In the past couple of weeks I have been finding lots of information about my 8th great grandfather – that is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather.  That’s a lot of great’s!

My eighth great grandfather was baptized in this church in 1611.

His name was Robert Jordan.  Born in England in 1611, five years before the King James version of the Bible was printed. He was baptized in St Swithun’s Church, Worcester, England on January 12, 1611. This church still stands (having been renovated several times) and the church tower dates from the time of Robert Jordan.  He was well educated, graduating from Oxford university in 1632. I am not really sure if he actually graduated since he was only 19 but he is listed on the Oxford University Alumni list in that year.   When both his parents died of plague in 1637 he cashed in his inheritance and set out for North America, landing on the coast of what now is Maine. Somehow in all of this he also became a priest with the Church of England although there is some speculation about whether he was really qualified for this.

He ended up at Richmond Island, not far north from what is now Portland Maine.  There he quickly became the local Church of England cleric.  He soon married Sarah Winter.  Now Sarah was the only daughter of John Winter, a businessman who managed the shipping business of a local landowner.  It seems that Mr. Winter was anxious to marry his daughter off to someone respectable and when the previous minister set his amorous sites on another woman, Winter basically had  him fired.  When Robert Jordan arrived he was fair game.

But it would also seem that Robert had some ambition to become better financially connected so Sarah was a prize all around.

Soon after  Robert Jordan was named executor of Winter’s will, the businessman died. Jordan wasted not time in scooping up property and an inheritance that left him well off for the rest of his days.  It is intriguing to see my 8th great grandfather’s signature on a court document from 1663.

This is the baptismal font brought to North America by Robert Jordan in 1637.

He was also no stranger to controversy.  Despite being warned by the local Puritan community not to “practice”  his Church of England clerical role, he continued to baptize and marry people using the Book of Common Prayer.  For these actions he was charged and jailed twice, in 1654 and 1663.  The baptismal font that he brought with him from England in 1637 is currently on display at the Portland museum.

He saved a woman from being killed as being a witch sometime before the Salem witch trials of 1992.  It seems that the Puritans of the district were pretty much convinced of the evil acts of some women they labeled as witches

Rev Robert and Sarah Jordan lived in this house in New Castle, New Hampshire.

Robert and Sarah had a eight children, one of whom was Dominicus Jordan, my 7th great grandfather.  He, too, has an interesting history, ending up being scalped by Indians and his family kidnapped to Quebec.  Another story.

The district where Robert ended up owning a large plantation was overwhelmed by Indians (they had not come up with the Native American term yet) and Robert and Sarah had to move to  New Hampshire for safety. The home where he and Sarah lived (39 Wentworth Road, New Castle, New Hampshire) still stands. He died there in 1679 at age 68 (the age I am now).

The Jordan family      Coat of Arms.

There are now hundreds of descendants of Robert and Sarah living around the world.  There is even a Family Trust set up in their name by their very extended family.  Story has it that the Jordan name originated when Richard the Lion-hearted awarded the name to  Sir William Deardon, a 12th Century knight,  for bravery during the Crusades (and at the Jordan River).  He was apparently knocked off his horse but bounced up to overcome his opponent.  Hence the Latin Motto on the Jordan  Coat of Arms – Percussa resurgo – Struck down, I arise.   Reminds me of Corey Hart’s Never Surrender.   Not a bad motto.