JOHN A. VAN EP, one of the earliest settlers of Stephenson County, arrived here in the spring of 1838, and proved to be of that stanch material required to assist in the settlement of a new and undeveloped section of county. He built up a good record, one which his descendants may be proud to look upon, and contributed his full quota toward establishing the reputation of this county and its standing among other communities of the Prairie State.

Mr. Van Ep was born in Glenville, Schenectady Co., N. Y., Dec. 24, 1813. His father, Albert Van Ep, was also a native of that county, where he spent his entire life. The family originally came from Holland and located in New York during its early settlement, being numbered among its most substantial residents. John, of our sketch, was reared on the old homestead where he remained until twenty-five years of age, and then resolved to investigate this part of the great West. The trip was made overland to Buffalo, thence via the lake to Toledo, and from that point he proceeded by teams to within a few miles of his present homestead. He purchased one-half of section 23, Waddams Township, which he occupied eighteen months, and then on account of the scarcity of water disposed of it and purchased his present farm, which under skillful cultivation has become one of the most valuable in Stephenson County.

Mr. Van Ep, in common with his brother pioneers, experienced the disadvantages attending transportation to a distant market by horse and ox teams, the farmers being obliged to carry their produce to Galena forty-five miles distant. He occupied, with his family, a log cabin the first five years, and when his circumstances improved sufficiently to warrant the erection of a frame dwelling the lumber and building material were laboriously transported from Galena. The house when completed was considered quite a stylish structure, and was the admiration of the country around as giving evidence of the thrift and enterprise of the proprietor. Mr. Van Ep, soon after coming here, became prominent in local affairs, officiating as Town Supervisor, Town Clerk, Assessor and School Director. He commenced duty in this line soon after the act was passed which established the free school system thirty years ago, and there have been few enterprises connected with the general welfare of his community in which he has not occupied a leading position.

The marriage of our subject with Miss Christiana Haverly took place in Glenville, N. Y., in the spring of 1835. This lady was born and reared in the same county as her husband, and is the daughter of Christian and Susan Haverly, who were numbered among the early pioneers of New York State, their first settlement being near the city of Albany. Her grandfather served on the side of the Colonists in the Revolutionary War, and made for himself an enviable record among its brave men. Of her union with our subject there are three children - Albert, Haverly and James. The first two mentioned are residents of Waddams Township, and James is prominently connected with the stock-raising interests of Webster County, Iowa, where he is also conducting a large mercantile business in the city of Moorland.

Contributed by Carol Parrish from Portrait and Biographical Album of Stephenson County, Ill. (1888), p. 378