Holbrook line: John Jordan 1647-later

 Information about John Jordan is scarcer than hen's teeth.  Whenever I write about an ancestor like this, I think about all the ancestors, many who are not known to us, who lived and died and made very little mark on the world.  And yet, we're here, and we wouldn't have been if these people had not been part of the "great invisibles" somewhere along the line.  

We know that he was born about 1647 to John Jordan and his wife Ann, who may or may not have been Ann Bishop, in Guilford, Ct.  Or at least we think we know that much.  He had at least four brothers and sisters, and seems to have spent his childhood and youth in Guilford.  The next we know of John is through his first marriage, to Deborah Joy or Rose, before 1677.  Deborah must have died, and the couple may or may not have had children John, James, and Mary.  If these are children of this couple, then the marriage would have taken place more in the time period of 1670-1673.  I've not been able to locate on line records to verify this.  .  

John next married Katherine Chalker, daughter of Alexander and Katherine Post Chalker.  They were married soon after Deborah's death, which would make sense particularly if John was left a widower with three small children.  Soon after this, it is thought that the couple, or family, moved to Middletown, Connecticut, although I've found no records there.  John and Katherine had at least two children, Katherine and Hannah, and settled in Saybrook, Connecticut. 

John was a cooper by trade, so it made sense for him to be on the coast of Connecticut, as both Guilford and Saybrook (Old Saybrook) where we know he can be found, were.  Ships docked at those locations, and the barrels and casks that they transported required frequent replacement.  We don't know John's income, of course, but it likely paid him at least a living wage.  We also don't know whether he was in business for himself, or whether he worked for someone else.  

We also don't know whether or to what extent John was involved in the church, or in the militia.  John sold land in Guilford in 1679, so he was likely there during King Philip's War.  I've found no evidence, yet, that he was called to duty then.  

 I've not been able to find a will or probate for him, and his date of death is given variously as 1694 and 1713.  Katherine's death date is given as 1713 so it's possible that John had died almost 20 years earlier.  

As you can guess, I'm somewhat frustrated by the lack of available records for this man.  Most of what I've found came from brief mentions in genealogies of the Bushnell family, and from Torrey's New England Marriages.  I don't know whether there is more to John's story or not.  He's another ancestor to keep researching, and to keep remembering.

The line of descent is:

John Jordan-Katherine Chalker

Hannah Jordan-John Stannard

John Stannard-Hannah Hanchett

Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy

Libbeus Stanard-Luceba or Euzebia Fay

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy 

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants