Ancestry Blog

Ancestry Blog: The Gordons

The Gordons have lived in Scotland all the way back to the 14th century (originally from Norway). In Scotland, families are referred to as clans, it creates an identity as you being part of your family. All those under the same name through blood or marriage are part of a clan. However after an extended period of time the Gordons made a name for themselves in Scotland, through fighting in many battles and there high role in the church. Now it is known as the house of Gordon. A house is more important, usually used for royal families or ones with a legacy. In the 18th and 19th century Gordons were known as farmers and were highly regarded in the church and within the religious community of Scotland. My ancestors most commonly lived in the southern part of Scotland, in places like Edinburgh, Hawick and Jedburgh.

Gordons commonly lived in South West and
South East parts of Scotland.

The regions of Scotland

My great great grandfather James Gordon was born on August 20, 1817. He was a farmer and lived in Howdenburgh, Scotland. He was the one to leave Scotland and come to Canada in 1853.

Scotland, 1800's

James Gordon

James Gordon's father, John Gordon was born in 1778. He was an officer in the British army. He eventually married and settled down in Hawick, Scotland. John Gordon had three sons, Walter, Thomas and James Gordon. Sadly, James died when he was almost two years old, so John Gordon had one more child and in in 1820 he was born and he named him James Gordon, after the first one. They all lived and worked together with his family on a farm in Hawick, Scotland. The family did not stay together long though. John Gordon died at the age 51 in 1829. Walter Gordon died at the age of 21 in 1834. Thomas Gordon joined a horse brigade in Africa, won a medal, and died in Africa. His mother passed away as well. James still ran the farm for decades, however, he was really lonely in Scotland. Eventually, at the age of 31 in 1853 he left his home in Scotland alone and left for Canada in hopes of finding a wife. He first went to Scarboro, Ontario, Canada. However he moved around a lot to places looking for any luck. Toronto and Widder are two examples of where he went, taking small part time jobs. Eventually he found a wife, Margarat Hamilton in 1856 and they had three kids. They all moved to Thedford, Ontario and ran a farm together. He died at the age of 83 in 1903. To this day the Gordons are still running that same farm. It is currently under the care of William Gordon, my uncle.

The farm James Gordon bought runs as a large dairy farm today, Gordons' Roxburgh Farms

What was life like for a teenager in Scotland today.

Life in many ways was very similar to my life today, mostly just a few cultural differences. In both countries, most families live in semi-detached houses, or even apartment buildings. There is however an greater amount of agricultural life in Scotland compared to here in Ontario. Scotland is much more like Canada's western provinces particularly Saskatchwan and Alberta. 80% of all Scotlands' farms grow barley, that is what it is famous for. There are some very popular activities in Scotland, such as canoeing and kayaking, skiing and snowboarding, and what Scotland is most famous for is golf, as it was first invented their in the 1400’s.

Like the western provinces of Canada, there are a lot more open landscapes without cities in Scotland. Fields, forest and rivers are all common in Scotland plains. Scotland also has glaciers and huge mountains in their nature. Weather is generally a bit warmer then in Canada, averaging winters around 2-5 degrees and summers around 19 degrees Celcius. In Scotland over 50% of the total population comes from some form of Christian background and have a faith that runs in their family, so I would most likely be a Christian. Schooling is very similar to Canada with primary, secondary and post-secondary schooling as being their curriculum, however Scotland has a 99% literacy rate. Healthcare is generally free to all Scots to the point of need and is paid through taxes; you can pay for more advanced healthcare, like a personal doctor or immediate attention. Scotland's population is just over 5 million people, about 1/7 of Canada's total population and is also much smaller in land size, so it is easier to travel around the country. You go from one coast to the other in Scotland and you wouldn’t even leave Ontario in Canada going the same distance. There are some great sight seeing attractions, mostly natural, like Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness, which is famous for being the fictional, or non-fictional, Lochness monster. I would love to have lived in Scotland.

Glasgow, Scotland. Pop: 600,000 

Scottish University students   

        





                                                             

Work Cited

Every Culture. www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Scotland.html.

Funky Ellas Travel. www.funkyellastravel.com/top-ten-things-to-do-with-your-teenager-in-scotland/.

House of Gordon. www.houseofgordon.com/.

Scotweb. www.scotweb.co.uk/info/gordon/.