Dudley Lee Purkaple, né Theron Lee Purkapile, was born with the latter name on March 5, 1883, in Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois, to Aristine A. née McClure/McElwee - who was born in Beardstown, Cass County, Illinois, to John McClure or McElwee (born either at sea or in Ohio, about 1820) and Bersheba/Bethsheba (née McLain) McClure or McElwee (born in either Missouri or Kentucky, or possibly Illinois, July/Aug. 1819) - and John Purkapile, then in the stock business, who was born to Mr. and Mrs. J. Purkapile in Menard County, Illinois.

According to Purkaple cousin Jackie Kordones, Aunt Ruthie "said [her father] Lee left home...to become a jockey, [then] went to Denver as [an] exercise boy...He was too big to ride, then went to New Orleans...I wrote notes when they told me stories...they said [Grandma's] family had 7 children...Lee's also had 7 children..."
Whether Ruth, his wife, came from a family of 7 children or not is currently unknown, but Lee was actually one of 9 known children born to "Aura" and John Purkapile. Lee was the next-to-youngest child - the fifth & final son.

On January 23, 1904, he enlisted (as Dudley Lee Purkaple) as a Private in the U. S. Marine Corps at their Recruiting Office in the city of St. Louis, MO. He is listed in muster rolls as being at that office in St. Louis in both Jan. and Feb. of 1904. In another muster roll record, also from Feb. 1904, he is listed as being stationed at "Marine Barracks, New Island, Cal." I believe "New" is actually "Mare" - in March, he was at "Marine Barracks, Mare Island, Cal." In May, he was listed as being stationed on-board the steam sloop-of-war Mohican - (which had been "cruising the Californian and Mexican coasts" until being "assigned as station ship at the Naval Station, Olongapo, Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippines," on April 8) - and then was again listed at Mare Island for June and July and Aug. 1904. He is also listed there for Sep. 1904. That there's the last of the records of muster rolls containing him that I am aware of. I possess copies of each of these. He was discharged on September 19, 1904, with notes reading "...disease or injury not in line of duty" and "character very good..."

He married Ruth Elmore somewhere in the range of 21 Sep. 1911 to 20 Sep. 1912 - Ruth was 18 when they married, according to a federal census record, and she was born on September 21, 1893.

According to my Granddad, Lee (his Granddad Purkaple) died suddenly one evening, at home (no street address) in Dongola, Union County, Illinois, at the dinner table with his wife/child(ren)/child(ren)-in-law/grandchildren. "Mitral stenosis and insufficiency, arteriosclerotic heart disease..." was the cause, "...due to...Rheumatic heart disease valve lesious...due to above..."