Shortly thereafter John was apprenticed to an Adelphi merchant, and his mother and at least a few of his sisters moved north and settled near Westerville, Ohio.

On December 9, 1834, Purdue purchased 240 acres (0.97 km2) of land in Indiana from Jesse Spencer for $850 which he partially paid for in store goods.

Most accounts show a man devoted to leading a good civic life, donating time, money, and expertise to various local projects including a bridge over the Wabash River, a railroad from Lafayette to Indianapolis and serving on various boards.

While various tax-related lawsuits crippled the new statewide public school budget, Purdue and others privately helped keep Lafayette's afloat.

Purdue profited greatly during the American Civil War mainly because of the increase in demand for dry goods by the Union Army.

Purdue supported the Union in the war, but some night-time raids by Confederate sympathizers on local businesses were reported.

He later supported some questionable business ventures, including backing the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad, even as lawsuits and debts climbed.

In 1864, Purdue lost a contentious primary battle to incumbent Godlove Stein Orth for the nomination of the Union Party's candidate for Congress.

Bidding was fierce between Indiana University in Bloomington, Northwestern Christian in Indianapolis, and the Stockwell and Battle Ground Collegiate Institutes.

After some more negotiations, when the name of the university was chosen and he was added to the board of trustees, Purdue's donations were raised to $150,000 (equivalent to $2.9 million in 2019) and 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land.

[3] He died of an apparent stroke on September 12, 1876, aged 73, on the first day of classes of the third academic year at the university he had helped found.