Dr. Oliver Walker GORDON, of Council Bluffs, was born in Wayne County, Indiana, in 1837. His father, William M. GORDON, was a native of Ohio. His grandfather, Robert GORDON, removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and thence to Indiana. The GORDON family is of Scotch ancestry. William M. GORDON was a youth when he moved to Wayne County, Indiana, where he was a pioneer. He married Miss Deborah MENDENHALL, a daughter of Daniel MENDENHALL. The latter was a Quaker and a native of North Carolina. True to his convictions as a Quaker, he was opposed to the institution of slavery, and although in his early days was an owner of slaves, his conscience would not permit him to remain such, and he consequently set his negroes free and emigrated to Indiana, where he remained till death.

William GORDON, the father of the subject of this sketch, continued to reside in Indiana a number of years after his marriage, when he emigrated to Iowa. Later he returned to Indiana with his family for the purpose of giving his children better advantages for education than Iowa in those early days afforded. He settled in Boone County, Indiana. While living here he represented his county in the Legislature. Later he returned to Henry County, Iowa. In early life he learned the trade of harness-maker, but did not long follow it; adopting the profession of law, he became a well-known lawyer and land speculator. His wife died in 1887, while on a visit to her daughter, Mrs. Esther FRAME, the eminent Quaker evangelist. After the death of his wife, William M. GORDON removed to Fairfield, Jefferson County; re-married and has since died. He was a well-known citizen of Iowa; was a Democrat in politics, and in the administration of Buchanan was appointed by that executive general mail agent, but later, endorsing the principles of Douglas, he was removed from this official position by Buchanan. He promptly took the side of the Union At the outbreak of the Rebellion, entered the army as a Lieutenant and was wounded at Fort Donelson, which resulted in his retiring from the army, and from his wounds he never fully recovered. He and his first wife were the parents of three sons and four daughters, who grew to mature years. Another daughter, Eliza Jane, died in Indiana in infancy. The youngest daughter, Arrenetta, married and died in Minneapolis. The eldest member of the family is Rev. Luther B. GORDON, a Quaker preacher, residing near Los Angeles, California; the subject of this sketch is the second son; the next in order of age is Mrs. Esther FRAME, the

Quaker evangelist; Mrs. Lydia MANLEY is the wife of Rev. William MANLEY, a Quaker clergyman. Mary Emma is the wife of Rev. Philip HECK, of Moline, Illinois, Leroy A. is a merchant in Minneapolis.

The subject of this notice spent the most of his life in Iowa. Early in life his intentions were to follow the profession of law, but after pursuing legal studies for a time he abandoned them for the profession of medicine.

Early in the war of the Rebellion he was assistant to Surgeon Hughes of Iowa, in the hospitals of Keokuk, and later assisted Surgeon Woods in the United States army, with whom he remained for a time, when he was transferred and his services were given to the colored troops. Still later he returned to Surgeon Woods, with whom he remained until the close of the war.

After the war he located at Bloomfield, Iowa, in the practice of his profession, and thence removed to Mount Pleasant; going thence to Chicago, he engaged in practice there, and was also for a time editor of a medical journal. From Chicago he removed to Minneapolis, from which city he removed to Council Bluffs in 1883.

Dr. GORDON's first wife was Miss Mary WRIGHT, a niece of Judge WRIGHT, of Des Moines. His present wife was formerly Mrs. Mary C. WALKER, of Council Bluffs, and a daughter of Dr. Edward S. WILLIAMS, a well known early settler of this city.

Dr. GORDON has two children by his first marriage: William and Annie, the latter being the wife of Elias BAKER, of Lincoln, Nebraska. The Doctor and his present wife have a daughter, Deborah M., and an adopted son, Luther W. The present Mrs. GORDON was formerly the wife of Thomas A. Walker, of Council Bluffs, and has by that marriage four children.

Edward S. WILLIAMS, father of Mrs. GORDON, was born in Campbell County, Virginia, where he was reared and educated. He married Miss Mary Brown AUSTIN, a native of the same county as her husband. Mr. WILLIAMS was by occupation a silversmith and dentist. He came to what is now Council Bluffs in 1852, and entered 160 acres of land, and also entered a quarter section, which includes Fairmount Park, and also included what is known as WILLIAMS' first and second addition to Council Bluffs.

Mr. WILLIAMS did not come here directly from his native State, Virginia, but had removed to Missouri many years before. In 1852 he started overland to California with his family. They included a part of quite a large body of emigrants who started for the land of gold, but on reaching Fort Laramie they were attacked by sickness, which carried off nearly the whole of them, only two men of the eighteen which accompanied the train, surviving. These, with the surviving women and children, left everything behind them, and, disheartened by the results of the terrible scourge that had swept off so many of their numbers, retraced their steps as rapidly as possible. Stopping on their return to Council Bluffs, then known as Kanesville, Mr. WILLIAMS pre-empted the land above mentioned, but with the surviving members of the party they returned to Missouri. In 1856 he came back to Council Bluffs and laid out WILLIAMS' First Addition to the city, and continued here till about 1859. But the country here was then new and wild, and the wife and mother becoming dissatisfied they returned to Missouri. Later Mr. WILLIAMS returned alone and laid out WILLIAMS' Second Addition, and in 1868 the family all returned, residing here until 1877, when Mr. WILLIAMS and wife returned to Denver, where they still live. They are the parents of nine children; five others died in early life. The entire family are residents of Colorado, except Mrs. GORDON, who has continued to reside here since she came with her father's family in 1868. Here she was married in 1871, to Thomas WALKER, who was born and reared in the city of Baltimore. Mr. WALKER died in this city in 1882.

Mrs. GORDON's children by her first marriage are two sons and two daughters, viz.: Gulielma F., Brown Austin (daughter), Edward W. Walker and Archibald Alexander.

Dr. GORDON and wife have a beautiful home situated on Graham Avenue, on a fine elevation, surrounded by shade and ornamental trees, and the view of the city of Council Bluffs from the residence is a pleasant and beautiful one.

Contributed By: Mona Sarratt-Knight