Family Memories
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne
Their Family
In the Beginning:
FAMILY NOTES General1:
William Cornelius Van Horne was born on February 3, 1843 on a farm at Chelsea, in Will County, Illinois. His great, great grandfather, Jan Cornelissen Van Horne had immigrated from the Dutch Republic in 1635 to the British colonies and settled in New Amsterdam, which is now known as the Island of Manhattan. The family had prospered, becoming landowners and businessmen, and played an important role in the industrial and political development of New York State.
William Van Horne's father, Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne, was trained as a lawyer at Union College. He is said to have "chafed at the dullness of life in that profession", and cast it all aside to go west in 1832 with his wife and two children, seeking his fortune. Life in the west, namely Chelsea, was hard. His first wife and two children died, and a fire destroyed his home, barn, and law books. Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne married for a second time to Mary Minier Richards in 1842 (William's mother), borrowed money from his brother to buy another farm, and started over. Mary Minier Richards was the daughter of a South German father and a Pennsylvania mother of French descent. William was the eldest of five children.
In 1854, tragedy again struck the Van Horne family when William's father died from cholera, leaving a great deal of debts and very little money. Mary Van Horne was able to keep her children in school by earning an income taking in sewing and selling vegetables from their garden; however, the family was forced to sell their home and move into a smaller dwelling in Joliet.
William Van Horne was eleven when his father died. He was able to help support the family when he started his first job at the age of fourteen. In the spring of 1857, William left school to work as a telegrapher with the Illinois Central Railway in the company's Chicago office. This began his career as one of the greatest railway men ever known.
In 1864, Van Horne commenced a new position as train dispatcher in Bloomington, Illinois, and met his future wife, Lucy Adaline Hurd. Lucy Hurd was the daughter of an Illinois civil engineer involved in railroad construction. She was well educated, having obtained a degree from Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. The couple were married in March, 1867, and following the marriage, William Van Horne moved his mother-in-law, mother, sister, and new wife to live together in a house in Bloomington. All lived with Van Horne until their respective deaths. William and Lucy Van Horne had three children: Adaline (born 1868), William (born 1871, died at age five), and Richard Benedict (1877), known as "Bennie".
One year after his marriage, William Van Horne achieved one of his greatest aspirations, to become general superintendent of the Illinois Central Railway, and to have his own private car on the line. At the time of this achievement, he was only 29 and the youngest railroad head in the world.
Another great opportunity unfolded in the fall of 1881, when Van Horne was asked if he would become general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He accepted this new position, and commenced his duties in Winnipeg on January, 1882. Three years later, on November 7, 1885, the last spike for the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven, and the first passenger train left Montreal for Port Moody, British Columbia on June 28, 1886. In 1888, William Van Horne was named President of the Canadian Pacific Railway; later, in 1898, he became Chairman of the Board. In 1894 he was awarded a knighthood for his remarkable achievements.
Five years after the last spike was driven, Sir William Van Horne visited New Brunswick to inspect the province's railway system and to arrange for its lease to the Canadian Pacific. In his travels he came upon St. Andrews and fell in love with the exquisite beauty of Passamaquoddy Bay with its protected islands. The Van Hornes purchased the southern tip of Minister's Island in 1892, and there, for the next 25 years, Sir William worked at creating a self-sufficient summer haven.
On September 11, 1915, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne died at his home in Montreal. He was buried in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois.
SOURCES:Garry Bishop submitted this story. At this time we are not sure how Sir William ties into this family of Van Horns, but he is an important figure of Canadian History.
NOTE: If anyone can add to this Story of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne please email me.
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