John “Jack Pot-Pie” Albert Purnell Sr. (c. 1893-1964): Farmer, Fisherman, Ferryman, and Captain10/17/2025 Article by Andre Nieto Jaime  1979.10.20: Clifford P. Cropper Pound Fishing Crew with eight fishermen and a cart, c. 1920; Gift of Etta Cropper Davidson (Collection of the Ocean City Museum Society) Assateague Island was not always preserved as the natural and scenic island we know it as today. Prior to the establishment of Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague Island was frequented by hunters and later those wishing to develop the island into a resort similar to Ocean City. Before the construction of the Verrazano Bridge in 1964, access to the island was limited to ferries that would shuttle people, ponies, and cars between the mainland and island. The most memorable of these ferries was perhaps the South Point ferry which took passengers to a landing spot known as North Beach. John Albert Purnell Sr, also known as “Jack Pot-Pie” or simply “Pot-Pie,” was one of these ferry captains that transported passengers across the Sinepuxent Bay from South Point. His charm and service have been remembered years after the ferry took its last passengers across the Sinepuxent, making him a lasting part of the area’s history. John “Jack Pot-Pie” Purnell was born to Albert and Annie (also known as Anna) Taylor Purnell sometime around 1893, likely in the East Berlin area. Based off of his 1917 World War I draft registration card, he was born in Taylorville, a small community located between Ocean Pines and Berlin. On the same document, he was described as being of medium height, slender build, and having black hair and eyes when he registered at the age of 23. Another detail about his appearance can be gleamed from what was listed as a claim for exemption, which was that he was “little-ler on right foot.”  Wicomico Military Records 1917-1918, Albert John Purnell FamilySearch Jack Pot-Pie spent the majority of his life near Berlin and Ocean City, working the land and waters here. In an interview with The Daily Times, he recalls working with his father “back in those days” and the they “hauled ice down from Ocean City to Chincoteague,” on an ice boat. In 1910, documentation shows that he lived with his parents in East Berlin. His father Albert, 44, was working as a boatman while Pot-Pie was working as a farm laborer. He most likely helped his father on top of his farm duties. Then, seven years later, Pot-Pie was employed at C.P. Cropper Fish [and Oyster] Co. During an interview, Ricks E. Savage looked back on Pot-Pie and the stories he told during ferry rides and explained that Pot-Pie was an engineer on a pound boat before the inlet was cut in 1933. Purnell himself also looked back on working for Clifford P. Cropper on a pound boat, sharing how every day he was out in the water with his crew checking the traps and how they pulled the boat up on the beach with horses at the end of each day.
While working for Cropper, Jack Pot-Pie became the captain of a seven man crew, quite a feat at a time when the pound fishing industry was mostly dominated by white men. Mac Simpson, during a 1999 interview, noted that very few African Americans were working on pound boats, making it exceptional that Pot-Pie became a captain of one in the early 20th century. Simpson only had recollection of one Black man, Charles Smith, in his own crew and this man was the only one trusted with the combination to their safe. According to Simpson, when Smith passed, it was mostly white people that attended his funeral, showing how respected he was among his fellow fishermen. Pot-Pie too commanded great respect among his peers, being remembered as a great waterman. Back tracking to the early 20th century, it was around this time that Pot-Pie became a married man. Census data reveals that Pot-Pie lived on Sinepuxent Neck Road with his wife, Blanche Ellen Derrickson, and their recently born daughter, Nellie, in 1920. Blanche was born to Edward J. and Phyllis Derrickson around 1896 and, like Pot-Pie, grew up in the East Berlin area. In 1910, she had been working as a farmer on a home farm at the age of 14, likely helping her family at home on Sinepuxent Road. It was sometime between 1910 and 1920 that Blanche married John “Jack Pot-Pie” Purnell. In Pot-Pie’s 1917 draft registration he was listed as being married. The same is true for his entry in the 1920 Census where there seems to be an age discrepancy. Pot-Pie was listed as being 23, the same age as his 1917 registration and only 7 years older (when he should have been ten years older) than in the 1910 Census. Meanwhile, Blanche was listed as being 22 in 1920. In 1930, Pot-Pie’s recorded age of 37 lines back up with his 1893 date of birth. Here, it is written that he married Blanche, who is now 34, at the age of 25 while she was 22. Given the fact they were married by 1920, had married 12 years ago in 1930, and Pot-Pie’s draft registration lists him as married in 1917, suggests they married sometime around 1917 or 1918. Elements of Blanche’s and Pot-Pie’s lives between 1930 and 1950 can be garnered through census data. In 1930, Pot-Pie was still working on the water as an ocean fisherman. He was also still living on Sinepuxent Road with his wife Blanche and three new children. In addition to Nellie (now 11 years old), there was John (8 years old), Savannah (6 years old), and Leon (1.5 years old). A decade later, in 1940, it seems that Pot-Pie was primarily a farmer, although he likely continued fishing to some extent. He also had added four more children and a grandchild to the household. Eugene (9 years old), Vernon (7 years old) Hughie (4 years old), Roxie (2 years old), and Ruby L. (3 years old, daughter of Nellie). Two years later, another draft registration sheds more light on Pot-Pie’s life. In 1942, it came time for the “Old Man’s Draft” where men between the ages of 45 and 65 were required to register for the Selective Service. Pot-Pie, being around 52 years old, fell into this age bracket. His date of birth was filed as being “March 1890?” which is a close match with his official social security death index date of birth, listed as March 3, 1891, and not far off from his 1893 date of birth. When he registered Pot-Pie was still living in the Berlin area, with his address and place of employment being listed as “Berlin R.F.D #2” indicating he was sharecropping or in a similar situation with his employer. His employer was listed as a W. McCabe living in Salisbury, but the person he had listed as always knowing his address was C.P. Cropper in Ocean City, hinting at some sort of continued contact with Cropper. Perhaps he was close friends with Cropper, or worked with him to some extent. Along with hints at his residence and employment, this registration provides hints at his appearance 25 years after his first registration. Instead of a general description of his height, there is now a more specific measurement of five feet and five inches tall. His eyes were described as being brown, his hair gray, and his complexion light brown with a weight of 145 lbs. No distinguishing features, such as scars, were noted that could help identify him.  President Roosevelt signing the Burke-Wadsworth Conscription Act. September 16, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library  During this period, plans of a ferry service to Assateague began to formulate. Assateague Island was relatively undeveloped until the mid-20th century and the barrier island was mostly being used for pony penning, gunning clubs, hunting, and fishing. There was also no ferry, at least not a consistent one, or a bridge to take people to the island. The most common method to get to Assateague was via boat. Kathrine Massey Bounds, whose father penned ponies on the island, remembers a time when there was no ferry. A monitor pulled by a gasoline boat was how her father, Raymond, got to and from the island. Patrick Henry also told of how the only was across to Assateague was via ferry. When reflecting upon his youth, Henry noted that he did not spend much time on the island until after the Verrazano Bridge was built, since “the only way you could get over there” was via ferry. Unless one had a boat or knew someone with a boat, it could be difficult or inconvenient to get to the island. When word of a ferry service coming to the island spread, it stirred great excitement. One 1946 paper shared a rumor of a ferry from the Ocean City harbor to Assateague and was causing commotion among fishermen. At this point, the Worcester County commissioners had already set in motion the establishment of the South Point ferry, but the idea of a ferry from the harbor to the island was heavenly for anglers. People were itching for easier access to the island for hunting and fishing. In the fall of 1946, a channel was already in the process of being dredged for the South Point ferry and all that was left was to build a wharf. The following year, in 1947, the ferry was operational and according to the paper published the day before, the operator was Noah Hudson of Berlin. Pot-Pie came into the picture two years later when he became the ferry tender. Despite being remembered as the ferry captain starting in 1949, this may have been a side job for Pot-Pie. The 1950 Census has his occupation as working in a poultry plant, a rising industry on the Eastern Shore at the time. Regardless, he was still operating the ferry in the late 50s and early 60s. In 1959, Pot-Pie shared his life story with The Daily Times, noting that he started his position as ferry tender a decade prior. He continued with this position until at least 1962, when he is named in a paper describing the after math of the Ash Wednesday Storm. One of the two ferries had been washed up on shore and the North Beach slip was left in shambles. To make matters worse, even the channel for the ferry had been filled in, leaving Purnell with the daunting task of navigating the ferry back without a channel or markers. This contributed to the end, but was not the final nail in the coffin for the South Point ferry.  1984.10.311: Ferry at South Point going to Assateague Beach circa 1950s; Gift of George and Suzanne Hurley (Collection of the Ocean City Museum Society)
Ferry service proved to be vital for and hunters. Alfred Showell remembered how hunters had to come to Pot-Pie to get across the bay in their cars. Fishers likewise made great use of the ferry, especially for fishing tournaments. In 1952, the first annual Ocean Beach Surf Fishing contest was held on Assateague Island and the ferry was advertised as the sole way of accessing it. Even the entries had to be weighed and certified at the ferry terminal. If fishermen wanted a chance at winning this contest and the cash prize, they had to go to Pot-Pie. By 1954 the South Point ferry opened up to 24 hour service due to fishing demand, although rides after 10pm had to be arranged in advance with the ferryman. Pot-Pie continues to be remembered fondly for his compassion, kindness, and skills as a waterman. In 1961 Pot-Pie’s care and thoughtfulness were reflected when he noticed that one man he took across the Sinepuxent had not returned. Remembering that the man did not bring enough provisions to last more than a day, Pot-Pie reported the situation to the authorities who investigated and found the individual. Ocean City resident Ricks E. Savage also recalled how Pot-Pie was rather easy going, joking that he may have taken more free rides across the bay than paid ones.3 Then there was Alfred Showell who expressed admiration for Pot-Pie, proclaiming him to be “one of the best watermen ever had around there,” and that “he knew, he knew the water” and boats very well.4 So well in fact, that there “wouldn’t be a storm too bad he couldn’t take a boat and go and come” back from. This statement proved true during the event he is perhaps most remembered for. In 1962 a devastating storm, known as the Ash Wednesday Storm, blew through Ocean City and caused significant damage. Savage described his experience of the aftermath, explaining how many of the houses were “virtually destroyed” and how water was high enough to reach the windshields of cars on the street.5 This storm left many individuals stranded and according to anecdotes, Pot-Pie came to the rescue of many. Nelda Purnell, Pot-Pie’s great granddaughter, shared how Pot-Pie took the ferry to West Ocean City and saved people he found “standing on refrigerators” and took them to safety.6 Pot-Pie was not discouraged by the flooding and put the safety of others over his own. The 1962 storm, as mentioned previously, left much destruction in its wake. It also leveled much of Ocean Beach, a new development similar to Ocean City that was planned for Assateague. This resulted in the abandonment of Ocean Beach and paved the way for the creation of Assateague Island National Seashore in 1965. The State Park side of the island had been in talks since the 1940s and opened to the public in 1965, a year after the construction of the Verrazano Bridge. Pot-Pie passed the same year the bridge was completed, on April 30, 1964.7 His funeral was held at St. John’s Methodist Church in Sinepuxent, which has been described as the heart of the Sinepuxent community by some.8 Through his marriage with Blanche, he had nine children who brought him over 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren at the time of his death. Pot-Pie and the ferry he captained were one of the few ways to access Assateague Island before the bridge was completed. Without the ferry service, the culture of hunting, fishing, and gunning clubs on the island to likely would not have flourished the way it did. This iconic culture and time period lives fondly in the minds of many today and Pot-Pie contributed to it. He also became a pound boat captain at a time where very few African Americans were reported as working in the industry. Evidently, he became a well-known and respected waterman based off of Showell’s praise and he proved his skills during the 1962 storm rescues. Pot-Pie contributed to sustaining waterman and hunting culture by facilitating access to the island and by virtue of his own captaining skills. He has ingrained himself into Eastern Shore history and his legacy has made a lasting impact in the memories of local communities.   Verrazano Bridge on Assateague Island - suwt0114 Walter C. Thurston Jr. Collection (2016.096) Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University References:Primary Sources:
1910 Census. "Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RJB-94XD?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 943 of 1242; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 004971683 1920 Census. "Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR6L-CZT?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 1009 of 1261; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 004966055 1930 Census. "Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRHM-K?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 404 of 1121; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 004951061 1930 Census. "Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRHM-9L7?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 405 of 1121; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 004951061 1940 Census. "Worcester, Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-ZNC7?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 594 of 600; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 005461126 1950 Census. "Worcester, Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-GQHW-298Z-4?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 17 of 24; National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 108967242. 1950 Census. "Worcester, Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHJ-5QHW-2987-R?view=index : Oct 17, 2025), image 18 of 24; National Archives and Records Administration. Image Group Number: 108967242 “Assateague Island Ferry Begins Tomorrow.” The Daily Times, August 2 1947. Cochran, Bill. “Assateague Ferry Back in Water.” The Daily Times, March 21, 1962. “Ferry Captain Recalls Pound Fishing at Resort.” The Daily Times, August 20, 1959. “Ferry Rumor.” The Baltimore Sun, September 29, 1946. “Fishing Contest to Start Today,” The Daily Times, September 5, 1952. Interview with Mac Simpson, 6 July 1999. Delmarva Folklife Project. maaf-kf-md-ft-7.6.99.332a, Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland. https://archive.org/details/maaf-kf-md-ft-7.6.99.332a Interview with Ricks E. Savage, 12 July 2004. Community Audio. oh-58-savage. Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland. https://archive.org/details/oh-58-savage “John A. Purnell.” The Daily Times, May 1, 1964. McNally, Tom. “Waters and Woods: Scorpion Leads.” The Evening Star, September 20, 1954. Philadelphia. Military Records 2001. "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1NQ-287?view=index : Oct 14, 2025), image 3000 of 3307; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Mid Atlantic Region. Image Group Number: 004133519 Pitts, Tom and Pat Russell. Interview with Alfred Showell, Enduring Connections Audio & Video, May 19, 2004. Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University. https://libapps.salisbury.edu/enduring-connections/r/enduring_connections_media/80. Wicomico. Military Records 1917–1918. "Wicomico, Maryland, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTX-32SF?view=index : Oct 14, 2025), image 3514 of 4958; United States. National Archives and Records Administration,United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Atlanta Branch. Image Group Number: 005152052 Secondary Sources: Assateague Island National Seashore Geologic Resources Inventory Report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2013/708. National Park Service & US Department of the Interior. https://www.npshistory.com/publications/asis/nrr-2013-708.pdf. Assateague Island National Seashore. “It’s Wayback Wednesday! As the gale force of Assateague Island National Seashore’s Maintenance Division, Nelda Purnell keeps the park's buildings ship shape.” Facebook, December 11, 2013.https://www.facebook.com/AssateagueNPS/photos/its-wayback-wednesdayas-the-gale-force-of-assateague-island-national-seashores-m/763005577047153/?_rdr. Eshelman, Ralph E. and Patricia A. Russell. Historic Context Study of Waterfowl Hunting Camps and Related Properties within Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia. National Park Service & Department of the Interior, 2004. https://npshistory.com/publications/asis/hunting-camps-hcs.pdf Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum. “From the Archives: This week's ‘From the Archives’ is about Captain Jack Pot-Pie Purnell.” Facebook, February 4, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=581727473969753&rdid=hOItDlbYS074tWqB.
2 Comments
Sharyn
10/23/2025 05:22:59 am
Yes interesting story. Thanks for sharing it!
Jeff Bacon
10/23/2025 07:50:40 am
Excellent narrative. Greatly enjoyed reading it! Leave a Reply. |
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