Descendants of Edmund Purcell, Purcells in Maine and Nova Scotia

[Daniel Purcell]

<this message was posted by ppurcell on the old website. I'm reposting
it here.>

Hello Purcells [cousins hopefully] in Maine,

I am a Purcell born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. I am working on the
genealogy of Mathias Purcell of Borrish Parish Tipperary, Ireland who
came to Nova Scotia via Newfoundland. I am a direct descendent of
Edmund Purcell, son of Mathias and brother of a "Patrick Purcell who
married an Ann Cavanaugh. They supposedly moved to the Province of
Prince Edward Island, Canada and then to the state of Maine, USA. I
have been hoping to connect with descendants of Patrick because I
actually thought that the line had died out. P. J. Purcell

[M Purcell]

I'm not sure it's the same Mathias but I'm looking for the ancestors
of one born about 1811 in Ireland and married a Katherine in Nova
Scotia about 1837. They had a daughter Katherine born in 1840 in
Michigan and a son Edmond James born in 1842 in New York. They took a
ship to California in 1847.

[Vince]

Hello Daniel,

I am descended from Patrick Purcell (yes, the Maine branch of the family).  I have solid information from Patrick Edward Purcell (tentatively the son of Patrick Purcell (d. 25 Dec 1905) and Anne Cavanaugh) down to me.    I am not as sure about the connections further back, partly because Patrick d. 1905 supposedly died in Australia, and no one in my grandmother's generation ever mentioned any Australian connections.   My Purcells lived in Bangor, Maine and emigrated from either PEI or Nova Scotia.   For many years I accepted the Mathias and Tobias links, but I have since unlinked those persons to my tree because of my doubts about any Australian connection.   But for all I know, there could be some connection.   Feel free to contact me.  I'd really like to resolve this issue to my satisfaction.