This Edward Jordan might be the start of my Jordan line in America but further documentation is needed. I don’t have much info on him other than what’s below. If you have more, please leave a comment!

Emigration

An Edward Jordan appears on a list of early Virginia immigrants compiled in 1912 by George Greer. He apparently arrived by 1654 and was sponsored by Robert Holt. NOTE: I don’t know for sure that this immigrant Edward is the one who settled in Weyanoke Parish, subject of this page.

From: https://ia800606.us.archive.org/10/items/cavalierspioneer00nuge/cavalierspioneer00nuge.pdf

MAJOR ROBERT HOLT, 1550 acs. James City Co., 6 Apr. 1654, p. 8. On the E. side of Chickahominy Riv., bounding upon the first westermost branch of Jones Cr. & running from the second S. S. E. &c. to the main branch opposite to the land of Sir Wm. Berkeley, thence along the main swamp to the fourth little branch & along same N. to the head of a Spring, thence to Rickohauke path N. E., along same N. by W. & down the branch S. W. by S. 470 acs. granted sd. Holt 30 Jan. 1650 & 1,080 acs. for trans, of 22 pers: Jon. Somerton, Antho. Wade, Phill. Cheslye, Tho. Moor, Tho. Bush, Jon. Wilson, Edwd. Jordan, Tho. Stephens, Herbert Judd, Wm. Hudson, Jon. Chambers, Tho. Williams, Jon. Hawkins, Tho. Moor, Charles Cain, Sam. Paine, Hen. Williams, Richd. Anderson, Tho. Keys, Jon. Phipps, Wm. Court, Jon. Brown.

Although Robert Holt’s headright certificate was apparently filed in James City County, it does not necessarily mean that Edward lived there. He may have worked off his passage for some years in that county and then moved west to Charles City County.

Marriage

Some websites record an Edward Jordan of this time period as marrying Hannah Liscum. I’m looking for documentation for this. There was a Jonas Liscum living in Charles City County at the same time period who appears in court records.

Occupation

Edward appears to have worked as a “sloopman,” or someone who owns or works on a sloop, which is a fore-and-aft rigged boat with one mast and a single jib.

Residence

Edward Jordan lived in Weyanoke Parish, Charles City County, Virginia, in the mid-17th century. He appears in court records there in the 1670’s, as follows.

EDWARD JORDAN, Request for Payment, 1677

Request by Edw. Jordan, sloopman, to pay Mrs. Lillian Nowell 1400 lbs. tob. out of money due him by the county for transportation.

EDWARD JORDAN, Payment in Tobacco, 1677

Ordered that 196 lbs. tob. per pole (poll?) be levied upon each tithable in the county there being in all 687 according to the lists and the sherr., collect same & pay to the several person according to their disbursements mentioned in the following lists of the levies, he giving security.
The Levies: | lbs Tob.
Edw. Jorden | 150

EDWARD JORDAN, Stands Security, 1678

Edw. Jordan stands security for Henry Martin’s appearance in the action of Roland Place Esq. and Henry Martin not appearing, Judgm’t granted the plt. agst. the sd. security for 600lbs tob.

EDWARD JORDAN, Judgement Against, 1678

In the case of Rowland Place Esq. plt. & Henry Martin deft., the plt. at February court obtained Judgmt. agst. Edw. Jordan security of the deft. for not appearing. Deft. again not appearing, judgmt. confirmed, 3600 lbs. tob..

EDWARD JORDAN, Gone to Maryland, 1678

Lidia Norvell plt. agst. Edw. Jordan deft. he having gone to Maryland, Mr. Crabb offers security for the deft.’s appearance at next court.

EDWARD JORDAN, Payment for Fetching Boards, 1678

To Ed. Jordan for fething boards & the rest ——- 1400

EDWARD JORDAN, Payment Due, 1678

To Edwd. Jordan —————— 1400

EDWARD JORDAN, Defendant, 1678

Hester Foster, plt., and Edw. Jordan, deft., Roland Place acted as admr. of Hester Sharpe’s estate before Hester Foster was appointed admx., at which time sd. Place legally sold cattle and hogs to Jordan. Non-suit.

EDWARD JORDAN, Witness, 1678

Ed. Jordan, Wm. Cross & Eliz. Marshall, one day as witness vs. Wm. Crab Atty of Rowl. Place

About Weyanoke

Charles city was one of the four great corporations set up by the London Company in 1618. It was additionally one of the original counties into which the Virginia Colony was partitioned in 1634, and extended over a broad area on both sides of the James river. Westover Hundred, Weyanoke (or Weyanoake) Hundred, Shirley Hundred, and Charles City Hundred were early settlements on the James river.

Weyanoke Parish served Charles City County, Virginia, from about 1618 until 1702 when Charles City County was divided and Prince George County was formed from part of it. Weyanoke Parish then lay in Prince George County. In 1720 Weyanoke was consolidated with another parish and the name was no longer used.

Today Weyanoke is known as an unincorporated community in Charles City County, Virginia.

From Colonial Churches in the Original Colony of Virginia, A Series of Sketches by Especially Qualified Writers, we learn the following.

At Weyanoke, generally accepted as the next settlement after Jamestown, there long remained foundations of an ancient church, and a pamphlet in the possession of Mr. Graves, of Maryland, states authoritatively that an assembly was held at the church at Weyanoke early in the 17th century. There are still traces of the old graveyard, and one of the tombs from there was carried to St. Paul’s, Norfolk, (by the Rev. Dr. Okeson) where it may still be seen. Apparently after the destruction of the church at Weyanoke the “county was divided into Westover and Mapsco. The part above the courthouse was called Westover, and the part below called Mapsco, from an Indian name given the creek near where the original Lower church stood.”

Death

Some websites state that he died in 1688. I don’t yet have documentation for this death date or any other.

Sources

• Colonial Churches in the Original Colony of Virginia, A Series of Sketches by Especially Qualified Writers (Richmond, Virginia: Southern Churchman Co., 1907), online at books.google.com.
• Margaret McNeill Ayres, Charles City County, Virginia, Order Book, 1676-1679 (Memphis, Tennessee: Published by the Author, 1968), online at https://archive.org/details/charlescitycount00ayrerich.
• Ancestry.com. Virginia Immigrants, 1623-1666 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. | Original data: Greer, George Cabel. Early Virginia Immigrants 1623-1666. Richmond, VA, USA: W. C. Hill Printing Co., 1912.