The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 621 WILLIAM H. PURBAUGH. William H. Purbaugh has performed the arduous task of converting a tract of sagebrush into highly cultivated fields and is today the owner of a valuable ranch property of thirty-three and a half acres near Grandview. Attracted by the opportunities of the northwest, he made his way to this section of the country from Nebraska, where he had located in young manhood. Pennsylvania is his native state and he was born on the 26th of January, 1859, a son of Philip and Annie (Miller) Purbaugh, both of whom spent their entire lives in Pennsylvania, where the father followed the occupation of farming. After mastering not only the branches of learning taught in the public schools but also the best methods of tilling the soil while spending his youthful days under the parental roof. William H. Purbaugh went to Nebraska when a young man and there followed the carpenter's trade for fifteen years. He also engaged in farming in that state, purchasing and cultivating eighty acres of land. Eventually, however, he sold his property there and in 1905 arrived in Yakima county, Washington, where he purchased thirty-three and a half acres of land lying east of Grandview. This was all wild land covered with a native growth of sagebrush and giving little indication that it could be converted into anything of value. With characteristic energy, however, Mr. Purbaugh took up the task of clearing it and making it a productive tract. He has since improved the farm according to the most modern and scientific methods, has a good house upon it and substantial barns and is successfully engaged in the raising of hay and live stock. For his crops and for his stock he finds a ready market and thereby is materially increasing his annual income. In 1899 Mr. Purbaugh was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Moore, a daughter of W. F. and Eliza Moore. The children of this marriage are two sons, Frank and Harold, both at home. In politics Mr. Purbaugh is not a partisan but casts an independent ballot and supports those measures which he deems of value to the community in which he lives. He can be counted upon to further plans for the public good and he stands for all those interests which are of worth as factors in individual uplift and community progress. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.