Tuscola-Genesee-Bay County MI Archives Biographies.....Van Buren, John G. 1839 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 23, 2007, 7:25 pm Author: Chapman Bros. (1892) JOHN G. VAN BUREN. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is a farmer and resides on section.6, Guilford Township, Tuscola County, where he owns one hundred and thirty-four acres of excellent land. He is also the owner of eighty acres in Bay County. He is the son of Samuel and Julia (Van Scriber), Van Buren, and a grandson of John Van Buren who was born in New York City in 1730. He was a Colonel in a regiment of Gen. Schuyler's army that was known as the Mohawk Rangers. The subject of this sketch was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., August 15, 1839. He was reared in the village of Fullerville, and was early taught industrious and steady habits. His father was a contractor and builder. John G. was educated in the district schools of his native place until the age of twelve years when his parents removed to Genesee County, where he attended the High School at Careyville. That continued to be his home until the breaking out of the war when his youthful patriotism and zeal became fired and he enlisted in April, 1861, in the first call for ninety-day men. The company with which he became united was Company F, Twenty-eighth New York Zouaves. At the expiration of his term of service he re-enlisted for two years and was retained in the same military organization. They served for the most part with the Army of the Potomac, and were with the First Brigade of the Twelfth Army Corps under Gen. Banks. Their service was confined to the Shenandoah Valley during the early part of 1861, their first engagement being at Falling Water, Va. They thereafter participated in all the engagements and were in the battle of Antietam and at Cedar Mountain, in which last named engagement our subject was very severely wounded. He also received a wound in the hand at Antietam. Our subject's regiment remained in the service until after the battle of the Wilderness and then the regiment was mustered out. There were only three hundred and seven who received their honorable discharge and probably none of these were recruits. In 1864 Mr. Van Buren returned to New York, and in 1865 he came to Bay County, Mich., and resided there until 1881, at which time he moved on the farm where he now lives. In politics our subject is a believer in the principles and policy as adopted by the Republican party. He has been the popular candidate for Supervisor of Guilford Township and was awarded the position for eight years; he has also been Justice of the Peace and School Superintendent and has held all the various town offices of his vicinity. He was School Director for sixteen .years and has been Justice of the Peace for almost thirty years. Mr. Van Buren has been twice married. In 1860 he was united to Mary Barber, which union was blessed by the birth of one child—Lina, who was born in 1861; she is now the wife of Frank B. Ellison. Sometime after the decease of his first wife our subject was married to Sarah L. Wedge, of which union the following children were born: Minerva who is deceased; John, Marietta, Sarah and Grant; all are still at home with their parents. Our subject devotes himself to mixed farming. Socially, he is a member of the Van Fleet Post, G. A. R.; also of the Knights of Pythias, and to Lodge No. 514, K. 0. T. M. at Wisner, of which he is Commander. He is a Patron of Industry and belongs to the Farmers' Alliance and to the Tuscola County Veterans' Association. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the Presidents of the United States Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/tuscola/bios/vanburen588gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb