Jackson, Illinois

THE Gordon family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry. John Gordon, the grandfather, was born in Wheeling, Va., in 1763. He married Mary McKinnon, of Washington county, Pennsylvania. Soon after moved to Hamilton, Ohio, from there to Cincinnati, then to Evaasville, Indiana, and in 1819 to Lawrence county, Illinois. There were six sons and two daughters in the family. Robert M., the father of Robert S., was the name of one of the sons. He was born in Washington county, Penn. He came west with his father in an early day, and to Wabash county, Illinois, in 1829, and settled in Mt Carmel. Here he followed merchandising and various other businesses, chief among which was hotel-keeping, brick-making, stock-trading, and subsequently studied law. Commenced the practice and drifted into politics, and became a local political leader. On several occasions he was a candidate for county office, and once for the legislature. In politics he was a Democrat of the Jackson school. He died Sept. 27, 1841. In 1823, at New Albany, Indiana, he married Elizabeth Collins, who was a native of Ohio ; born March llth, 1810. She died March 15, 1871. By the latter union there were two sons and four daughters. The eldest son died in infancy. Robert Squire Gordon, of whom we write, is the fifth in the family. He was born in Mt. Carmel, Wabash county, Illinois, August 26, 1838. His education in schools practically ended with his thirteenth year. He then became self-supporting. At the age of fifteen he commenced work on a farm. Soon after he went to his relatives in Charleston, Illinois, and there apprenticed himself to learn the carpenter trade. He served eighteen months when the war of the rebellion broke out. He then enlisted as a private, for the term of three years, in Co. B. 21st Regt. Ills. Vols. Infantry, Col. U. S. Grant, commanding. The Hate of his enlistment was May 9, 1861. He participated with his regiment in all the battles and skirmishes in which it was engaged up to Sept. 24, 1864, when he was detailed on secret service duty, and served in that capacity until the end of the war. He veteranized with his regiment; February 26, 1864. After the close of the war, Sept! 21st, 1865, he was detailed the second time by Major Gen. Stanley, and ordered on duty at Victoria, Texas, and finally mustered out and discharged Dec. 16, 1865, having been in active service four years and seven months. After Mr. Gordon's discharge from the service he remained in San Aatonia, Texas, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. From the latter place he went to Pleasanton, in Atascosa county, and there engaged in the grocery trade. In May, 1868, he returned to Mt. Carmel, and here soon after engaged in farming. In Sept. 1871, in connection with Henry Utter, engaged in the dry goods business in Mt. Carmel, in which they continued until March, 1873. He remained out of business until Nov. 1875, then opened a drug store, and has continued in the drug trade until the present.

Passage source: Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1883.

and Elizabeth Schneck. He was born near New Harmony, Posey county, Indiana, December 11, 1843. He was reared upon the farm, and received a fair English education in the schools of his native county. He remained at home until soon after the breaking out of the late war, when on the 13th of November, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company E of the 60th Regt., Ind. Vol. Infantry. He was captured while on the skirmish line at the battle of Jackson, which occurred a few days after the fall of Vicksburg. He was piroled and sent north. Owing to some irregularity in the exchange, he failed to be exchanged regularly, therefore did not rejoin his command, but re-enlisted, entering the naval service at Brooklyn, New York. The date of the latter enlistment was May 18, 1864. He was assigned to duty on a vessel that had a roving commission, and whose chief duty it was to watch and capture blockade runners. He was subsequently assigned to duty on theMetacomet, and took part in the naval campaign oif Mobile and at Fort Morgan and Spanish Fort. He was mustered out and discharged from the service at Philadelphia, May 31st, 1865. He returned home, and feeling the necessity of having a better education, went t< school and spent some time in the academy at Owenville fitting himself for the profession of teaching. In 1867 he went to Olney in Richland county, 111 , and taught school, and while there concluded to enter the profession of Medicine. He commenced the study under the direction of Dr Goslin, of Olney. The next year he came to Mt. Carmel, taught school and coniinued his studies under Dr. Wm. Graham . In the winter of 1868-69, he took a course in the Chicago Medical College. His money being exhausted, he was compelled to go back to teaching, by which means he secured sufficient funds to enable him to enter the Medical College for the second course. He graduated in March, 1871, with the degree of M. D. He commenced the practice in Mt. Carmel, which by close attention and uniform success, soon grew extensive and lucrative. Dr. Schneck belongs to the progressive order of physicians, and keeps fully posted in all the new methods and latest discoveries in the science of medicine. He is president of the Wabash Medical Society, and a member of the State Medical and Natural History Societies. He is a member of A. F. and A. M., belongs to Mt. Carmel Lodge No. 239, and Mt. Carmel Chapter No. 159. On the 28th of November, 1872, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary, daughter of John and Mary Hartraann. One child, a son, has been born to them, named Sereno Schueck. Both Mr. and Mrs. Schneck are members of the M. E. Church. He is Republican in politics, and an advocate of the Temperance cause.

Passage source: Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1883.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Lawrence Township.