of a most discouraging character; but in all the chances and changes of its existence, Mr. Jordan was ever its earnest, zealous friend, attending, unless prevented by illness, all its meetings, ready with his counsel when it was needed, and prompt to aid it from his own means when it was financially embarassed, never doubting its ultimate prosperity, a conviction which, happily, he lived to see fully confirmed.

I have thus far spoken of John Jordan, Jr., in his active business life. I come now to speak of the details of another period of his life which appeal very strongly to the love and gratitude of the members of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Jordan was elected a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, September 23, 1840, and, with the exception of the Presidency, which he positively declined to accept, as Vice-President, member of the Executive Council, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Trustee of the Publication Fund, of the Library Fund, of the Gilpin Fund, the Endowment Fund, he has filled almost every official position in the Society.'

Mr. Jordan's active interest in the Historical Society dates from a very short time after his election in 1840, and in less than two years he was chosen a member of its Council.

Almost immediately after this his name appears on the list of those presenting books to the Society. The care and judgment shown in the selection of these gifts and the regularity with which they were made prove that his heart was

1 From the close of this paragraph to that including the letter from Mr. Jordan I am indebted to Frederick D. Stone, Esq., whose personal friendship and close association with Mr. Jordan so well qualify him to write of the latter's devotion to the Historical Society, and of much that is interesting in his private life.-J. J. L.

entirely in the work, and that his efforts to improve the condition of the Society were directed by an intelligent knowledge of what it needed, born of an active participation in its management. This generosity extended to every department of the Society, but so modest was he that he has allowed but a partial record of it to appear on our minutes. Indeed, so little did he allow the left hand to know what the right hand did, that it seems almost like a violation of confidence now to state the little that can be gathered from those who knew in a general way what he was doing from their associations with him. For quite a number of years his expenditures for the Society amount to at least a thousand dollars annually; and some time during the war, between 1861-1865, it was learned accidentally from him that he had spent for the Society, from one time to another, over thirty thousand dollars.

He never lost an opportunity to benefit the Society, when in his opinion an important object could be accomplished either by gifts or timely aid. Nothing better illustrates this than the establishment of our Publication Fund. The idea of forming such a fund was conceived and carried out by the late Townsend Ward, who in doing it received substantial assistance from Mr. Jordan, which he never hesitated to acknowledge. When asked how it was possible that the Fund could publish and pay for a volume which cost more than double the income received from all sources, without spending any of the capital, Mr. Ward replied that there was no difficulty about it, as Mr. Jordan paid all the bills, and would wait until it was convenient for the Trustees to repay him out of the interest to be received. The fund thus formed and so carefully nursed by Mr. Jordan amounts now to more than thirty thousand dollars.

Besides the numerous donations of books made by Mr.

Jordan, he subscribed liberally to the First and Second Building Funds, to the Library and Endowment Funds, to the Penn Papers, and to pretty much everything the Society ever undertook to purchase.

By his suggestion, and largely at his expense, copies were made of the records of the monthly meetings of Friends in different parts of Pennsylvania, thus preserving the details of the inner life of many of the early settlers of Pennsylvania unattainable in any other way. The interest he took in the purchase of the building we now occupy is remembered by all then active in the management of the Society. Never for a moment after the matter was undertaken did he allow a doubt to enter his mind of its accomplishment. He used his influence to the full extent to obtain subscriptions, and nearly every subscription received by mail he acknowledged by letter and in suitable terms. Well remembered, too, is the satisfaction he manifested when the committee, after having raised by personal solicitation about one-half the sum required, issued an appeal to all the members, telling them what had been done and calling upon them for aid, and received enough in a few days to complete the purchase and to secure an additional lot, upon a part of which the hall we now are in stands.

At last the Society he so dearly loved, and to which he had devoted so much time and money, was to have a home of its own, where it would be safe for all future time. While he was too modest to acknowledge it, or even to permit such a thought to enter his mind, his friends knew that this had been accomplished largely through the confidence in the Society which he had inspired in the community. This was shown not only in the promptness with which some of the largest subscriptions were made, but in the fact that three hundred and twenty-three subscriptions

were received in sums varying from one dollar to one hundred dollars. It showed, as Mr. Wallace then said, that "when the name of John Jordan, Jr., was affixed to a paper it inspired confidence wherever it went."

Mr Jordan never had robust health. Indeed, he has said that he never knew what it was to be healthy until he had reached middle life, a period which, as a young man, he never expected to attain. He was very near-sighted, which later in life gave an appearance of increased infirmity, and for years he rarely walked out at night alone. On account of his delicate health he was obliged to take gentle and regular exercise, and for many years rode on horseback almost daily. One of his favorite rides, and which left the most pleasing recollections, was over the old river road. along the banks of the Schuylkill.

For years, whenever he visited Bethlehem or Nazareth, he did so in a private conveyance, and continued this practice until the decadence of the inns along the route and advancing years deprived him of the keen enjoyment derived from such trips. Sometimes his excursions were of a wider range and partook of the character of historical pilgrimages. In 1855, one hundred years after Braddock's defeat, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, Paul Weber, Edward Armstrong, and Townsend Ward took the cars for Pittsburg, and passed several days in visiting Braddock's Field and other points of interest in the vicinity. On another occasion, with a congenial party of friends, he visited the sites of the Moravian Missionary Settlements in New York and Connecticut, and was present at the dedication of monuments erected at these places by the Moravian Historical Society, of which he was an active member. In 1870, with a number of members of the same society, he visited the site of Freidenshütten, near Wyalusing, Penna., where a

memorial stone, which he had prepared, was placed with appropriate ceremonies.

Mr. Jordan's acquaintance with the material relating to the history of Pennsylvania was as great or greater than that of any of our other members. He superintended the classification of the Society's manuscripts, which are now bound, and personally did all but the purely mechanical work on many of the volumes. In this way he obtained a knowledge of much that related to the unprinted history of the State.

Besides this, he was a great reader, and until a very few years midnight found him with his books. He was conversant with nearly every printed authority of an historical or biographical nature relating to Pennsylvania, and only a few years ago read systematically the twenty-eight volumes containing the Archives and Colonial Records of the State. He was also familiar with the manuscript and printed collections of the Moravian Church, and his excellent memory enabled him to turn at once to any important fact that he met with in his studies. His memory, indeed, was so good that unfortunately he never felt the importance of making notes or of reducing the result of his investigations to writing, and it is doubtful if a single page remains to testify to the acumen of his learning. Besides his taste for historical, Mr. Jordan was very fond of general, literature, and, in fiction, Scott, Cooper, Dickens, and Thackeray were his favorite authors. Although he never acquired the habit of speaking either French or German, he read both languages with ease, and some portion of each day was devoted to them.

Mr. Jordan had a keen sense of humor, and was quick to discern the comic side of human nature. Nothing was more agreeable to him than to meet his friends at social gather