Beeks line: John Purdy 1654-1712

I'm afraid this is another "no nothing" post, but I'm determined to note these ancestor's lives even if all I can do is offer a name, a location, and maybe a date.  This will remind me that I have work to do, to document these people, and it will serve as possible clues to someone who may be able to dig deeper into records than I can currently do. 

John Purdy is a Maryland resident, the first we learn of him.  He is believed to have been born about 1654, although his parentage and their origin are still something unknown.  I have seen his father listed variously as Henry, William, and Francis, so I'm unwilling to make even a wild guess.  I suppose someone who thought father's name was William thought that because his only (surviving) son was named William.  Francis seems to have spent his life in Connecticut and I can't find a logical explanation for a son showing up in Maryland, although I regard this as still a possibility.  And I don't know where "Henry" came from, as a proposed father.

John was apparently married at least twice.  His first wife was either Mary or Elizabeth, and his second marriage took place in 1701 to Mary Jarvis.  He apparently had children only by his first wife. 

We can guess that he was a farmer because there was real estate listed in his will, which was written October 21, 1709 and proved November 16, 1712.  He left his land to his son William, but if William died without issue it was to be sold with 5 pounds to go to John Purdy, the son of Henry and Ann Purdy.  As far as I know, the relationship of our John to Henry has not been proven, but it is quite possible he was a brother.  The residue from the sale of his land was to go to his daughters Margaret Watts, Elizabeth Aldridge and Susan or Susanna Purdy, at 16 years.  testators were Robert Steward, Joseph Tilly, and Thomas Orem.   

Obvious research possibilities would be land and tax records for the time period.  They should show what land he owed, where it was, and what the value was.  This should indicate whether he farmed, raised tobacco, or perhaps was some type of merchant, or trader.  At this early period in Maryland history, he could have been any of the above.  There may be further information in church records, also, which would at least indicate when he became a member at All Hallow Parish (this would have been Church of England or Anglican).

So it may be that someday we will know more about John.  For now, he's an ancestor in the Beeks line and he died in Maryland.  He or/and his father would have been an immigrant, and that is reason enough to want to know more.

The line of descent is:

John Purdy-Elizabeth or Mary
Elizabeth Purdy-Thomas Aldridge
John Aldridge-Eleanor Watkins
Jacob Aldridge Elizabeth Soper
John Simpson Aldridge-Mary Lakin
John Simpson Aldridge Jr-Lucinda Wheeler
Darlington Aldridge-Leah Folsom
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants