The Jordan Story

Introduction

How I got Started

by Dave Jordan

In 1974 my wife Elizabeth and I toured London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris. We enjoyed our trip immensely and when I got back I began to wonder about the origins of my European ancestors. I had always known that on my mother's side there were relatives from Holland and Bohemia. On my father's side, I knew the Pages were from Germany and the Jordans were from either Ireland or England. In reflecting on the memories of the streets I had walked and the buildings I saw in London and Amsterdam, I began to think about my ancestors and wondered if I had walked in their footsteps or seen their houses.

Then in 1975 Alex Haley, who was then publishing his book Roots wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal describing his genealogical research. I read it thoroughly and I thought I could do the same for my family.

In that time early period, I learned the basic principles of genealogical research. They were: 1) start with yourself, 2) talk to your mother and father about the family, 3) obtain records to work backward in time, since links are provided on these records to earlier records, and 4) contact relatives. The basic procedure was appealing and I have found the experience to be quite enriching in many ways. These include new contacts and friendships with many relatives that never would have been made otherwise, an increase in my understanding of history, and insights into the general behavior of people over the course of their lives.

While I am usually asked, "How far back are you?" I found that one does not need to go back three or four centuries to discover unknown or fascinating family history. Very interesting stories and mysteries have emerged from a look back encompassing just 50 to 150 years.

When my mom and dad visited in Matawan in the fall of 1975, I started the investigation. Some of the key information obtained from my father during that and subsequent discussions were: 1) that his Grandfather Jordan's name was either Oscar or James, 2) that his grandfather was either Irish or English, 3) that his grandfather was born in England about 1870, 4) that his grandfather had married Margaret Knowles from Montreal about 1896 in Chicago, and 4) that his grandfather had worked as an engineer at the Conway Building in Chicago.

Dad also told me that his great-grandmother's name was Elizabeth Priscilla Jordan. My dad, only eight at the time, remembered walking down a dark narrow corridor in her home on her funeral day. Later he found a funeral remembrance for me that showed her date and place of death and her birth date.

Dad also remembered that Elizabeth’s parent's names were Joseph and Elizabeth Steward. He thought that Elizabeth Steward came to America and was that she was living in a nursing home in the early 1900s. He also remembered his father telling him that that when he was a boy that he took a long car trip to visit a relative. The location was far away and located by a big river and it is thought this might be when Elizabeth Stewart was in a nursing home.

My dad also remembered that his grandfather had two brothers. One was Charles Jordan whom dad saw once and who was referred to as Indiana Jordan because that was where he lived. The other brother was James Jordan of Madison, whom dad thought was a half-brother. My dad also thought there were a couple of divorces that occurred but he did not know between who or when. My dad was also able to tell me the names of all of James and Margaret Jordan's children and approximate dates of birth.

My dad also recalled that he had not seen his Grandfather Jordan since about 1936. After his Grandpa Jordan's retirement in the 1930s, my dad's father built an addition on his house at 69th and Throop for his father. It is believed the addition cost about $1500. Dad said that the place was always a mess and that there were newspapers all over the place. After a while, my dad’s mom Elizabeth grew unhappy because Grandfather Jordan expected her to take care of him, cleaning up and making his meals and thus he was asked to leave. Subsequently, dad told that me that his brother Herb saw Grandfather Jordan on a street corner in Chicago about 1940, which is the last time he was seen by our family.

In addition, my dad also mentioned that the stories he remembered about the Jordans usually included that they were a "bunch of pirates." He didn't really know what this meant, but he heard it often enough to think it important. A letter I got later from Uncle Chuck explained about the pirates, but as always things got a little twisted around.

These remembrances by my dad were the beginnings of my search and put me on the genealogy trail. I then started contacting my dad's brothers, uncles and distant cousins to learn more. What I learned was that each remembers a few facts or a little story about the family generally different than anyone else. Thus between them all, it is possible to assemble a story well beyond what one family knows. Coupling their remembrances with extensive records searches has led to an even bigger story, the one you are about to read.

And that's how I got started on my long adventure, one now lasting over a quarter of a century.

Notes

1. Initial Web Publication Date: 2/6/2003
2. Modified:
3. Desktop Master file: Stories_Jordan