|
|
Gordon Families
|
|
Alternate Spellings - Gordon, Gorden Links - Thirtyacre/Dreisigacker, Prouty, Spolader, Chandler, Several Gordons are buried in Mannon Cemetery in New Boston Township (see cemetery photo on Cemeteries page). Contacts - Beryl Gordon is a descendant of David Gordon, brother of William Gordon mentioned below, and furnished the clue that Howard Gordon was from Washington County, Indiana, as well as other information on the family. We also notice an entry in the guest book from Jody Wendt who is a descendant of Hester A. Gordon and John Calvin Cisco through the Allen and Charlotte Thirtyacre Gordon family. Terry Gilbert has helped us with the Rollin and Melvina Gordon Gilbert family. |
Howard and Mary Gordon of IndianaThe progenitor of some of the Mercer County Gordon families was Howard Gordon of Washington County, Indiana. His son William Gordon, grandson Allen Gordon, and daughter Hannah Gordon Chandler are found at various times in Mercer County and some are buried in Mercer County. The ones of interest to us on this Web Site were those who lived in New Boston or Eliza Township and their close relatives. As time permits we will include census records for other Gordon families in other parts of Mercer County, not related to these.Howard and Mary Gordon are found in Monroe Township, Washington County, Indiana in the 1850 census, Household #43: Howard Gordon, 66, born Virginia; Mary, 50, born Tn; Ruah (Ruth), 33, born In; James, 23, born In; Nancy, 18, In; Margaret, 13, In; Henry, 11, In; Milton, 8, In; and Elvina, 5, In. Beryl Gordon tells us that Ruth was the daughter of Howard's first wife, Polly Woodward. Next door to Howard and Mary in Monroe Township, Washington County, Indiana, Household #42, we find a son and family in 1850: John Gordon, 30, farmer, born Indiana; Elvina, 35, born Va; Allen, 11, born In; America, 10, In; Mary A., 8, In; Howard, 6, In; Hester A., 11/12, In; Hester Kinder, 68, born Va, probably mother of Elvina. This son Allen later came to Mercer County (more below). Two doors from John Gordon in Monroe Township, Washington County, Indiana, Household #40, we find another son of Howard with his family in 1850: William Gordon, 26, farmer, born Indiana; Mary, 23, born Ohio; Caleb 7/12, born In. William Gordon married Mary Wheeler on 11/23/1848 in Washington County. William and Mary came to Mercer County (more below). Next door to Howard and Mary on the other side in Monroe Township, Washington County, Indiana, we find daughter Hannah and her husband Edmund Chandler (no children). Edmund Chandler married Hannah Gordon on 4/23/1849 in Washington County. Hannah and Edmund also came to Mercer County (more below). Edmund and Hannah Gordon Chandler FamilyEdmund and Hannah Gordon Chandler are found in New Boston Township in 1860, Household 1813: Edmund Chandler, 34, farmer, born Indiana; Hannah, 32, born In; Howard Chandler, 6, born Il; John, 5, born Il; Clara E., 1, born Il. There was another Chandler family in Ohio Grove Township - they were from Ohio and probably not related to this one.Edmund and Hannah are not found in Mercer County in 1870 or 1880. They may be the Edwin and Hannah Chandler found in Richland County, Illinois, in 1880: Edwin Chandler, age 55, laborer, born Indiana, parents born North Carolina; Hannah, 50, born In, parents born Ky; Charles E., son, 21, born Il; David E., son, 16, born Il. This means that either Clara E, born 1859, or Charles E., born 1859, is an error in one of the censuses. Edmund and Hannah may have gone to Richland County to be near Edmund�s aging parents who are found next door to them in Richland County in 1880: M. C. Chandler, farmer, 76, born NC; Elizabeth, 75, born NC. Son Howard Chandler remained behind and is found in Sweetland, Muscatine County, Iowa, across the river from Mercer in 1880: Howard Chandler, 24, born Il, parents born In; Mary C., 26, born Ia; Ralph, 4, born Il; Jane Olive, 2, born Il, Walter, 5m, born Iowa. Nothing further is found for son John Chandler from the 1860 census. Edmund and Hannah Gordon Chandler returned to Mercer County as they are both buried in Mannon Cemetery: Edmund Chandler 1825-1907; Hannah A. Gordon, wife of Edmond Chandler, August 22, 1827-Feb 6, 1904. Beryl tells us that Howard Gordon had a son James, born January 9, 1827, so it is probable that Hannah's tombstone was misread when the cemetery walkdown was done and she was born 1829. This would also agree with her age of 21 in the 1850 census and her age of 50 in the 1880 census. William and Mary Wheeler Gordon FamilyWilliam and Mary Gordon are found in Eliza Township in 1860, Household #1576: William Gorden, 36, farmer, born In; Mary, 33, born Oh; Caleb, 10, born In; Melvina, 8, born In. They are Household #1 in 1870: William Gordon, 46, farmer, In; Mary, 42, Oh; Caleb, 20, assisting on farm, born In; Melvina, 15, born In; Eliza, 8, born Il.Daughter Melvina Gordon married Rollin Gilbert on 1/20/1876 in Muscatine County, Iowa (marriage record as Rolla Gilbert and Mella Gordon - his name was actually Raleigh Gilbert). Melvina was widowed by 1900 and living in Duncan Township, Mercer County: #143 Levina Gilbert, born Aug 1850, age 49, widow, 7 children born, 5 living, farmer, born In, father In, mother Ohio; Howard, born July 1881, 18, Ia, Ia, In, farm laborer; Grover C., Dec 1884, 15, Ia, Ia, In; Mary, Dec 1889, Ia, Ia, In; Elsie P., May 1891, Ia, Ia, In; William Gordon, Dec 1823, 76, widower, In, Va, Tn. We have heard from Terry Gilbert who has a page on her Web Site for Samuel Gilbert, father of Raleigh, and an obituary for Roll Gilbert who was killed by a horse in Eliza Township in 1896. Their daughter Grace married Harry B. Prouty about 1900 in Mercer County. Melvina Gordon Gilbert was living with them in 1930 in New Boston. Son Caleb Gordon married Mary M. Collins 6/1/1876 in Muscatine County, Iowa. Caleb and Mary are found in Eliza Township in 1880 and parents William and Mary are living with them: Caleb Gordon, 30, farmer, born Il; Mary, 25, born Il; Willie, 2, born Il; Lena M., 1, born Il; William Gordon, father, 56, farmer, born In; Mary, 51, born Oh; Eliza Gordon, sister, 18, born Il. William, unfortunately, does not list the birthplaces of his parents. Mary Gordon is buried in Mannon Cemetery: "Mary Gordon, wife of William Gordon, died Sept 15, 1887, age 81 yrs" (transcript error - should be 61 years). William and Mary�s daughter Eliza is buried in Mannon Cemetery. Her tombstone reads "Eliza Gordon, daughter of William and Mary Gordon, died July 25, 1888 age 26." Caleb and Mary�s daughter Lena Maud is buried in Mannon Cemetery. Her tombstone reads �Lena Maud Gordon, daughter of C. & M. Gordon, died July 15, 1880 age 1 yr 4 mo 18 dy.� George Carpenter posted a note on the IL-MERCER mailing list that William Gordon, 76 years old, widower, was living in Duncan Township with Levina Gilbert, age 49, widow, in 1900. Levina's children were Howard, age 18; Grover C., age 15; Mary, 10; Elsie, 9. William and Mary's daughter Melvina Gordon married Rolla Gilbert 20 January 1876 in Muscatine County, Iowa. Beryl found them in the 1880 census in Muscatine, Iowa, in Sweetland: Rollin Gilbert, 30, born Iowa; Melvina Gilbert, 29, born In; and Gracie Maud, 2, born Iowa. We have checked the Iowa cemetery records for the Gilberts and Gordons and found no known connection. Allen and Charlotte Thirtyacre Gordon FamilyAllen Gordon is not found in Mercer County in 1860, but he had arrived by 1863 as he married Mrs. Charlotte Thirtyacre Spolader on April 26, 1863 in Mercer County. Charlotte was the daughter of Johan Lorenze Dreiszigackr and Louise Caroline Wilhelmine Freise Dreiszigacker of Germany and Mercer County. Charlotte had a brief marriage to Augustus Sporleder but there were apparently no children of this marriage. Allen and Charlotte Gordon had children: Lena, Hester Adeline, Lewis, Nettie, Elias F., and Nellie Gordon.Allen and Charlotte are found in Eliza Township, Household #47 in 1870: Allen Gordon, 33, farmer, born Indiana; Charlotte Gordon, 29, born Hanover; Lena, 6, born Il; Esther, 4, born Il; and Lewis, 3, born Il. They were still in Eliza Township in 1880 (record to come). Records for other Gordons in Mercer County1860 Census Sunbeam John Gordon, 46, farmer, born Ohio; Margaret Gordon, 44, born Oh; John Gordon, 20, laborer, born Oh; Mary J.,18, Oh; Martha J., 16, Oh; James Gordon, 13, Oh; Mary E., 8, Oh; Thomas W., 6, Il; Ida E., 3, Il1860 Census Aledo Levaunt Gordon, 39, harnessmaker, born NY; Martha A. Gordon, 30, born NY; Levaunt A. Gordon, 4, born Il; Chauncy S. Gordon, 2, born Il; Ada G. Gordon, 9/12, born Il. 1860 Census Richland Grove Township Mary Gordon, 45, born Ireland; Patrick, 25, farmer, born Cn; Mary 15, born NY; Ellen 19, born NY; Margaret, 12, born Il; Francis, 8, born Il; Eliza J., 6, born Il; Edward, 4, born Il Elizabeth Melvin, 37, born Pa; Thomas Gordon, 13, born Il (Note: Mrs. Betsy Gordon married Ansel Melvin 4/24/1854 in Mercer County) 1870 Census Richland Grove Township #105 Margaret Gorden, 22, domestic, born Il, working for an Alpheus Groves farm family. #122 Mary Gorden, 55, keeping house, born Ireland; Eliza J. Gorden, 20, born Il; Edwin Gorden, 16, born Il #123 Andrew Kincaid, 22, farmer, born Il; Patrick Gorden, 25, farmer, born NY; Amanda Gorden, 20, born Il #153 J. W. Gorden, 34, dry goods merchant, born Pa; Mary E. Gorden, 22, born Ky; John D. Gorden, 4, born Il; William Pruden, 26, dry goods merchant, born Ky; Abigail Pruden, 57, born Pa. |
| |