Gordon Family Papers, 1810-1968

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Summary

Creator:
Gordon (Family : Savannah, Ga.)
Abstract:

The Gordon family of Savannah, Ga., included W. W. Gordon (William Washington) (1834-1912), lawyer, Confederate Army officer, cotton merchant, state legislator, and brigadier general during the Spanish-American War of 1898; his wife, Eleanor Lytle Kinzie Gordon (Nelly) (1835-1917); her mother, Juliette Magill Kinzie (Mrs. John) of Chicago, author; and the children of W. W. and Nelly, especially G. Arthur Gordon (Arthur) (1872-1941), cotton merchant and civic leader of Savannah; Juliette Gordon Low (Daisy) (1860-1927), founder of the Girl Scouts; and Mabel Gordon Leigh, who lived in England and was honored for her relief work during World War I. The collection includes correspondence, account books, and other materials, 1810-1941, documenting more than a century of personal, business, political, military, and civic activity of the Gordon family. Many items relate to W. W. Gordon's family life, Confederate Army service, cotton trade and activities with various cotton regulatory agencies, and military and diplomatic service during the Spanish American War. Besides extensive and detailed business correspondence relating to the buying and selling of South Carolina cotton, there is a large run of account books documenting transactions of W. W. Gordon & Company and its predecessor cotton factor and commission merchant firms. Family materials include much correspondence between Nelly Gordon and her mother in Chicago. During the Civil War, these letters show the anxiety and fear engendered in family members separated because of the struggle. Also included are several letters documenting the great Chicago fire of 1871 and its aftermath. There are also letters relating to the death of daughter Alice while she and Nelly were alone in New York, and others relating to Nelly's difficult relationship with Daisy, who struggled with deafness as a child. Papers relating to G. Arthur Gordon reflect his cotton merchant activities; interests in local and national politics, including correspondence with brother-in-law, Richard Wayne Parker, lawyer and long-time New Jersey congressman; Gordon's involvement in civic clubs and in the Georgia State Troops; and his position as chief confidant of his parents and sisters in family struggles. While there are some Juliette Gordon Low papers relating to the Girl Scouts, among them correspondence with Robert Baden-Powell, most items relating to Daisy document her life in England, her unhappy marriage to William Mackay Low (Willie), and the economic consequences of his death as the couple tottered on the brink of a divorce spurred by Willie's infidelity. Mabel Gordon Leigh's papers relate chiefly to family affairs and to her World War I relief activities. The letters written by Margaret Gordon Seiler (Peggy), daughter of George Arthur Gordon, and her husband, the Reverend Robert S. Seiler, relate to their five-year posting to Manila, Philippines, with Church World Service, 1963-1968.

Extent:
5,800 items (98.5 linear feet)
Language:
English.
Library Catalog Link:
View UNC library catalog record for this item

Background

Biographical / historical:

Ambrose Gordon (1751-1804) came to Georgia from Monmouth County, N.J., sometime after the Revolutionary War and settled in Augusta. There he married Elizabeth Mead(e). The couple later moved to Savannah. Their son, William Washington (William W.) (1796-1842), was named for Lt. Colonel William Washington, under whom Ambrose served during the war. William W. married Sarah Anderson Stites (1806-1882), daughter of Richard Montgomery and Mary Wayne Stites. William W. was the first graduate of the United States Military Academy from Georgia (1815), a member of the Georgia legislature, mayor of Savannah, and founder and first president of the Central Rail Road and Banking Company (now the Central of Georgia Railroad Company). The children of William W. and Mary were George Anderson (George A.) (1830-1872); William Washington (W. W.) (1834-1912); Eliza Clifford, who married William Henry Stiles; and Gulielma C., who married George Evelyn Harrison of Virginia. George A., a lawyer of Huntsville, Ala., first married Caroline Steenbergen, with whom he had one son. After Caroline's death, he married Ellen Beirne. Beirne Gordon, the son of this marriage, became Uncle W. W.'s partner in business.

W. W. Gordon, a graduate of Yale University, was a cotton factor and commission merchant in Savannah. In the 1850s, he was associated with William Hayes Tison, who established Reed & Tison in Savannah with Elias Reed around 1853. When Reed died, Tison and William Mackay formed Tison & Mackay. This partnership was dissolved in July 1856, and W. W. became a partner with Tison in Tison & Gordon. Tison died in November 1877. In 1883, W. W. established his own firm, W. W. Gordon & Company, with Francis D. Bloodworth and Beirne Gordon as partners. Bloodworth resigned in September 1893. W. W.'s son Arthur joined the firm in that year and became a partner in the early 1900s. W. W. died in 1912, and the firm was reincorporated as Gordon & Company in June 1913. In January 1914, Beirne withdrew, and Arthur took over full ownership. From 1930 to 1934, the firm operated as the Gordon Cotton Company.

W. W. was a member of the Georgia Hussars, a Savannah cavalry troop, and entered the Civil War as a lieutenant. After the war, he served with the Georgia State Cavalry. W. W. served in the Georgia House of Representatives, 1884-1890. He entered the War of 1898 as brigadier general of the United States Volunteers. At the conclusion of the war, he served on the Commission of the United States for Porto Rico, which oversaw the withdrawal of Spanish troops from the island. Although he never again ran for office, he maintained an interest in Georgia Democratic Party politics throughout his life.

In 1857, W. W. married Eleanor (Nelly) Lytle Kinzie (1835-1917) of Chicago, daughter of John Harris and Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie. Juliette (1806-1870) was the author of The Chicago Massacre, first published in 1844 and later incorporated into her Wau-Bun (1856), which Nelly edited and published again in 1901 and 1912. Nelly also edited The Chicago Massacre for republication in 1912 as The Fort Dearborn Massacre. Nelly wrote Rosemary and Rue (1907) in memory of her daughter Alice and John Kinzie, the "Father of Chicago" (1910).

W. W. and Nelly's children were Eleanor (Nell) Kinzie (1858-1933); Juliette (Daisy) Magill Kinzie (1860-1927); Sarah Alice (Alice) (1863-1880); William Washington, Jr. (1866-1932); Mabel McLane; and George Arthur (Arthur) (1872-1941).

Eleanor (Nell) Kinzie Gordon (1858-1933), married Richard Wayne Parker, son of Cortlandt Parker, and lived in New Jersey and Washington, D.C., where her husband served in the United States Congress as Republican representative from New Jersey, 1895-1911, 1914-1919, and 1921-1923. Their children were Alice Gordon, Eleanor Wayne, Elizabeth Wolcott, Wayne, and Cortlandt.

Juliette (Daisy) Magill Kinzie Gordon (1860-1927), founder in 1912 of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, was a poet and painter who married William (Willie) Mackay Low of England. The marriage was extremely unhappy and ended, after much financial maneuvering and emotional distress over Willie's extramarital affairs, with Willie's death in 1905. Daisy was apparently charming and witty, but headstrong and irascible, especially when dealing with her mother. She lost the hearing in her left ear around 1885 and heard only poorly with the right ear in later years.

Sarah Alice (Alice) Gordon (1863-1880) died at a young age while she and Nelly were alone in New York. Alice's death apparently marked her mother's mental condition for many years, causing difficulties in her interactions with her other children, especially Daisy. William Washington Gordon, Jr. (1866-1932) was a lawyer of Savannah, graduate of Yale, and major in the Georgia militia. He married Ellen Buchanan Screven. Their children were William Washington ("B") and Margaret Eleanor (Daisy Doots), who married Samuel C. Lawrence. Mabel McLane Gordon married the Honorable Rowland Charles Frederick Leigh and lived in England with their children Rowland Henry Gordon and Margaret Ethel. Mabel was honored for her relief activities during World War I. She was the chief source of information for the rest of the family, especially Arthur, during Daisy's stormy marriage.

George Arthur (Arthur) Gordon, cotton merchant and civic leader of Savannah, married Margaret McGuire of Richmond, Va. Their children were Mary Stuart (1907- ), George Arthur, Jr. (1912- ), Edward McGuire (b. 1916), and Margaret Eleanor (1923- ). George Arthur, Jr., was a writer, and Edward died of an illness aboard ship during World War II. Arthur, a Yale graduate, was associated with his father in the cotton business. He was also active in the warehousing business, serving as president of the Savannah Warehouse and Compress Company, 1924-1941. In addition, Arthur served as captain in the Georgia State Troops; city alderman, specializing in monitoring police activities, 1907-1911; member of the Savannah Board of Education, 1920-1923; and trustee of the Chatham Academy. He belonged to many civic and social clubs and was a strong Savannah booster. He also was interested in Democratic Party politics at the national, state, and local levels. Arthur was Daisy's chief confidant during her struggles, and he and Mabel carried on a long and detailed correspondence throughout their lives.

Margaret (Peggy) Eleanor Gordon, daughter of George Arthur Gordon and Margaret McGuire, married the Reverend Robert S. Seiler. Between 1963 and 1968, they, along with their three children, lived in Manila, Philippines, while Robert Seiler worked for Church World Service.

(Based on note in the inventory to the Gordon Family Papers, Georgia Historical Society, and other sources.)

Scope and content:

The collection includes correspondence, account books, and other materials, 1810-1941, documenting more than a century of personal, business, political, military, and civic activity of the Gordon family of Savannah, Ga. Many items relate to W. W. Gordon's family life, Confederate Army service, cotton trade and activities with various cotton regulatory agencies, and military and diplomatic service during the Spanish American War. Besides extensive and detailed business correspondence relating to the buying and selling of South Carolinacotton, there is a large run of account books documenting transactions of W. W. Gordon & Company and its predecessor cotton factor and commission merchant firms. Family materials include much correspondence between Eleanor Lytle Kinzie Gordon (Nelly) and her mother in Chicago, Ill. During the Civil War, these letters show the anxiety and fear engendered in family members separated because of the struggle. Also included are several letters documenting the great Chicago fire of 1871 and its aftermath. There are also letters relating to the death of daughter Alice while she and Nelly were alone in New York, and others relating to Nelly's difficult relationship with Juliette Gordon Low (Daisy), who struggled with deafness as a child. Papers relating to G. Arthur Gordon reflect his cotton merchant activities; interests in local and national politics, including correspondence with brother-in-law, Richard Wayne Parker, lawyer and long-time New Jersey congressman; Gordon's involvement in civic clubs and in the Georgia State Troops; and his position as chief confidant of his parents and sisters in family struggles. While there are some Juliette Gordon Low papers relating to the Girl Scouts, among them correspondence with Robert Baden-Powell, most items relating to Daisy document her life in England, her unhappy marriage to William Mackay Low (Willie), and the economic consequences of his death as the couple tottered on the brink of a divorce spurred by Willie's infidelity. Mabel Gordon Leigh's papers relate chiefly to family affairs and to her World War I relief activities. The letters written by Margaret Gordon Seiler (Peggy), daughter of George Arthur Gordon, and her husband, the Reverend Robert S. Seiler, relate to their five-year posting to Manila, Philippines, with Church World Service, 1963-1968.

Acquisition information:

Received from G. Arthur Gordon of Savannah, Ga., in 1940; business volumes received from the Baker Library, Harvard Business School, in 1975; received from Margaret Gordon Seiler of Richmond, Va., in February 2003 (Acc. 99429) and October 2003 (Acc. 99648).

Processing information:

Processed by: Roslyn Holdzkom, 1993

Encoded by: Matt Turi, November 2003

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2021

This collection was processed with support, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, Washington, D.C., 1993-1994.

Sensitive materials statement:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Access and use

Restrictions to access:

This collection contains additional materials that are not processed and are currently not available to researchers. For information about access to these materials, contact Research and Instructional Services staff. Please be advised that preparing unprocessed materials for access can be a lengthy process.

Restrictions to use:

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

No usage restrictions.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], in the Gordon Family Papers #2235, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Location of this collection:
Louis Round Wilson Library
200 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Contact:
(919) 962-3765
wilsonlibrary@unc.edu