Col. Samuel JORDAN

   User ID: P00051649.

  General Notes:

Col. Samuel Jordan (Jody's 6th Great Grand Father), settled at "the Seven Islands," on the south side of James River, in the present county of Buck­ingham, where he owned a considerable body of land. He also owned 5250 acres on Jordan's Creek in Halifax Coun­ty, and 4699 acres in Albemarle. He was a justice of the peace for Albemarle, 1746-1761; a captain in 1753; sheriff, 1753-1755; presiding justice of the peace and county lieu­tenant of the new county of Buckingham in 1761. The records of this county having been destroyed, I have but little material to base a sketch upon. He is said to have been a burgess from Buckingham, 1761-1766. He was cer­tainly a burgess from that county in 1767 and 1769.

I find this entry in Col. Cabell's diary: "Aug. 28th. 1775. Returned from the Convention. . . . Delivered Mr. John Nicholas £61. for himself, and £43. for Col. Samuel Jor­dan which Mr. Turner Southall sent them. In presence of Patrick Rose." I suppose that this money was paid for some public service.

Although an old man at the beginning of the Revolu­tion, Col. Jordan served as colonel of the militia of his county, and as a member of the county committee. After June 1776, he was "State Commissioner of the States Foundry for casting of cannon in Buckingham."

"July 21st 1789. Col. Samuel Jordan, who had been long ill, departed this life at a very advanced age. He bore his illness with great fortitude and resigned himself to the Divine will with the greatest composure." (William Ca­bell's Diary.)

I do not know the names of Col. Samuel Jordan's par­ents, I only know that his mother was the daughter of Col. Charles Fleming, of New Kent, who died about 1728, and sister of Col. John Fleming (county lieutenant of Gooch­land), who married Mary Bolling. The early records of New Kent and Hanover are missing. The Flemings were originally from Scotland.

According to one tradition, Col. Samuel Jordan was de­scended from Samuel Jordan, of Jordan's point, who came to Virginia at an early date.

According to another tradition "the Jordans were of Huguenot descent."

Solomon Jourdan was certainly one of the French refu­gees who arrived at Jamestown in September 1700, and were sent up to Manikin-Town, some fifteen miles above the falls, where "Jourdan and his wife" were living in 1701. I know nothing of the descendants of this couple; but in June 1744, "Samuel Jordins" had three tithables and other interests in "King William Parish," which was the Huguenot parish, and this was prior to his second mar­riage. However, "several English families had settled among them" before this. And, from a merchant's account of 1742, it seems certain that there had been business trans­actions between Samuel Jordan and the Huguenots, and possible that he may have been of Huguenot origin him­self; but I have found no direct evidence. In connection with this tradition, however, the following from the ac­count of "The Huguenots," by Samuel Smiles, is interest­ing:

"One of the most eminent scholars of Huguenot origin was the Rev. Dr. Jortin, Archdeacon of London. He was the son of René Jortin, a refugee from Brittany, who served as secretary to three British admirals, successively, and went down with Sir Cloudesley Shovel in the ship in which he was wrecked off the Scilly Isles in 1707." Was our an­cestor, so persistently connected by tradition with Sir Cloudesley, René Jortin? It was certainly not Dr. William Cabell. But see also under 4. and 52.

Col. Samuel Jordan married (first), prior to 1740, Ruth Meredith (daughter, by his first wife, of Samuel Meredith the elder, of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover, who died April 14, 1762). She died prior to June 1744, leaving at least three daughters. The eldest married John Hunter; Mary married Geddes Winston, of Hanover, and Margaret mar­ried, when very young, Col. William Cabell.

Samuel married Ruth MEREDITH.