We have previously discussed our grand aunt Elizabeth Hynes, the older sister of our grandfather Gordon Hynes. Newly digitized newspaper records reveal a photograph of Elizabeth. This may have been about the happiest time in Elizabeth’s life, who spent much of her youth fending off improper advances from her father, spending some of her teenageContinue reading “A Photo of Elizabeth”
Category Archives: Gordon
Linked Memories: Two Generations, Two Double Lives
The combined evidence on the lives of our great grandfather James Louis Hynes and his son, our grandfather, James Gordon Hynes is abundant, decisive and powerful–they were astoundingly alike in their strengths and, sadly, their faults. We can learn much about each of them from the other. On the surface, both men were successful BaptistContinue reading “Linked Memories: Two Generations, Two Double Lives”
An Enigma Passes into Obscurity
In the fall of 1933, our great grandparents James and Bessie Hynes moved to Middleboro, Massachusetts, south of Boston, following the depression-driven decline of the Bushwick Avenue Baptist Church in Brooklyn. Recall that we previously examined James’ welcome as pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Middleboro, skipping ahead because of the important biographical informationContinue reading “An Enigma Passes into Obscurity”
James Gordon Announces His Engagement
I have one more short letter from second great grandfather Dr. James Gordon to his brother William and sister Jane in New Zealand, provided by our distant cousin Claire. The images below are followed by a transcription. James announces his engagement to Nettie Johnston of New Jersey, although I don’t have the “enclosed” card whichContinue reading “James Gordon Announces His Engagement”
The Extraordinary Life and Accomplishments of Second-Great-Aunt Addie
After the marriage of great grandparents James Louis Hynes and Bessie Gordon in 1905, the Gordon and Hynes branches of our family tree remained entangled in the 1910s and 1920s in surprising ways. These entanglements give us the opportunity to discover things about each of the branches that we would not otherwise have been ableContinue reading “The Extraordinary Life and Accomplishments of Second-Great-Aunt Addie”
News of Gettysburg reaches Newburgh and New Zealand
We continue our discussion of second great grandfather James Gordon’s correspondence with his brother William and sister Jane Hawthorn. Recall that James left Northern Ireland for Newburgh, New York in 1857, while William and Jane later established themselves in New Zealand, where their branches of the family remain today. The following letter, again courtesy ofContinue reading “News of Gettysburg reaches Newburgh and New Zealand”
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 ofContinue reading “Dr. James Gordon revisited”
The Gordon and Hynes families of Newburgh
We know that great grandmother Bessie Gordon was born in Newburgh, New York in 1873, a year after after her parents were married in Essex County New Jersey. We know that great grandfather James Louis Hynes came to Newburgh from Newfoundland with his family around 1895 (age 11). James and Bessie would live in parallelContinue reading “The Gordon and Hynes families of Newburgh”
The Johnston and Winter Families of New Jersey and New York
We previously discussed 2nd great grandfather Dr. James Gordon (1838-1912) of Newburgh, New York. He was from Northern Ireland and his parents James Gordon and Susan McClughan originated from Edinburgh, Scotland. There is no earlier trace of this branch of the family. But there is quite a bit of information on the other half ofContinue reading “The Johnston and Winter Families of New Jersey and New York”
Dr. James Gordon of Newburgh
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 inContinue reading “Dr. James Gordon of Newburgh”
Bridging the Silences 