John Gordon was born on April 3, 1806 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Maxwell McWilliams was born on October 30, 1816 in Kingsford, Scotland, just outside of Glasgow.
Both John and Maxwell’s parents are unknown currently. They married on May 26, 1835 in Warminster, England. The couple made their home in Aberdeen, Scotland and began a family soon after their marriage.
It is apparent that John and Maxwell lived in Aberdeen, Scotland from 1835 through about 1839. The first three of their children were born in Scotland – James (b. 1836), John (b. 1837), and William (b. 1838).
The family of five then immigrated to Oxford County, Ontario, Canada around 1839. It had been said that the second eldest son John died on the boat en route to Canada, but that has not been substantiated and the dates don’t quite add up.
The next eight of John and Maxwell’s children were born in Canada – twins Maxwell and Robert (b. 1840), Mary (b. 1842), Sarah (b. 1845), Jane (b. 1847), Margaret (b. 1850), John (b. 1852), and Jennet (b. 1854).
The then family of ten moved to the United States, settling in Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856. The final of John and Maxwell’s children – George (b. 1856) – was born in Michigan. The family lived in Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan, 1856-1859, then moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan, where John purchased 80 acres in Section 19 of the Township.
In 1876, John Gordon became a naturalized citizen of the United States. His naturalization document has been preserved by a branch of his descendants.
John and Maxwell Gordon remained living in Dryden Township, Lapeer County, Michigan for the rest of their lives. Maxwell died on September 28, 1886 in Dryden. John died January 22, 1889 in Dryden. They are buried in Thornville Cemetery in Thornville, Michigan. Thornville is the nearest town to their homestead in Lapeer County.
Maxwell Gordon’s grave marker in Thornville Cemetery. Photo by John Gordon. 
Maxwell Gordon death notice published in The Lapeer County Democrat newspaper, September 29, 1886. Provided by the Lapeer District Library.
Children of John & Maxwell Gordon
Settling in Michigan’s infancy after statehood in 1837, the Gordons were among the early settlers. Though much of Michigan was settled by Yankees of New York and other east coast states following the completion of the Erie Canal, John and Maxwell brought their family through Canada first, a different but not uncommon scenario.
1. James Gordon
James Gordon was born on January 29, 1836 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
When James was just a few years old, he and his young family moved to Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, around 1839.
He died at just seven years old in April 1843 in Blenheim Township, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. His grave site is unknown.
2. John Gordon
John Gordon was born on February 19, 1837 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
In John’s youth, he and his family moved to Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, around 1839.
He died at just six years old on February 24, 1843, probably in Blenheim Township, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. His grave site is unknown. It had been said that John died during the journey to Canada from Scotland and was buried at sea, but that has not been substantiated and the dates do not add up.
3. William Gordon
William Gordon was born on September 8, 1838 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Along with his parents and older brothers, he immigrated to Oxford County, Ontario, Canada around 1839.
By 1856, William, along with his family, moved to Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan. They lived in Almont for three years until 1859, then moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
William married Sarah Loomis on July 30, 1863 in Macomb, Michigan. In 1874, William owned 120 acres north of his father in Sections 18 and 19 of Dryden Township. By 1906, he owned 200 acres in Sections 18 and 19 of Dryden Township, neighbored by his brother Maxwell who inherited their father’s land in Section 19.
William and Sarah had six children – Clara (b. 1865), Nellie Irene (b. 1867), Margaret Estelle (b. 1871), Hattie (b. 1872), Mary (b. 1875), and William (b. 1879).
William was widowed in 1908 upon Sarah’s death. In 1910, William was living with his daughter Clara Collins’s family in Bay City, Michigan. By 1920, William was living with daughter Nellie Park’s family in Pontiac, Michigan.
William died on April 30, 1926 in Lapeer County, Michigan. William and Sarah are buried in Elm Lawn Cemetery in Bay City, Michigan, in a family lot.
4. Maxwell Gordon
Maxwell Gordon was born on May 23, 1840 in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. He shares his name with his mother, also named Maxwell. Maxwell is an unusual name for a woman, it therefore may be an old family name.
Along with his parents and siblings, Maxwell moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
In 1865-1866, Maxwell served as a private in Company A of the First Michigan Cavalry, during the final month of the Civil War and thereafter.
Maxwell was married to Jennie and it is not believed that they had any children. Jennie preceded Maxwell in death. He made his home in Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan. He inherited his father’s 80 acres in Section 19 of Dryden Township.
Maxwell died on March 3, 1912 in Merritt, Bay County, Michigan. He is buried in Elm Lawn Cemetery in Bay City, Michigan, in a family lot alongside his brother William’s family.
5. Robert V. Gordon
Robert V. Gordon was born on May 23, 1840 in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.
Along with his parents and siblings, Robert moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
In 1864-1865, Robert served as a Corporal in Company M of the Second Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War.
He was married to Laura J. Simmons, probably in the 1870s. They had two children: a daughter Maxwell (b. 1878 in Minnesota) was named for her grandmother; and a son Lindsay (b. 1882 in Illinois). The children’s births indicate that the family likely moved around quite a bit, from Minnesota to Illinois.
In 1903, Robert and Laura moved to Washington, where they made their home in Kitsap County.
Robert died on October 21, 1913 in Retsil, Washington. Laura survived him by several years, dying in 1922. Robert is buried in Washington Veterans Home Cemetery, Laura may also be buried there but it is not clear.
6. Mary Gordon
Mary Gordon was born on September 21, 1842 in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.
Along with her parents and siblings, Mary moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Mary married James P. Smith in 1863 in Lapeer County, Michigan. They had four children – Eulalie (b. 1865), Lee (b. 1866), Eva M. (b. 1869), and Minnie (b. 1871). The family moved to Attica, Michigan in 1872.
For a period James was supervisor of Attica Township, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Mary died in January 1878 in Attica, Michigan. James remarried and died in 1900. James and Mary are buried in South Attica Cemetery in Attica, Michigan.
7. Sarah Gordon
Sarah Gordon was born on January 29, 1845 in Oxford Township, Ontario, Canada.
Along with her parents and siblings, Mary moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Sarah married George W. Ellison on January 2, 1888 in Metamora, Bay County, Michigan. They had no children together but Sarah was a mother to George’s five children from his prior marriage, namely the youngest son George A. (b. 1879).
Sarah was widowed with George’s death in 1909. Following his death, Sarah moved to California to live with her sister Jennie.
Sarah died on September 9, 1923 in Sierra Madre, California. She is not buried with George, who is buried in Bay City, Michigan with his first wife and children.
8. Jane (Jen) Gordon
Jane Gordon was born on October 14, 1847 in Oxford Township, Ontario, Canada.
Along with her parents and siblings, Mary moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Jane never married and had no children. From around the turn of the twentieth century until her death, she made her home in southern California. Her sister Sarah lived with her from about 1910 to 1923 in California.
She died on on September 20, 1930 in Sierra Madre, California. Her grave site is unknown.
9. Margaret Gordon
Margaret Gordon was born on July 12, 1850 in Oxford Township, Ontario, Canada.
Along with her parents and siblings, Maggie moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. By 1859, the family moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Before the family’s move to Dryden, Maggie died at just eight years old on July 1, 1859 in Almont, Michigan. Her burial place is unknown.
10. John Gordon
John Gordon, named for his late older brother John, was born on November 18, 1852 in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. Along with his family, a four-year-old John settled in Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856.
Throughout his younger years, he and his family lived in Almont Township, Lapeer County, Michigan. In 1859, they moved to Dryden Township, Lapeer County.
On June 15, 1878, John married Georgia Idella Hilliker in Lapeer, Michigan, the daughter of Henry and Rebecca Hilliker of Lapeer. Georgia’s grandparents, Augustus and Mary Hilliker, settled in Dryden Township, Lapeer County, Michigan circa 1836.
John and Georgia had seven children – Nina, Floyd, Raymond, Roy, Lora, Vera, Glenn. [See below for biographies of each of John and Georiga’s children].
Upon their marriage in 1878, John and Georgia Gordon settled in Clare County, Michigan. The county had only been established seven years prior in 1871. Township and other municipal governments were just starting to form in the County. John, in turn, became very active in this regard.
In the 1880s, John was a key figure in the formation of a local government for Hatton Township in Clare County. In 1886, the Township was formally established and John was elected by his community as the first supervisor of Hatton Township. For the subsequent 30 years or so, John held numerous elected positions in the Township and County, including: supervisor, clerk, and treasurer of Hatton Township; Clare County Drain Commissioner; Michigan State Fair Board member; and he ran an unsuccessful campaign for Clare County treasurer in 1912.
In 1918, John and Georgia moved to Battle Creek, Michigan to make their home with their daughter Vera’s family – the Alwoods. Georgia died on December 4, 1919 in Battle Creek. John survived her by several years, he died on September 3, 1925 in Battle Creek. Both John and Georgia are buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
11. Jennet Gordon
Jennet Gordon was born on October 30, 1854 in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.
Along with her parents and siblings, Nettie moved to Lapeer County, Michigan in 1856, originally settling in Almont. In 1859, they moved to Dryden, Lapeer County, Michigan.
Nettie moved to Clare County, Michigan in 1881. There she was a longtime teacher, teaching at the Bradley, Eagle, and Hatton Schools.
She married William E. Becker on October 20, 1891 in Clare. William was a prominent businessman in Clare, owning a grocery store. They had no children.
Nettie died on July 23, 1899 in Clare. Many local businesses closed in order for the community to mourn Nettie’s death. William survived her by many years, dying in 1951. He married twice after Nettie’s death. William and Nettie are buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare.
12. George Gordon
George Gordon was born on September 15, 1856 in Lapeer County, Michigan.
He died at just two years old on September 16, 1858 in Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan. His grave site is unknown.
Children of John & Georgia Gordon
All of John and Georgia Gordon’s children were born in Hatton Township, Clare County, Michigan, after the couple settled there in 1878. They spread out across the state, but remained rooted in Clare, where many of them are buried.
1. Nina Clare Gordon
Nina Clare Gordon was born on March 24, 1880 in Hatton Township, Clare County, Michigan. Her middle name almost certainly comes from the county in which she was born.
She married Jesse L. Wood on September 15, 1906 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had four children. The family made their home in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Nina was widowed in 1934 with Jess’s death. She died on July 30, 1964 in Battle Creek. Jesse and Nina are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan.
2. Floyd Burritt Gordon
Floyd Burritt Gordon was born on March 2, 1884 in Clare County, Michigan.
Around 1901, Floyd left home in Clare to live in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He worked in harvest fields in North Dakota for a period. For the majority of his adult life he worked in the lumber industry in Minnesota. Floyd made his home for many years in Loman, Minnesota.
He was an avid letter writer, frequently writing letters to his siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Floyd died on July 14, 1958 in Loman, Minnesota. He is buried beside his parents in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
3. Raymond Henry Gordon
Raymond Henry Gordon, along with his twin brother Roy John Gordon, was born on June 27, 1886 in Clare County, Michigan. In his youth, he attend Brown School.
During World War I, Ray served with the U.S. Signal Corps in France. He remained in Europe, serving in Germany during U.S. occupation following the war.
By 1918, he had returned home and married Beatrice Doyle on January 5, 1918. They had no children. Upon his return, he went back to work with the Michigan Bell Telephone Company as a lineman. He remained with Michigan Bell for several years until he was forced to retire due to an injury around 1930.
Following his retirement, Ray made his home with his brother Roy’s family on the Cornwell Ranch in Clare, Michigan. He lived with Roy’s family until about 1944.
In 1931, he briefly lived in Danville, Illinois at the National Home for Disabled Veterans. Near the end of his life, around 1944, he moved into the Disabled Veterans Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1947, he moved to the U.S. Veterans Hospital in Wood, Wisconsin.
Ray died on September 8, 1947 in Wood, Wisconsin at the U.S. Veterans Hospital. He is buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
4. Roy John Gordon
Roy John Gordon, along with his twin brother Raymond Henry Gordon, was born on June 27, 1886 in Clare County, Michigan.
Roy began working at the Cornwell Ranch around 1904 at age 18.
He married Maude Cora Hartman on December 19, 1908 in Clare, Michigan. Roy and Maude had eleven children – Cecile, John, Irene, Thelma, Lora, Jiggs, Betty, Bob, Lee, Bonnie, and Peggy. Visit Eleven Gordon Children for biographies of each of the Gordon siblings.
Upon Roy and Maude’s marriage, they began running the Cornwell Ranch’s boarding house and were caretakers for the “men’s shanty,” a dormitory for as many as 35 of the farm’s help.
In 1916, they moved their family to the Cornwell Ranch, raising all of their children there. Thelma Gordon was the first of the children born on the Ranch. Around this time, Roy became a cattle salesman and the foreman of the Cornwell Ranch.
Roy established numerous acquaintances of cattle feeders in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. He was widely recognized as an outstanding authority on feeder cattle. He always freely shared his knowledge and experience with anyone interested, especially young people. He was active in the Riverside Grange and many livestock organizations.
His personality was radiant and he was adored by all who knew him. Roy was an avid reader and a fan of literature, always prepared with quotations of Robert Burns. He loved nature and was lovingly referred to as the “weatherman” by his friends and neighbors because he often prophesied about the future.
A beloved member of the Clare community, his death was unexpected on January 18, 1954. Maude survived him, dying in 1969. Visit Hartman Genealogy for Maude Hartman Gordon’s biography. Roy and Maude are buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
5. Lora Cecile Gordon
Lora Cecile Gordon was born on September 30, 1889 in Clare County, Michigan.
She married Clyde Crumb on July 6, 1909 in St. Joseph, Michigan. The couple had eight children – Georgia, Sydney, Gordon, Daphne, Isabel, Albro, Erma, and Donelda.
For about 20 years, 1915-1935, Lora and Clyde lived in Watervliet, Michigan.
Lora died on May 31, 1935 in Watervliet, Michigan. Clyde survived her by several years, dying in 1941. Clyde and Lora are buried in Coloma Cemetery in Coloma, Michigan.
6. Vera Maxwell Gordon
Vera Maxwell Gordon, whose middle name is her mother’s first name, was born on May 3, 1892.
She married Warren E. Alwood on September 30, 1911 in Harrison, Michigan. They had four children – Maxine, Max, Marjorie, and Crystal. Vera and Warren made their home in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Vera’s parents John and Georgia spent the end of their lives in Battle Creek living with the Alwood family. Georgia died in 1919 and John in 1925.
Vera was widowed in 1935 upon Warren’s death. Vera died on December 30, 1964 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Warren and Vera Alwood are buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
7. Glenn Douglas Gordon
Glenn Douglas Gordon was born on August 30, 1895 in Clare County, Michigan, the youngest of John and Georgia Gordon’s children.
He married Nina L. Mickle on November 23, 1915 in Clare, Michigan. They had three children – Henry, Frances, and Robert. The family made their home in Arthur Township, Clare County, Michigan.
Glenn spent his career with the Holly Carburetor Company.
Glenn died on May 5, 1966 in Clare, Michigan, the last surviving of the Gordon siblings. Nina survived him several years, dying in 1970. Glenn and Nina are buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Clare, Michigan.
History of Roy & Maude Hartman Gordon 