J. P. Van Patten Biography >From "History of Davenport and Scott County" Vol. II by Harry E. Downer-S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago. Surnames: Van Patten, Alvord, Sandford, Hartzell, Sweeney, Harper, Allen. J. P. Van Patten, vice president of the First National Bank and president of the grocery firm of J. P. Van Patten & Company, occupies a prominent position in financial and commercial circles in Davenport. Said one who knew him well-himself a commanding factor in the business world-"His word is as good as his bond; he is the soul of honor and the better one knows him the greater the respect and the warmer the friendship." He was born in Jordan, New York, September 24, 1833. His father, John Van Patten, a native of Schenectady, New York, was born in 1786, while the mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Van Patten, whose family name was also the same, was born in 1796. The Van Patten family is of Holland Dutch stock and was established in Schenectady in 1661. John Van Patten was an architect by profession and attained prominence in that field in New York city. In 1834 he removed to the west, establishing his home at Centerville, St. Joseph county, Michigan, where he lived for a short time an! d then went to Fawn River, in the same county. There he practiced his profession and erected a number of public buildings, his death occurring at Fawn River in 1840. J. P. Van Patten was the youngest in a family of four children. His eldest sister married C. C. Alvord, of Fawn River, and went to reside in Davenport, Iowa, in the late '30s. Following the death of the father, the family decided to make Davenport their home. The mother was accompanied by her three sons: Philip, then sixteen years of age; Nelson, aged eleven years; and John P., nine years of age. They left Fawn River and made the journey to Davenport in a prairie schooner, traveling through Chicago, then a town of seven thousand inhabitants. They reached the Mississippi river at Albany, Illinois, crossed on the ice and arrived in Davenport, November 16, 1842. That season was a record breaker for ice, which did not float down the river until the 7th of April. In the spring of 1843 J. P. Van Patten secured employment on the farm of Mr. Alvord, his sister's father-in-law, where he worked for his board. He remained there almost a year, working hard and obtaining what meager edu! cation he could. In 1844 his mother decided to go east and J. P. Van Patten accompanied her to Canandaigua, New York. They proceeded down the Mississippi by steamboat, thence up the Ohio and by canal crossed the state of Ohio to Lake Erie, where they took boat to Buffalo and thence continued on their way to Canandaigua by canal. These trips at that time were full of interest and adventure to a young boy whose experiences in life were thus far limited. He remained in the east for four years and during three years of that time was a student in the Canandaigua Academy, after which he engaged in clerking for a year in a book store. But the west was attractive to him and he determined to return to Davenport, going by steamer form Buffalos to Chicago, by canal to Peru and by steamer to Davenport. His brother-in-law, C.C. Alvord, had a farm near Long Grove, Scott county, and Mr. Van Patten worked on that farm until the 12th of August, 1848. He then put aside the labors of the field! and again came to the city, where for three years he engaged in clerking for B. Sandford, a grocer and druggist on Front street. That his services were satisfactory and that his reliability was a pronounced feature in his service is indicated in the fact that in 1851 he was admitted to a partnership. With a renewed purpose he bent his energies toward the expansion and development of the business and his labors were a potent element in its growth. In 1854 Mr. Sandford retired from the firm, selling his interest to C. C. Alvord, and the firm style of Alvord & Van Patten was then assumed and was so continued and Mr. Van Patten reorganized the business as a corporation under the style of J. P. Van Patten & Sons, three of his sons, John N., Edward H. and Alfred Schuyler, becoming associated with him in the ownership and conduct of the enterprise. This is today one of the leading houses of its character in Davenport. Mr. Van Patten has come to be recognized as one of the represen! tative merchants here and a business man of pronounced ability, whose activities are further evidenced in his service as vice president of the First National Bank. While his life has been a busy and useful one and from an early age he has been dependent upon his own resources, so that unfaltering industry and ready adaptability have constituted the foundation of his success, yet he has found time and opportunity for cooperation in public affairs and has long been an active and influential factor in politics. He is a loyal republican but not an office seeker. He has been a delegate to county and state conventions on many occasions and his counsel and advice have been many times sought and often heeded. He has refused the nomination for mayor and other positions of high preferment, but for many years has been treasurer of the republican county central committee and in a private capacity has done everything possible to promote the growth and insure the success of the party. Every movement for the benefit of the city receives his endorsement and his cooperation is of a practical character that has led to substantial results. In 1859 Mr. Van Patten was married to Miss Dorothy Hartzell, a daughter of the Rev. Johan Hartzell of Ohio. Their children are as follows: Mrs. Florence Sweeney; Elizabeth, who died at the age of eighteen years; Mrs. Marion Harper, also deceased; Alice, now the wife of Dr. W. L. Allen; John N.; Alfred; and Philip. The life and labors of J. P. Van Patten should be a source of inspiration to the young. Through difficulties and disadvantages of which one who has not had similar experiences can form little idea, he has steadily worked his way upward until he stands today as one of Davenport's foremost citizens. He is a man of resolute purpose and when one avenue of opportunity has seemed closed he has sought out other paths to success and has eventually reached his objective point. He is today one of the most honored as well as one of the most prosperous merchants and business men of Davenport. ~~~~~~*~~~~~~ Elaine Rathmann ACC Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES