Major Thomas Jordan

Parents unknown, name of wife unknown. Not to be confused with Thomas Jordan, of Surry County who married Lucy Rose. He was (probably) not the son of Samuel Jordan, of Jordan's Journey - as of 2012, DNA test results and paper trail assert that Samuel Jordan had no surviving male issue.

Thomas Jordan Sr. is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society < link >

Biography

Thomas Jordan was born in England [seen as Jan 6 1600 in Wiltshire without attribution] around 1600. He came to Virginia in 1618 /1619, on the ship Diana. Thomas served as a soldier under Sir George Yardley, early Governor of Virginia, and was in the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1629-1632 representing Charles City.

On July 2, 1633, he received a land grant consisting of 900 acres near the head of the Warrasquioake River. This plantation was called Ware Neck, and it was located in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. He also acquired land in Nansemond County. Thomas evidently prospered as a tobacco planter.

Family

Thomas and his wife, her name unknown, b: Abt 1600, had two children:

• Thomas 'the Quaker' Jordan Jr.b. 1634 Isle of Wight Co. Va. d. Oct. 8, 1699 Suffolk City Va. Married Margaret Brasseur.
• Margaret b: Abt 1642 married Thomas Davis

Richard Jordan, Jr., of Surry County has been disproved as a child of this Thomas Jordan.

It is possible but unproven that these were also children

• Matthew b 1631 married Susannah Bresy
• Joseph b 1633 married unknown Akehurst

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Notes

He came to America on the ship Diana in 1623. In 1624-5 he headed the list of the governor's men at James City. He settled in the present Isle of Wight County and in 1635, received a grant of 900 acres. He was a Commissioner of Wariscoyack and a Burgess in the Virginia Assembly in 1604. He married Lucy Corker [SIC: that was a different Thomas Jordan] and moved to Nansemond County by 1637. Their children were Thomas; a daughter who married Thomas Davis; and a son (probably) Richard, who married Elizabeth Reynolds. [SIC: Richard has been disproved as son]

From: "Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography", edited by Lyon Gardiner

Thomas Jordan "born 1600 and was living in Va in 1624; burgess for Warrosqueake, Isle of Wight 1629, 1631 and Sept 1632 and a commissioner in 1629."

Notes for Thomas Jordan

Came to America from England on the ship Diana and settled in Isle of Wight county, Virginia from which he was a member of the House of Burgess from 1629-1632

Historical Notes on Isle of Wight County, Helen Haverty King, Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors, 1993, pp 5

During the first hundred years a grant of fifty acres was given for the importation of every immigrant. The names of the "Head-rights" were given in the grants. Thomas Jordan, 900 acres July 2, 1635 near the head of Warsq. RIver on west side of an old Indian Towne into the woods a mile and down to Cross Creek. For trans. 18 persons.

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From Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5

From Order of First Families of Virginia, 3rd Ed, 1987, p 379

Came to Virginia in the "Diana" and was living at James City, 1623/4 where in the muster of 1624/5, aged 24, he heads the list of the Governor Yardley's men at Pasbehaigh (James City), indicating that he was a soldier in the Governor's guard. In 1629 he is mentioned as one of the commissioners of Wariscoyack (Isle of Wight County by 1637), which area he represented in the House of Burgesses, 1628, 1629, 1632 (February - March and September). On July 2, 1635, he received a patent for 900 acres in Warrasquioake County (Isle of Wight) near the head of Warrasquioake (Pagan) River, "beginning on the Westerly side of an old Indian Towne...being upon the North West side of the river..."

A patent issued to Thomas Davis, August 10, 1644, for 300 acres in Nansemond Co notes that it adjoined the "patent land of Mr. Thomas Jordan, dec'd"

From Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County Virginia, John Bennett Boddie, Chicago, Chicago Law Printing Company, 1938

p 117, He represented Isle of Wight in the House of Burgesses in 1629 and 1632. He followed the Puritan trek to Nansemond as he patented land there soon after receiving his Isle of Wight grant.

P 657, Land Grants 1628-1674, Thomas Jordan, 900 acres July 2, 1635, near the head of Warsq. River on west side of an old Indian Towne into the woods a mile and down to Cross Creek, for trans. of 18 persons.

p 656, Land Grants 1628-1674, Benjmain Harrison, 200 acres, July 7, 1635, about 2 miles up Warresquioake Creek, extending NW which land is now in the tenure of Thomas Jordan, gent. due by deed of sale from John Davis of Kisiake, July 9, 1633, being part of a dividend granted Davis by order of Court June 5, 1633 as being heir to his uncle Walter Davis.

The following entiries were obtained from my Hotten book 8a from the Musters of the Inhabitants in Virginia 1624/1625 chapters, pages 201 thru 265, which lists the muster captain, and what ship the individual arrived on.

The 1619 voyage took place Jan to April, with 100 children from London, but arrived with only 80 children. 40 pg 308

• Beane, William, 1618 voyage, aged 25 at muster Elizabeth City under Richard Mintrene.
• Flynt, Thomas, 1618 voyage, mustr at Elizabeth City with Merres, Wheeler, Brocke and Savadge.
• Goldsmith, Arthure, 1618 voyage, aged 26 at muster at Mathews Plant, James City as servant to Capt Samuel Mathews.
• Greene, Solloman, 1618 voyage, aged 27 at muster Elizabeth City.
• Hutchinson, William, 1618 voyage, aged 32 at muster in Elzabeth City as one of William Tucker's men.
• Jorden, Thomas, aged 24 at muster as a Governor's Man at Pasbehaighs, James City.
• Prouse, George, muster at Archer's Hope, James City.
• Puggett, Cesar, 1619 voyage, 20 at muster at Hog Hand as one of Sir George Yearley's men.
• Swinhow, Thomas, muster at Pasbeheigh's, James City.
• Threnorden, Edward, 1619 voyage, wife Elizabeth on the 1619 George.
• Water, Grace, 1618 voyage, aged 21 at muster Elizabeth City, wife to Edward on the Patience.
• Woodward, Henry, muster at Hog Hans with wife Jane.

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Not the husband of Lucy Rose

Thomas Jordan was born in England in 1600 and came to America on the ship Diana in 1623. In 1624-5 he headed the list of the governor's men at James City, which indicates that he was a soldier in Governor Yeardley's Guard. He settled in the present Isle of Wight County and in 1635, he received a grant of 900 acres. He was a Commissioner of Wariscoyack and a Burgess in the Virginia Assembly in 1604.

• Parents: unknown as of 2012. See notes.

Thomas's wife, previously believed to be Lucy Corker, is unknown. and they had moved to Nansemond County by 1637. Thomas died before 1644, but the date of his wife's death is also unknown. Their children were Thomas; a daughter who married Thomas Davis; and a son (probably) Richard.

Notes

From http://kahuna.clayton.edu/~csu11647/finalproject/1600s.html (dead link)

Thomas Jordan immigrated to the Virginia Colony aboard the Diana in 1620. In 1623 he was reported as living in James City. He is listed in the census of 1624 and again in 1625 where his name headed the list of a dozen of the Governor Sir George Yardley's men. Being in this list indicated that Thomas was one of the Governor's Guards, a position of honor and respect.

In 1624, he took up a land grant due to his father but never used. In 1624-1625 he was living in Pashebaighty (or Pasbyhayes or Pasbehays or Pasbehaighs in "The Maine", James Cittie.

He "followed the Puritan trek to Nansemond"--which may or may not indicate he followed the Puritan religious faith. He was the first of his family in or near the town of Isle of Wight, Warresquioake County, VA.

He was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1628 until 1632. During this same period he was also made a Commissioner of Warresquioake (or Wariscoyack) County (the two titles may have gone hand in hand). By 1637, Warresquioake County became a part of Isle of Wight County.

In 1632 he personally paid for the transport of 18 new colonists to Virginia. On 2 Jul 1635 he was rewarded by a land grant of 900 acres near Isle of Wight in Warresquioake County. In the same year he also acquired an additional 200 acres from a Benjamine Harrison. By 1637 Thomas had "taken up his abode in the Upper County of New Norfolk (Nansemond)". A patent issued to one Thomas Davis on 10 Aug 1644 for 300 acres in Nasemond County notes that it ajoined the "land of Thomas Jordan dec'd". This Thomas Davis was the father of James Thomas Davis who married Thomas' daughter, Margaret (Jordan) Davis (1643-1688).

Update June 2014, paraphrasing from Geni member Thomas Spivey:

R. W. Baird (of the site Bob's Filing Cabinet) has obtained courthouse documents that provide proof that the Richard Jordan, who married Elizabeth Reynolds, was the son of Richard Jordan, who married Alice Brown; it is not sure that Alice was his mother.  He has posted info on Genforum.com.

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From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Browne-3835

From Boddie "Southside Virginia Families" Vol 1:170. Thomas Jordan had previously married about 1679 Mrs Jane Browne Spencer, widow of Capt Robert Spencer, and oldest child of Col Wm Browne. They had Jane Jordan and Mary Jordan who married Francis Sowerby (V.H.G. -337). Thomas Jordan died in 1685. His administrators were James Jordan and Col Wm Browne. Lucy (Corker) Jordan married secondly Wm Rose Jr. (V.H.G. 307).

In the muster of 1623/24 Thomas was head of the list of the Governor's men at Pasbehaigh (James City) which indicates he was a soldier of the Governor's Guard. In 1629 he was mentioned as a commissioner of Warrascoyack Co. (renamed Isle of Wight Co. in 1637) and served in this office until 1632. He represented this area in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1628, 1629, and 1631-32 (see attached map).

On 02 July 1635, Thomas received a patent for 900 acres in Warrascoyack Co. near the head of the Warrascoyack River on the basis of 18 headrights, an indication he was a successful planter. In this instance, a "headright" represented 50 acres he received for each person whose transportation to the Virginia colony he paid for.

The name of this Thomas Jordan's wife is another genealogical conundrum. It has been postulated erroneously and reported in the literature innumerable times to have been Lucy Corker, daughter of William Corker and his wife, Lucy (White) Corker. However, reliable evidence discounts this relationship. Lucy Corker was the second wife of Thomas Jordan, born 1655, who was the son of Arthur Jordan. The "Jamestowne Society" presently does not accept Lucy Corker or any other name for Thomas Jordan, I's wife due to lack of reliable proof.

The children of Thomas and (__?__) Jordon were:

• 1) Thomas Jordan, II (1634-1699) (see below)
• 2) Margaret Jordan, m. James Davis

Bio by Gresham Farrar.

Comments

“Is Parentage of Thomas Jordan (1600-1688) documented?” (2019) < link >

The … parentage of Thomas Jordan of Chuckatuck seems to rest upon an unsourced comment (now under Research Notes on the profile) regarding a particular land patent apparently not taken out by his attached father. There does not appear to be anything definitive that links this Thomas who arrives Virginia 1623 as the son of Samuel Jordan who supposedly arrives in the Americas 1609/10.

Nothing in records to suggest a connection between Samuel and Thomas. Samuel married a woman name Cicely and fathered children before he died in 1623; he left an extensive estate. Thomas arrived after Samuel died. He made no claim to Samuel’s properties.

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References

• Thomas Jordan 1600 - origins
• Jordan Family Surname DNA
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Jordan Though the genealogist John Dorman does not mention either Robert or Samuel, he does acknowledge the possibility that Thomas Jordan, who arrived in Virginia at age 18 aboard Diana in 1619, could be Samuel's son from an earlier marriage in England; however, he also points out there is no conclusive evidence to establish this relation.[6]
• 6. Dorman, John Frederick, ed. (2004). Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607–1624/5: Families G-P (Volume 2) (4th. ed.). Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing. pp. 363–364. ISBN 978-0806317632. GoogleBooks
• 1) "These Jordans Were Here" by Octavia Jordan Perry, 1969, pp34-36.
• 2) "Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5" by John Frederick Dorman, 4th Ed., Vol. II, 2004, p365.
• 3) "John Pankey of Manakin Town, Virginia, and his Descendants" by George Edward Pankey, Vol. I, 1969, p428.
• 4) "Marriages of Some Virginia Residents, 1607-1800" Vol. I, 1986, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD, p69.
• 5) "The Harrisons of Skimino" Edited by Fairfax Harrison, 1910, pp23-24
• 6) "Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635" by Martha W. McCartney, 2007, pp433 & 435.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7128227/thomas-jordan
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/MFFR-H42
• https://www.jamestowne.org/jordan---kemp.html
• “Is Parentage of Thomas Jordan (1600-1688) documented?” (2019) < Wikitree > “Nothing in records to suggest a connection between Samuel and Thomas. Samuel married a woman name Cicely and fathered children before he died in 1623; he left an extensive estate. Thomas arrived after Samuel died. He made no claim to Samuel’s properties.”
• https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Jordan-Surname-Project?iframe=... Jordan DNA Group JG08 Wiltshire/Dorset