When William Van Tuyl departed this life Davenport lost one of its oldest and most respected citizens. In fact he was in point of years of residence in the locality, the oldest resident of Davenport, having lived in Davenport and vicinity nearly fifty-two years. He was born in Otsego County, New York, July 23, 1810. He was the son of John and Jane (White) Van Tuyl.
When William was about ten years of age his parents removed to Albany County, New York, where he was educated, and learned the trade of tanner in a tannery owned by Ira Cook. Before many months had passed he was engaged to his employer's daughter and they were married in 1835. Immediately after his marriage to Patience E. Cook, in company with the bride's father and family, he started for what was then the far West, arriving at Davenport on the seventh of November, 1835, having been just a month on a journey which can now be made in less than thirty-six hours.
They settled on what was long known as the “Cook Farm," now a part of West Davenport, Mr. Van Tuyl building a log cabin for a home. Their nearest neighbor on the north was Antoine Le Claire, whose log house stood on the site of the present Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad freight depot on Fifth Street, while their nearest neighbor on the south was “Wild-cat” Wilson, whose cabin was eight miles distant, and who received the sobriquet of “Wild-cat” because he had traveled all the way from Ohio, making claims along the way and selling them out as soon as the vanguard of civilization would reach him. In their log cabin home Mr. and Mrs. Van Tuyl gave the second social party ever given in Davenport. On the eighth of January, 1836, Mr. Le Claire gave a "Jackson” party, and on the twenty-second of February the Van Tuyls gave a Washington's birthday party, the guests being liis wife's family, Mr. and Mrs. Le Claire, the officers of the garrison at Fort Armstrong, and three or four couples from Stephenson, now Rock Island City. The orchestra consisted of a fiddle, but there was dancing and a delightful time. In the latter part of this year Mr. Van Tuyl bought a farm on Black Hawk creek, whereon he lived some five years. Rockingham was in its glory then, and Burrows & Prettyman had built a ilouring mill there. The firm employed Mr. Van Tuyl to manage the business for them, and he was thus employed two years. They built another mill at Camanche, which he superintended for six months. In the spring of 1818 he returned to Davenport and entered the large store of Burrows & Prettyman as chief salesman. The next year, in company with his brother-in-law, Ira Cook, Jr., he opened a general store on Front Street, where they did a prosperous business for several years. After this partnership was dissolved Mr. Van Tuyl closed out the business, and then opened a grocery and feed store, which he conducted until the Mississippi & Missouri Railway called him into its service as right of way agent. For this company and also for the Union Pacific Company he did a great amount of business in this capacity. After the consolidation of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Mississippi & Missouri Railways he was employed in the land department of the road, and continued in that capacity until 1883, when he retired for a well-earned rest in his declining years. The family have lived at their present home on Brady Street since 1856.
BIOGRAPHIES