Janet Leedy Gordon

Notes:

MAG met Janet Leedy Gordon Roach in 1979 in Montreal, at the triennial meeting of the International Astronomical Union. She had married one of his graduate school faculty members, Franklin Evans Roach.  Dr. Roach died in 1993 in Tucson.

The information below comes from her obituary in the Arizona Daily Star and from reminiscences written by her "step-daughter" Charlotte Roach Vedeler.

She graduated from the College of Liberal Arts of the  University of Arizona in Tucson in 1939, taking an astronomy course from Franklin Roach when he was a faculty member. She also babysat for his family.

Married twice earlier, Janet has worked as a Technical Editor for Stanford and at a variety of other technical editing jobs in Arizona and Hawaii. She was a pioneering environmentalist, having been a founder of the Sierra Club chapter in Hawaii.

She was raised in Yuma, Arizona, where her meteorologist father was transferred from Phoenix. In Yuma, they lived in an adobe building originally built by the army. The family used to travel in the summer by arranging swaps with other meterologists.

She and her siblings suffered from diabetes.  Shortly before the end of her life, she lost her foot to diabetes but that didn't stop her from independent living. She died of a heart attack while in Tucson's Carondelet Hospital for diabetes treatment.

Janet married Franklin Evans Roach 1 Mar 1977, Christ Church - Kailua, Oahu Island, HI. Franklin was born 23 Sep 1905, Jamestown, Ottawa Co., MI; died 21 Sep 1993, Tucson, Pima Co., AZ. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Residence: 31 Oct 1921 Yuma County, Arizona 2
Occupation: 31 Oct 1921 Weather observer 3
Occupation: 5 Jul 1925 Meteorologist, US Weather Bureau 4

4. Title: Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates
Text: Birth certificate for son, James Jr., indicates James Sr. was a Meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau.

James married Amy Ruth Leedy Abt 1917. Amy (daughter of Henry Clay Leedy and Phoebe Caroline Boston) was born 2 Dec 1888, Pawnee, Sangamon Co., IL; died 16 Nov 1973, Honolulu, Honolulu Co., HI. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Alt. Birth: 2 Dec 1888, Zenobia, Sangamon Co., IL

Other Events:

• 1850 Census: 1 Aug 1850
• 1870 Census: 25 Jul 1870
• 1880 Census: 1880
• Residence: Aft 1886; El Cajon Valley (Bostonia), San Diego Co., CA

Notes:

Subject:  David Gilchrist Gordon
Date:  Fri, 07 Oct 2005 14:26:46 -0700
From:  Mark A. Gordon

I'm working on my family genealogy, decendents of David Gordon, born in 1750 in Stracathro, Brechin, Scotland.

My GGGF was William Gordon (his grandson)  who came to Patterson, NJ from Glasgow on June 13, 1844, with a wife and 4 children on the ship Adam Carr.

He came for reasons of health but landed in New York to meet with his uncle Andrew Gordon who had preceded him.  Andrew was married to Janet Gilchrist (in Scotland) and had two sons, Francis and David Gilchrist Gordon.  In 1944, Janet and son Francis died, and the family moved with nephew William Gordon and family to Auburn, NY.

In 1848, all of them (6 people, two families) moved to a single house in Enfield, CT, so that William could ply his trade as a weaver at the Enfield Carpet Company.  Evidently, young 4-year-old David proved to be too much for his father to care for, and he was sent to Glasgow to be raised by his two maiden (Gilchrist) aunts.

The story is that eventually he ran away to sea and returned (he was a US citizen) to the US.  I don't know the details.

The 1880 census, June, lists him and wife living in New Britain, CT, and working as a sawyer or lawyer (handwriting is difficult to read). In 1886, the family moved to El Cajon, California, where he spent the rest of his life as a farmer.

I knew his granddaughter Janet Leedy Gordon in Tucson, who died in Tucson in 2000.

I'd appreciate any information that you can send me.

Mark A. Gordon
Tucson
______________

Born in New Jersey.  Was eventually returned to Scotland after mother died 1 year later
to be raised by two maiden aunts (probably Gilchrist's) in New Cumnock, Scotland.  From Albert Gordon's notes, the return to Scotland must have occurred after his father Andrew and he made the 1848 move to Thompsonville with the William Gordon family.

[There is a David G Gordon who served in the Union Army as a Lieutenant in the 5 U. S. Col'd Calvary.  Could this be the same person mentioned in John DeBell's article in the history of Enfield, "Challenge of Change"? No, because Col'd means Colored.  Unless he was a white officer of a black company.]

Henry Fletcher's article states that David G. Gordon helped start a factory in Hazardville to make Shaker bonnets, which failed.  Building taken over by Amos D. Bridge.

Janet Leedy Gordon wrote me (MAG) on 23 October 1979 that his father eventually returned him to Scotland to be raised by  a pair of maiden aunts (possibly sisters of Janet Gilchrist).  A US citizen by birth, eventually he ran away to sea as a teenager, returning to the US.

This information came to Mark Gordon from the granddaughter, Janet Leedy Gordon Roach, who was born in Phoenix and lived in Tucson.

1880 census, 9 June, lists him as a lawyer (or, sawyer) born in 1844 in New Jersey, living in New Britain with wife, Helen H. (27), born in CT with son "Gilchrist"  of age less than 1 year.  Gilchrist died at age 3, from scarlet fever.

Moved to California in 1886, according to Janet Leedy Gordon.

1900 census, 22 June, lists him living in El Cajon, California, at age 56 with wife Helen (47) and sons Ralph (19),  James (18), Donald (16), and Grant (15).  The boys were all listed as students.  Birth data also notes only 4 of 5 children living.

1910 census, 22 April,  lists him as living in El Cajon at age 66, California, with wife Helen age 57 and son David age 26.  This record implies that wife Helen was born 1855 and not 1845.  Also, record indicates that she born 5 children of whom 4 survived.

January 1920 census lists him as living in El Cajon at age 76, California with wife Helen and son Donald, 36. Lists occupation as farmer and employer.

Father: Andrew Gordon,
(b. , Stracathro, Brechin, Angus, Scotland), (d. , ),
Albert S. Gordon's notes state that Andrew was living in Paterson, New Jersey [maybe, nearby Lodi, NJ], when his nephew William Gordon arrived with his family.  Evidently, about the end of 1844 or early 1845, the William Gordon family and Andrew and family moved to Auburn, New York, where Andrew lost his wife Janet Gilchrist and son Francis.

Janet Gordon's notes suggest he and Janet Gilchrist were married before they left Scotland.  The marriage date is 18 April 1842, so they would have arrived in the US between April 1842 and June 1844.

In 1848, Andrew and his surviving child, David Gilchrist Gordon, moved with the William Gordon family to Thompsonville, Connecticut, where they all lived together in one house on the North Road.

Mother: Janet Gilchrist,
(b. , Scotland), (d. 1845, Paterson, New Jersey),
Albert Gordon's notes suggest she died in Auburn, New York.

Marriage: 17 Oct 1878, Helen Rockwell Hazen, m. 17 Oct 1878, Hartford, Connecticut

Son: 13 Aug 1879, Gilchrist Hazen Gordon,
(b. 13 Aug 1879, Wethersfield, Connecticut), (d. 3 Jun 1882, ),
1880 census lists family living in New Britain, Connecticut, with 10-month old son Gilchrist born in Aug 1879. Not mentioned in 1900 census, which indicates only 4 of 5 siblings survived.

Letter to MAG from Janet Gordon-Roach, dated 23 October 1979, indicates that "Christopher" died of scarlet fever when he was 7, that is, about 1886.  Christopher was really Gilchrist. Website gives death date as 3 June 1882

Son: 16 Nov 1880, Ralph Hazen Gordon,
Niece Janet Gordon-Roach told of his two daughters and his death in the 1960s.

Son: 23 Jan 1882, James Hazen Gordon,
(b. 23 Jan 1882, Wethersfield, Connecticut), (d. 9 Nov 1976, Honolulu, Hawaii),
Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Occidental College, California.  Worked as a meteorologist in Arizona -- first in Phoenix and later in Yuma.
Info from his daughter, Janet Leedy Gordon Roach, whom MAG knew while living in Tucson.

Son: 22 Jul 1883, Donald Hazen Gordon,
(b. 22 Jul 1883, Wethersfield, Connecticut), (d. 1968, ),
January 1920 census lists him as living in El Cajon at age 36, California with mother Helen and father David. Lists occupation as farmer, working for his father.
Niece Janet Gordon-Roach gives date of death in letter to me (MAG), 23 October 1979. He was very deaf.  but "was an inventive genius who was the first man to complete a successful powered flight west of the Mississippi." about 1909.

Son: 12 Mar 1885, Grant Gilchrist Gordon,
(b. 12 Mar 1885, Hartford, Connecticut), (d. 1921, ),
1900 census gives his birthdate, and his domicile as living with his parents in El Cajon, California.
According to niece Janet Gordon-Roach, he died in the flu epidemic of 1921.  He had a son, Grant, Jr.
________________

1880
Name  Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
David G. GORDON   Self   M   Male   W   36   NJ   Lawyer   NJ   NJ
Helen H. GORDON   Wife   M   Female   W   27   CT   Keeping House   MA CT
Gilchrist H. GORDON   Son   S   Male   W   10M   CT      NJ   CT
Fannie L. HAGEN   MotherL   W   Female   W   59   CT   At Home   CT   CT

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Source Information:
  Census Place New Britain, Hartford, Connecticut
  NA Film Number   T9-0098
  Page Number   523C

1850 Census:
Enfield, Hartford Co., CT, p 24a, w/William Gordon, age 7, b. NJ, as David G. Gordon

1870 Census:
Hartford PO - District 1 - Hartford, Hartford Co., CT, p. 417, as David G. Gordon, age 26, b. NJ, lodging with Franinai Burt family

1880 Census:
New Britain, Hartford Co., CT

David married Helen Rockwell Hazen 17 Oct 1878, Hartford, Hartford Co., CT. Helen (daughter of James Alexander Hazen and Fanny Lucinda Grant) was born 5 Feb 1853, Hanover, New London Co., CT; died 26 Jan 1920, El Cajon Valley (Bostonia), San Diego Co., CA. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Alt. Death: 1926, Modesto, Stanislaus Co., CA

Henry married Phoebe Caroline Boston 4 Sep 1873, ____, Macoupin Co., IL. Phoebe was born 1851, New Albany, Floyd Co., IN; died 18 Aug 1926, Reedley, Fresno Co., CA. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Alt. Death: 1923, Reedley, Fresno Co., CA

Andrew married Janet Gilchrist 11 Apr 1842, Barony Parish, Lanark, Scotland, UK. Janet was born , ____, ____, Scotland, UK; died 1845, Patterson, Bergen Co., NJ. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Alt. Death: 1845, Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY

Other Events:

• Graduation: 1834; Yale University

Notes:

He was pastor of Congregational Churches at Wilbraham, MA for 10 years; South Williamstown, MA, for 3 years; and Hanover for 10+ years.

James married Fanny Lucinda Grant 18 Oct 1844, Stafford, Tolland Co., CT. Fanny (daughter of Dr. John Grant and Fanny Hall) was born 30 Mar 1821, Stafford, Tolland Co., CT; died 23 Dec 1893, El Cajon Valley (Bostonia), ____, CA. [Group Sheet]