General Notes

Source:  In the 1905 New York state census, where he is living in the same building as Jim's Thomas J Gordon family,  this man gives his mother as Elizabeth Gordon but in the 1900 census, he had said that she was only his stepmother and that she had no children!  The 1900 census also has a step aunt living in the household called Mary Campbell.  She is given as aged 75 and Elizabeth is aged 70 = 9 years younger.

This man really ought to be either John Gordon, born 1854 to John Gordon and Elizabeth Gordon, all of whom disappear from Irish records, but she is his mother NOT his stepmpther and there is an age discrepancy of 11 years. 

He might also be the 1861 John Gordon born to Robert Gordon and Rachel Gordon, whose brother, Thomas J Gordon, is living in the same apartment house but again the mother/stepmother fact is confusing and there is an age discrepancy of 4 years.

New evidence from JG:
I have no idea what happened to John's obit (The one I refer to)  I can't believe I didn't make a copy, but that was early on and I wasn't as careful...however...although all of the census indicate John was b. in the USA, I came across the burial register for St. Pauls Cemetery in Mt. Vernon (A Natl. historic site) and found the plot for the Gordon's.  There are only 2 names on the stone Thomas J. and his son Carroll (an actor in silent films) but the plot (I saw the diagram) is one of the largest in that area and capable of holding a number of the clan Gordon. The type written document did not list a John, but I asked to look at the official register and found a John Gordon who d. 6/21/1919 age 50.  Next to that I made the following note:   "Obit says age 58 -- came here from ? At age 5." The "came from" would not be there if he came from another state in the USA -- I'm guessing Ireland.  I'm going back to Mt. Vernon and see if I can get his d. cert. (fingers crossed) and the obit form the newspaper.  We'll clear this up once and for all (he said optimistically).

I replied:
This John is almost definitely the one I have on my tree as being born in 1861 to Robert Gordon and Rachel Gordon and he is a brother to your grandfather and Thomas J.  He is born in 1861 if the obit is correct and he came from Ireland aged 5 which would explain why he disappears from records here.  BUT I am worried that a boy of 5 came without his parents.  Did he perhaps come with his parents' siblings, John and Elizabthe, who also disappear from records.  Is this why he refers to her as a stepmpther in the 1900 census?  I have a gut feeling that their own John, whose birth is recorded in 1st Kilrea, died young and they "adopted" their siblings' son.  The only other problem is that the only evidence I have for the existance of this other John (belonging to your Rob and Rach) is the IGI which is notoriously unreliable.  But this theory fits all the facts we have.