Ord Family Papers 3
Collection
Identifier: GTM-GAMMS277
The Ord Family Papers: Part 3 provide more biographical details about several key members of the prominent Ord family. This collection includes sixteen letters dated 1847 to 1858 from War of 1812 veteran James Ord to his son, medical doctor James Lycurgus Ord, mostly regarding family news and touching on social life in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan and political events in Washington, D.C. and California. Also, this portion of the family's papers contains numerous letters dated 1841 to 1865 from James Lycurgus Ord to James Ord, Michigan legislator Placidus Ord, and others, including one 1865 letter to Civil War General Edward Otho Cresap Ord mentioning wartime topics. Finally, some letters by other family members round out the collection. The Ord Family Papers: Part 3 are preserved in one archival box (0.25 linear feet) containing thirty-five folders.
The Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division already possesses two sets of this family's papers: the Ord Family Papers: Part 1 and the Ord Family Papers: Part 2. This new third group of papers supplements the previous accessions. In addition, the Georgetown University Archives has records on the many Ord family members who have attended Georgetown University over the years.
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
James Ord (1786-1873) was reputed to be the son of Mrs. Fitzherbert, the wife of King George IV of England. After emigrating to America, Ord worked first near Norfolk, Virginia as a ship builder, next in Charles County, Maryland in ship construction, and then on a farm outside of Washington, D.C. In 1800, James Ord entered Georgetown College as a student. He joined the Jesuits in 1806 but left the society in 1811. Soon thereafter, Ord joined the navy, but he served in the infantry during the War of 1812. Ord lived in Allegheny County, Maryland from 1815 to 1819, in Washington, D.C. from 1819 to 1837, in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan as an Indian disbursing agent in the mid-1800s, and in California after 1855. James Ord died in 1873. [Source: Biographical Sketch in Ord Family Papers: Part 1, Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division]. Placidus Ord (1821-1876) was one of James Ord's sons. He also attended Georgetown College, where he was a student from 1835 to 1837. Placidus served in the Northern army during the Civil War, and he was a member of the Michigan legislature. [Source: Obituary in Ord Family Papers: Part 1, Box 3 Folder 43]. James Lycurgus Ord entered Georgetown College in 1835 and left in 1837. After spending time in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, and in Philadelphia, he settled in California. James Lycurgus was a doctor by trade. [Source: Georgetown University Archives: Alumni Files].
0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)
English
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository