Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-15
HONOR GORDON
At ST. PETER s
Great Historic Event Attended
by Many-.ExcelIent Ad-
dresses Are Given
TABLET IS UNVEILED
Life of Man Who Played I'm
portant Part of City's Early
History is Outlined
TABLET IS UNVEILED

Near the close of an impressive
service held in St. Peters Episcopal
church and in the grounds adjoining
the church yesterday afternoon
Louis Gordon Hamersley, of New
York. a descendant of Thomas
Gordon, unveiled a bronze tablet
presented to st. Peters church by
the Caledonia Club of this city in
comme moration of the two hun
dredth anniversary of the death of
Mr. Gordon, one of the colonial pro-
prietors of East Jersey. The event
was attended by approximately $50
people, all of whom were gathered
together to do honor to one of the
most prominent men of Perth Am
boy and East Jersey during the
years of his life.
In unveiling the PLAGUE Mr..
Hammersley made a brief address.
in which he expressed his pleasure
at being able to be present at the
ceremony and have a part in it. He
then lifted the flag covering the tab
let and members of the Caledonian
Club hauled it up into the air, where
it hung suspended between two trees
The address of presentation was
delivered by DR.. William Il. Ramsay
on behalf of the Caledonian Club.
DIR. Ramsay remarked that the un-
yelling ceremony indicated that the
Scotch people of Perth Amboy still
possessed what is always recognized
as a strong trait in Scotsmen. that
of pride in deeds, achievements, and
valor of their ancestors.
An interesting point in DIR. RAM
says address came when he pointed
out that st. Peters church yard
also contained the remains of a min
lister of the gospel and doctor. DR..
Mexican. who was the ficst medical
missionary to be sent out to any col
ony by the Church of England. DIR.
Mexican was also the founder and
first president of the New Jersey
Medical Society and DIR. Ramsay
said yesterday that he hoped the
tribute being paid to Thomas Cor
don would impel the medical society
to honor the memory of DIR. Mexican
in some way.
Rev. w. Northey Jones. rector of
st. Peters accepted the tablet in
behalf of the church, vestrymen and
congregation.
Speaking on Thomas Gordon as
colonial proprietor former Judge
Adrian Lyon outlined the history of
New Jersey from the time 1t was
given to the Duke of York and later
sold to Berkley and Carteret and
subsequently, sold by them to Will
liam Penn and the other proprie-
tors, of whom Thomas Gordon was
one. Mr.. Gordon attended the first
meeting of the proprietors in Eliza
BEETHOVEN and was active in their af-
fairs for many years.
T..I II @Al 6@t no NJ
was originally made with the sole
right of government in the hands of
the proprietors and how trouble
arose about 1898 over the methods
os government, employed by the pro-
prietors and also how the land was
later handed back to settle the dis
agreement The speaker described
something of the operation of the
proprietors and made known the
not generally known fact that the
body still meets at intervals.
Rev. w. Northey Jones spoke on
Gordon as a churchman. pointing
out that he was one of the first
vestrymen of st. Peters and was
largely responsible for its transfor-
nation into a church. Originally !:
was merely a mission. Rev. M.
Jones described the granting of the
charter to st. Peters church in 1909
by Queen Anne of England and
mentioned the fact that the rental
agreed upon was one peppercorn
annually. 1t was brought out that
Thomas Gordon gave the land now
occupied by the church to the con-
gregation and made possible the es-
tablishment of the church as L
stands today.
A complete sketch of the life of
Gordon was given in an address by
David McGregor. who traced his an
cestry and related facts in connec-
ton with his life here. He said that
Thomas Gordon came to this coun-
try with his family in 1884. first re-
siding in Plainfield and later re-,
moving to this city. The year fol-
lowing his arrival he built a house
on what is now Water street. Mr..
McGregor told how Thomas Gordon
succeeded to one important position
after another until he had held
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