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Note: The Jordans of the Southeast: A Brief History The first Jordans to come to America were part of the Jamestown colony in 1610. Captain Samuel Jordan, a descendant of a wealthy Robert Jordaine family in Dorsetshire, England, built a plantation in Virginia on the James River. The Jordan Point community is now in that same location. There were also other Jordan families who came to Virginia in the early 1600s. One of those families were the descendants of Richard Jordan (b 1280) in England. Many of the Jordans in the Southeast are descendants of these early pioneering family. They first migrated into northeastern North Carolina (the area that is now Bertie and surrounding counties) between 1650 and 1700, then started a migration south and west between 1700 and 1800. THE JORDAN NAME Genealogy history texts indicate early members of the Crusades took the name Jordan from the River Jordan during their journeys to the Holy Land. Some of these crusaders were French and used the spelling Jourdain (pronunciation ghor-don). The English Anglicized the name to Jordaine and the pronunciation to Gher-den. The pronunciation stuck for many generations even though the spelling changed to Jordan when part of the family emigrated to America. Some families further Anglicized the pronunciation to Jhor-dan. Census and other government records in the southeastern USA used the following spellings of the Jordan name: - Jordan - Jorden - Jourdan When the records show Jorden or Jourdan, the families probably called themselves Gher-den. source: Larry Jordan ----------------------------- The Jordan name was everywhere in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland in the 1500s.The name is found in many countries in Europe in the 1600s -- anywhere from France, Germany, English Isles, to the Scandinavian countries. There were at least three major and distinct Jordan families in the Americas during the 1600s -- two in Virginia and one in New England -- apparently not related. There were at least another dozen smaller Jordan families then and no relationships proven to the major groups. About 85-90 percent of Jordans are English. I'm sure they had their own way of pronouncing the name. The name is a mid-major prominent name, but not as popular as Smith, Jones, etc. -- and how many Jones clans can be linked more than a hundred years ago. Very few. The major spelling of the name in 1600 England includes the following: Jordayne, Jordan, Jordon, Jurden, Jirden, Jourden, Jourdan, Jordin, Jardin, Jarden, Jerdon, Geordan, Gerdan and it's variations. Don't forget that last one when name searching. We've all seen that one personally. The difference in spellings should not be considered as separate families, as most of us know. sorce: Bob Jordan Jordan The name Jordan in Ireland is derived from the Anglo-Norman family d'Exter, who established themselves in the Province of Connaught in the twelvth century. They took the Gaelic name MacSiurtain from their chief Jordan d'Exter and effectively became a fully fledged Gaelic Sept. "The Jordans were originally Normans, who came to England in 1099 to fight in the Battle of Hastings." Source: page 3 of "Jordan Genelogoy" 1967 compiled by Mrs. Juliana Wend Jordan (Mrs. Chester Arthur) of DeFreetsville, Rensselaer County, NY. During the crusades many individuals from many countries traveled to Palestine, and seeing the River Jordan described in the Bible was a "big thing". This was also a time when surnames began to be commonly used in Europe, so some of these individuals adopted "Jordan" as their surname. Others who didn't travel, but who heard the stories of the crusades, likewise adopted the name. The Normans came originally from Scandanavia - hence "Norsemen - Norman". They were Viking marauders who settled in what became Normandy. Some of the material concerning early English Jordans comes from a reported Jordan who fought as a knight in the Crusades (about 1200 A.D.). If he was a knight, then he probably was a Norman. He took his name from the Jordan River. Most of the Jordan names I have seen before 1600 were in England, but there were some in other European countries. They probably all took their name from the river - for religious or other reasons. So, many Jordan lines are not related. Household Record 1880 United States Census Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace John JORDAN Self M Male W 46 ENG House Carpenter ENG ENG Cinderilla JORDAN Wife M Female W 47 MS Keeping House AL AL Lilian JORDAN Dau Female W 15 MA At School ENG AL Edwin JORDAN Son S Male W 12 MS At School ENG AL Charlie JORDAN Son S Male W 6 MS At School ENG AL Sydney M. JORDAN Son S Male W 4 MS ENG AL Source Information: Census Place West Point, Clay, Mississippi Family History Library Film 1254645 NA Film Number T9-0645 Page Number 335C � 1999-2002 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. English approval: 3/1999 Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these Conditions of Use (last updated: 3/22/1999). Privacy Policy (last updated: 10/12/2001). 26 http://www.familysearch.org v.2.5.0 1900 census- John lists his naturalized status as AL-this abbreviation was used to signify that the individual was still an alien (was not naturalized and had not begun the naturalization process). 1900 census-John states he has been in the US for 5 years, however this is not true. Why was this stated? April 1, 1861 John married Cinderilla Ferguson in Escambia Florida. U.S. Census > 1900 > Mississippi > Clay County > WestPoint John Jordan July 1834 65 m 39 yrs Cindarella May 1840 60 7 children 5 living Parents both b Alabama Lillie Sept 1864 35 Sid April 1876 24 Mabel Sept 1881 18 U.S. Census > 1910 > Mississippi > Clay County > WestPoint John Jordan 75 b England Cinderilla 70 b Mississippi her father Alabama and mother Mississippi 7 children 4 living Lilian 45 b Massachusetts
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