Person:John Jordan (71)

BIOGRAPHY: The Spring 1994 issue of the Blackhawk Gen. Soc. mentions that in the Spring of 1861, J.A. Jordan raised a company known as the "Ellsworth Guards", drilled them for 4 months, took part of his Company + some from The Rock Island Rifles, was elected a commissioned Captain to Co. A, 37th Ill. Vol. Inf., went to Chicago, then to MO, where he was in Otterville. He received 'a stroke of paralysis', pronounced in a critical condition, and compelled to resign on 31 Dec 1861, returning to Rock Island Co. However he was thereafter sent to Kentucky & Tennessee on 'matters connected with the army'. Via communication from Joe Trego of Halstead, KS, he had a copy of an article from the Antelope Valley Times, Lancaster, CA, pub. 23 Mar 1976 of a letter written by an Ann Kinsey on 22 Feb 1863 from Plainfield, IL [now Sherrard, Mercer Co., IL] to her sister Pauline in CA. In part, the letter said: "We met at the church and made clothing for the soldiers in the fall. John Jordan went and took a lot of things to our boys." This explains 'matters connected with the army'. At one time he held the office of Supervisor of Rural Twp., R.I. Co., IL, in 1882. All above info rec'd. May 2001 from Ron Parker of Coal Valley, R.I. Co., IL. According to ILLINOIS CIVIL WAR DETAIL REPORT, shows residence as Coal Valley [Twp.], R.I. Co., IL, he was 6' tall, black hair, blue eyes, dark complexion. He joined on 14 Aug 1861 in Rock Island, IL, mustered in on 18 Sep 1861 in Chicago, resigned on 31 Dec 1861.

From "Portrait & Biographical Album of Rock Island Co", Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, 1885, he was a Justice of the Peace for 8 years and a member and an Elder in the M.E. Church.

From book: PAST AND PRESENT OF ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, IL 1877, Page 218: History of Rock Island County, Rural Township. "Before the year 1840 the following persons came to this town: Capt. J.A. Jordan and Daniel Valentine. Capt. Jordon (sic) and Mr. Valentine lived just over the line in Pre-emption [Twp., Mercer Co.], but most of their land being in Rural, they finally built in this town." Note: Until 1871, the portion of Rural Twp. referred to herin was part of Coal Valley Twp. and there was never a town named Rural, though there was a postoffice by that name, located in the extreme N.W. cornet of Sec 28, Rural Twp. There is a record in Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales for the purchase of 40 acres in Sec. 3 [SE NW] of Richland Grove Twp. on 22 Jul 1839 and again 40 acres in Sec. 3 [NE SW] on 1 Jun 1846.

Page 253: Rock Island Civil War Record. Thirty-Seventh I.V.I. Company A. Captain J. A. Jordan, com. Aug. 14, 1861. Resigned Dec. 31, 1861.

From p. 419: RURAL TOWNSHIP "Jordan, Capt. John A.. Farmer; Sec. 25; P.O. Orion; born in Rockland Co. Maine,, Jan. 11, 1819; came to this Co. (Rock Island) in 1838; Republican; Methodist; owns 160 acres of land, value $11,000;and 89 acres in Iowa; son of Capt. Robert, of Rockland, Maine, who was the son of Capt. Israel Jordan, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Mr. Jordan enlisted in the Tremont Rifle Regiment, of Co. A 37th Ill.; as elected Capt, sworn into the United States service, and started for St. Louis to reinforce Col. Mulligan at Lexington; name of wife was Rachel Metzler, born in Conshocton Co., Ohio, May 4, 1822; she was daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Metzler; married March 18, 1841; have had four children, Byron, born June 11, 1841; Edwin T. born Dec. 18, 1842 [1843 per Jeremy Jordan's records]; Olive M., born Aug. 5, 1848, died May 14, 1865; William H., born Dec. 28, 1850."

John, a twin of Thomas [11 child], is the 10th of 14 chidren. A portion of a ltr. by Byron Jordan to Eliz. Trego Blackfan Lippincott, of 16 Mar 1912, passed on to E.B. Jordan in her ltr. of 13 Apr 1912, mentions that John [1537] and Thomas [1549] (twins) came out to Richland Grove Twp. from Ohio in early 1839 to hold a squatters claim made earlier by older Brother Josuha Jordan [1485]. According to "History of Henry County Illinois", Vol. II, by Kiner, he arrived in Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL on 9 Nov 1839 and purchased 160 acres. Could this be his brother's claim mentioned above? Again according to the book, he sold the 160 acres in Spring 1856, moving to Rock Island Co., where he purchased substantial acreage in Rural Twp., then called Coal Valley.

From an article in the June 30th, 1962 edition of "The Rock Island Argus", written by V.V. Headland, there is a mention of the July 4th, 1862 celebration in Coal Valley [Twp.], where 700 people gathered on the farm of Robert Middleham, with J.N. Smith, marshall, assisted by Capt. John A. Jordan. Capt. Jordan, Jacob Sharpe & the Rev. Mr. Cooke gave "appropriate and heart-stirring speaches".

John A. Jordan was on the Board of Supervisors for Rural township in 1882. The “History of Mercer Co., IL” 1882, H.H. Hill Publisher, has article on p. 741 stating that Byron's Grandfathers on both sides [not sure exactly what that means], of family served in the Revolutionary War.

Listed as John A. Jordan in 1850 Fed. Census for T15N, R1W, Mercer Co., IL, enumerated on 4 Oct 1850, age 31, Farmer + his wife and three children. Listed as John A. Jordan in 1860 Fed. Census for Coal Valley Twp., Rock Island Co., IL, [Rural Post Office], T16N, R1W, enumerated on 9 Aug 1860, age 41, Farmer + wife & 4 children. Listed as John A. Jordan in 1880 Fed. Census for Rural Twp., Rock Island Co., IL, enumerated on 10 Jun 1880, age 61, b. ME, farmer, w/wife Rachel, both parents b. ME. Note: His brother William as well as his son Byron lived close, according to the census image.

DEATH: Date per his Probate Records, which Jeremy Jordan has copies, obtained from Western IL University in Oct 2007, including his Will and many Court Documents, receipts, etc. Have always had a date of 26 Dec 1896 per the Western Cem. Inscription book and not 26 Nov 1886 as listed in "The Family Jordan", which is actually correct. At time of death, John had a farm in Rural Twp., R.I. Co. and land in Poweshiek Co., Iowa, according to a Petition For Letters Testamentary, signed by Byron Jordan, the Executor of John's Will. Jeremy Jordan has a copy of a letter from Charles Kinsey on letterhead of "Richland Grove Vigilance Committee", dated 8 Feb 1887, attesting to the funds left in the Committee, as John A. Jordan was the Treasurer and now succeeded by Charles Kinsey. BURIAL: Western Cem.

Jordan_Mem._I.D.: 1537

Family_Jordan_No.: 2271

1.  
   p.219.

   Press of David Clapp & Son, Boston, 1882 - A reprinting by the New England History Press, 1982
   
   Book
   
   The Jordan Memorial - Family Records of the Rev. Robert Jordan
   
   Editor: Compiled by Tristram Frost Jordan

2.  
   p. 161 & 397.

   Penobscot Press, 2001, ISBN 0-89725-441-4
   
   Book
   
   The Family Jordan
   
   Editor: Roland Gene Jordan, compiled by Adelbert Jean “Andy” Annonson