J. Leland JordanVeteran

Carroll County owes a huge debt to this avid collector of local newspapers, Civil War manuscripts, historic photographs, booklets, and other ephemera. What he amassed over a period of close to 30 years was purchased from his estate by the Commissioners of Carroll County and given to the Historical Society of Carroll County.

In June 1916 young Jordan and other local members of Company H, First Regiment of

Infantry, Maryland National Guard, were sent to guard the Mexican border against incursions by Pancho Villa. After a stint of nearly five months, they came home, only to be sent to Europe as America entered World War I. Jordan served near the front in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns and probably was close enough to be wounded (gassed or shelled), but his job did not involve combat in the trenches. He returned to Carroll County in 1919. Some believe it was his varied military experiences that led to his interest in preserving Carroll’s history. Leland Jordan became a newspaper man at The Times, now the Carroll County Times. For a number of years, his editor was none other than the Civil War veteran John H. Mitten. If the two men ever sat down over a cup of coffee to share their war experiences, listeners would have been mesmerized.