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SOURCE: History of Genesee County, Michigan
        pub. Everts and Abbott - 1879
        
        Page 260
        
                            STEPHEN JORDAN
                         
          The ancestors of this gentleman were natives of Surry,
        England.  John Jordan, the father of our subject, was
        born in 1791, on the same farm on which his father be-
        fore him lived all his life.  He was reared and educated a
        farmer, and at the age of thirty years married Ann Brooker,
        of the same place.  She became the mother of eight chil-
        dren, viz; Mary, Caleb, John, James,Stephen, William,
        Ann, and Louise.  Of these all are living at this time ex-
        cept John, who died in the twentieth year of his age.  Mrs.
        Ann Jordan died in 1835.  The year after his wife's death,
        Mr. Jordan decided to emigrate to the United States, where
        he could better provide homes for himself and motherless
        children.  Accordingly, in March, 1837, he embarked with
        his children for New York City, where they arrived after a
        six weeks' voyage.  He went to Orleans County, N.Y., 
        where he remained until the spring of 1839, when he re-
        moved to Michigan, and settled at Grand Blanc.  Soon
        afterwards he broke up housekeeping, and place the chil-
        dren in different families for homes; three years later they
        were again united as a family under the charge of Caleb,
        the eldest of the children.  From that time onward, until
        his death, John Jordan made his home with his children.
        His death occurred in January, 1878, aged eighty-six
        years.
          Stephen Jordan was born at the old Surry home, in Eng-
        land, on the 24th day of February, 1829.  He was about
        ten years of age when the family came to Michigan, and
        the young lad was only twelve years old when he went to
        live with Charles Bates, an old settler of Grand Blanc.
        He remained with Mr. Bates until he was twenty-one years
        of age, attending the schools in the winter, and working
        on the farm in the summer season.
          On becoming of age he received from Mr. Bates one
        hundred and twenty dollars; after which time he worked
        for Mr. Bates six months, and with his brother Caleb about
        a year, when he was seized with the "gold fever."  He
        went by the Nicaragua route to California, arriving there
        in June, 1852.  He went to Coloma, where his brother
        James was already located.  With his brother and Esquire
        Davis, of Grand Blanc, he engaged in mining, in the placer
        and ravine diggings, with the "Long Tom" of early mining
        days in that country.  For four years he followed mining,
        and then returned to Michigan, where he purchased his 
        present farm, in the town of Atlas, Genesee Co.  His
        first purchase was one hundred and fifty acres, but he has
        increased it since by another purchase of one hundred and
        seventy acres.
          He next sought and obtained the hand of Miss Emily
        A. Perry, with whom he had been acquainted since boy
        hood.  They were married Feb. 24, 1857.  Mrs. Emily
        Jordan is the daughter of Simeon and Sarah Perry, and
        one of a family of six children, whose names are Isabel,
        Emily A, Mary, Joseph, Mary (2d), and Esther.  Mrs.
        Jodan's parents came to Michigan among the first settlers
        of Genesee County.
          Simeon Perry came to the Territory with his father in
        1827, and afterwards returned to New York, N.Y.  He
        has resided ever since on his farm Grand Blanc.  His
        wife died Sept. 17, 1876, in the seventy-second year
        of her age.
          Mr. Jordan and his esteemed wife are the parents of six
        children, named as follows: Mary E., Frank P., Jennie E.,
        Louie A., Charles S., and Belle C., all living at home with
        their parents, except Mary, who died Feb. 21, 1877, aged
        eighteen years.  Mr. Jordan is the owner of a valuable and
        fertile farm, beautifully situated and well adapted to the
        production of all the grains and fruit for which his locality
        is so widely celebrated.
          The portraits of this worthy couple, with a view of their
        farm-home, may be found on another page.
        
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