Dear Purdy Relatives,

The Purdy family is very well known in Westchester County History - there are several places in Rye, New York (birthplace of Barbara Pierce Bush) and White Plains, New York (The Revolutionary War "Battle of White Plains). They family was a very early Colonial Family and has ties to Fairfield, Ct. very early on, and to many other famous Colonial Families in the Northeast. There are probably many Purdy families around as it is a fairly common English name - but the ones the I am related to are from Fairfield, CT. in Fairfield County (where George H.W. Bush's family is from) adn then later on Rye and White Plains. The story of this family is legendary in these parts (I live in Westchester County) and their Colonial Story is a very proud and extensive one -

Nancy Higgons -

P.S. See the previous posting to see my connection -
The other names in the family are probably some that you will most certainily recognize if you are part of this tree -
Higgons
Crasto
Fanning
Smith
Hooker**
Leetes*
Budd

- The list is so long that I can't name them all - but they all resided in Westchester or Fairfield County or Hartford, Ct at some point.

* The Reverend Thomas Hooker- Official Founder of The State of Connecticut and the Founder of Hartford, CT.

** John Leetes - The Leetes Family married into the Hookers and John Leetes is a former early Governor of Ct. He is from the Branford, Madsion, Westbrook area. Those towns were settled very early!

Hi Nancy,

Do you know if G.W. Bush has any relationship to the descendants of Francis Purdy, who died in Fairfield in 1642 and was married to Mary Brundish? I am a denscandant of Francis.

Thanks!

Dear Mr. Hartman,
I am related to G>W> onmy mother's side through the Faircloth family and the Pursy/Brundage connection of Fairfiled is on my fathers's side. I am e descendant of them also. I will have to explore the possibility - it is very possible as many of the very early New England families are related - it will take me a while to get an answer one way or the other - I would be curious to know myself. Thanks for the "heads-up" and remaind me down the line and I'll let you know what, if anything, I have come up with.

-Nancy

Hello, my sister-in-law is a Westchester Purdy and her family has been there for a very long time. They, up until now have shown no interest in their roots. I want to put together a little family history for her for her Birthday in March.
I live in Fairfield County, New Canaan, Ct. I am hooked on genealogy ( currently trying to get my information together for the DAR). I believe that she is descended from the Jacob Purdy branch of the Purdy family. There is a little museum in White Plains in the home of Jacob Purdy as Gen. George Washington used it as a headquarters on and before the Battle of White Plains.
Do you have any ideas about how I might start this?>

Dear Laurel,

There is so much info on the Purdy family in addition to two other families, the Hookers and the Smiths, that I think I have to talk to you about it rather than do it by e-mail.

There were so many Purdys that I need to know more about who her parents, g'parents were to try and trace it back to which Purdy "Branch" she belongs to.

-Nancy

Nancy,

I have been tracing the Crasto/Purdy branch of my family for a while with only moderate success (I am a descendant of Abraham and Rebecca's daugther Rachel who married Levi Munson, and Levi/Rachel's daughter Rebecca who married a Thompson as her apparently second husband). While I've seen clear evidence in the census and vital records for the Crasto family coming from South America, I've found little other hard evidence. There seems to be much more on the Purdy side.

Any particular records/archives you can point me at to help would be greatly appreciated.

I am always looking for new "relatives". I am related to the Purdy's of NY. To make it short I will give a brief rundown of my family. I start with Francis Purdy who came to Fairfield, CT around 1635. Then the rest of the genealogy goes from father to son like this - Joseph, Jonathan(1693), Jonathan(1728), Job (who married Phebe Gedney - of Salem,MA fame), Caleb, Alson(1816). Alson(1856), and then Julia Purdy (1881) Hyatt - my grandmother. I would llike to hear from anyone who might be related to this family.

Nancy,In searching my tree ....I am related to Francis 1 Purdy ...John 2 -Daniel 3...Benjamin 4 ...Benjamin 5 ...the father of my great-great-grandmother...Annah 6 Purdy = Elisha Garzee .G.W.Bush is related to Benjamin 4 Purdy , being a 3rd.cousin, 8 times removed . His mom Barbara Bush is related ...being 5th. cousin 3 times removed . I hope this will be helpful to you .
Roberta Schelstrate.

I have found some interesting information about Rachel Crasto's parents Abraham Moses Crasto and Rebecca Purdy moving between Suriname in South America and New York. Have you seen the article by the doctor from California?