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Posted by Margaret J. Johnson <johnson.mjordan@worldnet.att.net>
on Mon,
21 Feb 2000
Surname: Jordan
The Jordan Family in Rutherford County are
descendants of the Jordans who settled in
Williamson County. William Jordan and his
wife Salley left Lunenburg County, VA with
their numerous family, stock and household
chattels and went to Kentucky. There they
remained until 1796. They crossed the Cumberland
River below Nashville on ice
during an unusually cold winter and located
in Davidson County about a mile from
Triune. When Williamson County was divided
from Davidson County in 1799 the
Jordan Properties fell in Williamson County.
William and Salley had twelve children. Their
youngest, William, married Elizabeth
Boyd and Medy Boyd and began a home in 1848
that was completed in 1850. This
home was described in HEARTHSTONES, The Story
of Rutherford County Homes
as "on the North Road near Eagleville (and)
is in the Italianate style."
Archer, the oldest child of William and Salley,
and his wife, Elizabeth Walker, had
fifteen children. Their youngest, Edward Leland,
was born July 23, 1817 in Williamson
County. In a Biographical Appendix Rutherford
County pp. 1044 - 1045 by
Goodspeed "Edward's mother, dying when he
was about fourteen years of age, and his
father three years later, he was left upon
his own resources at the age of seventeen and
consequently his education was somewhat limited.
At the age of eighteen he entered a
mercantile house at Hardeman Cross Roads,now
Triune, Williamson County, as clerk,
continuing three years in this capacity, when,
in company with William P., son of the
late Gov. Cannon, he bought out his employers,
Thomas F. Perkins & Co. The new
firm conducted the business successfully together
until Mr. Cannon's withdrawal, in
1841, after which Mr. Jordan owned and conducted
the business alone three years."
Edward farmed, and conducted a mercantile
business up until the Civil War broke out.
He was forced to close his businesses because
he was in favor of the preservation of
the Union. Following the war he established
a savings bank of which he was president
until it united with the First National Bank.
Edward was married to Martha, daughter of Montford
Fletcher, in 1840 and they had
four children before she died in 1852. He
then married Jane Cook, daughter of James
Carouthers. In 1858 he married Mildred Williams,
daughter of Dr. George Hopson of
MOntgomery County, TN. They had two children
and Mildred had three children by
her first husband.
According to newspaper articles in the Chattanooga
library, in 1854 Edward was
elected to serve one year as Alderman in Murfreesboro.
He was the Mayor and was
criticized as being radical in politics. The
board voted themselves salaries, allowing
sixteen dollars each meeting for the Mayor
and eight dollars for the Aldermen (six of
them). They met once a month. "The salaries
paid, for little service, creating a great
scramble for office, making a divide of the
peoples money. Many of the candidates not
owning a foot of real estate, caring little
whether taxes were high or low, so they could
get in and make a divide of spoils."
Goodspeed concludes his article by saying "(Edward)
and his wife are leading
members of the Missionary Baptist Church of
this city, and he is justly recognized as
one of the most enterprising and successful
business men of Rutherford County, and is
a reliable and consistent Christian gentleman.
His aged brother, Dr. Clement Jordan, is
living a retired life at our subject's home,
at the advanced age of eighty-five years. He
also has a sister, Mrs. Ralston, eighty-six
past, living in West Tennessee. Mr. Jordan is
one of six sons and six daughters who lived
to maturity, who all raised large families
with exception of two -three sons and one
sister now living."
He died October 9, 1807 and is buried in Evergreen
Cemetery, Murfreesboro, TN.
Edward's son Leland, born December 2, 1846,
was married to Ella Love Ready,
daughter of Charles S. Ready, Jr., on January
1, 1873. They had two sons, Charles
Ready and Edward Leland. Ella died June 21,
1878 and is buried with her parents in
Evergreen Cemetery.
Leland married Leah Letitia Perkins on January
15, 1879. They had eight children and
are both buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
Leland finished his education at Princeton
where he was graduated in 1867. He studied
Law in Murfreesboro until he, with others,
founded the Murfreesboro Bank and Trust
Company in 1905. He served as Cashier-Manager
of the bank until he moved to Los
Angeles, CA in 1924.
His home, Oakhurst, was completed in 1880-1881.
The dwelling was the showplace
of a 125 acre farm on the eastern edge of
town. A barn, granary, smokehouse, coal
house, and buggy house surrounded the house.
This information was taken from a
newspaper article in the Chattanooga, TN Library.
It is my understanding the house still
stands although other house now surround it.
According to Leland's obituary "He was a member
of the Baptist church and served as
a deacon until he moved to Los Angeles, where
he was a member of the Temple
Baptist church."
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