The Jordan Family: Fred Jordan

By Scarlet Webber

The people who called Thurber home did not just disappear once Thurber became a ghost town. There are many records of people who continued their stories after their time in Thurber, and their stories are continued to be told through their family. One such person was Fred Jordan. James “Fred” Fredrick Jordan was born in Thurber, August 7, 1909. He was one of several kids raised by Reverend Thomas Clement Jordan and Blanche Elexis.

Thomas Clement Jordan’s father, Thomas Winfield Jones, came to Thurber with his family around the early 1900s. While there, Thomas Clement Jordan worked at the coal mining office. It was in Thurber that he met his wife Blanche Elexis, and the two became engaged in 1907. While no occupation is listed for Blanche, it was likely that she was a stay-at-home mother and possibly did odd jobs, as they had a total of 7 children to care for.  Half of their children were born in Thurber, with two of them passing away as young children and being buried in Mount Marion Cemetery in Strawn, Texas.

The oldest of the Jordan children was Thomas W. Jordan, born in 1908, who sadly passed away at just over a year old and was buried in Strawn. James “Fred” Fredrick Jordan, the second child, was born in 1909. The third child was Blanche Story Jordan, born in 1910, who lived in Texas until her death in 2000. The next sibling was Lottie Mae Jordan, born in 1913, who moved to California in her 20s and remained there until her passing in 2001. The fifth sibling was William Earnest Jordan. William was born in 1916 in Stephenville, but sadly passed away just before the age of two in Thurber and was buried in Strawn. Mary Ruth Jordan was the first of the Jordan children not born near Thurber. Mary was born in Dallas in 1919 and lived in Texas until her death in 1999. Lois E. Jordan was the last born of the Jordan children, and the only one born outside of Texas. She was born in December 1923, in Lamar, Colorado, but was raised in Texas. She eventually moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where she stayed until her death in 2013.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Fred Jordan became a reverend in 1934 in Washington, in the middle of the Great Depression, Jordan married Genevieve Easton that same year. After moving to California, they created the Fred Jordan Mission to help those who needed it. Fred Jordan made it his life mission to help others who were down on their luck, as well as spread the love of Jesus. It is possible that this was due to his upbringing in Thurber, and him seeing the different lives of those living there. In 1951, Fred Jordan also became a television minister with “Church in the Home,” wanting to spread the word of Jesus. At the age of 78, Reverend Fred Jordan had a heart attack and passed away in 1988. Many people spoke of the work that they did throughout their lives. Due to his work and popularity the story of Fred Jordan continues on, however, not everyone can be so lucky. Most only have their family to continue their stories. For those wishing to learn how to preserve their family history the W. K. Gordon Museum can help point you in the right direction.

For more information on preserving your family history contact the museum at gordoncenter@tarleton.edu.