James F. Purvis
James F. Purvis | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1808 Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | April 23, 1880 (aged 72) Carroll County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Slave trader, financial broker, banker, real estate developer |
| Years active | 1830s–1868 |
| Known for | Slave trading in Maryland and southern states; banking and real estate development in Baltimore |
James Franklin Purvis (circa 1808–April 23, 1880) was an American slave trader, financial broker, and banker operating out of Baltimore. As the nephew of Isaac Franklin, co-founder of Franklin & Armfield, Purvis conducted business in Maryland, Louisiana, and Mississippi throughout the 1830s and early 1840s. In 1842, he embraced Methodism, ceased involvement in the slave trade, and transitioned into real estate development, banking, and stock brokerage. Following the collapse of his bank in 1868, he retired to Carroll County, Maryland, where he passed away at the age of 72.
Slave trade
Born around 1808 in Tennessee to Allen Purvis and Margaret Franklin—Isaac Franklin’s sister—James F. Purvis inherited connections to the slave trading industry; his father was also a trader active in Natchez, Mississippi. Scholars indicate that Purvis likely began his professional activities in Washington, D.C., before relocating to Baltimore in the early 1830s. Initially, he operated out of Sinner's Tammany Hall on Water Street. Despite an unconventional office location, Purvis & Company conducted substantial transactions; they frequently placed advertisements in both Baltimore and rural newspapers, purchasing enslaved individuals locally and distributing them to major markets in Louisiana and Mississippi through affiliated agents.
Subsequently, Purvis established an office on Calvert Street near Market Street at a site formerly occupied by a tavern. He maintained another agency near the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot at the Eagle Hotel on Pratt Street. His personal residence and slave detention facility were situated at 1225 Harford Avenue—a property later promoted after the Civil War as a large house formerly owned by him.
By the mid-1830s, Franklin & Armfield employed five principal agents responsible for gathering enslaved people destined for southern shipment; Purvis was among those stationed in Maryland. He collaborated with subordinate traders such as Thomas McCargo in New Orleans and managed extensive shipments along established routes. For instance, in 1838 Purvis dispatched 57 enslaved persons to McCargo aboard the packet Orleans. His activities attracted criticism from abolitionists who highlighted his advertisements promoting shipments bound for New Orleans.
During the late 1830s and early 1840s in Baltimore, Purvis was implicated in legal proceedings concerning fraud and kidnapping linked to slave trading. He regularly placed newspaper notices offering rewards for escaped enslaved individuals and operated short-term detention facilities for travelers’ slaves at a daily fee.
In August 1842, Purvis publicly declared his total withdrawal from the slave trade by advertising his Harford Avenue property for sale—marking a strategic departure as Richmond's Shockoe Bottom became the dominant Upper South slave market.
Builder, broker, banker, bricks
Historian Bancroft observed in 1931 that Purvis was the only notable Baltimore trader from the 1830s still active during the 1850s; however, it remained uncertain if he continued slave trading since city directories described his firm as "'stock-brokers' engaged in 'exchange & collection' activities." An abolitionist report from 1855 by Solon Beale confirmed Purvis had left the trade during the 1840s: "In 1842, James F. Purvis...operated a slave prison...He joined the Methodist church amid a religious revival and immediately abandoned the slave business." Notably, one of Purvis’ associates, McCargo, was captured during the Creole mutiny of November 1841—a significant slave revolt. Scholar Joshua D. Rothman emphasized that Purvis’s religious conversion leading to his exit from slave trading was an uncommon example of remorse among traders.
Legal historian Martha Jones noted that Purvis "earned a reputation by reinventing himself from a disreputable slave trader into an entrepreneurial gentleman." He leased residential properties on Harford Avenue and developed real estate there by constructing three two-story homes. Maintaining connections with William Whitman—the Eagle Hotel proprietor—Purvis engaged in brickmaking enterprises; in 1844 Whitman advertised bricks for sale through Purvis. In 1846 he acquired Zion Church from a black Methodist congregation at auction and sold it for profit a year later. Additionally, he served as a trustee for Baltimore Female College and participated on the city poorhouse board during the 1850s.
The 1850 U.S. census recorded Purvis as an exchange broker owning $40,000 worth of real estate. Slave schedules from that year listed him as legal owner of three enslaved individuals. By 1856 he held the presidency of Howard Bank when it announced a $100,000 stock issuance. That same year saw a property near his Baltimore mansion listed for sale. In December 1856 he appealed for donations toward municipal poor relief efforts. Between 1858 and 1859 he was active within the City Reform Association opposing corruption.
In the 1860 census, Purvis was identified as a banker with $33,000 in real estate holdings and $20,000 in personal assets. He secured re-election as president of Howard Bank in 1863. In 1864 his son reported losing a $5,000 promissory note from him. Maryland District No. 2 IRS tax records show Purvis had an income of $9,077 with $453.85 assessed tax for that year. Although re-elected president again early in 1867, he resigned by April and was succeeded by Peter Kephart. That June featured a trustee’s sale of considerable Baltimore property on Caroline Street owned by him. A report from 1900 indicated that Purvis & Co., established circa 1844, failed financially in 1868.
In April 1869 a James F. Purvis announced brokerage services specializing in stocks and bonds from an office located above the telegraph at Baltimore and South Streets.
By the time of the 1870 census, Purvis resided as a farmer in Carroll County with real estate valued at $21,000 and personal property worth $8,000; two black employees lived within his household.
Purvis died unexpectedly at age seventy-two in Freedom district of Carroll County near Baltimore. His obituary stated he entered banking around 1840; following its suspension in 1868 he devoted himself to farming until his death. His former city mansion eventually became part of dense urban development. He is survived by several children. A recent biography noted that his obituary omitted details regarding how he financed his banking career. He was interred at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.
Isaac F. Purvis
Isaac F. Purvis (circa 1813–June 24, 1843) was an American slave trader active primarily in the Annapolis, Maryland area during the 1830s and the younger sibling of James F. Purvis. Likely born around 1813 in Tennessee, he collaborated with his brother and uncle and maintained connections with George Kephart of Frederick County, Maryland, who later operated in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1835, Isaac advertised in newspapers expressing interest in purchasing "any number of negroes, including both sexes, ages 10 to 35 years." He was a regular patron at Mr. James Hunter’s tavern in Annapolis, which by 1838 had become known as "Mrs. Hunter’s tavern," with John Lamb managing communications. Around 1841, individuals looking to sell enslaved persons to James F. Purvis were referred to Isaac at the Eagle Hotel located opposite the B&O Railroad depot in Baltimore. Isaac passed away at the age of 30 in 1843; his funeral took place at his brother’s residence on Hanford Avenue.
Personal life
In 1833, James F. Purvis wed Maria Louisa (Parker) Purvis in Baltimore. 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), both named after family members and later involved alongside their father in banking ventures. James Jr., a graduate of a Methodist college in Pennsylvania, pursued careers in banking and real estate in Harrisburg. Maria Louisa survived her husband by more than fifteen years, passing away in 1896.
Although initially engaged in the slave trade, the Purvis family held significant social and financial standing within Baltimore society and maintained strong ties to Methodism. James F. Purvis served as a trustee for the Baltimore Female College under the auspices of the Baltimore Annual Conference, contributed to establishing Baltimore’s Harford Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in 1843, participated on its building committee in 1850, and fulfilled duties as a class leader within that congregation.
See also
- List of American slave traders
- History of slavery in Maryland
- Bibliography of the slave trade in the United States
- John S. Montmollin