Historical crimes have always been a fascination. With few reliable sources of information available, conjecture has always been used to embellish a story, or establish a theory. In the case of the Purrington Massacre of 1806, the facts remain concrete, except for when it comes to the reason why the tragedy occurred.
James Purrington was born in Bowdoinham, Maine, in 1760. At the time, Maine was still considered part of Massachusetts, and hadn’t been established as its own state. There, James lived a happy, healthy life.
He married Elizabeth “Betsy” Clifford at a young age, and was determined to be able to provide anything and everything for his wife, and any children they may have.
James carried a serious, steady work ethic with him, and prided himself in caring for his community. Soon, he was nominated as Captain of the Bowdoinham militia, ensuring authority and safety for the community.
He was also known to have a serious comportment, but seemed to keep to himself. He was entirely devoted to his title, his wife, his family, and his faith.
In a time when many people were less than pleased with their religious leaders, they sought other avenues of faith and worship. This was prime breeding ground for religious upstarts. James himself was a devout Freewill Baptist, but also believed in the doctrine of universal salvation.
A central idea to universal salvation was that no just deity would allow for the existence of any kind of hell. Instead, upon death, the soul was sent to a sort of purgatory, in order to be purified, and restored to perfection. Though James wasn’t a preacher or zealot, he was a firm believer in his faith, and his doctrine. And it followed him through every aspect of his life.
When his father passed away, James came into an inheritance, which allowed him make plans for his growing family. James and Betsy went on to have 12 children, though only 8 survived to see the fruits of their labours.
In 1803, he purchased a plot of land in Augusta, Maine, along what is known today as the Old Belgrade Road. The neighbourhood was populated by all of 6 other farmsteads, who were welcoming to James as he began to build his home, and clear the land for farming.
By 1805, James had cleared 6 of 100 acres of land, and had completed building his home. The family that moved to Augusta from Bowdoinham included: his wife Betsy, daughters Polly, Martha, Anna, and Louisa, and sons James Jr., Benjamin, Nathaniel, and Nathan.
While the Purrington family had a very prosperous year, the summer of 1806 was a different story. There was very little rain, and the community of Augusta was fearful of a drought. James, fearing for his family, was greatly concerned, and prone to bouts of melancholy.
With today’s advancements in mental health, it has been highly speculated that James was clinically depressed.
He had been known to go through extreme highs and lows in very quick succession, with his depressive episodes tending to be more frequent. This was especially true as the situation on his farm grew more and more dire.
On Sunday, July 6th, James’ daughter, Martha, noticed her father acting agitated as he was writing a letter. When he took note of Martha watching him, James quickly put the letter away, and told his daughter that nothing was wrong when she asked.
James then asked Martha to fetch him the butcher knife from the kitchen, as it needed sharpening. A while later, Martha noticed her father standing in front of the mirror, moving his left hand over his throat in a repetitive motion. Again, James told Martha that nothing was wrong when she exclaimed to him in alarm. He then slowly set the knife he’d still been holding down on the table.
When Betsy returned from a prayer meeting with her eldest daughter, Polly, Martha was quick to tell her mother about James’ strange behaviour. Concerned, Betsy went in search of the letter. She found it among James’ other papers. Upon reading the letter, Betsy’s concern only grew. The letter read:
“Dear Brother,
These lines is to let you know that I am going on a long journey, and I would have you sell what I have, and put it out to interest, and put out my boys to trades, or send them to sea.
I cannot see the distress of my family – God only knows my distress. I would have you put Nathaniel to uncle Purrington, to a tanner’s trade – I want James to go to school, until sufficient to attend in a store – Benjamin to a blacksmith’s trade, or to what you think best – But to be sure to give them learning, it it takes all – Divide what is left, for I am no more.”
Betsy was sure her husband planned to commit suicide, and confronted him in absolute distress. James comforted Betsy, and reassured her that he intended no such thing. Instead, he told her that he’d had a premonition of his own death, and was simply ensuring his affairs were in order in case the worst case scenario were to transpire.
But in reality, James committed to memory the devastating effect his suicide would have on his family, and vowed that they would suffer no such thing.
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 9th, 1806, Martha and Ephraim Ballard were woken from a dead sleep by a commotion at the front door of their home. Young James Purrington Jr., along with another neighbour, Mr. Wiman, were stood on the front step, frantic. And they had a very, very devastating tale to tell.
James explained how he’d woken up to a commotion within his home. As he went to investigate, he found his father in the doorway of the bedroom he shared with his younger brother, Benjamin. His father remained dead silent as he then swung the axe held in his hands, with every intention of striking his eldest son in the head. The blow missed, hitting James in the back, instead. Benjamin distracted their father, which allowed James a moment to escape.
James then ran to the home of Mr. Wiman, and explained the situation. Mr. Wiman was initially incredulous, but changed his tune when James showed him the wound at his back. Mr. Wiman knew he needed to assist the Purrington family, but not without assistance himself.
The pair made their way to the Ballard home, and repeated the story to Martha, Ephraim, and their son, Jonathan.
Jonathan went with Mr. Wiman and his father to the Purrington house, where they saw an absolutely horrifying scene.
Inside the outer room of the house, they found Captain James Purrington, dead of a self-inflicted cut to his throat. A straight-razor was found near his body. The bodies of his wife, Betsy, and all of their children were found within the interior rooms of the home.
When she heard someone enter the home, Martha shouted, drawing the attention of the men. She was found gravely wounded, but alive. She was then taken out of the house, and received surgical aid. She recalled that she had been hit in the head three times, but believed her attacker to be a stranger. She was devastated when she was later informed that she’d been nearly killed by her father.
The remaining members of the Purrington family were looked over for signs of life. Finding none, Jonathan, Ephraim, and Mr. Wiman left the house, and informed the appropriate authorities about the tragedy that had occurred at the Purrington farm.
Later that same day, 12 members of the community of Augusta formed a Jury of Inquest in order to establish a legal, criminal account of the events that had occurred. They concluded that Captain James Purrington had, indeed, planned the massacre of his family, which made him a felon by legal definition, even in death.
The town ensured that the bodies were treated with the respect they deserved. Betsy and her children were removed from the home, and placed in hastily crafted coffins. They were then brought to the Augusta meeting house, and set down in the inner room.
James was kept apart from his family, and remained on the front porch of the meeting house. He was on full display, with his axe, to satiate the morbid curiosity of the community.
The following day, on Thursday, July 10th, a crowd gathered for the funeral of the Purrington family. A few days later, Martha succumbed to her wounds, and was mourned and buried with her family.
It was believed – and still is – that James, feeling desperate, felt he had no other options. He relied on the doctrine of universal salvation to guide his actions, and he firmly believed that he was sparing his family pain and suffering.
Others believe that he had severe mental illness, which went undiagnosed – not that it would have been diagnosed at the time – and that in a bout of depression, he planned the massacre, and his suicide. Seeing how Betsy had reacted to finding the letter to his brother, he decided that he didn’t want his family to suffer.
The perpetrator of this horrifying event may have been easily identifiable, but the motive remains up for speculation, as theories and reasonings continue to be discussed to this day.
As for James Purrington Junior, the lone survivor of the tragedy – I couldn’t find any information about him. No one knows where he went, or how he fared in the aftermath. I can only hope he moved forward, and lived a long, happy, and healthy life.
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Sources:
“For The Moon Shone Bright” – The Purington Murders Of 1806 – Thomas Burby – Strange New England
Murder, She Told podcast – Horrid Murder! The James Purrington Family Massacre
Morbid podcast – Episode 291: The Purrington Massacre