Shawnee County KS Archives Biographies.....Van Vlack, Joseph 1821 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com September 26, 2006, 7:37 pm

Author: James L. King (1905)

JOSEPH VAN VLECK.

    JOSEPH VAN VLECK, one of the highly respected citizens and substantial
farmers of Rossville township, Shawnee County, who resides on his well-improved
farm of 80 acres in section 16, township 10, range 13, was born in 1821 in
Madison County, New York, and is a son of Joseph and Hester (Francisco) Van Vleck.

    Herman Van Vleck, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was born in
Holland and came very early to America, settling in the Mohawk Valley, New York,
and removing later to the tract in Madison County, known as the "Mile Strip."
His land was adjacent to that owned by the noted Abolition leader, Gerrit Smith,
and they together attended the Congregational Church. Politically they differed,
but personally were good friends and neighbors and were men of such character
that when they sat together in the little church in Peterboro, their religious
feelings were so genuine that political sentiments were excluded. The family
continued to reside in Madison County until the death of the father. The mother
died in Ontario County, New York.

    Joseph Van Vleck received his educational training in his native locality,
later moved to Grundy County, Illinois, and in 1878 came to Kansas. He purchased
320 acres of land in Rossville township from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Railway Company, the land being located in sections 9 and 16, township 10, range
13. He has retained 80 acres of this for his own use, the remainder having been
given to his two sons.

    Mr. Van Vleck was married in the village of Penfield, Monroe County, New
York, to Mary A. Crain, who was a daughter of Mahlon Crain, a native of Vermont.
Mrs. Van Vleck died in 1901, in her 79th year. They had eight children, the six
survivors being: Mahlon, who has been a resident of Chicago for many years; T.
J., of Topeka; Frank and Eugene, farmers of Rossville township; Clara, a
resident of McCook, Nebraska; and C. E. who remains on the homestead with his
father.

    Mr. Van Vleck is identified with the Republican party and takes a great deal
of interest in its successes. For many years he has been an Odd Fellow. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

EDITED AND COMPILED BY
JAMES L. KING
TOPEKA, KANSAS 

"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"

PUBLISHED BY
RICHMOND & ARNOLD,
GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
1905.

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