Some of the places along the coast, the Outer Banks of NC, etc. that retain that Elizabethan speech still pronounce it "JERR den". I may be mis-remembering, but President Carter had a fellow Georgian on staff, Hamilton Jordan, and I think they pronounced that "JERR den", too. Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Jan 6, 2007, at 8:07 PM, Connie Lapallo wrote: > Hi Neil, > > I wrote a novel (Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky) > based on > Joan Peirce and her daughter Cecily Reynolds. Cecily's second > husband was > Samuel Jordan of Jordan's Journey. Samuel was a character in the > book, but > will play a more important role in the sequel. I'm writing the > sequel now, > which will largely focus on Cecily's life, including her marriage to > Samuel and the development of Jordan's Journey. I'm a descendent of > Cecily > from her first marriage to a Bailey. > > My research for the sequel is still in progress, but I can tell you > that > you're correct that there's no definitive proof (that I'm aware of) > that > Samuel was a passenger on the Sea Venture. However, he received a land > grant on 10 December 1620 which listed him as a "an ancient planter > who > hath abode ten yeares compleat in this Colony." From this, we know he > either came on the Patience and Deliverance (with the Sea Venture > survivors) or on De La Warr's ships in June 1610. He appeared to > have a > strong military background (suggested by how well-fortified Jordan's > Journey was and the similarity of its structures to those of an Irish > bawn.) I believe he was probably in the group of mercenaries left > without > work when a truce was called in the Lowlands in 1609. His (probable) > distant cousin Silvester was definitely on the Sea Venture, and his > first > cousin's (Joan Peirce's) husband was also on there. I think the Sea > Venture is a sound assumption, though not definite. > > The name "Beggar's Bush" was probably a corruption of "Biker's > Bush." The > neighboring land was that of William Biker, and there is a Bicker's > Creek > on present day maps near there as well. Please see W&M Quarterly, > April > 1941, p.180-181 for a more detailed explanation. > > Samuel would have pronounced his name "JERR-den." His ancestors > probably > came to England from France after the Hundred Years war. This distinct > pronounciation survived in Virginia for many years, and is > distinguishable > from the ancient family of English Jordans who pronounce it more as we > would expect: "JOR-den". Given that, "Jordan's Journey" was much more > alliterative than it appears on paper! > > I love the charcter of Sam Jordan and am eager to do more research > on him. > > Best of luck. I hope this helps. > > Sincerely, > Connie Lapallo > author of DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS IN A JAMESTOWN SKY > www.ConnieLapallo.com > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html