Hattie Pope and the Reverend Sydney M. Puryear:

Sidney M Puryear was born a slave in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He and his sibling’s, probably along with their unidentified parents, migrated to Indianapolis sometime before 1879.

Living near the Blackford Street A.M.E. Zion Church on the corner of Blackford & North streets Sidney married Hattie Pope, the daughter of the church’s janitor James Pope, on Christmas Day of 1879. Also a former slave, James Pope had also moved his family from Kentucky to Indianapolis in the late 1870’s.

We believe that Hattie and her mother (Lucinda) attended the Blackford Street A.M.E. Zion Church on the corner of Blackford & North streets. 

Following their marriage Hattie and Sidney lived with her parents at 358 Blackford Street. Over the years while working as a laborer, packer, and ‘expressman’ Sidney also became a church pastor. They had two daughters: Flossie and Mary.

Sidney’s entry in the 1884 Polk City Directory

We know that for at least four years Sydney was a Pastor at Penick Chapel Church:

Penick Chapel, AME Zion Church at the corner of Orange and Earhart. This little church was built/founded in 1889. It has been rebuilt twice since then (1915 & 1958). Lucinda Pope attended this church in 1905 and her son-in-law was the Pastor at the time, Sydney M. Puryear. Lucinda, Sydney and her daughter Hattie lived a few blocks away on Vandemen. The Blackford Stree tA.M.E. Zion Church is no longer standing.

Sidney was also a pastor at:

• Eddy Street Mission A.M.E. Church
  Eddy St, near Garden Street.
  Services 10:30 a. m. and 7:30 p. m.;
  Sunday School 2:30 p. m.
  Rev. Sidney W. Puryer, pastor.

We don’t know when Hattie and Lucinda passed. Hattie’s father James Pope died in 1901. Sydney died in Chicago on 12-30-1936, listed on his Death Certificate as an AME Zion Church Minister. The abstract of his death certificate says that his wife was Mary, but we believe this is probably his daughter Mary. When indexing records transcribers often confused or assumed informants were spouses. We won’t know until we get a copy of the death certificate itself. It always possible that Hattie was already deceased and Sidney remarried.

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Who is who in the above article:

• James & Lucinda Pope are the Great-Grandparents of James Francis Williams.
• Hattie (Pope) Puryear is the daughter of James & Lucinda. She is also the Grand Aunt of James Francis Williams.
• Reverend Sidney M. Puryear is also the Grand Uncle of James Francis Williams.

Who is who below:

• The siblings of Sidney M. Puryear. They are no relations to the descendants of Myrtle Montgomery and James Williams the focal point of the Montgomery Williams Project. Their inclusion is just FYI.

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Sydney had at least three siblings: a sister Maggie, a brother Jerimiah Isaac Ruffin Puryear, and another brother John A. Puryear. John and Sidney were half brothers.

• Jerimiah Isaac Ruffin Puryear: He died before 1892 leaving a widow, Margaret A. Puryear (maiden name unknown).  From 1892 to 1901 we know she was employed as a janitor at Public Schools #23, #18, and # 19. She lived at seven different address from 1892 to 1913. We loose track of her after 1913 until she shows up on the 1930 census where her and her brother-in-law John A. Puryear are living with her daughter Laura and husband, Holman P. Bennett.       
• Maggie is mentioned in his will and probate papers.
• John A. Puryear: We now from John’s Last Will and Testament (below) and other records that he was very successful. From his will we can also deduce that he saw his half-brother the Minister as less than successful.
  From his Will we know that John owned at least 5 properties and bequeathed $700, a large amount in 1930 7 different people. John was an ‘expressman’ for B&O Express (possibly Baltimore & Ohio RR) before forming hi own freight and shipping Company: Harris & Puryear, then Puryear & Porter.
  Puryear & Porter (John A. Puryear, Jacob M. Porter), transfer and storage 105 W. Ohio, Tels New 561, Central Main 2405.

The newspaper article below originally set us on a quest to discover more about Hattie Pope Puryear, wife of the Sydney Puryear.

While we found out some about Hattie through what we found out about Sidney, but the bulk of what we found pertained to Sidney’s siblings. We present it here as an example of what can be obtained from little clues and mysteries.

The article:

PROBATE CAUSE
In The Court Marion County, Indiana
Estate Docket 88 Page 30234
Daniel W. Jones
Executor Of Estate Of John A. Puryear, Deceased, Laura Bennett, et. al.
To Laura Bennett and Holman P. Bennett her husband, Maggie Puryear Kimbro, nee Puryear, and Edward Kimbro, her husband, Sidney M. Puryear and Clara Ellison.
You severalty hereby notified that the above named petitioner as Executor of the estate of the aforesaid, has filed in the Probate Court of Marion County, Indiana, a petition, making you defendants thereto, and praying therein for an order and decree of said court authorizing the sale of certain real estate belonging to the estate of said decedent, and in said petition described to make assets for the payment of debts and liabilities of said estate; and has also filed an affidavit averring that you and each of you are non-residents of the State of Indiana, or that your residence is unknown and that you are necessary parties to said proceedings, and that said petition so filed, and which is now pending, is set for hearing in said Probate Court at the court house in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 6th day of September 1932.

Witness the Clerk and Seal of said court, this 2nd day of July 1932
GLENN B. RALSTON. Clerk of the Probate Court of Marion County
R. L. Bailey. Atty. 7-9-32

The Indianapolis News: July 30, 1932 issue.

The Probate Cause was my first encounter with probate in Indiana and in the 1900s. Everything before this was research from the 1800s and earlier. For this reason I sought out the opinion of a lawyer on the legal interpretation of some key words. Since lawyers don’t come cheap I sought out a cousin (1st cousin, once removed) for an opinion. Close enough to get free information without obligation. A big thanks to Rex for taking the time to weigh in on the subject.

Follow that conversation for an interesting break down of the article visiting the link below for a correspondence thread on the interpretation of the article:

http://www.glennlittrell.org/2017/01/nee-nee-nee-horse-is-horse-of-course.html