James Adams Van Dyke (1813 - 1855)

Born 10 Dec 1813 in Mercersburg, Franklin, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Elisabeth (Desnoyers) Van Dyke — married 1837 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States

Descendants

Died 7 May 1855 at age 41 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States

Biography

James Van Dyke is Notable.

James Adam Van Dyke was born on December 10 1813 in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. He was the son of William Van Dyke and Nancy Duncan.

He graduated from Madison College in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1832, then studied law in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Hagerstown, Maryland, and Baltimore, Maryland. In 1834 he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but was unhappy with his situation there and moved to Detroit, Michigan where, six months later, he was admitted to the bar.

In 1835 he began practice with Charles W. Whipple and was appointed City Attorney for Detroit.^[1]

He was wed to Elizabeth Desnoyers in 1837 and they had the following children:

1. unnamed infant, b. May 1838, d. 16 Nov 1838
2. George William Desnoyers Van Dyke, b. 11 Jan 1840
3. Mary Helena (Van Dyke) Casgain, b. 1841
4. Philip James Desnoyers Van Dyke, b. 28 Jun 1843
5. Ernest Emile Van Dyke, b. 29 Jan 1845
6. Josephine Desnoyers (Van Dyke) Brownson, b. 24 Feb 1846
7. Victoria Elisabeth Desnoyers Van Dyke, b. 21 May 1848
8. Elisabeth Emily (Van Dyke) Moran, b. 7 Feb 1850
9. Helena Duncan Van Dyke, b. 22 Aug 1852, d. before 1860
10. James Anthony Van Dyke, b. 9 May 1854, d. before 1860

In 1838, his partner Charles Whipple was elected Judge of the Supreme Court so he then partnered with E. B. Harrington.^[1]

In the 1840 US Census he is listed as a man in his 20's with a boy under 5 (his son, George), a girl 10-15, and two women in their 20's, one being his wife, Elizabeth.^[2]

In 1844, Mr. Harrington passed away and James partnered with H. H. Emmons.^[1]

James was elected mayor of Detroit in 1847 and served as the president of the Detroit Fire Department from 1847 to 1851.^[1]

In 1850, he was listed as a 38 year-old attorney at law, living in Detroit, Michigan with his wife Elizabeth, and children George, Mary, Philip, Earnest, Josephine, Elizabeth, and Victoria. His real estate was valued at $6,000. Living with the family was Ann O'Riley, 20, and Ellen Lendz, 38, of Ireland, Mary Capnez, 14, of France, and John Fairbank, 21, of Kentucky^[3]

In 1852 he and his partner Mr. Emmons retired from general practice and James Van Dyke became the attorney for the Michigan Central Railroad.^[1]

James Van Dyke passed away at the age of 41 on May 7, 1855 in Detroit, Michigan. Although his precise burial location is lost, he was buried in Mount Elliot Cemetery^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Silas Farmer, p. 1087
2. ↑ 1840 US Census for Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, sheet 35, line 11.
3. ↑ 1850 US Census for Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; p, 180, dwelling 679, family 679, lines 5-17. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF85-4TG : 4 April 2020), James A Vandyke, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States; citing family 679, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2G-VMF9 : 10 June 2020), James Adams VanDyke, 1855Find A Grave: Memorial #79526412

See Also:

• Silas Farmer "The History of Detroit and Michigan", (1889) pp. 1037-1038
• Paul Leake, "History of Detroit, a Chronicle of its Progress, its Industries, its Institutions and the People of the Fair City of the Straits" (The Lewis Publishing Company, 1912) Vol. 3 pp. 879-884
• "A Memorial of James A. Van Dyke" (Detroit, MI: Fire Department of Detroit, 1856)
• "James Adams Van Dyke (1813-1855)" (Online: FamilySearch) Person L6W7-CVR. Accessed 30 Jul 2019.
• "James Adams VanDyke (1813-1855)" (Online: Find a Grave, 29 Oct 2011) Memorial 79526412; accessed 30 Jul 2019.
• Wikipedia: James A. Van Dyke
• Wikidata: Item Q6128302, en:Wikipedia