GORDON, Thomas Professor of Humanity, King's College, Aberdeen ^{1 3}

   User ID: W673.

  General Notes:

"GORDON
THOMAS
GEORGE GORDON/MARGARET FRASER
M
18/08/1714
168/B 20 386
Old Machar"

from Births and Baptisms


"LIBRARIANS
1733. Mr. Thomas Gordon. Assistant Regent, 1734."

'1734, September 9. Mr. Thomas Gordon.
Colleague to Mr. A. Fraser, for teaching purposes, in place of Rait. Previously Librarian. See under "Humanists," 1739.'

'HUMANISTS.
1739, January 5. Mr. Thomas Gordon.
Previously Assistant to Mr. A. Fraser... In place of his uncle, Mr. Alex. Gordon, deceased. Procurators : Baillie William Molyson, Marr; Mr. James Udney, advocate, Aberdeen, Angus ; Mr. Patrick Bradford, Lothian; Mr. James Molyson, Murray.
" Son of Mr. George Gordon the first [" Professors of Hebrew "], born i4th August, 1714. . . . Continued to teach Mr. Alex. Fraser's class till the month of November, 1740." Gordon'

"1796, November 7. Mr. William Paul, Preacher of the Gospel, to teach Greek class for Professor Gordon, who died 11th March, 1797, having held College Offices for 65 years."

"1797, April 8. Dr. Hugh Macpherson, Professor of Greek.
Previously Professor of Hebrew. In place of Mr. Thomas Gordon, deceased."

from Officers and Graduates


"In the Journal of the Highland tour of 1787, Burns listed among the people he met in Aberdeen on Monday, 10th September: 'Professor Gordon, a good natured, jolly looking professor'. Thomas Gordon held in succession the professorships of Humanity and Philosophy in King's College, Aberdeen, for 61 years. He had the reputation of being a particularly able teacher. He was the author of manuscript collections illustrating the history of the college. The manuscripts have been preserved in the university library."

from The Burns Encyclopaedia


"Thomas Gordon was born in 1714, the son of George Gordon, professor of Hebrew at King's College, Aberdeen, from 1693 to 1730. Thomas Gordon graduated MA there in 1731 and held various university appointments from 1734 until his death in 1797, as Humanist, Regent, and finally Professor of Greek. He was the grandson of George Gordon, Principal of the College in 1684. His great-uncle Patrick Gordon was Professor of Hebrew from 1674 to 1693. Thomas Gordon was also the grandfather (by his eldest child, Elizabeth) of Robert Eden Scott, who held a number of posts at King's College. His collections of manuscripts relating to staff and students formed a valuable source of information for the compilation of the works on the history of the universities of Aberdeen and their alumni edited by P. J. Anderson (c 1850-1926)."

from Catalogue of the University of Aberdeen Special Collections

Note: Patrick Gordon was his great grandfather and not his great uncle; in 1684 George Middleton, whose mother was Margaret Gordon of Kethocksmill, was the Principal of King's College. ^{3 4 6 7}

Thomas married Elizabeth INNES on 28 May 1772 in Old Machar parish, Aberdeen, Scotland.^{1 2} (Elizabeth INNES was born about 1735.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (James Walker) marr. (1) 25th Jan. 1750, Janet (died May 1756), only daugh. of John Gordon, min. of Old Deer : (2) 17th Nov. 1757, Elizabeth Innes, who marr. (2) 28th May 1772, Thomas Gordon, professor of Greek, King's College, [Tombst.]"

from Fasti Ecclesiae

"INNES
ELIZABETH
THOMAS GORDON/
27/05/1772
168/B 70 328
Old Machar"

from Index of Marriages ^{1 2}