Michael Purkhiser,

Michael Purkhiser, born in 1825 in Indiana, married Elizabeth Wilson in Salem, Indiana, on December 30, 1845, when he was twenty and she was sixteen. Michael served in Company B of the Indiana Infantry, enlisting in 1862. He was badly injured and discharged in early 1863. They had seven children in Indiana: Sarah, Minnie, Ovanda, Mary, William Allison, Laura, and Emily. Sarah and Minnie died in infancy. The family settled in Nevada in 1866. They had twins, Lillian and Elizabeth. Michael and Elizabeth were married more than 62 years. Ovanda married James Batman and lived in Nevada. The daughters married and lived in the following communities: Mary Halsey, Perry; Laura Halsey, Madrid; and Emily Hornberger, Lincoln, Nebraska. Elizabeth taught school in Sandwich, Illinois. Lillian became a chiropractor and was one of the few women chiropractors in the state. She practiced in Des Moines for many years. William Allison, nicknamed “Allen,” lived most of his life in Nevada. He married Altheria Morgan in 1882. They had a son, Floyd, who died in infancy. A daughter, Lila Ethel Dorothy, was born in 1885. She was mostly deaf. She could talk very well but one had to listen because she couldn’t hear herself very well. Lila graduated from the School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs. She was a delightful aunt with a wonderful sense of humor. She married Grant S. Edgerly in 1909 in Nevada. They lived most of their life in Waverly. Michael Raymond was born in 1888. Called “Ray” by his family he lived all his life in Nevada. He was an independent soul, an adventurous, ornery kid, and was in “hot water” more than once during his school career. He worked in a drug store, as a baggage man for the Northwestern Railroad, and for the Mackey Grocery. In 1916, County Auditor-elect Frank King appointed him Deputy Auditor. In 1921, he ran for Auditor and held the position for two terms. In May 1921, Ray married Josephine Olson of Roland. They had three daughters. Betty Ann married Don Hemstreet and lives in Ames. They had a daughter, Ann Beth, and a son, Steven Michael. Their second daughter, Esther, became a nurse and married Robert Baker. She lives in Davenport. They had five daughters, Ann Marie, Susan, Rea, Carol, and Christine. The third daughter is Patricia who attended Iowa State. She lived and worked in Kansas City. She married Daniel Reid and they had a daughter, Judith, and a son, Michael. They now live just outside Le Claire, on the Mississippi. Emily, daughter of Allen and Altheria, married Charles Wilson. They lived in Des Moines and had five children: Donald, Evelyn Lila, Kathryn, and Virginia.