1867: The beginning of a political career

By mid-1867, Purman was becoming increasingly involved in implementing the new Congressional Reconstruction political plan. He announced his return to Jackson County with a speech at the mass Fourth of July celebration and immediately set to work on voter registration. Serving as clerk, Purman traveled with the three-man Registration Board to variations locations in the county, encountering hostility from white citizens, particularly in Campbellton. Board members included Emanuel Fortune as the African American representative and Dr. Latimus Armistead.


By the summer of 1867, the Bureau agents focused their efforts on a proposed public school building program and Purman solicited funding from Florida’s superintendant of education. Opposition arose in Greenwood, however, when Purman and Hamilton organized a meeting to address establishment of a public school. In Marianna, however, some prominent whites, such as the Russ family, expressed their support for the school project.

As the voter registration period closed in October, Purman remarked that some blacks had expressed interest in running for public office, but Purman confided that that he felt they did not have the capacity to fill government positions. It is not clear whether Purman excluded his close ally, Emanuel Fortune, from this opinion. Purman’s skepticism toward African Americans holding prominent government positions would be an issue in his relations with Florida’s black community through the rest of his career.

By late 1867, Purman and Hamilton had acknowledged their impotence to guarantee fair treatment of the freedmen by their employers and the court system. During the year, they stood by helplessly as the rule of law eroded. Their few white allies endured harassment and the freedmen continued to suffer physical abuse and worsening economic deprivation with no hope of recourse from the biased courts. Purman was greatly concerned that such mistreatment was engendering hatred and bitterness in the black population toward whites and the government.

Complaints from the white community about Hamilton and Purman reached Governor Walker, who in turn forwarded the objections to Col. John T. Sprague, the U.S. army officer responsible for the Bureau agents in Florida. Sprague dispatched Lt. Col. Franklin F. Flint to investigate. Flint was predisposed toward the white community with whom he exclusively met in drafting his report. To Flint’s horror, he found that Jackson County blacks considered the Bureau agents to be their “special friends.” Flint examined the issues of fees and concluded that Purman’s collection of fees assessed prior to the Bureau’s prohibition of that practice was improper. Surmising that the white community was justified in ostracizing the two young men, Flint finished up by recommending their removal. Based on his conversations with Flint, Gov. Walker stated that Purman was the “chief man” in stirring up tension in Jackson County.

At some point in the fall, Purman became a candidate to represent Jackson County at the forthcoming state constitutional convention. In November, the state and county voted in favor of a convention and Purman, along with three other men, including Emanuel Fortune , were elected delegates from the Jackson-Calhoun county district. With the end of 1867, Purman was named to replace Hamilton, who was mustered out of the army, but Purman was focused on his attendance at the forthcoming convention.