Dr. James Gordon revisited

Since introducing second great grandfather James Gordon in an earlier post, new information has emerged which gives a more complete portrait of his life, better setting the stage for the stories of his family in Newburgh.

To begin with, we now have a picture of James, appearing in a book of Newburgh’s leading citizens of the day.

Credit for finding this picture and biography goes to a newly discovered relative, Claire, who is a second great granddaughter of James’ brother William Gordon. Claire is our fourth cousin, our shared ancestors being our third great grandparents John and Elizabeth McClughan Gordon from Northern Ireland, the parents of James and William.

I found Claire on Ancestry.com, working on the Gordon family history at the same time as me. She and her family live in northern New Zealand, near Auckland. A few years after James came to Newburgh (in 1857 at age 19) his brother William and sister Jane also left home, but they traveled to New Zealand where their branch of the family has lived ever since. Jane was four years older and William two years younger than James.

Recall that in the ancestry of great grandmother Bessie Gordon, her mother’s side (Nettie Johnston) is traceable back many generations in New Jersey, but on her father James Gordon’s side little is known before leaving Northern Ireland. Claire has proof of the identity of John Gordon and Elizabeth McClughan as James, William and Jane’s parents–they are listed on William’s New Zealand death certificate. She also has information about Elizabeth’s siblings and, of course, details on William’s and Jane’s descendants. Elizabeth’s father, identified in documentation of her second marriage, was James McClughan, our fourth great grandfather. (James Gordon of Newburgh may have been named after his maternal grandfather.) We still don’t have any other information on the ancestors of John and Elizabeth.

On the subject of Elizabeth’s second marriage, her first husband John (our 3rd great grandfather) died in 1842 when James was only 4 years old. Elizabeth remarried in 1856, perhaps freeing James to leave for Newburgh the following year. Elizabeth died in 1858 leaving little reason for William and Jane to remain in Northern Ireland.

Amazingly, Claire has original hand-written correspondence between siblings Jane, James, and William which she is sharing with us.

We begin with a 4 page letter (the standard format of the day seems to have been a double-wide standard size lined sheet, folded over to give 4 pages of writing space) written by James to his brother on March 21, 1865. Sample photos and the full text of the letter follow.

Philadelphia Pa.  March 21st 1865

Dear brother, yours of September 4th 1864 I received yesterday.  It was forwarded to me by my Uncle William from Newburgh New York.  I had been looking for a letter from you for the past three months.  I was very much afraid that you had got wounded or killed by those savages that you are contending with.  I was very much relieved however when I received your letter yesterday and learned that not only you but also Jane, John and all the children were enjoying good health.  I have not been to Newburgh now for three months and I have not heard from my uncle Alexander McClughan or any of the Ash Tree folks in five or six months.  I think your news from that quarter is the latest.  I have not written to my Uncle Alexander now in two years or nearly so.

My Uncle William does not write more than once a year.  I can’t say why he don’t write oftener, it seems to be through neglect.  Samuel and Alexander Burrows are still living in Newburgh and keeping store.  They never write to James Burrows nor he to them.  Joseph Burrows lives in New York City and is learning to be a tanner or leather dresser.  He gets letters from home occasionally and I get the news from him, but I have not seen him now in three months or over.  James McClughan lived with my Uncle William after he moved out into the country but they could not get along together so he left about five or six months ago, and they have not heard from him since.  When he left he intended going to his Uncle in Ohio, but Joseph Burrows informed me in a letter that I got from him some three or four months ago that he had received a letter from John Harrison at Pittsburgh Pa. and in that letter he said that James McClughan was at Pittsburgh and had lived with a gentleman there to take care of his horses, drive his carriage, etc.  That is the last I have heard of him.

The Harrisons I suppose you know are all in Pittsburgh living and I understand that they are doing well.  It is over 400 miles from here to Pittsburgh and costs $10 dollars to go there.   I would like to go and see them but my expenses are so great that I cannot afford it.  My board here costs me a dollar a day, every clothing costs three times as much as the used to cost, all owing to the war, and there is no telling when it will be ended.  They are now having another draft to get more men.  My first college course ended ten days ago.  I now propose(?) leaving this city in a few days and going into the country where I can live cheaper.

I want to continue my studies and not waste any time so that I may graduate a year from this time, but if they should draft me and I have to go to war it would upset all my calculations.  My Uncle William, Aunt May and children are all in good health.  My Aunt Mary was co…ed(?) about a month ago and had a young daughter.  Jane Burrows is living out now I believe as seamstress or something of that sort.  James Mahood, Ellen and family are living on their farm joining my uncle William.  Sarah you are aware got married to a Mr. Wallace, a book-keeper.  Elizabeth now makes her home with them.  Your are aware her husband is dead.  They live at New Lebanon, New York and are all in good health.  I had a letter from Mr. Wallace a few days ago.  I intend when I leave here to go to New Jersey and spend this spring and summer studying with a young man who also wants to graduate next winter and with whom I am well acquainted.  We will study under a Dr. and get along much better than one person would by himself.  Our next course will begin the first of October 1865 and continue for five months.  Dear brother in your next letter I would like to know what you and Jane think about that £90, that my Uncle and Rev. McKerr wrote to me about some time ago.  Do you think that my Uncle ever was paid that by Samuel Bennett or do you think that we should have paid it?

If my mother had written a will before her death, what do you think she would have done with what title money she had?  Do you suppose she would have disposed of it?  As far as I am concerned, I would like to do what would be right and just if it took every cent I had.  I presume it would take nearly all I have got to carry me through my studies, but still if I fined that it is my duty to pay £30, £90, or even twice that amount I would rather work and pay it back than feel that I had not done what was right and what was my duty.  I just want to know what Jane and you think about the whole matter.  Please write me oftener in the future and give me a description of the country and people, etc, etc, also matters of interest, and I will be prompt in answering your letters.  Also I will send you a New York paper occasionally and you will see the war news.  I hope that these few lines will find you Jane and all others enjoying good health.  I would like you to have your picture taken and send me when John sends his, Jane’s and the children’s.

Your next letter you may address as usual care William McClughan, Newburgh, New York, U.S. America.  When I get through I should like to go out to New Zealand and see the country and I might as well be there as here.  I think it must be a very healthy climate.  What is the general products of the country?  Are they different from that of Ireland?  How are the people with regard to education?  Are they as well educated as in the old country or better?  Write me soon with love to all.  I remain as ever your affectional brother, James Gordon.

James Gordon letter to his brother William in New Zealand, March 21, 1865

There is so much to unpack from this letter.

To begin, it tells us that James Gordon was not the first of his family to settle in Newburgh from Northern Ireland in the 19th century, rather, he followed his uncle William McClughan there.  It was common for family members to follow others to places where they were already established.   Searches of Newburgh directories show that there was indeed a McClughan family living in Newburgh in parallel with the Gordon family.  William McClughan (1812-1890) was a brother of Elizabeth McClughan. He had a son, William George McClughan (1864-1952), James’ cousin, although James was much older—William George McClughan would have been 1 year old when James wrote the letter to his brother William Gordon.  William George McClughan appears to have lived his entire life in Newburgh.

Our second great aunt Addie Gordon (Bessie’s sister) also lived in Newburgh her entire life (1877-1972) so surely knew she had McClughan cousins living nearby.  I asked mom, who remembers visiting family in Newburgh in the late 1930s, whether she remembers anything about the name McClughan or the presence of other cousins, but so far she does not. 

The letter also provides information on James’ movements and education during the 1860s, consistent with the published biography. He originally established himself in Newburgh with his uncle, but he moved all around New Jersey between Newburgh and Philadelphia (where he got his medical training), studying and teaching school. He used his uncle in Newburgh as his mailing address, which is reasonable considering that letters between the United States, Northern Ireland and New Zealand took months to arrive, with James’ movements from semester to semester being uncertain.

With this information, it makes sense to revise my earlier ideas on how James met his wife Nettie (Jeanette) Johnston. He must have met her near her home in northern New Jersey when he was studying or teaching nearby. Recall that James and Nettie were married in 1872, just before they moved permanently to Newburgh and started their family.

James’ letter to William also reflects the difficulties of life during the Civil War, although distant from the fighting.

James’ reference in the closing lines of the letter to the well-educated people of his homeland is interesting. James came from an educated background, despite being raised by a single mother in a place and time where life was difficult. This is surprising, defying stereotypes of desperate Irish immigrants. It also helps to explain how James so successfully established himself in the United States as a prominent physician and citizen.

And I love that there was some kind of family squabble over £90 that somebody might have owed somebody, and that James somehow felt guilty about it. 

I’ve found some direct writings from our great grandparents, but I think this letter is the first example of writing from any second great grandparent or earlier. I’m sure our ancestors would be happy to know that their family communications half way around the world are still being shared 155 years later. Many thanks to Claire for providing this.

She has already sent another similar letter and is promising to share other information which I will pass on.