J. W. VanHorn

Submitted by Elizabeth Burns, Aug 2002

Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913

J.W. Van Horn who for more than thirty-five years has been identified with the mining interests of Arizona was born in Markham Ontario Canada, August 9, 1851. About 1864 the family crossed the border into the United States, locating in Michigan where the father acquired some land, in the cultivation of which he engaged during the remainder of his active life. There the mother passed away on the 8th of October 1871, her burial occurring on the day of the Chicago fire. She was long survived by the father whose death occurred in March 1908. Our subject is the third in order of birth of the seven children who lived to attain maturity, two of whom, a son and a daughter are now deceased.

Reared in a home of limited means the early advantages of J.W. Van Horn were very meager. The first thirteen years of his life were passed in his native country, his education being obtained in the common schools in the vicinity of his home. He accompanied his parents on their removal to Michigan and soon afterward went to work in the lumber woods of that state, where he was employed until October 1873. Believing that the far west afforded better opportunities he then went to Nevada where he worked in the quartz mills for five years, following which he spent a year in the deep mines at Virginia City. From there he went to California and on October 18, 1880 he came to Arizona locating in what was then Pima County, now Santa Cruz County, at Harshaw. The next year he went to Tombstone to work in the silver mines and his next removal was to Charleston, where he obtained employment in the mill owned by the Tombstone Mining Company. He worked in various capacities in different mines until November 1883 when he leased a mine belonging to the Tough Nut Mining Company which he developed until June 1884 when the strike put a stop to all operations. Subsequently he engaged in installing quartz mills at different mines and has ever since followed milling and mining. In 1909 he leased some mines from the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company which he is still operating. Mr. Van Horn owns some mining claims in the Baboquiva district and is the proprietor of the Van Horn House, one of the well known hotels of Bisbee, located in the central part of the city. He also owns some desirable residence property in San Diego.

Mr. Van Horn was married in 1883 to Miss Jennie Hughes, a native of California and to them have been born three children: Luella, the wife of H. Snodgrass of Bisbee, Lillian who married F. Davenport, manager of the Van Horn House and Herbert H. an electrician in the employ of the Bisbee Improvement Company of Bisbee, who is married and has one son, J.W. born May 20, 1915. Mrs. Van Horn passed away in this city on the 22 of October 1891.

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