Grace Lillie Page

Grace Lillie Page, daughter of a solicitor Thomas Collins Page & Carolina Louisa (Spurgeon) Page. Grace, as a young nurse, undertook mission work under the auspices of the Cape Town Mission and settled in N. Rhodesia, now Zambia. There she married Harvey George Purchase. They were marriage number ONE on the written records of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). After Harvey George passed away she stayed and ran the farm with the help of her Africans whom she cared for and nursed. She raised three children and home schooled them. She was an amazing woman.

Robert "Bob" Hope Fraser, Grace's son-in-law wrote: "The amount of work which Mrs Purchase got through was amazing. Performing a man's work on the farm, in addition to that of a capable housewife and mother, yet she somehow found time to exercise a truly Christian influence on the natives in the surrounding villages, of which six were located on Chadzombe. She never gave a native something for nothing, but always demanded a small tribute for any service performed.

With her knowledge of nursing, Mrs Purchase was often of great assistance to the neighbouring natives. There was never a case of protracted labour but The Dona, as these people called her, was sent for. On many occasions this gallant white woman walked miles through the African night to relieve the sufferings of some native mother. There was a good stock of drugs, medicines and surgical instruments at Chadzombe, and they were often required."

The story of Thomas and Grace Lillie Purchase and their greater families are written up in my book "The Genealogy of the Purchase Family in Britain and Southern Africa: The Ancestors of Harvey Spurgeon Purchase (1906-1968) and the Descendants of James Purchase (1689/90 - 1723/24)", by Nancy R. and H. Graham Purchase, Published 2008 by Lulu.com - available on-line in book or electronic format from www.lulu.com.

Grace was honored by the Zulu King for her work on behalf of the African people. "As soon as the messenger had delivered the message that she had died on the train on the way to Cape Town, the farm house and surrounding fields erupted with an army of Africans, estimated at over 1000, weeping, beating drums and some singing funeral songs. Some left small baskets of food and pots of water at my sister's and father's grave - supposedly for her spirit's return. I have never heard or read of such an honour paid to any European."