Peter Van Every
Peter Van Every (January 3, 1795 – December 20, 1859) was an American farmer, merchant, and politician who served in the Michigan House of Representatives in the first years of Michigan's statehood.
Peter Van Every | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the Wayne County district | |
| In office November 2, 1835 – January 1, 1837 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 3, 1795 near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 20, 1859 (aged 64) |
| Political party |
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Biography
Peter Van Every was born near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on January 3, 1795. His parents moved the family to Michigan when he was an infant. He served as a private during the War of 1812, and was promoted to the position of quartermaster of a regiment.[1] He was present when General William Hull surrendered Detroit to the British.[2] Following the war, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass commissioned him as a colonel in the militia.[1]
Van Every lived on a 400-acre (160 ha) farm in Hamtramck, Michigan,[1] where he engaged in the meat and hotel business. He served for several years on the Michigan Territorial Council.[2] He was a delegate to Michigan's first state constitutional convention in 1835, and was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and served during its first session. He was a Democrat until 1837, when he switched parties and became first a Whig and later a Republican.[1]
In 1837, Van Every exchanged his Detroit property for land near Franklin, Michigan, the owner of which had been forced to give it up due to financial failures.[3] On his tract of 1,500 acres (610 ha), he farmed, built a grist mill, and carried on mercantile trade.[2] The grist mill was for two years was the only one in Oakland County where farmers could sell their wheat. He also built a distillery in 1837, and a potashery the next year.[3]
Van Every died on December 20, 1859, and is buried in Franklin Cemetery.[4]
Family
Van Every was married to Amy Deer, and they had 15 children: Peter, Polly, William, Martha, James, Andrew J., Susan, Amy, John, George, Louisa, Lavinia, Walter, and one who died as an infant.[5]
Notes
- Bingham 1888, p. 654.
- Chapman Bros. 1891, p. 619.
- Durant & Peirce 1877, p. 325.
- Find A Grave 2011.
- Chapman Bros. 1891, pp. 619–620.
References
- Bingham, Stephen D. (1888), Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators, Lansing: Thorp & Godfrey, retrieved 2018-11-30
- Durant, S. W.; Peirce, H. B. (1877), History of Oakland County, Michigan, Philadelphia: L. H. Everts & Co., retrieved 2018-11-30
- Michigan Manual (1877–78 ed.), Lansing: W. S. George & Co., 1877, retrieved 2018-11-30
- Portrait and Biographical Album of Oakland County, Michigan, Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1891, retrieved 2018-11-30
- "Tombstone of Peter Van Every", Find A Grave, May 25, 2011, retrieved 2018-11-30