Woodslawn Farm History

George & Agnes Purington, March 28, 1948

Woodslawn Farm has been part of the Purinton family since 1784? Joseph and Lucy Purinton originally settled the land, and it’s been lovingly cultivated by their descendants for over 230 years.

Today, Robert and Joyce Purington continue the family legacy. While the farm primarily focuses on dairy, they’ve recently expanded- with the help of their son, Carl- to include grass-fed beef cattle and chickens.

That’s more than two centuries of dedication to the land—an incredible mix of grit, determination, and tradition. Is it stubbornness? Perseverance? Or a little bit of both? We may never know, but it’s a legacy worth celebrating!

To see more history, as well as our family tree, and poetry by Carol Purington, please visit our family blog page.

Seven Generations
1. Joseph and Lucy (Allen) Purinton [4-1] settled on the farm in Colrain in 1784 and were the first of the Pur(r)in(g)ton family to live in this town. Joseph was born in 1746 in Middleboro, MA, the sixth of ten children [I-19] of Hezekiah and Mercy (Bates) Purinton, and died in 1835 in Colrain, MA. Joseph was a Revolutionary War soldier, enlisting in 1775. Lucy was born in 1752 in Middleboro, MA to David and Fear (Pratt) Allen and died in 1826 in Colrain, MA.

2. David and Lucy (Wilkerson) Purinton. [4-3] David was born in 1777 in Middleboro, MA, the second of ten children [4-1] of Joseph and Lucy Purinton, and died in 1847 in Colrain, MA. Lucy was born in 1778 in Townsend, VT to Oliver and Alice (Rowson) Wilkerson, and died in 1828 in Colrain, MA.

3. Thomas and Eunice Lyman (Hawks) Purinton. [4-10] Thomas was born in 1825 in Colrain, MA, the eleventh of eleven [4-3] children of David and Lucy Purinton, and died in 1879 in Colrain, MA. Eunice was born in 1828 in Charlemont, MA to Oren and Sophia Hawks, and died in 1914 in Colrain, MA.

4.a. George R. and Hattie M. (Deane) Purinton. [4-10] George was born in 1853 in Colrain, MA, the third of 7 [4-10] children of Thomas and Eunice Purinton, and died in 1931 in Leyden, MA. Hattie was born about in 1855 in Gill, MA to Hiram W. and Melinda W. (Slate) Dean.

4.b. Orren Davenport and Marion Augusta (Purinton) Purington. [2-68] Orren was born in 1862 in Colrain, MA, the third of five children [2-65] of Samuel and Emily (Davenport) Purington, and died in 1931 in Providence, RI. Marion was born in 1867 in Colrain, MA, the sixth of seven children [4-11] of Thomas and Eunice Purinton, and died in 1906 in Providence, RI. Orren's great-grandfather was Joshua Purinton, older brother of Joseph Purinton - see #1 in this list.

5. George Richmond and Agnes Celinda (Call) Purington. [2-68] George was born in 1900 in Colrain, MA, the second of two children [2-68] of Orren and Marion Purington, and died in 1953 in Greenfield, MA. Agnes was born in 1903 in Colrain, MA to Byron and Alice (Mather) Call, and died in 1991 in Greenfield, MA.

6. Herbert George and Barbara Ella (Page) Purington. [2-69] Herbert was born in 1924 in Colrain, MA, the first of five children [2-68] of George and Agnes Purington, and died in 2016. Barbara was born in 1926 in Rowe, MA to Albert K. and Cynthia Ada (Boyd) Page, and died in 2019.

7. Robert Arthur and Joyce Marie (Smith) Purington. [2-69] Robert is the eighth of eleven children of Herbert and Barbara Purington. Joyce is the daughter of Richard R. and Viola E. (Belcher) Smith.