Dr Jess Browning

Some Perdue Descendants Dr Jess Browning

This story is about Martha Matilda Purdue who descended from a long line of ancestors who lived in France, Tennessee and Missouri. "Perdue" was the cry ringing through the French countryside 800 years ago as the Normans took up their arms to go into battle. It means "by God's Help." There are many varied spellings of this name. Perduex, Perdew, Perdeau, Pardoe, Pardee, Purdue, Purdy are a few, with families using more than one spelling. The oldest known ancestor of the Perdue line was born in France but relocated to Quebec Canada for a short while and married a French-Canadian woman. They moved to England for a time and then to Virginia in America. Matilda's father was from Sumner County in Tennessee and she was born on a farm near Lee's Summit, Missouri just east of where Lake Lottawanna is today.