Elizabeth Jane Ann ‘Bessie’ Jones was born on 17 AUG 1877 in Sandhurst, Victoria. She was the daughter of James Jones (1849-1892) and Harriet Jones nee Harry (1851-1925). She had only one sibling, James Henry Jones born 15 Aug 1882.
At the age of 20yrs, she married Richard Michael Jordan on the 27th of August 1897 in the Presbyterian Church, Kalgoorlie.
Elizabeth Jane Anne Jones and Richard Michael Jordan on their wedding day 27 Oct 1897 Kalgoorlie WA – Photo Ancestry.com
Just under a year later, her first child was born, ‘Bessie’ was to have eight children in 16 years. They were:
Harriet Mulvehill ‘Mulvie’ Jordan was born Boulder WA 5 Sep 1898.
Richard John Commonwealth Jordan was born in Boulder WA 1900 – Died at Boulder aged 8yrs.
James Harry Jordan was born Boulder WA 24 Oct 1902
William Jordan born Brownhill WA 1905
Arthur Godfrey Jordan born 1907 Kalgoorlie WA
Walter Jordan born 1908 born Boulder WA
George Andrew Jordan born 1911 Boulder WA
Florence Dardanells ‘Dardy’ Jordan born Boulder WA 11 Jul 1915
Harriet Jones(Harry), Harriet ‘Mulvie’ Bennet (Jordan) holding Laurie Jordan Bennet, Elizabeth (Bessie) Jane Anne Jordan(Jones) – Photo Ancestry.com
Daily News Perth 30 July 1928, page 8
OUR WOMEN JUSTICES
Mrs. Bessie Jordan
Mrs. Jordan was born at Bendigo. Victoria, and came to Western Australia with her parents. The family arrived at Kalgoorlie with the first train 33 years ago. Mrs. Jordan was elected to the Children’s Court in 1915 and since then has been made Justice of the Peace for the Eastern Goldfields district She took up the work because she felt that it was essential for women to be on the bench where children were being tried, and she considers that no Children’s Court should function without at least one woman justice on the bench, especially where girls are brought, before the Court.
Mrs. Jordan is also a keen advocate for the appointment of women on juries, especially for the more serious charges such as murder. She considers that when we have equal representation of both sexes on the bench, there will be less danger of arriving. at wrong decisions. OTHER ACTIVITIES – All Mrs Jordan’s other public activities are in the cause of women and children. She is secretary for the Kalgoorlie Benevolent Society, which. distributes about £200 yearly in relief orders among the sick and needy of the district, besides blankets and clothing to those in distress. The funds for this work are obtained by. a charity ball held every year. Mrs. Jordan. is also secretary for the boarded-out and State-aided children of the district and for the Child Welfare Department.
In addition, Mrs. Jordan is secretary for the. Kalgoorlie-Boulder branch of the National Council of Women, whose especial endeavor this year is the obtaining of hospital accommodation at Cook for the women and children on the Transcontinental line settlements, and a more up to date maternity hospital accommodation for the goldfields mothers. She is also an executive member of the newly-formed hospital welfare committee, whose duties are to visit and brighten the days of patients without friends, who .are ill or convalescent.
POLITICAL VIEWS: Mrs. Jordan says that her special brand of politics is National Labor. She is president of the local women’s branch of that party. Between elections. Mrs. Jordan spends her spare time collecting and sending books, to the Wooraloo Sanatorium. Mrs. Jordan says that women are the home builders, Woman also bears and rears the nation, and therefore is entitled to share in the making of the .laws that govern it. Women should be represented in. all State and Federal Parliaments, because only women can adequately place before members the needs of the women and children of the Commonwealth.
Bessie is buried in the Anglican section of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery on 18th Oct 1953, she was aged 76yrs. She was buried with her husband who had pre-deceased her on 18 Nov 1947, he was 83yrs old.
Plaque on grave of Bessie Jordan – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock
Kalgoorlie Miner 19 October 1953, page 12
FUNERAL NOTICES JORDAN. — The friends of the late Elizabeth Jane Ann Jordan, late of 35 Boulder Road, Kalgoorlie, relict of the late Richard Michael Jordan, loving mother and mother-in-law of Mulvie and Arthur (Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Bennett. Bunbury), Harry and Eileen (Mr. and Mr s. H. Jordan), Walter and Gladwin (Mr. and Mrs. W. Jordan, Gosnells), Dardy and Ted (Mr. and Mrs. E. Edmondson, Mt. Lawley, loving grandmother of Lawrence, Lorna, Daphne, Rosalie, Barbara. Beverley, Heather. Jan, Peter, Lynette, Prudence, and Terrance, great-grandmother of Cliff Joy and Jennifer, are respectfully informed that her remains will be privately interred in the Anglican portion of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. The cortege will move from A. and J. Kyle’s Private Chapel, Cassidy st., Kalgoorlie.
Plaque on the grave of Richard Michael Jordan – Kalgoorlie cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock
Grave of Bessie & Richard Jordan – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock
Elizabeth Jordan and two of her grandchildren – Photo Ancestry.com
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