When conducting genealogy research, it’s sometimes necessary to collect info on your ancestor’s “doppelganger” or another person of the same name, who lives in the same area, in order to distinguish between them. This was the case with my fifth great-grandfather, Edward Jordan (1720-1791), of Lunenburg and Halifax Counties, Virginia, whose ancestry and records have been thoroughly mixed up with another Edward Jordan, who we’ll call Captain Edward, who also lived in Lunenburg County at about the same time.
Parents
I believe Edward’s parents may have been Thomas Jordan and Elizabeth _______ because he is mentioned in their wills (see below). Why would he have a “Jr.” attached to his name if his father had a different given name? Well, some Colonial Americans followed a particular naming practice, as outlined below.
The first son was usually named after the father’s father.
The second son was usually named after the mother’s father.
The third son was usually named after the father.
The fourth son was usually named after the father’s eldest brother.
The fifth son was usually named after the mother’s eldest brother.The first daughter was usually named after the mother’s mother.
The second daughter was usually named after the father’s mother.
The third daughter was usually named after the mother.
The fourth daughter was usually named after the mother’s eldest sister.
The fifth daughter was usually named after the father’s eldest sister.
If the Jordans followed this pattern, their son Edward (if a first born) would have been named for Thomas’s father, who must, therefore, also be an Edward. If Edward were a fourth son, he might have been named after Thomas’ older brother, who is as yet unidentified. So is Edward a first or fourth son? Taking a look at his father’s will, we see that there are four sons and there is no way to tell what the birth order is.
Thomas Jordan
Will of Thomas Jordan, March 13, 1815
306. Jordan, Thomas 3-13-1815; 5-11-1815; W.B. 7/176
Mentions: Wife: Elizabeth Jordan
Sons: Freeman Jordan, Jr., Thos. Jordan, Jr.
Grandsons: Thom. W. J. Jordan, Thos. E. Jordan (sons of Freeman Jordan)
Lands in Nottoway County
Sons: James Jordan, Edward Jordan, Jr.
Daughters: Polly E. Jordan, Elizabeth B. Tucker, Elizabeth T. Jordan, Mary Anne Jordan
Executors: Thomas Jordan, Jr., John Wilson
Witnesses: Armstead Jones, William Hubbard, Baulin Rogers, Thomas Wood, Jr.
Source: Landon C. Bell, Lunenburg County, Virginia Wills, 1746-1825 (Clearfield, 2009)
Elizabeth Jordan
1822
Will of Elizabeth Jordan
304. Jordan, Elizabeth 7-14-1822; 10-14-1822; W.B. 8/240
Mentions: Daughter: Elizabeth Tucker
Son: Edward Jordan
Executor: Edward Jordan (son)
Witnesses: Wm. R. Fountain, John Jeter, Joel (his X mark) Brooks
Source: Landon C. Bell, Lunenburg County, Virginia Wills, 1746-1825 (Clearfield, 2009)
Birth
According to sources on Ancestry.com, Edward was born on 22 Feb 1742.
Marriage
Edward married Susannah. Her last name may have been Cocke.
Biography
Some biographical information appeared in Landon Covington Bell’s, Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1746-1816, Vestry Book 1746-1816, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994), that was originally published in 1930, seen below.
Edward Jordan was a Captain in the Revolution from Lunenburg County, Virginia; he was a Justice of the County Court of Lunenburg County from 1780 to 1797; and was a vestryman of Cumberland Parish from 1780 to 1785. His father was doubtless named Edward Jordan, and was likely the Edward Jordan who in 1748 secured a grant for 654 acres of land on Couches Creek. The Lunenburg County records show that Edward Jordan, Jr., was deputy sheriff under Daniel Claiborn, sheriff from 1767 to 1769. This is thought to be the Edward Jordan, the Vestryman and Captain in the Revolution. There is a record in Bristol Parish Register[57] of the birth March 27, 1742-3, of Edward Jordans, son of Samuel and Milson Jordans.
Edward1 Jordan, of Lunenburg County, made his will July 21, 1820, it was probated August 16, 182-.[58]
In it he mentions his wife, Susannah Jordan, and the following children and grandchildren:1. Baxter2 Jordan,
2. Miles2 Jordan,
3. Labon2 Jordan,
4. John2 Jordan,
5. James2 Jordan,
6. Susannah2 Pettus,
7. Mary2 Jeffress,
8. Polly2 Jordan,
9. Francis2 Jordan (a deceased son) who had: (1) Nancy3 Jordan, (2) Martha Francis3 Jordan, (3) William3 Jordan.Baxter Jordan married Polly Lipscomb Pettus, daughter of John Pettus.[60]
Miles2 Jordan married Harriott Pettus, of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. The marriage bond is dated Nov. 12, 1804. In connection with it there is on file a note from W. Pettus, brother of Harroitt.
John Jordan, probably John2 Jordan above, married Elizabeth Jordan, daughter of Benjamin Jordan of Charlotte County, Virginia. The marriage bond, in Charlotte County, is dated Aug. 3, 1799.57 P. 326.
58 It is of record in W.B. 8, page 112.
59 M. B. in Lunenburg County dated Dec. 29, 1803—The Old Free State, II, 397.
60 Letter of consent on file in Lunenburg County Clerk’s Office.Page 259
James Jordan, possibly James2 Jordan, was a member of the County Court in Lunenburg County, Virginia, in 1781.[61]
Susanna2 Jordan married, Feb. 11, 1796, Robert Winn.[62]
Polly2 Jordan married Thomas Cheatham. The marriage bond in Lunenburg County, Virginia, is dated Jan. 31, 1825.[63]
The Edward Jordan mentioned here as “the Edward Jordan who in 1748 secured a grant for 654 acres of land on Couches Creek” is apparently NOT the father of Captain Edward Jordan. Despite the assertion here by Landon C. Bell that these two Edwards are father and son, there is no documentary evidence of such. No son named Edward is mentioned in the wills of neither Edward nor his wife Elizabeth.
Documentary Evidence
An Edward Jordan appears at on a list of County Court Justices for Lunenburg County, VA, from 1780 to 1797. Source: Landon Covington Bell, The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia (Richmond, Va.: The William Byrd Press, Inc., 1927), Volume I, page 330.
Military Service
Edward fought in the Revolutionary War as a captain.
Source: John H. Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution (Richmond, VA: 1938), p. 430, Ancestry.com.
Residence
1810
Edward Jordan appears in the US federal census for 1810 in Lunenburg, Lunenburg, Virginia. The household make up is as follow:
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over: 1
Numbers of Slaves: 22
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 24
Death
Edward died in 1820.
Will
Edward Jordan | Will of Edward Jordan, July 21, 1820
302. Jordan, Edward 7-21-1820; 8-16-1829; W.B. 8/112
Mentions: Wife: Susannah Jordan
Sons: Baxter Jordan, Miles Jordan, Laban Jordan, John Jordan, James Jordan
Daughters: Susannah Pettus, Mary Jeffress, Polly Jordan
Granddaughters: Nancy Jordan (daughter of deceased son Francis Jordan), Martha Francis Jordan
Grandson: William Jordan (son of Francis Jordan)
Executors: Susannah Jordan (wife), Baxter Jordan (son)
Witnesses: Geo. Craghead, Jas. Bagley, Edwin A. Morrison.
SOURCE: LANDON C. BELL, LUNENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA WILLS, 1746-1825 (CLEARFIELD, 2009)
Will of Susannah Jordan
1825
305. Jordan, Susannah 5-4-1823; 6-13-1825; W.B. 8/478
Mentions: Sons: Laban Jordan, Miles Jordan
Daughters: Mary Jeffress, Susannah Pettus
Executor: Laban Jordan (son)
Witnesses: Walker Pettus, Wm. Craghead.
Source: Landon C. Bell, Lunenburg County, Virginia Wills, 1746-1825 (Clearfield, 2009)
Sources
- Landon Covington Bell, Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1746-1816, Vestry Book 1746-1816, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994)
- Landon Covington Bell, The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia (Richmond, Va.: The William Byrd Press, Inc., 1927). Volume I is not available online except by purchase. Volume II is free online to read at Hathi Trust Digital Library.
- 1951-01-31, Edward Jordan, “US, Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications” by Courtney Laresche Jordan, online at Ancestry.com.
- Terry W. Drake, The History of the Walker Family and the Times They Lived
- “A Nest of Bad Men”: Locating the Lunenburg County Courthouse – see the first image for Edward’s signature on the petition
“Why would he have a “Jr.” attached to his name if his father had a different given name?”
FYI: It was also a common practice of the times to assign Jr. when two unrelated people had the same name in order to distinguish them.