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William F. Jordan
Wm. F. Jordan was born in Kentucky, in 1795, and moved to Illinois when that State was yet a territory. From there he moved to where Pleasantville now is, arriving there on the 16th of October, '47, and purchased a claim of Wm. S. Glenn, on which was only a small cabin. On this claim the town of Pleasantville was afterwards located, and the cabin above mentioned still stands in the northwest corner.
Previous to its coming into possession of the Jordans, this claim was the subject of arbitration and legal contest, in which the notorious Spurlock had a hand. At this time it was claimed by the three Gillmans, father and two sons, on the one hand, and by William S. Glenn on the other; and the opposing parties agreed to settle the matter by arbitration. Spurlock, who was a justice of the peace in Wapello county, happened to be here on some kind of business, and was employed by the Gillmans to conduct their case, they agreeing to give him a portion of the contested property, as compensation for his services, provided he should succeed in securing it to them. But, after the contest had terminated in favor of the Gillmans, Spurlock refused to accept the part of the claim offered him, being of comparatively little value, and returned to his home in Wapello. There he was followed by the Gillmans some time after, of whom he purchased the entire claim for a horse and $30. The property now being forfeited to both the Gillmans and Spurlock by their absence, Glenn "jumped" it, and held it till he sold it to W. F. Jordan, who afterwards made a portion of it the town plat of Pleasantville.
Mr. Jordan's two sons, Miles and Wesley, who are still residents of Pleasantville, opened a small mercantile establishment on the part of the claim now occupied by the town. A little anecdote relating to their first business experience, may be worth telling. They began on a capital of $150, by first investing it in a load of dry hides. These they took to Churchville, (now Alexander,) Mo., expecting a handsome profit, and intending to invest the proceeds in a stock of goods. But, on reaching the place and attempting to make the trade, they found that their want of experience in the business would prove disastrous to their expectations. In purchasing the hides they had innocently included horns and tails, and now they discovered that these appendages were not in the market, and must come off before the hides were weighed. Accordingly a man was set to work with a big knife, and in a short time the village swine were in possession of a large share of the profits of this important trade. It was, indeed, the most grievious loss of all their business experience, but one that would now be scarcely felt.