A Father Found

Family research is a funny thing. Sometimes things just come together in bushels and heaps like they have been waiting for you all along. Others….well they take time. Lots of it.

Getrude Ella Jordan and Arthur Nathan Jordan standing. Thomas Fredrick Jordan and Electa Elizabeth Martin Jordan, seated.

 My mom knew quite a bit about her great grandparents because they were well known around the town she grew up in and they were well off. The family fortunes had changed quite dramatically by the time her generation came along, but that is a story for another day. Anywho….I had a nice start on the Jordan family history and I assumed that the rest would be fairly easy. Well, sister….let me tell you it has been anything but easy and I have worked off and on over the last few years to break through to the previous generation.

I have had a few lucky breaks along the way. First, I was able to locate a large box of unclaimed family photos from a distant cousin. That in itself is a pretty incredible story and you can read about it here: The Hunt Begins  Second, because of their financial status they had the ability to provide a family monograph in one of the biography books that were popular around the 1900’s-1920’s. This was a happy moment but became a breeding ground of contempt due to misleading information contained within. I had this problem previously with my Fritcher line.

The History of Harrison County, Iowa: It’s People, Industries and Institutions  by Charles W. Hunt and Will L. Clark, 1915 states:

Thomas Frederick Jordan, president of the First National Bank of Dunlap, Harrison county, Iowa, is a native of New York state and descended from sterling Scottish ancestry. He is the son of Thomas Frederick and Anna (JUDGE) Jordan, the father passing from this life while the son was still quite young. The mother was a woman of much native shrewdness and great strength of character and some time after the death of her husband she bravely set out for the new world with her little family of three sons, John, James and Thomas F., in the belief that the new land would offer greater opportunities for achievement. The family first settled in central New York and remained there for a number of years, until the children had attained maturity. In 1866 Mr. Jordan was united in marriage with Lettie E. Martin, a daughter of Nathan H. and Susan D. (COOK) Martin, thus uniting two excellent families. Nathan H. Martin was a native of Massachusetts, his wife coming from Rhode Island, and both came from families whose earlier members had emigrated to this country from England, and were identified with the agricultural interests of New York state. They were the parents of four children, Lyman, Lettie, Jennie M. and Ella G., deceased. 

This is but one wordy paragraph of this biography and it does contain some great (and not so great) info. I don’t care how many times I read this, my takeaway is that elder Thomas died and a few years later Anna and her boys emigrated FROM Scotland to the US. That is just not how it went down folks!

I looked high and low for Anna and her boys prior to 1866 (Thomas and Lettie’s marriage date) and I still haven’t found anything. So I let it go. Last summer I was back in Iowa and stopped at the county court house to check on some records. I knew that Thomas Jordan had many land holdings and I was just curious as to what I would find.

There are several things that jumped right out at me–Just days after Angelica Fritcher Davis’ husband Daniel passed away, the farm was given over to her sons William H. Davis and Charles P. Davis. Then two lines down Will H. and F. P. (sic) Davis and wives mortgage the property to John and James Jordan…..Yes, John and James Jordan of New York state. So they really do exist. But go throw some cold water on yourself because if you haven’t ever tried to search for a John or James Jordan in NY state with no other info, you are in for some major disappointment. Maddening, I tell ya!

That box of photos I mentioned earlier? They belonged to Elizabeth Margaret Jordan, daughter of Art Jordan (above), son of Thomas Jordan (above). I decided to sift back through them again hoping she had left me another breadcrumb. There was one photo with a bit of writing on the back:

Since I wasn’t familiar with this name, nothing clicked. I had to stop and reflect for a moment….If I was Elizabeth Margaret, who would I call “Aunt”?

Then I studied the photo below carefully. This woman appeared to be 60ish and this photo was probably taken in the late 30’s or early 40’s. The T-strap shoes were a giveaway as far as a fashion clue. This eliminated it being John or James Jordan’s wife but fit perfectly to be the wife of their offspring. I verified the address and found out the enumeration district. I also looked at the property tax records for this home and it had been taxed since 1920. I began scanning the census records and there I found James Jordan and his wife Bell—Alta Bell Danna (I question whether this is really her maiden name) living at this very house in Rochester, New York.

 Now this James is the son of James Jordan, brother of Thomas. I have not yet been able to determine this younger James’ mother’s name. (That’s a mouthful!) In fact, short of a few census records and some city directories, I have been able to discern very little information about James and Bell. I swear if it wasn’t for this photo these people were ghosts!

I know that they were married around 1897 but have found no marriage records or obituaries and it would appear that they had no children. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, New York. He died in 1933 and she in 1952. If the elder James (Thomas’ brother) and his wife are buried here, they are not listed in FindAGrave. Once researching that line came to an endpoint I refocused on finding Thomas’ other brother, John Jordan.

Armed with a birth year and few other minor clues, at least I could now narrow my search to less than a million hits! I felt as though I were finally onto something and though the midnight hour was rapidly approaching, I just couldn’t give up. Not yet! I located John in Naples, Ontario, New York. He married Sarah Ella Stiles (1840-1894) and they had no children. John was a sergeant in Co. E, 160th Infantry, New York Volunteers serving in the Civil War from August 30, 1862-November 1, 1865. He was born in 1837 and died in 1909.

I was thrilled when I found them on FindAGrave with photos and additional information. But I wasn’t completely sure that I had the right John. I had his wife’s name as Sarah E and the headstone was for Ella Stiles. It gave me pause and just as I was ready to say “Oh Man!” or something far stronger, I clicked on “Show all Jordan’s in Rose Ridge Cemetery”.

I blinked and shook my head. It can’t be….or can it? Is it late and I am just starting to imagine things? Then it struck me with full force and I actually thought I would cry. Here was something that I never imagined I would find.

Then excitement rushed in and I wanted to everyone what I had found! Silly girl, it was after midnight and my news would have to wait. Here were Thomas Jordan and his wife Anna Judge Jordan buried with son John and wife Ella. I highly doubt that Thomas died anywhere but Ontario county, however I have yet to prove or disprove that.

No matter, I have found my 3xgreat grandfather and grandmother and I am beyond excited. This was lucky break number three and it certainly was the charm!

Here is my 2xgreat grandfather Thomas Fredrick Jordan Age 50 Taken in 1897

T.F. Jordan Unsure of date but I would guess circa 1920’s

While all of these discoveries are exciting and fulfilling, it wouldn’t have all come together so quickly had it not been for a FindAGrave volunteer taking photos of my ancestors headstones. With Gary Fritz’s (see his profile here) kind act of recording photos and information about my family, I have been able to piece together a nagging mystery and bring it to a happy resolution. He so kindly granted me permission to use his images here and I thank him profusely for his kindness and generosity. Gary, I hope you had a stellar Father’s Day!

Be a good, considerate and respectful family researcher. Be sure you ALWAYS ask to use photos or other information and if they grant permission always give the originator credit. Just because it is displayed for all to SEE on the internet, does not equal the right for all to USE.