Moses H. Jordan, my fourth great grand uncle, was born on this date around 1814 probably in Lisbon, Maine, the fifth of five children born to Jedediah Jordan and Rachel Turner, and their second son.
He married Lucretia Whitman in 1839, and together they had four children, Horace, Margaret, Lucretia, and William . The young family appears in the 1850 US Census, living in Lewiston. Moses' occupation is listed as a laborer, aged 37. Ten years later, they were still living in Lewiston, and his occupation is more descriptive, "Dealer in tin ware."
Two more listings, from the Lewiston-Auburn city directories in 1864 and 1866, list Moses as a pedler. According to a tax assessment listing from this period, he was assessed a tax to operate as a Pedler 3d Class (meaning he had one horse). The tax stamp looked like this:
By this time, he had married a second time in 1864, this time to Elizabeth A. Strout. They are listed in the 1870 census living in Durham, Maine, with two of their three children, Mary Helen and Lillie. His youngest child, Roscoe Turner, would be born in 1872. His occupation again is listed as pedler.
Moses and "Lizzie A." are listed in the 1880 census living in Lisbon. By this time, he may have given up his pedler business, as his occupation is listed as carpenter. He was around 66 years old.
No evidence is available regarding Moses' death. One published genealogy indicates he lived in Freeport, and may have died there. However, there are so many inconsistencies which this source, it is not reliable. More research during a future trip to Maine will be necessary to fill in the gaps in Moses' pedler life.
Sources:
1840; Census Place: Lisbon, Lincoln, Maine; Roll: 145; Page: 347; Image: 707; Family History Library Film: 0009705.
1850; Census Place: Lewiston, Lincoln, Maine; Roll: M432_261; Page: 388B; Image: 566.
1860; Census Place: Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: M653_432; Page: 319; Image: 319; Family History Library Film: 803432.
1870; Census Place: Durham, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: M593_536; Page: 88B; Image: 181; Family History Library Film: 552035.
1880; Census Place: Lisbon, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: 475; Family History Film: 1254475; Page: 364D; Enumeration District: 016; Image: 0724.
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Ancestry.com. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
Jordan, Tristram Frost,. The Jordan memorial : family records of the Rev. Robert Jordan, and his descendants in America. unknown: unknown, 1882, p. 364.
Ritchie, James. The tax-payer's guide; with an index : affording a convenient method for ascertaining all duties and penalties under the U.S. internal revenue law... (Boston: William H. Forbes, 1864), p. 11.
He married Lucretia Whitman in 1839, and together they had four children, Horace, Margaret, Lucretia, and William . The young family appears in the 1850 US Census, living in Lewiston. Moses' occupation is listed as a laborer, aged 37. Ten years later, they were still living in Lewiston, and his occupation is more descriptive, "Dealer in tin ware."
Two more listings, from the Lewiston-Auburn city directories in 1864 and 1866, list Moses as a pedler. According to a tax assessment listing from this period, he was assessed a tax to operate as a Pedler 3d Class (meaning he had one horse). The tax stamp looked like this:
By this time, he had married a second time in 1864, this time to Elizabeth A. Strout. They are listed in the 1870 census living in Durham, Maine, with two of their three children, Mary Helen and Lillie. His youngest child, Roscoe Turner, would be born in 1872. His occupation again is listed as pedler.
Moses and "Lizzie A." are listed in the 1880 census living in Lisbon. By this time, he may have given up his pedler business, as his occupation is listed as carpenter. He was around 66 years old.
No evidence is available regarding Moses' death. One published genealogy indicates he lived in Freeport, and may have died there. However, there are so many inconsistencies which this source, it is not reliable. More research during a future trip to Maine will be necessary to fill in the gaps in Moses' pedler life.
Sources:
1840; Census Place: Lisbon, Lincoln, Maine; Roll: 145; Page: 347; Image: 707; Family History Library Film: 0009705.
1850; Census Place: Lewiston, Lincoln, Maine; Roll: M432_261; Page: 388B; Image: 566.
1860; Census Place: Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: M653_432; Page: 319; Image: 319; Family History Library Film: 803432.
1870; Census Place: Durham, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: M593_536; Page: 88B; Image: 181; Family History Library Film: 552035.
1880; Census Place: Lisbon, Androscoggin, Maine; Roll: 475; Family History Film: 1254475; Page: 364D; Enumeration District: 016; Image: 0724.
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Ancestry.com. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
Jordan, Tristram Frost,. The Jordan memorial : family records of the Rev. Robert Jordan, and his descendants in America. unknown: unknown, 1882, p. 364.
Ritchie, James. The tax-payer's guide; with an index : affording a convenient method for ascertaining all duties and penalties under the U.S. internal revenue law... (Boston: William H. Forbes, 1864), p. 11.
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This is the 44th in a series, “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks,” coordinated by Amy Johnson Crow at
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