Rudolf Jordan was born in Halle, Germany December 10, 1818. After a job offer from a commercial company in Cuba, Jordan sailed from Hamburg November 29, 1844 on board the Prussian bark "Camilla" for Havana, arriving there on January 12, 1845 and living in Trinidad for 2 years. Resigning he purchased a daguerreotype business and opened in Havana with a partner. When word of California's gold reached Havana, Jordan and his partner planned their trip to California via Mexico. They left Havana on November 19, 1848 and sailed for Vera Cruz on the Spanish brig "Luchana", arriving December 1st. From Vera Cruz they went by stagecoach to Jalapa and then by horse to Mexico City, arriving there December 25. Selling their photographic equipment, they formed a party of 10 and on February 5, 1849 started their cross-country ride. On April 24, Jordan set sail for San Francisco from Mazatlan on the Peruvian bark "Fanny" entering the Golden Gate on May 25, 1849. Soon after he and his partner set out for the mines of Sonora mining until 1850. In 1850, Jordan became a co-partner in a business in S.F. and in Stockton, the store in S.F. suffered from the 1851 fire. In 1852 Jordan went to Southern California and some Mexican ports to begin a pearl fishery - a short lived enterprise. In 1853 Jordan returned to S.F., ended his business partnership and was hired by James Lick to exclusively sell his flour in S.F. He later became Lick's General Agent until March 1863. Jordan then went into real estate and mining enterprises, developing a vineyard and olive orchard in Napa County.
From the description of Autobiography and Reminiscence of Rudolf Jordan, San Francisco, 1901. (The Society of California Pioneers). WorldCat record id: 56126707
