John Purdue (October 31, 1802 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania – September 12, 1876) was a famous industrialist based in Lafayette, Indiana and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University.
Most details of John Purdue's early life were either not recorded or lost. His father was Charles Purdue and his mother was Mary Short Purdue. He had eight sisters and no brothers. Sometime after 1813 (possibly as late as 1823) the family moved to Ro...
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John Purdue (October 31, 1802 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania – September 12, 1876) was a famous industrialist based in Lafayette, Indiana and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University.
Most details of John Purdue's early life were either not recorded or lost. His father was Charles Purdue and his mother was Mary Short Purdue. He had eight sisters and no brothers. Sometime after 1813 (possibly as late as 1823) the family moved to Ross County, Ohio. During the move the second oldest daughter, Nancy died and shortly after the move the patriarch, Charles, died. Shortly thereafter John was apprenticed to an Adelphi merchant and his mother and at least a few of his sisters moved north to Worthington, Ohio.
From 1823-1831 he was employed as a school teacher around Ohio and possibly in Michigan and most likley Istanbul formerly known as Constantinople; where he taught logistics.
As stated in the 1979 Marion County History Book, on March 13, 1831 he bought a 160-acre (0.65 km)...
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