KIT NUMBER: 172482
For more information on this Gordon family, contact:
thomas.frederick.gordon@gmail.com
Descendants of Robert Gordon (b. abt. 1752 - 1825) Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania. Married Elisabeth DAVIS 1772.
............ 1 Robert Gordon (1752 - 1825)
............ + Elisabeth Davis ( - 1833)
.................. 2 Eleanor Gordon
.................. 2 Elisabeth Gordon
.................. 2 George Gordon
.................. 2 Thomas Gordon
.................. 2 Robert Gordon (1793 - 1864)
.................. + Mary Hoxworth (1794 - 1870)
........................ 3 Lydia Gordon
........................ + Jacob Gother
........................ 3 Edward Gordon
........................ 3 Mary Ann Gordon
........................ + Samuel Barnett
........................ 3 Caroline Gordon
........................ + Samuel Delp
........................ 3 Silas Gordon (1821 - 1897)
........................ + Parella (1830 - )
.............................. 4 Mary E. Gordon (1853 - 1914)
.............................. + Frederick Adolphus Stuart (1850 - 1914)
.............................. 4 John Gordon (1855 - )
.............................. 4 Arthur M. Gordon (1860 - 1934)
.............................. + Mary Emma Zepp (1860 - 1946)
.................................... 5 Thomas A. Gordon (1882 - 1908)
.................................... + Unknown
.......................................... 6 Arthur Gordon ( - 1985)
.................................... 5 Silas Markley Gordon (1885 - 1934)
.................................... + Sophia Unknown (1890 - 1982)
.......................................... 6 Silas Markley Gordon ( - 1917)
.................................... 5 William Reif Gordon (1888 - 1917)
.................................... + Amelia Münch (1889 - )
.......................................... 6 Wilhelmina M. Gordon (1916 - 1918)
.................................... 5 John Robert Gordon (1893 - 1904)
.................................... 5 Frederick Adolphus Stuart Gordon (1897 - 1984)
.................................... + Elsie Ernestine Muench (1898 - 1968)
.......................................... 6 William Thomas Gordon (1922 - 1974)
........................ 3 Robert Gordon (1828 - )
.................. 2 Mary Sarah Gordon (1795 - 1851)
.................. + David DeHaven
Broadsword Historical Services
The History and Origins of Robert Gordon of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (c1747-1825)
Findings
Little is known about Robert Gordon of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He is believed to have been born abt. 1753 (client’s estimate), the exact place and date unknown. He married Elizabeth Davis on 03 March 1772, in the British colony of Pennsylvania.1 It is known that Robert Gordon died 03 September 1825.
2 Beyond these events, only speculative hypotheses offered any explanation as to who Robert Gordon was and where he came from. The research goal for this project was to discover the parents of Robert Gordon and attempt to trace his ancestry to Scotland. Although these particular goals were not achieved in this project, the resulting research has shed some important light on who Robert Gordon was and, just as importantly, reveals an abundance of negative information that will aid in any possible future research.
The most precise reference for the year of Robert Gordon’s birth is 1747.
3 The exact location and date of his birth are presently unknown. He acquired a marriage license to wed Elizabeth Davis on 03 March 1772 in Pennsylvania, though the exact location of the marriage is unknown. Robert Gordon owned land in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County as early as 1774.
4 He also bought a tract of land adjoining his own property from Charles Moore in 1798.
5 The first United States Census reveals that Gordon lived here in 1790 with two free white males under the age of sixteen, one free white male over age sixteen and four free white females,
Page 1 of 7
1 FamilySearch International Genealogical Index. "IGI Individual Record: Robert Gordon." www.familysearch.org.
2008. https://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/IGI/individual_record.asp?recid=700103726214&...
(accessed September 15, 2010).,"NAMES OF PERSONS FOR WHOM MARRIAGE LICENSES WERE ISSUED IN THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA PREVIOUS TO 1790." US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania. https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/paarchivesseries/series2/vol2/pass2-03.html
(accessed September 15-30, 2010). The actual date of marriage for Robert Gordon and Elizabeth Davis may be different than the marriage license date.2 Edward Mathews. History of Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, Pa. .
(Ambler, Pennsylvania: AK Thomas Publishers, 1895), 16.3 FamilySearch International Genealogical Index 2008. This source also lists the marriage date of Robert Gordon and Elizabeth Davis as 03 March 1772.
4 PHILADELPHIA COUNTY PA ARCHIVES TAX LISTS… PROVINCIAL TAX LIST, MONTGOMERY
TOWNSHIP 1774. US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania. https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm (accessed September 2010). Robert Gordon is listed as owning 70 acres, 2 horses, 2 cattle and being asses 6.16.0 in taxes.
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP ASSESSMENT, 1776. US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania. https://
www.usgwarchives.net/pa/montgomery/beantoc.htm (accessed September 2010). Robert Gordon is listed as owning 70 acres, 1 horse and 2 cattle.5 Montgomery County Deed Book 12: 233-234. Robert Gordon purchased land from Charles Moore, 31 December 1798, that adjoined land owned by Robert Gordon. totaling eight people in the household. It also mentions a George Gordon, with whom no direct relation could be established, but appears in several other records along with Robert Gordon, helping to affirm that the subject is indeed the correct Robert Gordon.6 Robert died in Montgomery County in 1825.
Robert’s personal life remains somewhat of a mystery, but several important developments occurred during research of this project, one point in particular concerning his wife Elizabeth. Robert was a yeoman farmer and a soldier in the militia from Montgomery County as of 15 April 1786, though whether he served in the American Revolution is not certain.
7 Robert and Elizabeth joined the Montgomery Baptist Church 13 April 1800.
8 His wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Thomas Davis (Davies) and was from Hatfield Township, which adjoins Montgomery Township.
9 Her parents were the aforementioned Thomas and Elliner Davies, and her siblings were Thomas, David, and Elliner Jones.
Conclusions
Although the exact origins and parentage of Robert Gordon are unknown, several conclusions can be drawn from recently discovered information and data. He was certainly living in Montgomery (Philadelphia) County as of 1774. It is highly likely that he was there prior to 1774 for several reasons, though how far back exactly is uncertain. His wife’s family was from Hatfield. Considering their marriage likely took place in 1772 and almost certainly in Pennsylvania, Robert was likely a resident of the Montgomery/Hatfield/Gwynned Township area by about 1770, if not earlier. Also, there is evidence of a tract of property that was once owned by David Hugh Griffith, that “included the Gordon or Rynear property, on the Horsham Road”.10Broadsword Historical Services
Page 2 of 76 Robt Gordon, 1790 U.S. Census, Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Roll: M637_9; Page: 34; Image: 30; Family History Library Film: 0568149. Accessed through Ancestry.com., Also, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY PA ARCHIVES TAX LISTS… PROVINCIAL TAX LIST, MONTGOMERY
TOWNSHIP 1774.7 Military: Post Rev War: Philadelphia County Muster Rolls, Philadelphia Militia, 1783-1790. Pa. Archives, Vol.
III-6th Series, pp. 1283-1360. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Elizabeth Burns. https://
files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/military/1783phil07.txt (accessed September 2010).
Robert Gordon will and Inventory of Estate, 18 February 1824, probated 23 September 1825, Montgomery County Wills and Estates, Book 6: 301. Inventory of the Estate of Robert Gordon lists a bayonet and looking glass amongst his personal items as well as several agricultural items such as a “big wheel” and an “old wagon” .8 Edward Mathews. History of Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, Pa.
(Ambler, Pennsylvania: AK Thomas Publishers, 1895), 16.9 Thomas Davies will, 18 March 1777, probated 8 April 1777. Wills: Abstracts, Book R: 1777 - 1781: Philadelphia
Co, PA, https://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/wills/willabstrbkr.txt. Book R: 17.10 Howard Malcom Jenkins. Historical collections relating to Gwynedd, a township of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, settled, 1696, by immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the adjoining township, of Montgomery, also settled by Welsh. (Philadelphia, 1897). 298-299. https://www.archive.org/stream/historicalcollec1897jenk#page/298/mode/2up/search/gordon (accessed online September 2010).
Griffith purchased the property 17 May 1707.11 How and when the name Gordon came to be associated with this property is unclear, but it suggests the possibility of Gordons living in this particular area prior to 1770. Several inferences and reasonable assumptions can be made about Robert Gordon’s place of birth. Firstly, his presence is documented in Pennsylvania as early as 1772: if he was not born in America, he had to have come to here between the years of 1747 and 1772, leaving a twenty-five year window for any possible immigration. However, because he owned seventy acres of land in Montgomery Township at least by 1774 and was not by any means poor, the likelihood of his birth being in Pennsylvania is relatively high. If he or his parents did emigrate from another country, most likely Scotland, Ireland or Britain, it can be assumed that this took place before 1772.
12 Because Robert and his wife Elizabeth joined Montgomery Baptist Church in 1800, and the church itself was formed in 1719, it is unclear whether they had always been Baptists or if they converted.
13 Unfortunately, a lack of religious documentation for Robert Gordon prior to 1800 fails to offer any explanation regarding his parents, baptism, siblings, place of origin, etc… Without such information, it is impossible to ascertain where exactly Robert or his family came from, though Pennsylvania is a likely birthplace. Robert did have a family bible that could contain this information, though its existence and whereabouts are currently unknown.
14 Robert Gordon was a rather successful farmer and entrepreneur. He owned two shares of stock in the “Springhouse and Bethlehem Turnpike Road” and had a “bond, principal $50. With Int. (interest) to 1 October 1825”. He owned approximately seventy-eight acres of land upon which he had a “plantation” and land bordering the ‘Springhouse Turnpike road”. It is likely that seventy of these acres comprised his plantation and eight of them (purchased in 1798) were his stake in the Springhouse and Bethlehem Turnpike, which was located on the west side of the road and bordered his original seventy acres.15 There is mention of a “Gordon’s hill” along the border of Montgomery Township and Bucks County, which is possibly associated with Robert
Broadsword Historical Services
Page 3 of 711 Abstracts of Early Deeds, 1706-07: Philadelphia (many now Montgomery) Co, PA. US GenWeb Archives
Pennsylvania. https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm (accessed September 2010). Extracted from the Genealogy research of EUGENE J. PEARSON (1910-1980) High Point, North Carolina. Early Land Transactions of Montgomery County, PA (part of Philadelphia Co.until 1784).12 An 1850 census record states that one of Robert Gordon’s descendents, Sarah, was born in Ireland. This evidence
presents the possibility of Robert being Scots-Irish, but there is no direct evidence or documentation to prove this.Census records must be used with great caution, as discrepancies are common and information for one individual can (and often does) vary from one census to the next.
13 Mathews, 9. One possibility is that one or both of them may have been Quakers, but there is no direct evidence to suggest this. Mathews states that many Welsh immigrants were either Baptist or Quaker. This offers possible earlier religious affiliation for Elizabeth, but not necessarily for Robert.
14 Robert Gordon will and Inventory of Estate.
15 Ibid., Montgomery County Deed Book 12: 233-234
Gordon. It also mentions Samuel Hines, the commander of Robert Gordon’s militia company…
“In 1793 Delaney and wife conveyed these 500 acres to Samuel Hines, William Hines the younger, and William Simpson, for £1,500, each purchaser taking a separate deed. (1) This land lay in the upper part of the township, and extended into the edge of Montgomery county. There was an old log dwelling on the tract, on the upper state road, half a mile over the county line, in which a school was kept forty years ago. The road that runs from the Bristol road across to the Bethlehem turnpike at Gordon's hill, was the southern boundary of the Allen tract.
(1) At the extreme west corner of the tract, where the State road and county line intersect, stands an old stone house built over a century ago. It is now the property of Allen White and a part of the hamlet formerly called "Harp's Corner." In this house once resided John Simpson, grandfather of General
Grant, and his daughter Hannah, mother of the renowned General and President.
The residence of the Simpson family there was only temporary, during the year
1818. Simpson had sold the present Dudley farm in northern Horsham, September
1817, and left Warrington for Ohio, May 1819.*”16 This is probably the same property mentioned earlier (Gordon or Rynear property). It is not certain whether this property is that of Robert Gordon or his family, but geographically it is likely.
Robert’s ownership of a bayonet and looking glass suggest he probably fought in the Revolution, most likely for the Continentals. Bayonets were required by Pennsylvania Militia law, but it was relatively uncommon for militiamen to have their own bayonets as they were a weapon in great demand and in short supply for the Continentals early in the Revolutionary War.The "Act to Regulate the Militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" passed in 1777 and required all white men between the ages of 18 and 53 capable of bearing arms to serve two months of militia duty on a rotating basis. Robert’s commanding officer, Capt. Samuel Hines, served during the Revolution with the same company out of Montgomery Township.
17 It is highly unlikely that he was a devoted loyalist because he served in the Pennsylvania militia: he did not come over with British troops during the Revolution because he owned land in Pennsylvania prior to the outbreak of military hostilities. Without personal correspondence from Robert it is difficult to gauge his feelings on independence and the war. The military activity in
Broadsword Historical Services
Page 4 of 716 W.W.H. Davis. From THE HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, CHAPTER XXVI, WARRINGTON,
1734. From the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time. https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm
(accessed September 2010)., and Post Rev War: Philadelphia County Muster Rolls.17 “The Pennsylvania Militia”. (Accessed September 2010). https://www.constitution.org/jw/acm_3-m.htm#N_355_
REVOLUTIONARY WAR MILITIA ORGANIZATION: PHILADELPHIA CO., PA., (Accessed September
2010), https://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=4125&&PageID=439657&level=6&parentCommID=4125&menuLevel=Level_6&mode=2.If Robert Gordon actively served in 1777, he served under the command of Col. William Dean; if he served in1780 he was commanded by Lt. Col. George Smith and Lt. Col. Benjamin McVeagh. Montgomery Township and the area surrounding Philadelphia was a hotbed of engagements, encampments and soldier-citizen interaction. Citizens living nearby in Gwynedd, for example, were subject to welcome and unwelcome encounters with soldiers from both sides, and militia and Continental soldiers from Maryland and Virginia were probably just as dubious to them as the British.18
This research has helped to illuminate some of Robert Gordon’s past. He was a farmer, a soldier and an entrepreneur. He was not lavishly wealthy, but was certainly prosperous and at least somewhat educated.19 His presence in Pennsylvania can be verified to about 1770, 1772 with certainty. The lack of documentation for him before then perpetuates the mystery of his origins. There were several individuals with the last name of Gordon during the course of this research, which focused on Montgomery, Philadelphia, Bucks and Cumberland Counties, who possibly could be relatives of Robert Gordon, but there was no direct mention of him in any sort of documentation. Several conclusions can be made from this. Robert might have been born in another colony or another country and may have arrived in Pennsylvania before 1772. Because births were not always recorded with great consistency in colonial times, due in large to inconsistent laws, differing religious doctrines and the sheer infant mortality rate, it is possible his birth may simply not have been recorded along with his parentage: or he may have been estranged from his family, or an orphan. This situation unfortunately also does not offer a direct link to his assumed Scottish ancestry, though that is likely the point of origin for his ancestors.
A fairly solid foundation is in place to continue research on Robert Gordon.Nature of Research
Field research was conducted at the Montgomery County Courthouse and Historical Society. Montgomery County was created in 1784 out of parts of Philadelphia County. Therefore research had to be conducted for Philadelphia county as well because of the time period in question. The GenWeb online archives were searched thoroughly for Robert Gordon and his ancestors in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Bucks and Cumberland Counties. Extensive internet database research was done in many different sources and several secondary sources were found along with some primary documentation. There were no direct links to Robert Gordon’s family, parents or siblings in any documentation. Over seventy hours of research were conducted on this project. If any future research is to be done, it should be done specifically at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, PA to look for any birth, land, death or other county records from Philadelphia County.A George Gordon was commonly mentioned in conjunction with Robert Gordon. It is possible, even likely, the two were either brothers or cousins because of the same surname,
Broadsword Historical Services
Page 5 of 718 Wayne Bodle. The Valley Forge Winter: Civilians and Soldiers in War. (The Pennsylvania State University Press: 2004), 86.
19 Will of Robert Gordon. Robert was able to sign his name. geographic proximity to each other and similar first names of their children.20 However, no familial relationship between the two can be confirmed. At this point, there seems to either be a critical document that is not easily found, or the documentation does not exist.
Bibliography
Listed in Order of CitationFamilySearch International Genealogical Index. "IGI Individual Record: Robert Gordon."
www.familysearch.org. 2008. https://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/IGI/individual_record.asp?recid=700103726214&...
(accessed September 15, 2010)."NAMES OF PERSONS FOR WHOM MARRIAGE LICENSES WERE ISSUED IN THE
PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA PREVIOUS TO 1790." US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania.
https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/paarchivesseries/vol2/pass2-03.html
(accessed September 15-30, 2010)Edward Mathews. History of Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery Township,
Montgomery County, Pa. . (Ambler, Pennsylvania: AK Thomas Publishers, 1895).PHILADELPHIA COUNTY PA ARCHIVES TAX LISTS… PROVINCIAL TAX LIST, MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP 1774. US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania. https://
www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm (accessed September 2010).
Montgomery County Deed Book 12: 233-234.MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP ASSESSMENT, 1776. US GenWeb Archives Pennsylvania.
https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/montgomery/beantoc.htm
(accessed September 2010).Robt Gordon, 1790 U.S. Census, Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Roll: M637_9; Page: 34; Image:
30; Family History Library Film: 0568149. Accessed through Ancestry.com.
Military: Post Rev War: Philadelphia County Muster Rolls, Philadelphia Militia, 1783-1790. Pa.
Archives, Vol. III-6th Series, pp. 1283-1360. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives byBroadsword Historical Services
Page 6 of 720 Robert and George were listed together in the 1790 Census, the cited tax and property records and militia rolls.
They were not however connected through wills or any other documentation.
Elizabeth Burns. https://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/military/1783phil07.txt
(accessed September 2010).Robert Gordon will and Inventory of Estate, 18 February 1824, probated 23 September 1825,
Montgomery County Wills and Estates, Book 6: 301.Thomas Davies will, 18 March 1777, probated 8 April 1777. Wills: Abstracts, Book R: 1777 -
1781: Philadelphia Co, PA, https://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/wills/willabstrbkr.txt.
Book R: 17.Howard Malcom Jenkins. Historical collections relating to Gwynedd, a township of Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania, settled, 1696, by immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the
adjoining township, of Montgomery, also settled by Welsh. (Philadelphia, 1897). https://
www.archive.org/stream/historicalcollec1897jenk#page/298/mode/2up/search/gordon
(accessed online September 2010) .Abstracts of Early Deeds, 1706-07: Philadelphia (many now Montgomery) Co, PA. US GenWeb
Archives Pennsylvania. https://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm (accessed September 2010). Extracted from the Genealogy research of EUGENE J. PEARSON (1910-1980) High Point,
North Carolina. Early Land Transactions of Montgomery County, PA (part of Philadelphia
Co.until 1784).W.W.H. Davis. From THE HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, CHAPTER XXVI,
WARRINGTON, 1734. From the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time. https://
www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm
(accessed September 2010)., and Post Rev War: Philadelphia County Muster Rolls.“The Pennsylvania Militia”.
(Accessed September 2010). https://www.constitution.org/jw/acm_3-m.htm#N_355_REVOLUTIONARY WAR MILITIA ORGANIZATION: PHILADELPHIA CO., PA.,
(Accessed September 2010),
https://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=4125&&PageID=439657&level=6&parentCommID=4125&menuLevel=Level_6&mode=2 .Wayne Bodle. The Valley Forge Winter: Civilians and Soldiers in War. (The Pennsylvania State
University Press:2004).Broadsword Historical Services
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