Mary Elizabeth (Ledger) Jordan (1873 - 1949)

Born 11 Apr 1873 in Dipton, Durham, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of George Jordan — married before 1 Sep 1893 in Lanchester, Co. Durham, England

Descendants

Died 8 Dec 1949 at age 76 in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Judith Jordan [send private message]

Biography

Mary Elizabeth Ledger was born 11 April, 1873, to Isaac and Catherine Ledger (Ledger-231 and Todd-12354) at Durham, England^[1].

At the time of the 1881 Census, Mary, 7, was living at 119 Marquis Houses, Collierley, Dipton, Durham (undoubtedly Colliery housing) with her parents, Isaac, 48, Coal Miner, and Catherine, 44, and siblings Isaac, 17, and Robert, 16, both Coal Miners, and Catherine, 4. Catherine and Mary were both Scholars. All household members were reportedly born at Dipton, Durham, except Catherine Sr., who was born at Alnswick, Northumberland^[2].

In 1891 the Census recorded Mary, 20, living and working as a Domestic Servant in the household of Alice Milne, 48, Widow and Mantle Shopwoman at 23 Hartington Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland. Also in the household was Mary Ann Donkin, 27, Boarder, Saleswoman Baby?(clothes?)^[3].

Sarah Elizabeth J. (probably Jordan) Ledger was born on 19 February, 1893, to George Jordan and Mary Elizabeth Ledger, who subsequently married in the 3rd quarter of 1893 at Lanchester, Durham, England^[4].

Mary and George Jordan had at least 7 children:

• Sarah Elizabeth (Jordan-9032), born 19 February 1893;
• Robert William (Jordan-9027), born 9 May, 1895;
• George William (Jordan-17917), born in the first Quarter of 1899, who died in infancy;
• Catherine Ledger (Jordan-9027), born 31 January, 1901;
• Annie (Jordan-17689), born in the first Quarter of 1906;
• George Wilson (Jordan-17691), born in the 2nd Quarter of 1908; and
• Harold (Jordan-17918), born 5 May, 1911.

At the time of the 1901 Census, Elizabeth, 27, and George, 31, a Hewer of Coal, and their children Sarah, 8, Robert, 5, and Catherine L., 2 mos., were living with his parents, George, 71, a Retired Deputy Fireman, and Elizabeth, 67, at 53 Wheatridge Row in Seaton Delaval^[5].

Elizabeth and George immigrated to Canada with their living children in 1909, sailing from Liverpool, England on 4 November aboard the SS Dominion and arriving in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 14 November. The Passenger list shows that Mary Jordan, 37, with her husband George, 40, Miner, and children Sarah, 17, Domestic, Robert, 15, Miner, Kate, 8, Annie, 3, and George, 2, were destined for Lethbridge, Alberta, and that their religion was Church of England^[6].

The 1911 Census of Canada recorded Mary E. Jordan, 38, born April, 1872, and George, 41, born June, 1869, Miner, living with their family at Hardieville, Lethbridge, Alberta (Township 9)^[7]. In the household were George and Mary, children Sarah E., 18, born February, 1892, Robert, 17, born March 1898, a Labourer, Catherine, 10, born January 1901, a Student, Annie, 5, born January, 1906, George W?, 3, born February, 1907, and Harold, not yet 1, born May, 1910, and Lodgers Joseph McLean, 27, born February 1893 in Scotland, a miner and daughter Sarah's future husband, Alexander Little, 22, born June, 1888 in Scotland, a Timberman, and will J(?)obbinson, 44, born 1866 in England, a miner. Everyone who was employed was working for the Coal Mine.

The 1916 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, recorded Mary, 43, and George, 47, Weighman, Coal Mine, living with their children, Robert, 23, a Soldier, Katy, 15, Mary, 10, George, 8, and Harold, 5, and lodgers Fred(?) Paget, 24, born England, Alexander Welly, 33, born Scotland, and Robert Redhead, 44, born England, all Soldiers, in Bellevue, Alberta. All the Soldiers declared their address as 192 Sarcee, the training camp for the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and everyone but Alexander Welly, who was Presbyterian, declared themselves Methodist in religion. Daughter Sarah and her 3 children were living nearby in Bellevue, but the Census showed her husband, Joseph McLean, a Soldier, was "currently in France."

The 1921 Census, conducted on 1 June 1921, recorded Mary, 49, and George Jordan, 54, Miner, having earned $2000 in the previous year, renting a 4-room wooden house for $12/month in Bellevue, Alberta. Living with them were daughter Nancy, 15, sons George, 13 and Harold, 10, and Lodger William Bunting, 46, born England, also a Miner in the Coal Mine^[8].

In 1922, Mary travelled to England "to visit friends," returning to Canada on 17 June, 1922^[9].

The 1926 Census of the Prairie Provinces recorded George, 56, and Mary Jordan, 52, still living in Bellevue, Alberta, with their children Nancy, 20, George, 18 and Harold, 15, niece Marion Atkinson, 5, and William Bunting, 52, whose relationship to the head of house wasn't recorded, but as he was a Lodger on the 1921 Census, we can assume he remained so^[10]. Unfortunately, this Census didn't list occupations, so we don't know who was doing what.

The 1931 Census of Canada recorded George, 62, Time Keeper, Coal Mine (Temporarily Laid Off), and Mary Elizabeth Jordan, 58, Home Maker, living at Bellevue, Alberta, Canada, with their son George Wilson Jordan, 23, Baker, Bakery Shop^[11]. The Census recorded that George and Mary Elizabeth owned their home, valued at $800, and that it was a single family dwelling, made of wood, with 4 rooms. The Census also recorded that George Sr. had earned $600 in the year preceding the Census (perhaps because he was laid off?), while George Wilson had earned $1200 and was still working, and that the family didn't own a radio. The family declared their religious affiliation as United Church of Canada.

George retired in 1939, having worked for Bellevue Collieries for 30 years, following which he and Mary moved to Trail, British Columbia.

Mary Elizabeth Jordan died in Kingsway Nursing Home, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, on 8 December, 1949, aged 76^[12]. Her Registration of Death recorded her residence at the time as 610 Jervis Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she had lived for 10 months preceding her death. As her cause of death was chronic Myocarditis and she had Myocardial Degeneration of long duration (a heart condition), she may have moved from Trail to live with one of her children due to her medical condition.

Mary Elizabeth Ledger Jordan was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Trail, British Columbia^[13].

Research Notes

Possible missing children: There may have been more children born to Elizabeth and George between 1893 and 1901, as there is a 3 year gap between the births of Sarah and Robert, and an almost 5 year gap between Robert and Catherine and a search of FreeBMD for births and deaths showed several infants surnamed Jordan who were both born and died in infancy during those gaps at Tynemouth.

DNA

• Relationship to Judith (Pitts) Jordan is confirmed by an autosomal 23andMe test match between Pitts-2939 and J. Strain, her 2nd cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are George Jordan and Mary Ledger, the Great Grandparents of Judith (Pitts) Jordan and 2x Great Grandparents of J. Strain. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: 2nd Cousin Once Removed, based on sharing 116 cM (1.56% DNA shared) across 4 segments.

Sources

1. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915; Births registered in April, May, and June of 1873; Ledger, Mary Elizabeth; District: Durham; Volume 10a, Page 359 and Registration of Death for birthdate
2. ↑ The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881; Class: RG11; Piece: 4943; Folio: 128; Page: 28; GSU roll: 1342188
3. ↑ The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 4198; Folio: 73; Page: 38; GSU roll: 6099308
4. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915. Marriages registered in July, August, and September, 1893; for Jordan, George and Ledger, Mary Elizabeth; District: Lanchester, Volume 10a, page 415.
5. ↑ The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901; Class: RG13; Piece: 4809; Folio: 152; Page: 11, lines 3-9.
6. ↑ Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935; Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-4764; Passenger List of SS Dominion upon arrival in Montreal, Canada on 14 November, 1909.
7. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2007. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1911/Pages/about-census.aspx. Series RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels T-20326 to T-20460. Year: 1911; Census Place: 24, Medicine Hat, Alberta; Page: 4; Family No: 42
8. ↑ Library and Archives Canada, 2007. [1] Year: 1921: Province: Alberta; District Name: MacLeod; Sub-District Name: NULL; Sub-District Description: Township 7 in ranges 3, 4, 5 and 6, west of fifth Meridian, and east of the Provincial Boundary, exclusive of the town of Blairmore and the village of Frank.
9. ↑ "Canada, Immigration Records, 1919-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68SD-VCV1 : 22 April 2022), Mary Elizabeth Jordan, 1922.
10. ↑ "Canada, Prairie Provinces Census, 1926," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPL2-RRS5 : 24 September 2020), George Jordon in household of George Jordon, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada; citing Census, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
11. ↑ 1931 Census of Canada; Alberta; MacLeod District 221, Sub-district: 11; Twp: 7; Rg: 3; W5th, Burmis, Passberg, Bellevue; p. 14, lines 1-3.
12. ↑ Registration of Death, Province of British Columbia, Division of Vital Statistics, #49-09-011036 for Jordan, Mary Elizabeth
13. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGM-DMSS : 15 December 2020), Mary Elizabeth Ledger Jordan, ; Burial, Trail, Kootenay Boundary Regional District, British Columbia, Canada, Mountain View Cemetery; citing record ID 109949107, Find a Grave,