Alban Walter Purcell (c. 1843 – December 16, 1913) was an American actor, dramatist and manager who briefly served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Described as a very large man, Purcell played primarily supporting character roles over his forty-two year theatrical career.

Biography

Alban Walter Purcell was born in

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is counted as part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, although it functions mainly as a suburb of Akron. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a ...

, in 1843 or 1844. In April 1861, while still a minor, he enlisted at Rochester, New York, with the

13th New York Volunteer Infantry The 13th New York Infantry Regiment ("Rochester Regiment") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 13th New York Infantry was organized at Elmira, New York and mustered in for two years state serv ...

. Purcell was discharged in late August of that year, about a month after seeing action at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

in Northern Virginia.Alban W. Purcell Dead. New York Times; December 21, 1913; p. C5 His acting career began two years later in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Academy of Music under the direction of

John A. Ellsler John A. Ellsler (September 21, 1821 – August 22, 1903) was an American actor, theatre manager and acting instructor who helped make Cleveland, Ohio one of the more important theatre towns in post Civil War America. Ellsler was instrumental in ...

. In 1868 Purcell joined the cast of the Rochester Opera House then under the management of John C. Meyers. Not long afterwards he married Meyer’s daughter, Flora, the company’s lead actress. In subsequent years Purcell and his father-in-law would manage tours starring Edwin Adams,

Edwin Forrest Edwin Forrest (March 9, 1806December 12, 1872) was a prominent nineteenth-century American Shakespearean actor. His feud with the British actor William Macready was the cause of the deadly Astor Place Riot of 1849. Early life Forrest was born i ...

and Charles Barron. In 1870 Purcell and his wife toured the Southern United States as members of

Laura Keene Laura Keene (20 July 1826 – 4 November 1873) was a British stage actress and theatre manager. In her twenty-year career, she became known as the first powerful female manager in New York. She is most famous for being the lead actress in ...

's company and the following season New England and Canada with a troupe he formed featuring Flora Purcell as its star. Purcell was the author of a number of plays, including ''Manassas, a Civil War Drama'', ''The Millerties'' and ''Bailey Neck.'' Over his career he appeared on stage with

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

, Barney and Maria Williams, Kate Batman, Sallie St. Clair, William and Malvina Florence, C.W. Couldock, Charlotte Thompson, Frank Chanfrau,

Maggie Mitchell Margaret Julia Mitchell (June 2, 1832 – March 22, 1918) was an American actress, born in New York City. She made her speaking debut as Julia in ''The Soldier's Daughter'' at the Chambers Street Theatre in 1851. The parts in which she earn ...

, Frank Mayo and

Elizabeth Crocker Bowers Elizabeth Crocker Bowers (March 12, 1830 – November 6, 1895) was an American stage actress and theatrical manager. She was also known professionally as Mrs. D. P. Bowers. Early life Elizabeth Crocker Bowers was born March 12, 1830 in Stam ...

. Early in her career Purcell joined Minnie Maddern's company and later as a member of the

Castle Square Theatre The Castle Square Theatre (1894–1932) in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Tremont Street in the South End, Boston, South End. The building existed until its demolition in 1933. Actors who worked in stock theater there included Edmund B ...

received praise for his portrayal of

Admiral Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. ...

and

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

Gideon Welles Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed ...

in productions of William Haworth’s ''The Ensign'' that were staged in the late 1890s. Declining health forced his retirement in 1905 and for a time Purcell lived on a farm he'd purchased in the

Adirondack region The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...

of Upstate New York. Purcell died in New York City eight years later at around age 70. He was survived by two (James and Flora) of his four children.Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, (

Orleans, Massachusetts Orleans ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts situated along Cape Cod. The population was 6,307 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Orleans, please see the article Orleans (CD ...

) John (September 2, 1874), James (February 24, 1877), Flora (June 4, 1878) and Joseph (January 13, 1885). Ancestry.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Alban W. 1840s births 1913 deaths People from Wadsworth, Ohio Union Army soldiers 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors