Since I have no photos of great grandmother Bessie Gordon, I am using this historic image of downtown Newburgh, New York to represent her branch of the family. In ways that we will explore, Bessie is the most enigmatic of our great grandparents. Her father, James Gordon, came to Newburgh from Northern Ireland in the mid 19th century and became a physician. Her mother, Jeanette (Nettie) Johnston, came from a prominent family of western New Jersey which can be traced back several generations to the early origins of the colony. James and Jeanette had four children of whom Bessie was the oldest. Son Edward followed in his father’s footsteps to become a physician. Daughters Addie and Jennie were the youngest.
In future posts, we will see that it was second great aunt Addie Gordon who was the shining star of the Gordon and Hynes branches of the family among the generation of our great-grandparents. She devoted her life to atoning for mistakes made by her older sister.
The following biography of Dr. James Gordon appeared in a local Newburgh publication in 1895.
Bridging the Silences 
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