[Index]
James GORDON (1822 - 1904)
discovered Port Denison, and was for years Magistrate and Mining Commissioner at Townsville
Children Self + Spouses Parents Grandparents Greatgrandparents
James GORDON (1858 - 1936)
William John GORDON (1860 - 1861)
Henry GORDON (1862 - 1864)
Sarah Elizabeth GORDON (1863 - 1947)
Robert GORDON (1866 - 1944)
Mary GORDON (1868 - 1868)
Thomas GORDON (1869 - 1943)
Ellen Jane GORDON (1871 - )
Wallace GORDON (1874 - )
James GORDON (1822 - 1904)

+

Jane PHELPS (1830 - 1904)




























James GORDON Jane PHELPS

James GORDON James GORDON James GORDON James GORDON
James GORDON Jane PHELPS James GORDON James GORDON James GORDON James GORDON
b. 1822 at Nunbank, Dumfries-shire, Scotland
m. 26 Aug 1856 Jane PHELPS (1830 - 1904) at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
d. 09 Jul 1904 at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia aged 82
Near Relatives of James GORDON (1822 - 1904)
Relationship Person Born Birth Place Died Death Place Age
Father in Law John PHELPS 1878 Bowen, Queensland, Australia
Mother in Law Elizabeth MURPHY

Self James GORDON 1822 Nunbank, Dumfries-shire, Scotland 09 Jul 1904 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 82

Wife Jane PHELPS 1830 Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK 02 Oct 1904 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 74

Son James GORDON 1858 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 19 Jan 1936 Queensland, Australia 78
Son William John GORDON 1860 Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia 1861 Queensland, Australia 1
Son Henry GORDON 1862 Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia 1864 Queensland, Australia 2
Daughter Sarah Elizabeth GORDON 22 Sep 1863 Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia 20 Mar 1947 Queensland, Australia 83
Son Robert GORDON 22 Dec 1866 Townsville, Queensland, Australia 1944 Bulawayo, Rhodesia 78
Daughter Mary GORDON 1868 Townsville, Queensland, Australia 1868 Queensland, Australia 0
Son Thomas GORDON 13 Nov 1869 Townsville, Queensland, Australia 28 Sep 1943 Queensland, Australia 73
Daughter Ellen Jane GORDON 1871 Queensland, Australia
Son Wallace GORDON 1874 Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Son in Law Oscar Ernest VON STIEGLITZ 27 Sep 1856 Fingal, Tasmania, Australia 27 Aug 1914 Queensland, Australia 57
Daughter in Law Lucy Elizabeth LANGHORNE 1869 Townsville, Queensland, Australia 1943 Taroom, Queensland, Australia 74

Granddaughter Emily Florence VON STIEGLITZ 1894 Queensland, Australia
Grandson Robert Oscar VON STIEGLITZ 16 Feb 1896 Townsville, Queensland, Australia 26 Mar 1917 Blangy, France 21
Granddaughter Selina Gordon VON STIEGLITZ 1898 Queensland, Australia
Granddaughter Jane Jean Mary VON STIEGLITZ 12 Oct 1900 Queensland, Australia 06 Nov 1918 Queensland, Australia 18
Granddaughter Heather Gordon VON STIEGLITZ 1902 Queensland, Australia 31 Mar 1997 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia 95
Granddaughter Phillis Annie Lucy VON STIEGLITZ 1906 Queensland, Australia 04 Jul 1993 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia 87
Grandson Edgar Gordon VON STIEGLITZ 14 Jun 1906 Queensland, Australia 05 Jul 1958 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 52
Grandson Thomas Langhorne GORDON 16 Apr 1916 Queensland, Australia

Events in James GORDON (1822 - 1904)'s life
Date Age Event Place Notes Src
1822 James GORDON was born Nunbank, Dumfries-shire, Scotland 18
26 Aug 1856 34 Married Jane PHELPS (aged 26) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1858 36 Birth of son James GORDON Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2936/1858 18
1860 38 Birth of son William John GORDON Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
1861 39 Death of son William John GORDON (aged 1) Queensland, Australia
1862 40 Birth of son Henry GORDON Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
22 Sep 1863 41 Birth of daughter Sarah Elizabeth GORDON Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia 18
1864 42 Death of son Henry GORDON (aged 2) Queensland, Australia
22 Dec 1866 44 Birth of son Robert GORDON Townsville, Queensland, Australia
1868 46 Birth of daughter Mary GORDON Townsville, Queensland, Australia
1868 46 Death of daughter Mary GORDON Queensland, Australia
13 Nov 1869 47 Birth of son Thomas GORDON Townsville, Queensland, Australia
1871 49 Birth of daughter Ellen Jane GORDON Queensland, Australia
1874 52 Birth of son Wallace GORDON Townsville, Queensland, Australia
09 Jul 1904 82 James GORDON died Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 18
Personal Notes:
James discovered Port Denison (Details attached), and was for years Magistrate and Mining Commissioner at Townsville. He was the first Government Officer appointed to Townsville, arriving there in 1865. Some of his roles included Police magistrate, Sub-collector of Customs, Harbour Master, Shipping Master, Clerk of Petty Sessions, Postmaster, and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (he was also "Inspector of Polynesians'')

In 1937, an article about the Anglican Church in North Queensland included “the name of James Gordon stands out as one to be remembered with respect and gratitude.” It goes on to discuss his life, some of what he did and his character.
Source References:
18. Type: E-mail Message, Abbr: e-mails general pool, Title: e-mails general pool
- Reference = James Barrett 25 May 2021 (Birth)
- Notes: I saw your family tree on the Oscar Ernest Von Stieglitz. I knew two of his children when I was a child - Heather and Phyllis. Through my mother I am a direct descendant of James Gordon (1822-1904) of Townsville and the Langhornes - Tasmania, Melbourne and Carabah via Taroom.

I would visit Heather and Phyllis at their home "Nunbank" at 44 Eleanor Street (photo attached), Toowoomba with their cousin, my grandmother Muriel Maude Langhorne Carter (1912-1996). It was the home of the Stieglitz family for many years. Sarah Elizabeth Stieglitz nee Gordon (widow of Oscar Ernest Stieglitz) and her daughters who never married, Phyllis Annie Lucy Stieglitz and Heather Gordon Stieglitz resided there as early as 1931 and the dwelling remained in the family till Phyllis and Heather became residents of Brodribb Home sometime in the 1980's. There was a booklet written about this cottage by Beris Broderick of Toowoomba.

I notice you do not have the dates of their deaths: Heather died on 31 Mar 1997 and is buried in the Toowoomba Garden of Remembrance. Phyllis died on 4 Jul 1993 and is also interned in the Garden of Remembrance in Toowoomba.

When I was a child I remember seeing a photo of their sister Rowena Eleanor Turner VON STIEGLITZ (1882 - 1902) at Carabah (I spent most of my school holidays on the neighbouring property Cluden, which my great grandfather Thomas Gordon started - Thomas married Lucy Langhorne). I remember Rowena was stunningly beautiful in the photo. Apparently she died at Carabah from a tuberculosis hemorrhage after being out riding. She died next to the cattle yard.

It seems the 7 von Stieglitz children (Emily Florence VON STIEGLITZ (1894 - ), Robert Oscar VON STIEGLITZ (1896 - 1917), Selina Gordon VON STIEGLITZ (1898 - ), Jane Mary VON STIEGLITZ (1900 - 1918), Heather Gordon VON STIEGLITZ (1902 - 1997), Edgar Gordon VON STIEGLITZ (1906 - 1958), Phillis Annie Lucy VON STIEGLITZ (1906 - 1993) were cousins to my grandmother Muriel as her father was Thomas Gordon (died around 1943), brother to James (son of James Senior). There was another brother too I know of, Robert, who was quite the military man: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/378908 (I have letters and photos that belonged to Robert, as well as parts of his mess uniform). So this would all apply to your page at https://www.bellsite.id.au/gdbtree/HTMLFiles/HTMLFiles_61/P3286.html

James Gordon and Jane Phelps.
James had been born in Nunbank, Dumfriesshire Scotland, in 1822 and at some stage had migrated to Australia. Jane had been born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. By the 1851 census she was a servant, still in Wales, so she must have migrated to Australia after that. They married in Sydney in 1856, and that was where they had their first son, James, in 1858. James discovered Port Denison (Details attached), and was for years Magistrate and Mining Commissioner at Townsville. He was the first Government Officer appointed to Townsville, arriving there in 1865. Some of his roles included Police magistrate, Sub-collector of Customs, Harbour Master, Shipping Master, Clerk of Petty Sessions, Postmaster, and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (he was also "Inspector of Polynesians''). Robert was their fourth son of six (including Thomas and James junior - the story I heard was that James would inherit the property - today remembered in the name of Cluden Racecourse in Townsville, and Thomas was expected to take orders and become a priest, but he read Charles Darwin's Origin of Species and it shook his faith, he argued with his deeply religious father and left), but two of the 6 died early. He also had three sisters. James senior died in 1904. In 1937, an article about the Anglican Church in North Queensland included “the name of James Gordon stands out as one to be remembered with respect and gratitude.” It goes on to discuss his life, some of what he did and his character.
- Reference = James Barrett 25 May 2021 (Death)

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