James A. Gordon (1828 - 1865)

Born 1828 in Tennessee, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 25 Feb 1865 at about age 37 in Arkansas, United States

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Biography

James A Gorden was enumerated at Attala County, Mississippi for the September 15, United States Census, 1850. He was noted as born 1827 in Tennessee. He was a farmer with $250 of value in real estate as seen in this image of the original census. Also included in the household are female Mary R Gorden and male James A Gorden.^[1]

James A Gordon was enumerated at Post Office Lelu, Miller Township, Bradley County, Arkansas for the June 21, United States Census, 1860. He was noted as born 1828 in Tennessee and a farmer. He had $200 in value of personal estate as seen in the image of the original census. Also included in the household are female Mary Gordon, female Tennessee Gordon, male James A Gordon, female Margret C Gordon, male George Gordon and female Infant Gordon.^[2] James died of Typhus Fever^[3] in a Civil War Army Encampment in Arkansas. Mary Gordan Gentry wrote an article to the Dallas Morning News about her life.

Before his death, Finas Gordon gave a history of the Waddells and Gordons to Wilma Waddell^[4]

"Mary Waddell married James A Gordon, cousin Fine's father. In order to get this background, I will enter here the facts as told to me by Cousin Fine about the Gordon and Waddell families. Aunt Mary died at the age of 88 at Cousin Fine's home in Athens and was buried in Athens Cemetery. I do not think there is a gravestone at her grave, but it is not far inside the entrance as I remember it. I went to her funeral and was about 8 or 9 years old.

Cousin Fine's father was the only child by his father's second wife. There were other children by his father's first wife. I did not get the name of Cousin Fine's grandfather, but the children by his first wife were: George Gordon, Nathan Gordon, and John Gordon.

Cousin Fine's grandfather was a Missionary Baptist preacher, and he and his wife both died on the same day when cousin Fine's father was five years old. They were buried in Louisiana.

The court sent Cousin Fine's father, James A Gordon, to live with an uncle, Jimmy Joplin, who was a preacher in Carroll County, Mississippi, and preached at the Old Salem Church. When Cousin Fine's father was old enough, he went to a three-month school in summer but educated himself for the most part. His uncle was a brick mason, also, and taught Cousin Fien's father and put him to work."

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCDV-L8Z : accessed 01 Sep 2014), Ezra Peeler, Humphreys county, Humphreys, Tennessee, United States; citing family 832, NARA microfilm publication M432.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4LW-1YT : accessed 08 Sep 2014), James A Gorden, Attala county, part of, Attala, Mississippi, United States; citing family 340, NARA microfilm publication M432.
3. ↑ Letter from Rev Elam Waddell to his brother-in-law Matthew Campbell (of Carroll County, MS), dated May 6, 1866, from Jefferson County, AR. The letter was in possession of Mr. John Campbell of Grant County AR up until the 1960s when he died and the letter appears to have been lost. It had been copied by Louise Davis. Louise shared the letter with Mr. Sutton (who also shared the letter Louise wrote to him) and from there it has been copied and included in a large Waddell file
4. ↑ . "Recalling the Waddells", as told to Wilma Waddell by Cousin Fine Gordon a few years before his death at the age of 94 in Athens, Texas at the home of a daughter, Mittie Gordon Hanks. Printed in Grassroots, a publication by the Grant County Museum

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