Part of the Indiana Biographies Project
Charles W. Jordan
The popular and successful principal of the Whitewater high school, Professor C. W. Jordan, is one of the native sons of this flourishing town, in the welfare of which he takes a sincere interest. As an educator he stands in the front ranks, and his eminently practical methods are deserving of the high praise which is universally accorded by those in a position to judge wisely.
Born March 4, 186S, C. W. Jordan is a son of William G. and Margaret (Addleman) Jordan, and grandson of William Jordan, who removed from North Carolina to Ohio in the '20s. The Professor's father was born near Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, in 1838, and accompanied his parents to Darke county, Ohio, in 1846. They settled near the Indiana state line, and there passed the remainder of their days, dying at an advanced age. William G. Jordan learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed to a greater or less extent as long as he lived. His home after his marriage was in Franklin township, with the exception of three years, when he resided in Center township, and his last days were spent on a farm near Whitewater. During the civil war he served for three years and three months as a member of Company C, Sixty-ninth Ohio, in the Army of the Cumberland, and went with Sherman on the famous march to the sea. His record as a patriot and soldier is one of which his friends may well be proud, for he was always at his post of duty, trustworthy, honorable and faithful to the least, as well as to the greatest, of the duties placed upon his shoulders. Though he participated in many of the hardest campaigns of the war and had numerous narrow escapes, he was never wounded or forced to enter the hospital. Death put an end to his busy and useful career in 1891, when he was in his fifty-third year. His first wife, Margaret, who was a daughter of John C. Addleman, of Whitewater, died when their son, Charles W., was an infant of seven months, and he chose Miss Susan Woolverton for his second wife. They became the parents of one child, Edgar E. , who is now living in Whitewater. Mrs. Jordan, who survived her husband, also makes her home in this place.
The boyhood of Professor Jordan passed uneventfully, and when he was about twenty years of age he began his career as a teacher. Desiring to further qualify himself for his chosen work he took a teacher's course in the Ridgeville Normal College, and was graduated there in the class of '92. In the meantime he had continued to teach, and had used the summer season for the perfecting of his methods and in special study at the normal. In 1891 he accepted the position of principal of the Whitewater school, and two years later he inaugurated the high-school course, which at first was limited to one year's work, and has since been increased to three years. Two years are devoted to algebra and one year to geometry work in the mathematical department, while the course in Latin extends throughout two years. There are now about one hundred pupils enrolled and three teachers are provided. About seventy-five per cent, of the scholars come from outside the town, and though many leave school to engage in teaching or in business there are always some who complete the course. Fifteen of the graduates of this school have chosen teaching as a profession since Mr. Jordan has had charge of the school. Several have continued their studies in college, and the outlook for the future is most encouraging. Professor Jordan spares himself no work or anxiety to make the school of the highest possible standard, and his zeal is appreciated by the citizens.
In connection with his work, the Professor is a member of the Teachers' Association Reading Circle. He is the worshipful master of Whitewater Lodge, No. 159, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; is a member of the lodge of the Knights of Pythias at Fountain City, and belongs to the Sons of Veterans. An ardent Republican, he has frequently attended district and county conventions, and in 1896 made a number of forcible and effective campaign speeches. He was married, September 29, 1894, to Miss Bertha P. Chenoweth, a daughter of William S. and Viola (Jefferies) Chenoweth, of Franklin township. The happy home of our subject and wife is blessed with the presence of three children, Reba E., William F. and Robert G. The parents are highly esteemed in the social circles of the town, where their friends are legion.
Source:
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana, Volume 1, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1899