Little is known of George Hardis Purves, barring that he was a keen sportsman and author of (mostly) sporting stories.
He was likely born in Melbourne, as his mother's obituary identifies her as a long-term resident of the city.
His own obituary identifies him as the son of a Mr. James Purves and the brother of 'Mr. James Purves, the well-known barrister' ('Turf Gossip', The Australasian, 23 February 1889, p.398). The same obituary says of his cause of death that 'He had been ailing for some time from disease of the spleen, and underwent an operation, but gradually sank and died.'
His mother, Caroline Purves, died later in the same year as her son ('Wills and Bequests', Table Talk, 27 September 1889, p.13). His mother's obituary also notes that he had a cousin in Harry Hale Budd, 'the well known Melbourne cricket solicitor', and two sisters: the obituary identifies one as a Mrs J.R. Godfrey), but merely notes that the other is 'unmarried', and does not name her. The unmarried sister, Annie Caroline Purves, died not long after her brother, on 9 February 1890, at Macedon (see 'Wills and Bequests', Table Talk of 1 August 1890).
Purves was married, and had two children.
His elder child was a daughter, Caroline Constance De Burgh Purves, born on 17 January 1883, when the family were resident in Cardigan Street, Ballarat (see The Argus, 18 Jan. 1883). Little is known of Caroline Purves, barring her marriage to a Mr Dalglish, of a Goulburn family and officer in the Black Watch, in London in 1907 (see Personal column, Freeman's Journal, 20 June 1907, p.22).
His younger child was a son, Noel Wilshere De Burgh Purves, born on 6 October 1887, by which point the family were resident at 8 Dawson Street, Ballarat (see The Argus, 20 Oct. 1887). Noe Purves died on 30 November 1890, aged three (see 'Deaths', The Argus, 2 December 1890, p.1).
Another obituary identifies him as the chairman of the Exchange in Ballarat, noting that the market had been closed in acknowledgement of his death ('Our Ballarat Letter', The Australasian, 2 March 1889, p.468).
At the time of his death, he was 39 years old, and the family was then residing at 49 Drummond Street, Ballarat, from which he was taken for burial at Ballarat Old Cemetery (see 'Funeral Notices', The Argus, 22 February 1889, p.1 and 'Deaths', The Australasian, 2 March 1889, p.452).
