ThomasR. Van Deventer
THOMASR. VAN DEVENTER, a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser and esteemed citizenof Brown county, Illinois, for the past fifty-five years a resident ofsection 15, Versailles township, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1819.Hisparents were Jacob and Jane (Rogers) Van Deventer, the former a nativeof old Virginia, and the latter of Paris, Kentucky. His father’s parentswere Jacob and Mary (Slater) Van Deventer, the former born in Holland in1743, and the latter a native of Glasgow, Scotland. The young Hollanderwas a powder-maker by trade, and came to America In early manhood. He wasmarried in New Jersey, on the Delaware river, and soon after went to Virginia,where he and his young wife located on a farm, which was situated on thesouth branch of the Potomac river. He engaged in farming, and having anexcellent water-power in the river, also manufactured gunpowder. It wasin the latter capacity that he rendered signal service to the patriotsat the time of the Revolutionary war, providing them with powder with whichto blaze their way into independence. He served for a short time in theregular army in that memorable conflict, and participated in the battlesof Yorktown and Valley Forge. He was also a member of the Home Guards,although he did not take part in the engagement in which they distinguishedthemselves for bravery and efficiency. This worthy patriot and his wifewere the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters: William;Isaac; Jacob; Peter; Cornelius; Sarah, who married Jacob Judy; Mary, wifeof George Timmons; and Peggy, wife of Daniel Timmons brother of George.The mother of this family died, aged eighty years, while the father expiredfour years later. They had met with many financial losses, and left onlya small estate in worldly goods, although a rich heritage of honor andgood deeds followed and influenced their children through life. Some ofthis family were of small stature, like the gentleman whose name headsthis notice, but the majority of them, both men and woman, were large,erect and finely formed. Sarah was six feet tall, while Jacob, the fatherof the subject of this sketch, was a veritable giant, standing six feetsix inches in his socks and weighing 240 pounds, Although possessing greatstrength and undaunted courage, he was most peaceable and kind. He wastwice married. His first wife was Magdalene Buffenbarger, a member of awealthy Ohio family. She died early, leaving two children–a son, Jethero,and a daughter, Elizabeth. The former now lives in Versailles, Illinois;and the latter resides in Indiana. Late in the fall of 1815 the fatherremarried, his second wife being the mother of the subject of this biography.A short time afterward, he and his brother, with their families, six personsin each household, came from Fayette county, Ohio, to Schuyler, now Browncounty, Illinois. This journey of more than 400 miles was made in threeweeks, with two large covered wagons and eight horses, four animals undersaddle. The father of our subject brought some means with him, realizedfrom the sale of his farm in Ohio. He first settled in Schuyler, now Browncounty.
Eightyears earlier Cornelius Van Deventer visited the Illinois bottoms. wherehe secured a claim. Five acres of this he fenced and planted to corn andpumpkins, and after completing their cultivation returned to his family.On his return in the fall, great was his surprise to find his crop intact,not an ear of corn or a pumpkin being missing.
Thestalwart and much beloved pioneer, Jacob Van Deventer, died in 1833, agedfifty-three years, leaving a bereaved family and many sorrowing friends.His worthy wife survived him nine years, dying aged about forty-eight years.They were the parents of six boys and two girls, to-wit: T. R., J. F.,H. D., and B. B., boys; girls, Caroline and Duan; one child, Pembrook BerbeckVan Deventer, died when small; the others were the subject of this notice,J. F., H. D. and B. B. In 1838, she bought fifty-three acres of heavilytimbered land, which had a small enclosure cleared, in the center of whichwas a hewed-log house, for which she paid $600. This forms part of thepresent large farm of the subject of this sketch. He and his brothers formerlyowned this farm of 800 acres in partnership, but J. F. Van Deventer, ofMount Sterling, now owns another farm of 2,200 acres near by, which heis farming on a large scale. Their specialty is stock-raising, includinghorses, cattle and hogs. On the land cultivated by our subject and hisother brother, there is now a substantial farm residence, which they erectedin 1866, besides which there are large barns and an excellent granary,which they built in 1880, all of which are models of their kind. They breedand raise from fifty to sixty head of dehorned short horn cattle annually,and have fed each year, for some thirty-five years, about 250 head, whichthey ship to market, together with many which they buy to sell. They nowown ninety bead of horses, and breed and raise ten to twelve head a year,most of which are draft horses, but some are for the saddle. They sendto market from 200 to 300 hogs a year, beside shipping of their own stockfrom eight to ten car loads annually. Thus will be seen what a prominentpart they take in the development of this country, which results in theirown prosperity and provides work for numerous attendants.
Inpolitics, Mr. Van Deventer affiliates with the Republican party, the principlesof which he has endorsed for many years.
Notwithstandinghis marvelous achievements in life, we have yet to chronicle the most wonderfulfeat of his existence, namely, his abstaining from matrimony. How he hasescaped the wiles of the fair sex is truly phenomenal, unless we revertto his other superior accomplishments. However, we will not congratulatehim yet, remembering he will not be free from danger until he has leftthis mundane sphere.
Hisearly educational opportunities were limited, but he inherited a clearand strong intellect, as well as superior physical strength, and, by muchreading and reflection, has over come these early disadvantages. Besidesbeing one of the most successful of men financially, he enjoys, by reasonof his integrity of character and uniform courtesy, the universal friendshipof his fellow men.
Biographical Review ofCass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review PublishingCo., Chicago, 1892, pages 285-287.
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