 The church is in the Mill Creek valley . As tensions with Native Americans were beginning to ease , Lord Fairfax sought to entice white settlers to the sparsely settled lands of his Northern Neck Proprietary . The valley was one of the first parts of present @-@ day Hampshire County to be settled by whites , beginning in the mid @-@ 18th century . Settlers were drawn by the valley 's fertility . As the valley 's population grew , the unincorporated community of Purgitsville developed along Mill Creek as a trading post village ; it was named for Henry Purgitt ( or Purgate ) , who acquired 400 acres ( 160 ha ) in the Mill Creek valley on January 7 , 1785 , and received a further land transfer of 137 acres ( 55 ha ) in 1794 . Purgitsville continued to develop throughout the course of the 19th century , during which time it grew to include a small store , a post office , and a blacksmith shop . 
 The church is in the Mill Creek valley . As tensions with Native Americans <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> beginning to ease , Lord Fairfax sought to entice white settlers to the sparsely settled lands of his Northern Neck Proprietary . The valley was one of the first parts of present @-@ day Hampshire County to be settled by whites , beginning in the mid @-@ 18th century . Settlers <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> drawn by the valley <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>fertility . As the valley <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>population grew , the unincorporated community of Purgitsville developed along Mill Creek as a trading post village ; it was named for Henry Purgitt ( or Purgate ) , <a href='null_relcl' title='5'><mark>who</mark></a>acquired 400 acres ( 160 ha ) in the Mill Creek valley on January 7 , 1785 , and received a further land transfer of 137 acres ( 55 ha ) in 1794 . Purgitsville continued to develop throughout the course of the 19th century , during which time it grew to include a small store , a post office , and a blacksmith shop . 
The church is in the Mill Creek valley . As tensions w Native Americans was beginning to ease , Lord Fairfax sought to entice white settlers to the sparsely settled lands of his Northern Neck Proprietary . The valley was one of da first parts of present @-@ day Hampshire County to be settled by whites , beginning in the mid @-@ 18th century . Settlers was drawn by the valley  fertility . As the valley  population grew , the unincorporated community of Purgitsville developed along Mill Creek as a trading post village ; it was named fir Henry Purgitt ( or Purgate ) , acquired 400 acres ( 160 ha ) in the Mill Creek valley on January 7 , 1785 , and received a further land transfer of 137 acres ( 55 ha ) in 1794 . Purgitsville continued to develop throughout the course of the 19th century , durin which time it grew to include a small store , a post office , and a blacksmith shop .