Purvis told the reporter that his grandparents Badaraka and Judah had married. This claim has been questioned by 21st century biographers, given the social prominence of the Judah family in Charleston. Judah's parents owned slaves. Badaraka and Judah had a relationship for several years, and had two children together, Harriet and her brother. In 1790, Judah broke off his relationship with Badaraka when he moved with his parents from Charleston to Savannah, Georgia. In 1791 he moved to Richmond, Virginia. There he married a Jewish woman and had four children with her.