The Jordan Story

Origins Chapters

Passing on a Name

by Dave Jordan

In the Jordan/Scholdberg/Steward line, two names, Charles and Edward have repeated through a number of generations and in fact my father's name was Edward Charles Jordan. How did this happen and how far back can we see the recurrence.

Let's start as far back as we have data for. Way back in 1851, my father's gg-grandparent's Joseph and Elizabeth Steward named their second son, Charles Hooper Steward. This is the earliest known use of Charles on that side of the family but it would not be surprising if it goes back much further as it was the English tradition to name a child after a grandparent, uncle or aunt. This was certainly the case in1871 when Charles Hooper Steward's sister Elizabeth Priscilla Scholdberg and her husband Oscar named their 2nd son Charles Edward Scholdberg. Elizabeth Priscilla Scholdberg was my father's g-grandmother. Within 7 month Charles Edward Scholdberg died so in 1873 Elizabeth and Oscar named a 3rd son Charles.

However, the linkage to Elizabeth's brother was not the only Charles linkage for the Oscar and Elizabeth Scholdberg. Oscar's father's name was Carl Johan Scholdberg, Carl being a shortened form of Charles. Thus there was a dual connection with having a child named Charles. Carl Johan Scholdberg was born about 1815 so the connection to Carl/Charles goes way back. I am still investigating why they might have chosen the middle name Edward in 1871, but some evidence suggests Oscar's brother was named Carl Eduard Scholdberg back in 1827. If so there is a direct link to the name Charles Edward.

After he came to America our James Oscar Jordan, formerly Joseph Canute Oscar Scholdberg and my father's grandfather had five children. In 1902, he named one son Edward Jordan possibly after his little brother's middle name, Charles Edward Scholdberg (1871) or his Uncle Carl Eduard Scholdberg (1827). In 1903, he named, another son Charles Jordan possibly not only after the same two individuals but also after his brother Charles Scholdberg Jordan and his Uncle Charles Hooper Steward who lived nearby in Chicago.

Thus in 1922, my father was named Edward Charles Jordan. He was named not only after his Uncle Edward Jordan and after his Uncle Charles Jordan, but also Edward Page on his mother's side, again a dual connection to both sides of the family. And thus his name connects to his Uncles: Charles Jordan (1902) and Edward Jordan (1903), his Great Uncles: Charles H. Jordan (1873) and Charles Edward Jordan (1871), his GG-Uncles: Charles Hooper Steward (1851) and Carl Eduard Scholdberg (1827) and his GG-Grandfather: Carl Johan Scholdberg (1802).

Notes

1. Initial Web Publication Date: 2/6/2003
2. Modified: 1/31/2005, 11/1/2009
3. Desktop Master file: Stories_Jordan