purdum married Glenn Virgil Gibb. She was 22, and he was 26 when they married. In 1943, Chuck Purdum entered the U.S. Navy in World War II. He was discharged in 1946 as a Yeoman Third Class. Glenn and Emily moved to a farm north of Piper City in 1947 and then moved into Piper City in 1973. They had four children.
Chuck Purdum died in 1979 at the age of 67 and was buried in Graceland Cemetery. His obituary noted that he was a certified life insurance underwriter for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. He was also a World War II veteran. Chuck was very active in the community, including being the President of the Indian Creek Country Club, the Chairman of the Livingston County March of Dimes, and the President of the Fairbury PTA. Chuck belonged to the Lions Club, the American Legion Post, the Masonic Lodge, and the Chamber of Commerce. Cleo Purdum died in 1987 at the age of 72. She was buried with her husband in Graceland.
(Dale Maley's weekly history article is sponsored by Dr. Charlene Aaron)
