Isaac F. Purvis

James F. Purvis
Born	Tennessee, U.S.
Died	23 April 1880(1880-04-23) (aged 72) Carroll County, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Slave trader, broker, banker, real estate developer, farmer
Years active	1830s–1868
Known for	Slave trading with Franklin & Armfield; banking president of Howard Bank; real estate development in Baltimore

James Franklin Purvis (born April 23, 1880) was an American figure involved in slave trading, brokerage, and banking, primarily operating out of Baltimore. As the nephew of Isaac Franklin from Franklin & Armfield, Purvis conducted business in Maryland, Louisiana, and Mississippi throughout the 1830s and into the early 1840s. After embracing Methodism in 1842, he withdrew from the slave trade and redirected his efforts toward real estate, financial services, and stock brokerage. Following the collapse of his banking enterprise in 1868, he retired to Carroll County, Maryland, where he passed away at the age of 72.

Slave trade

James F. Purvis entered the world around 1808 in Tennessee as the son of Allen Purvis and Margaret Franklin, Isaac Franklin’s sister. Both his father and uncle were well-known slave traders; Allen Purvis sold enslaved individuals in Natchez and consigned them to Franklin & Armfield. Scholars indicate that Purvis began his career in Washington, D.C., before relocating to Baltimore in the early 1830s, initially conducting business from Sinner's Tammany Hall on Water Street. Despite its unconventional location within Sinner’s Hotel near Gallows Hill, his enterprise, Purvis & Company, engaged in substantial transactions.

Later on, Purvis opened an office on Calvert Street close to Market Street, adjacent to a rival Stage Office. He also had an agent or partner named Harker stationed near the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot at the Eagle Hotel on Pratt Street. A Baltimore Sun exhibit highlights that Purvis owned both a residence and a slave jail at 1225 Harford Avenue, noted for its healthy environment and exercise yard—facilities that were sold after the Civil War.

By 1833–34, Franklin & Armfield employed five primary agents responsible for gathering enslaved people for southern shipment; Purvis was one of three operating within Maryland. These agents worked closely together—for instance, J. M. Saunders & Co. sent enslaved individuals to Purvis' Natchez office in 1835. Additionally, Purvis served as a shipper for consignments destined for New Orleans traders such as Thomas McCargo.

In the late 1830s, Purvis promoted transport services for enslaved people via packet boats like the brig Isaac Franklin, which sailed between Baltimore and New Orleans. His name regularly appeared in advertisements across Maryland and Virginia markets, underscoring his involvement within the interstate slave trading network.

Court documents reveal Purvis’s participation in intricate legal cases related to fraud and kidnapping involving free people of color falsely identified as slaves. In 1840, he publicly offered a $500 reward for the capture of an escaped enslaved man named John Murphy.

Purvis provided short-term detention services for enslaved individuals at his facilities at a rate of 25 cents per day, assuring safekeeping and proper care.

In August 1842, Purvis declared his full departure from the slave trade by placing his Harford Avenue property up for sale in a Richmond newspaper—the city being home to the largest Upper South slave market—indicating a deliberate withdrawal from this line of business.

Builder, broker, banker, bricks

Bancroft observed in 1931 that among Baltimore traders active during the 1830s, Purvis was unique in remaining engaged into the 1850s; however, by this time his firm was described as "'stock-brokers' conducting 'exchange & collection' business." An 1855 report by abolitionist Solon Beale noted that after joining the Methodist church and abandoning slave trading in the 1840s, Purvis devoted himself to "various works of faith." The capture of his associate McCargo during the notable 1841 Creole mutiny further marks this era. Historian Joshua D. Rothman emphasized Purvis’s uncommon remorse and renunciation of slave trading by 1843.

Legal scholar Martha Jones pointed out Purvis’s transformation from a disreputable slave trader into a respectable entrepreneur. He leased and developed properties on Harford Avenue, constructing several two-story homes. Maintaining business relations with William Whitman—who had entered brick manufacturing—both marketed bricks in Baltimore by 1844. In 1846, Purvis acquired and resold Zion Church—a black Methodist congregation’s property—for profit. He also held positions as trustee of Baltimore Female College and served on the board overseeing the city poorhouse during the 1850s.

The 1850 census listed Purvis as an exchange broker with real estate assets valued at $40,000. That same year he legally owned three enslaved people. By 1856 he held the presidency of Howard Bank amid a $100,000 stock issuance. His Baltimore mansion was featured in real estate advertisements that year. Additionally, he took part in charitable fundraising efforts and anti-corruption initiatives through involvement with the City Reform Association during the late 1850s.

The 1860 census recorded Purvis as a banker with $33,000 in real estate holdings and $20,000 in personal property; two black servants were documented within his household. He was re-elected president of Howard Bank in 1863. In 1864, his son defaulted on a $5,000 promissory note from him. The IRS assessed his income for that year at $9,077. Although re-elected president early in 1867, he resigned by April and was succeeded by Peter Kephart. That June saw a trustee’s sale offering his Baltimore property featuring a large residence with outbuildings. Reports indicate that Purvis & Co.’s bank failed in 1868.

In April 1869, a James F. Purvis advertised stock and bond commission services operating from a Baltimore office.

By the time of the 1870 census, residing as a farmer in Carroll County, Purvis owned $21,000 worth of real estate along with $8,000 in personal property; two black laborers were part of his household.

Purvis died unexpectedly at age 72 near Baltimore in Carroll County. His obituary highlighted a banking career beginning around 1840 that concluded with his transition to farming following his bank’s suspension in 1868. After being sold off posthumously, his former city properties became densely developed. The obituary did not detail how he amassed wealth enabling entry into banking. He was interred at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.

Isaac F. Purvis

Isaac F. Purvis (circa 1813 – June 24, 1843) was the younger sibling of James F. Purvis and an American slave trader operating primarily near Annapolis, Maryland during the 1830s. Presumably born in Tennessee, he collaborated with his brother and uncle and maintained connections with George Kephart from Frederick County, Maryland, and subsequently Alexandria, Virginia. In 1835, he advertised in newspapers seeking to purchase "any number of negroes" between the ages of 10 and 35. He was a regular presence at Mr. James Hunter's tavern in Annapolis, which by 1838 had become known as "Mrs. Hunter's tavern," with correspondence managed by John Lamb. Around 1841, sellers were instructed to reach Isaac at the Eagle Hotel located opposite the B&O Railroad station in Baltimore. Purvis passed away at the age of 30 in 1843; his funeral took place at his brother’s residence on Hanford Avenue.

Personal life

James F. Purvis married Maria Louisa (Parker) Purvis in Baltimore in 1833. Together, they had nine children—five sons and four daughters. Among their sons were James F. Purvis Jr. (1834–1904) and Isaac F. Purvis (1842–circa 1874), named after their father and uncles, who later became involved in the family’s banking enterprise. James Jr. completed his education at a Methodist college in Pennsylvania before pursuing careers in banking and real estate in Harrisburg. Maria Louisa survived her husband by more than fifteen years, dying in 1896.

Although initially engaged in the slave trade, the Purvis family established strong social and financial ties within Baltimore society and maintained close affiliations with Methodist organizations. James F. Purvis Sr. acted as a trustee for the Baltimore Female College under the auspices of the Baltimore Annual Conference and played a significant role in founding Baltimore’s Harford Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in 1843. He also contributed to the church’s building committee in 1850 during construction of a new facility and served as a class leader.

See also

• List of American slave traders
• History of slavery in Maryland
• Bibliography of the slave trade in the United States
• John S. Montmollin

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