SKETCH OF AN OLD CITIZEN -- The Extended Career of - Mr. T.D. Van Horn

Some of the material in this biography was copied from an article which appeared in the old New Orleans States newspaper around October of 1891. Additional material is from my personal research files.

Who would imagine that the fine old looking gentleman, with the long grey beard, who has been the bookkeeper of the STATES since 1887, has overstepped the biblical three score and ten years by nearly twelve months. It is a fact, for Mr. Van Horn, who keeps so steadily and sturdily at work on his books, day in and day out, and on Saturdays until nearly midnight, first saw the light of day on October 20th, 1820.

A biographical sketch of Mr. Van Horn, printed at the request of his comrades of the Confederacy, fell under the notice of the States, and it contains interesting information about the well-filled career of Thaddeus Damascus Van Horn. The preliminary notes state that the Van Horn family came from Amsterdam in 1740 and located in one of the New England states and fought gallantly for the Union during the Revolutionary War. They removed to Baltimore.

One of the Van Horn's (James), left Baltimore and settled in Port Gibson, Mississippi where he married Pamela Hutchinson, a daughter of the Rev. James A. Hutchinson and Cynthia Georgia Clark She was the grand-niece of the famous American Rev War General Elijah Clark, of the battle of the Hornet's Nest fame.

They had one child, Thaddeus Damascus Van Horn. Mrs. Van Horn died soon after the birth of her son (1822). Three years later, Mr. Van Horn remarried and his second wife was Lucinda Abby, a sister of the Rev. Richard Abby of Yazoo City. When but a small boy T. D. Van Horn was taken to Tallahassee, Fla., where he grew to manhood and received his early education. On December 4, 1840, T.D.'s father James Vanhorn he was shot and killed. This account of the murder appeared in an area newspaper:

Murdered, At Bailey's Mills, in Jefferson County on the night of the 4th instant, from a gunshot wound received in defending his premises from an attack of marauders, Mr. James Van Horn, an old and respected citizen, in the 47th years of age.

Thaddeus Damascus followed mercantile pursuits in Tallahassee, Florida from 1835 to 1848. Also according to one source we have been told that he served as Leon Co Tax Assessor in 1845, During the year 1843 he married Miss Mary Ann Faust, who became the mother of four children: James Faust, Thaddeus Damascus; Mary Permelia and Thaddeus Damascus; James Faust of Dallas, Texas, and Mary Pamela, wife of Issac R. Harley of New York, survived to adulthood.

In 1848, Mr. Van Horn removed to Henderson, Texas. Two years later, he came to New Orleans for surgical treatment, having been shot during a personal encounter. He remained here permanently after having been under successful treatment by Dr. Warren Stone. During his first year in New Orleans, he traded between that city and Mexico.

In 1851 T. D. Van Horn entered the office of the Crescent, as a mail clerk. In a few years, he rose to be a bookkeeper and business manager, and per pro of the establishment.

It is here where things sort of go off the rails from some official accounts. The Old Sketch has this quote, "His first wife dying in 1853 . . ."

Absolutely not true! We uncovered that they apparently separated and probably divorced sometime between 1851 and the birth of a previously unknown child, George R. M. Van Horn in 1852 in Florida. We evidently discovered that Mary Ann remarried George Turner Hinsey in Florida in 1859. The previously undocumented son lived with Mary Ann during his early years.

Meanwhile, T.D. married Miss Margaretta Law on August 12, 1856, in a church service in St. Paul's church in New Orleans.

He was the manager of the "Crescent" until the breaking out of the war. The Crescent was a strong Whig paper and advocate of secession was suppressed by General Butler, during his occupancy of New Orleans. Mr. Van Horn sturdily withstood all threats, offers, and promises made to induce him to foreswear his allegiance to the Confederacy. He was forced to quit New Orleans with his family and removed to Lincoln, Talladega County, Alabama.

He was commissioned by Governor Moore as aid-de-camp on the staff of the Third brigade of the state troops and was by him assigned to duty on Colonel Scott's staff, Mr. Van Horn joined the Confederate forces as aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. John S. Scott, commanding the First Louisiana Cavalry, and later in the same company on the staff of General Joseph Wheeler, Cavalry General of the Army of Tennessee. He served with considerable distinction until after the siege of Knoxville, when he obtained a leave of absence to look after his family. He remained at Talledage until after the close of the war, serving as assistant adjutant of the post, and acting provost marshal.

After the war, Mr. Van Horn returned to New Orleans and found that within one week after he left the Federals had seized his house, sold his effects and divided the spoils among themselves, his dwelling in possession of Mr. Flanders as abandoned property and occupied by quite a number of families of the lowest order; it was six months before he recovered his house and in a terrible dilapidated condition. He aided Colonel James Oscar Nixon
(FAG Memorial https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=180994118) to re-establish the "Crescent," of which he was business manager until its close in 1869.

In 1870, Mr. Van Horn organized the Bank of Lafayette, with a capital of $100,000.00 personally obtaining all the subscriptions to its stock. He was elected cashier and remained with the bank during the first year of its existence, establishing it upon a firm basis.

Disagreeing with the President, Mr. Van Horn retired in May 1871 upon the election of officers for the second year and in September 1871, accepted the position of cashier of the Metropolitan Bank with which institution he remained sixteen years and five months and then resigned; since then, he has been engaged as bookkeeper of the New Orleans Daily States.

He is a very popular and highly respected citizen, and in one way or another has been connected with many important interests and institutions in the Crescent City. As a Mason, he is widely known having taken the thirty-second degree.

As mentioned previously Mr. Van Horn remarried in 1856. His second wife was Margaretta Law, whose parents came over from England and settled in Missouri. Ten children were born to them. All are living in 1891 as follows:

Dr. William Law Van Horn, Columbia, Louisiana; Addie Blonde, wife of A.B. Hundley, clerk of the district court, Colombia, La; Belle Randolph, First Assistant Teacher, McDonough School No. 18, New Orleans; Anna Gertrude, wife of Robert Lee Cooney, Atlanta, Georgia; Margaretta Pearl, wife of William H. Davis, St. Louis, Missouri; Thaddeus Dreux Van Horn, druggist and student of medicine, Columbia, Louisiana; Oliver Herbert, collector and student of mechanical engineering, Coleman's Foundry, New Orleans, Louisiana; Albert Cornelius, clerk for Branch K. Miller, Attorney at Law; Elmore Russell, clerk, Baldwin and Carter, Commission Merchants, New Orleans; and Mignonette Rutledge, at school.

It should be noted that Thaddeus Damascus surname was spelled at birth - Vanhorn. He changed the spelling sometime between 1840 when his father died and 1843, the year of his first marriage.