Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 640] a representative and enterprising farmer of Washington township, belongs to a family that has had more to do with the upbuilding of the portion of Lawrence County in which its founder settled than any other. The pioneer Jordan, Henry by name, the great-grandfather of the subject of this narrative, was one of the men who at a very early date made a home in the wilderness of Western Pennsylvania, forced to be content with the wandering Indians and the wild beasts of the woods for companions. Henry Jordan, the elder, came from Germany, when a young man, about 1762; he served through the Revolutionary War, and at its close sought a place where he could obtain a home cheaply and grow up with the country. His instincts led him to agricultural lines, and in search of a suitable home he took his family and struck out over the mountains, bound for a district which he had heard was beautiful and fertile, and which was as yet virgin land to the settler. He arrived in Washington township and soon found a location to his liking, where he took up a vast tract of timber-covered land. Here he started in to build a home for himself and for those who should come later. His estate was cleared mainly by his own strong arm and a house was erected which was, for those days, considered spacious and elegant. His wife, Elizabeth, bore him a family of ten children, who were named as follows: Elizabeth; Margaret; John; Henry; Ann; Mary; George and Daniel, twins; Mercy; and Michael.
Of the foregoing family Henry was the grandfather of our subject. He was born east of the mountains and lived in Baltimore, Md., for a period when a young man; he followed his father to his new home, and was assisted in buying a large farm of 200 acres near the home place. This farm of his, which was almost entirely new land, remained his home for the remainder of his life; he had the full arduous experience of the pioneer farmer in reclaiming the soil from the forests. He built a house, which is now standing as a monument of how well he did his work. To him and his beloved wife a family of eight children came, namely: Alexander, our subject's father; Elizabeth; Margaret; Henry; the place is especially well adapted. Mr.[sic] Jordan was a Miss Anna Anderson, a daughter of Alexander Anderson, a native of Ireland. Henry Jordan brought his family up in the faith of the Presbyterian Church, and from him his sons inherited the soundest kind of Democratic doctrine. He lived to see his ninety-third year.
Alexander Jordan, Sr., was born and grew to manhood in Washington township. Agricultural pursuits claimed his time and attention. He was early impressed with the resources of his native section, and labored hard and faithfully to develop them. He brought his farm into entire subjection, improved it with new buildings and a splendid system of underdraining, and was a very successful and progressive breeder of stock. He died at the age of sixty-nine, leaving his second wife, who was a Miss Julia Cooper, and two children by the second marriage—Nancy J. and John A. His first wife's maiden name was Margaret McComb, and she bore him five children: Alexander; Henry; Elizabeth; Rebecca; and Sarah Ann. In their church ideas they held to the traditions of the family, and kept up a close connection with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Jordan was affiliated with the Democratic party, and was fearless and unreserved in expressing his opinions and ideas.
Alexander Jordan, our subject, began his life Aug. 15, 1855. While still a lad he learned the business ways and the agricultural methods that have made the family name well-known through Lawrence County, and have contributed so much to our subject's own prosperity. He inherited his farm from his father, and it could not have fallen into better or worthier hands. He has followed the same line of farming as did his father before him, a style of farming to which the place is especially well adapted. Mr. Jordan's wife is Agnes (Pasley) Jordan, who was born of a prominent family in Lancaster, Pa. They are both attendants of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr Jordan is a young man for one who has accomplished so much. He finds time for all things, and keeps well-posted on the events of the present day, and the progress and material development of this end of the nineteenth century. He has all the native shrewdness and sound judgment that one expects to find in a Jordan, and is on all sides cordially liked and highly esteemed. As to his politics, Mr. Jordan is naturally a Democrat, dyed-in-the-wool, as it were, but beyond his giving his allegiance to that party from custom, he has good and sufficient reasons for his choice. He has acceptably filled several offices, among which might be named those of assessor and school director. In all matters, whether great or small, he is a typical American citizen, and an upright, straightforward man, whom it is a real pleasure to meet.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 27 Jul 2001