US Naval Veteran (1887-1916), and the first African-American to attend naval gunnery school and become a rated gunner's mate. On May 1, 1898 as a gunner's mate first class, he was the port gun captain of the twin 8-inch forward turret guns on Commodore George Dewey's flagship, USFS Olympia. Olympia's forward turret starboard gun fired the first shot in the Battle of Manila Bay, the first engagement of the Spanish American War.
The youngest of nine children, John was born at Jersey City, New Jersey (some later records say Washington, D.C.) on July 6, 1871 to Virginia-born African-American parents, Henry C. Jordan, a laborer at the US Capital, and his wife Margaret E. (Graham) Jordan, a housekeeper. In 1880 the family was living in Washington, D.C., and the three youngest Jordan children, John, George M. and Emma E were at school. Two older children, 18 year old Thomas W. worked as a barber and 25 year old Maria L. worked as a public school teacher. John attended Washington, D.C. public schools through his first year of high school.
A month shy of his 16th birthday, on June 17, 1887, he enlisted at Washington, D.C., for five years as an apprentice boy third class on the receiving ship, USS Dale, Commander Yates Stirling, Sr., commanding. He was 5 feet 1 1/2 inches tall and gave his birthplace as Jersey City, NJ. After five years' service he was attached to the Seaman Gunner's School on June 25, 1892, and on reenlisting a month later, continued the training which he completed at Washington and Newport on August 28, 1893. He was the first African-American sailor to complete training as a gunner.
By the time of the Spanish American War, John had advanced in rate to Gunner's Mate 1st class and was attached to the cruiser USS Baltimore. Recommissioned on 12 October 1897, Baltimore sailed on 20 October for the Hawaiian Islands and remained there from 7 November 1897 to 25 March 1898. She then joined Commodore George Dewey's squadron at Hong Kong on 22 April. Two days later, Jordan was detached from Baltimore and to Dewey's flagship, USS Olympia. Jordan was popular with his shipmates, and the ship's newspaper, "The Bounding Billow", chronicles his talents as a member of the ship's string quartet, minstrel group, baseball team, and a singer "who simply brought down the house with his inimitable rendition of that favorite song 'Standing on the Corner' and was encored and bravoed until he came out again and sang 'Since Murphy broke his Pledge', which he did with comical effect."
On a more serious note, Jordan was regarded as one of the two "best shots" along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Patrick Murray. On May 1, 1898, Jordan and Murray were the gun captains for the cruiser's forward turret, twin- 8 inch guns. On the famous command of Commodore Dewey to Olympia's commanding officer, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley", Captain Gridley gave the order to Lt. Stokely Morgan, forward main battery turret captain, and the order was executed by CPO Murray, the starboard gun captain, who aimed and fired the first American shot of the Battle of Manila Bay, directed at Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo's flagship, Reina Christina, and the signal for the five other ships of Dewey's Asiatic Squadron to commence firing. The nine ships of Montojo's squadron present at the Cavite naval base were sunk or immobilized by 1230 that afternoon.
The next day, Jordan was detailed to destroy the Spanish guns, magazines and munitions at Cavite and Sangley Point, Philippines, led by Lt. Morgan. After the fall of Manila on August 13, 1898, he was the diver selected to work with the engineer corps in removing obstructions placed by the Spanish in the Pasig River during the American siege. Both Jordan and Murray were detached from the USS Olympia to the cruiser Raleigh in December 1898, which steamed on the 13,000 mile voyage back to the U.S. through the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, reaching New York City on April 15, 1899. Given leave after war, he resided at home with his mother and sister at 638 Acker St. N.E., Washington, D.C.
By 1900, Jordan had advanced to Gunner's Mate 1c and was stationed aboard the battleship USS Iowa. He listed his residence as 312 3rd St. S.W. in Washington, D.C. On September 8, 1903, he reenlisted at Annapolis Maryland where he was attached to the US Naval Academy. Coincidentally, during that same time period, his compatriot Patrick Murray was also attached to Naval Academy duties training America's future naval officers. By June, 1905, Jordan had advanced to Chief Gunner's Mate and was admitted on the seventeenth of that month to a naval hospital for hernia repair, resulting from an injury sustained by a rifle butt, and was returned to duty on July 22, 1905. When he was 36 , he married Beatrice Helen Hicklin, six years younger, on October 7, 1907 at Des Moines, Iowa. They had no children. Per the 1910 federal census, Jordan was stationed at the Culebra Naval Reservation in Puerto Rico. During his 30 years in the Navy, he was attached to many ships, including, USS Dale, Jamestown, Minnesota, Wabash, Richmond, Atlanta, Vermont, Monterrey, Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Iowa, Hartford, Don Juan de Austria, Peoria, Lancaster, Alliance and Illinois.
As early as 1899, he suffered from advanced hearing loss due to the occupational hazards of his navy diving and gunnery duties. Jordan retired from the Navy on December 7, 1916- exactly 25 years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His last duty station was captain of the rifle range at League Island Naval Station in Philadelphia. On his retirement, he received a letter from the Navy Department which stated that he "was a valuable man in uplifting of the navy" and that "it regrets very much to see you retire from active life in the Navy." John Jordan and his wife Beatrice lived in Philadelphia following his retirement at 1226 S. Mole St. In addition to being awarded the Dewey Medal for his service in Commodore Dewey's Asiatic Squadron during the Battle of Manila Bay, he had six awards of the Navy Good Conduct Medal. Chief Gunner's Mate John Christopher Jordan, age 52, passed away on December 10, 1923 at the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia of tubercular meningitis. He was survived by Beatrice, who never remarried and passed away in 1961 at Philadelphia. His older brother, Thomas, an army veteran, brought his remains back to the family plot at Harmony Memorial Park, a historic African-American cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., where he is buried along with other family members. Sadly, John Jordan's grave is unmarked. It likely had a gravestone that was lost when the cemetery was moved in the 1950s and many markers were lost.
The youngest of nine children, John was born at Jersey City, New Jersey (some later records say Washington, D.C.) on July 6, 1871 to Virginia-born African-American parents, Henry C. Jordan, a laborer at the US Capital, and his wife Margaret E. (Graham) Jordan, a housekeeper. In 1880 the family was living in Washington, D.C., and the three youngest Jordan children, John, George M. and Emma E were at school. Two older children, 18 year old Thomas W. worked as a barber and 25 year old Maria L. worked as a public school teacher. John attended Washington, D.C. public schools through his first year of high school.
A month shy of his 16th birthday, on June 17, 1887, he enlisted at Washington, D.C., for five years as an apprentice boy third class on the receiving ship, USS Dale, Commander Yates Stirling, Sr., commanding. He was 5 feet 1 1/2 inches tall and gave his birthplace as Jersey City, NJ. After five years' service he was attached to the Seaman Gunner's School on June 25, 1892, and on reenlisting a month later, continued the training which he completed at Washington and Newport on August 28, 1893. He was the first African-American sailor to complete training as a gunner.
By the time of the Spanish American War, John had advanced in rate to Gunner's Mate 1st class and was attached to the cruiser USS Baltimore. Recommissioned on 12 October 1897, Baltimore sailed on 20 October for the Hawaiian Islands and remained there from 7 November 1897 to 25 March 1898. She then joined Commodore George Dewey's squadron at Hong Kong on 22 April. Two days later, Jordan was detached from Baltimore and to Dewey's flagship, USS Olympia. Jordan was popular with his shipmates, and the ship's newspaper, "The Bounding Billow", chronicles his talents as a member of the ship's string quartet, minstrel group, baseball team, and a singer "who simply brought down the house with his inimitable rendition of that favorite song 'Standing on the Corner' and was encored and bravoed until he came out again and sang 'Since Murphy broke his Pledge', which he did with comical effect."
On a more serious note, Jordan was regarded as one of the two "best shots" along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Patrick Murray. On May 1, 1898, Jordan and Murray were the gun captains for the cruiser's forward turret, twin- 8 inch guns. On the famous command of Commodore Dewey to Olympia's commanding officer, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley", Captain Gridley gave the order to Lt. Stokely Morgan, forward main battery turret captain, and the order was executed by CPO Murray, the starboard gun captain, who aimed and fired the first American shot of the Battle of Manila Bay, directed at Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo's flagship, Reina Christina, and the signal for the five other ships of Dewey's Asiatic Squadron to commence firing. The nine ships of Montojo's squadron present at the Cavite naval base were sunk or immobilized by 1230 that afternoon.
The next day, Jordan was detailed to destroy the Spanish guns, magazines and munitions at Cavite and Sangley Point, Philippines, led by Lt. Morgan. After the fall of Manila on August 13, 1898, he was the diver selected to work with the engineer corps in removing obstructions placed by the Spanish in the Pasig River during the American siege. Both Jordan and Murray were detached from the USS Olympia to the cruiser Raleigh in December 1898, which steamed on the 13,000 mile voyage back to the U.S. through the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, reaching New York City on April 15, 1899. Given leave after war, he resided at home with his mother and sister at 638 Acker St. N.E., Washington, D.C.
By 1900, Jordan had advanced to Gunner's Mate 1c and was stationed aboard the battleship USS Iowa. He listed his residence as 312 3rd St. S.W. in Washington, D.C. On September 8, 1903, he reenlisted at Annapolis Maryland where he was attached to the US Naval Academy. Coincidentally, during that same time period, his compatriot Patrick Murray was also attached to Naval Academy duties training America's future naval officers. By June, 1905, Jordan had advanced to Chief Gunner's Mate and was admitted on the seventeenth of that month to a naval hospital for hernia repair, resulting from an injury sustained by a rifle butt, and was returned to duty on July 22, 1905. When he was 36 , he married Beatrice Helen Hicklin, six years younger, on October 7, 1907 at Des Moines, Iowa. They had no children. Per the 1910 federal census, Jordan was stationed at the Culebra Naval Reservation in Puerto Rico. During his 30 years in the Navy, he was attached to many ships, including, USS Dale, Jamestown, Minnesota, Wabash, Richmond, Atlanta, Vermont, Monterrey, Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Iowa, Hartford, Don Juan de Austria, Peoria, Lancaster, Alliance and Illinois.
As early as 1899, he suffered from advanced hearing loss due to the occupational hazards of his navy diving and gunnery duties. Jordan retired from the Navy on December 7, 1916- exactly 25 years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His last duty station was captain of the rifle range at League Island Naval Station in Philadelphia. On his retirement, he received a letter from the Navy Department which stated that he "was a valuable man in uplifting of the navy" and that "it regrets very much to see you retire from active life in the Navy." John Jordan and his wife Beatrice lived in Philadelphia following his retirement at 1226 S. Mole St. In addition to being awarded the Dewey Medal for his service in Commodore Dewey's Asiatic Squadron during the Battle of Manila Bay, he had six awards of the Navy Good Conduct Medal. Chief Gunner's Mate John Christopher Jordan, age 52, passed away on December 10, 1923 at the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia of tubercular meningitis. He was survived by Beatrice, who never remarried and passed away in 1961 at Philadelphia. His older brother, Thomas, an army veteran, brought his remains back to the family plot at Harmony Memorial Park, a historic African-American cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., where he is buried along with other family members. Sadly, John Jordan's grave is unmarked. It likely had a gravestone that was lost when the cemetery was moved in the 1950s and many markers were lost.
US Naval Veteran (1887-1916), and the first African-American to attend naval gunnery school and become a rated gunner's mate. On May 1, 1898 as a gunner's mate first class, he was the port gun captain of the twin 8-inch forward turret guns on Commodore George Dewey's flagship, USFS Olympia. Olympia's forward turret starboard gun fired the first shot in the Battle of Manila Bay, the first engagement of the Spanish American War.
The youngest of nine children, John was born at Jersey City, New Jersey (some later records say Washington, D.C.) on July 6, 1871 to Virginia-born African-American parents, Henry C. Jordan, a laborer at the US Capital, and his wife Margaret E. (Graham) Jordan, a housekeeper. In 1880 the family was living in Washington, D.C., and the three youngest Jordan children, John, George M. and Emma E were at school. Two older children, 18 year old Thomas W. worked as a barber and 25 year old Maria L. worked as a public school teacher. John attended Washington, D.C. public schools through his first year of high school.
A month shy of his 16th birthday, on June 17, 1887, he enlisted at Washington, D.C., for five years as an apprentice boy third class on the receiving ship, USS Dale, Commander Yates Stirling, Sr., commanding. He was 5 feet 1 1/2 inches tall and gave his birthplace as Jersey City, NJ. After five years' service he was attached to the Seaman Gunner's School on June 25, 1892, and on reenlisting a month later, continued the training which he completed at Washington and Newport on August 28, 1893. He was the first African-American sailor to complete training as a gunner.
By the time of the Spanish American War, John had advanced in rate to Gunner's Mate 1st class and was attached to the cruiser USS Baltimore. Recommissioned on 12 October 1897, Baltimore sailed on 20 October for the Hawaiian Islands and remained there from 7 November 1897 to 25 March 1898. She then joined Commodore George Dewey's squadron at Hong Kong on 22 April. Two days later, Jordan was detached from Baltimore and to Dewey's flagship, USS Olympia. Jordan was popular with his shipmates, and the ship's newspaper, "The Bounding Billow", chronicles his talents as a member of the ship's string quartet, minstrel group, baseball team, and a singer "who simply brought down the house with his inimitable rendition of that favorite song 'Standing on the Corner' and was encored and bravoed until he came out again and sang 'Since Murphy broke his Pledge', which he did with comical effect."
On a more serious note, Jordan was regarded as one of the two "best shots" along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Patrick Murray. On May 1, 1898, Jordan and Murray were the gun captains for the cruiser's forward turret, twin- 8 inch guns. On the famous command of Commodore Dewey to Olympia's commanding officer, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley", Captain Gridley gave the order to Lt. Stokely Morgan, forward main battery turret captain, and the order was executed by CPO Murray, the starboard gun captain, who aimed and fired the first American shot of the Battle of Manila Bay, directed at Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo's flagship, Reina Christina, and the signal for the five other ships of Dewey's Asiatic Squadron to commence firing. The nine ships of Montojo's squadron present at the Cavite naval base were sunk or immobilized by 1230 that afternoon.
The next day, Jordan was detailed to destroy the Spanish guns, magazines and munitions at Cavite and Sangley Point, Philippines, led by Lt. Morgan. After the fall of Manila on August 13, 1898, he was the diver selected to work with the engineer corps in removing obstructions placed by the Spanish in the Pasig River during the American siege. Both Jordan and Murray were detached from the USS Olympia to the cruiser Raleigh in December 1898, which steamed on the 13,000 mile voyage back to the U.S. through the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, reaching New York City on April 15, 1899. Given leave after war, he resided at home with his mother and sister at 638 Acker St. N.E., Washington, D.C.
By 1900, Jordan had advanced to Gunner's Mate 1c and was stationed aboard the battleship USS Iowa. He listed his residence as 312 3rd St. S.W. in Washington, D.C. On September 8, 1903, he reenlisted at Annapolis Maryland where he was attached to the US Naval Academy. Coincidentally, during that same time period, his compatriot Patrick Murray was also attached to Naval Academy duties training America's future naval officers. By June, 1905, Jordan had advanced to Chief Gunner's Mate and was admitted on the seventeenth of that month to a naval hospital for hernia repair, resulting from an injury sustained by a rifle butt, and was returned to duty on July 22, 1905. When he was 36 , he married Beatrice Helen Hicklin, six years younger, on October 7, 1907 at Des Moines, Iowa. They had no children. Per the 1910 federal census, Jordan was stationed at the Culebra Naval Reservation in Puerto Rico. During his 30 years in the Navy, he was attached to many ships, including, USS Dale, Jamestown, Minnesota, Wabash, Richmond, Atlanta, Vermont, Monterrey, Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Iowa, Hartford, Don Juan de Austria, Peoria, Lancaster, Alliance and Illinois.
As early as 1899, he suffered from advanced hearing loss due to the occupational hazards of his navy diving and gunnery duties. Jordan retired from the Navy on December 7, 1916- exactly 25 years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His last duty station was captain of the rifle range at League Island Naval Station in Philadelphia. On his retirement, he received a letter from the Navy Department which stated that he "was a valuable man in uplifting of the navy" and that "it regrets very much to see you retire from active life in the Navy." John Jordan and his wife Beatrice lived in Philadelphia following his retirement at 1226 S. Mole St. In addition to being awarded the Dewey Medal for his service in Commodore Dewey's Asiatic Squadron during the Battle of Manila Bay, he had six awards of the Navy Good Conduct Medal. Chief Gunner's Mate John Christopher Jordan, age 52, passed away on December 10, 1923 at the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia of tubercular meningitis. He was survived by Beatrice, who never remarried and passed away in 1961 at Philadelphia. His older brother, Thomas, an army veteran, brought his remains back to the family plot at Harmony Memorial Park, a historic African-American cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., where he is buried along with other family members. Sadly, John Jordan's grave is unmarked. It likely had a gravestone that was lost when the cemetery was moved in the 1950s and many markers were lost.
The youngest of nine children, John was born at Jersey City, New Jersey (some later records say Washington, D.C.) on July 6, 1871 to Virginia-born African-American parents, Henry C. Jordan, a laborer at the US Capital, and his wife Margaret E. (Graham) Jordan, a housekeeper. In 1880 the family was living in Washington, D.C., and the three youngest Jordan children, John, George M. and Emma E were at school. Two older children, 18 year old Thomas W. worked as a barber and 25 year old Maria L. worked as a public school teacher. John attended Washington, D.C. public schools through his first year of high school.
A month shy of his 16th birthday, on June 17, 1887, he enlisted at Washington, D.C., for five years as an apprentice boy third class on the receiving ship, USS Dale, Commander Yates Stirling, Sr., commanding. He was 5 feet 1 1/2 inches tall and gave his birthplace as Jersey City, NJ. After five years' service he was attached to the Seaman Gunner's School on June 25, 1892, and on reenlisting a month later, continued the training which he completed at Washington and Newport on August 28, 1893. He was the first African-American sailor to complete training as a gunner.
By the time of the Spanish American War, John had advanced in rate to Gunner's Mate 1st class and was attached to the cruiser USS Baltimore. Recommissioned on 12 October 1897, Baltimore sailed on 20 October for the Hawaiian Islands and remained there from 7 November 1897 to 25 March 1898. She then joined Commodore George Dewey's squadron at Hong Kong on 22 April. Two days later, Jordan was detached from Baltimore and to Dewey's flagship, USS Olympia. Jordan was popular with his shipmates, and the ship's newspaper, "The Bounding Billow", chronicles his talents as a member of the ship's string quartet, minstrel group, baseball team, and a singer "who simply brought down the house with his inimitable rendition of that favorite song 'Standing on the Corner' and was encored and bravoed until he came out again and sang 'Since Murphy broke his Pledge', which he did with comical effect."
On a more serious note, Jordan was regarded as one of the two "best shots" along with Chief Boatswain's Mate Patrick Murray. On May 1, 1898, Jordan and Murray were the gun captains for the cruiser's forward turret, twin- 8 inch guns. On the famous command of Commodore Dewey to Olympia's commanding officer, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley", Captain Gridley gave the order to Lt. Stokely Morgan, forward main battery turret captain, and the order was executed by CPO Murray, the starboard gun captain, who aimed and fired the first American shot of the Battle of Manila Bay, directed at Spanish Admiral Patricio Montojo's flagship, Reina Christina, and the signal for the five other ships of Dewey's Asiatic Squadron to commence firing. The nine ships of Montojo's squadron present at the Cavite naval base were sunk or immobilized by 1230 that afternoon.
The next day, Jordan was detailed to destroy the Spanish guns, magazines and munitions at Cavite and Sangley Point, Philippines, led by Lt. Morgan. After the fall of Manila on August 13, 1898, he was the diver selected to work with the engineer corps in removing obstructions placed by the Spanish in the Pasig River during the American siege. Both Jordan and Murray were detached from the USS Olympia to the cruiser Raleigh in December 1898, which steamed on the 13,000 mile voyage back to the U.S. through the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, reaching New York City on April 15, 1899. Given leave after war, he resided at home with his mother and sister at 638 Acker St. N.E., Washington, D.C.
By 1900, Jordan had advanced to Gunner's Mate 1c and was stationed aboard the battleship USS Iowa. He listed his residence as 312 3rd St. S.W. in Washington, D.C. On September 8, 1903, he reenlisted at Annapolis Maryland where he was attached to the US Naval Academy. Coincidentally, during that same time period, his compatriot Patrick Murray was also attached to Naval Academy duties training America's future naval officers. By June, 1905, Jordan had advanced to Chief Gunner's Mate and was admitted on the seventeenth of that month to a naval hospital for hernia repair, resulting from an injury sustained by a rifle butt, and was returned to duty on July 22, 1905. When he was 36 , he married Beatrice Helen Hicklin, six years younger, on October 7, 1907 at Des Moines, Iowa. They had no children. Per the 1910 federal census, Jordan was stationed at the Culebra Naval Reservation in Puerto Rico. During his 30 years in the Navy, he was attached to many ships, including, USS Dale, Jamestown, Minnesota, Wabash, Richmond, Atlanta, Vermont, Monterrey, Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Iowa, Hartford, Don Juan de Austria, Peoria, Lancaster, Alliance and Illinois.
As early as 1899, he suffered from advanced hearing loss due to the occupational hazards of his navy diving and gunnery duties. Jordan retired from the Navy on December 7, 1916- exactly 25 years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His last duty station was captain of the rifle range at League Island Naval Station in Philadelphia. On his retirement, he received a letter from the Navy Department which stated that he "was a valuable man in uplifting of the navy" and that "it regrets very much to see you retire from active life in the Navy." John Jordan and his wife Beatrice lived in Philadelphia following his retirement at 1226 S. Mole St. In addition to being awarded the Dewey Medal for his service in Commodore Dewey's Asiatic Squadron during the Battle of Manila Bay, he had six awards of the Navy Good Conduct Medal. Chief Gunner's Mate John Christopher Jordan, age 52, passed away on December 10, 1923 at the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia of tubercular meningitis. He was survived by Beatrice, who never remarried and passed away in 1961 at Philadelphia. His older brother, Thomas, an army veteran, brought his remains back to the family plot at Harmony Memorial Park, a historic African-American cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., where he is buried along with other family members. Sadly, John Jordan's grave is unmarked. It likely had a gravestone that was lost when the cemetery was moved in the 1950s and many markers were lost.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
