John Janvier (1808-1890)
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Title/Occupation | President Union Line Steamship, NC&FT RR, NC Water Co Trustee NCC |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 20 The Strand, 44 E 3rd. St. | |
| Artist | John Carlin (1813-1891) | |
| Date painted | 1830 | |
| Credit | Private Collection | |
| Married | Eliza Darragh (1802-1885, m1836) | |
| Parents | ||
| Children | Julien Darragh(1838), Margaret W. (1843-1924) | |
| Link | ||
This portrait descended through the Janvier family, who resided at 44 E 3rd Street, to the late Margaret Holcomb. It is listed in the 1951 Colonial Dames "Portraits in Delaware, 1700-1850" as "John Janvier, Painting 30 x 25 1830 By John Carlin, a talented deaf mute. Owner, Mrs. Thomas Holcomb" The Janvier house, at the corner of 3rd & Harmony, was purchased in 1834 by a John Janvier (Sr. or Jr.). Earlier John or Thomas Janvier owned 20 The Strand (the current Presbyterian Manse). It is not clear (to me) WHICH John Janvier is pictured or who purchased that house. There was a John Janvier (1770-1846), who was buried in a vault in Immanuel cemetery. He was probably too old in 1830 to be the person pictured. Membership records of the New Castle Presbyterian Church, has 44 entries for the last name "Janvier", including one John Janvier born 1808, died 1890. If the date of the portrait was 1830, he would have been about 28 at the time, which appears possible. The Janvier family came to New Castle around 1700. There were numerous Thomas, John and Francis Janviers in New Castle and Odessa (where John Janvier was a prominent cabinetmaker). They intermarried with many local families, including (from the Presbyterian Church and Immanuel's vital records: Bowman, Tatlow, Black, Cooper, Rodney, Read, deHaes, Holcomb, Clark, Darragh, Truss, Bacon, Danforth, Douglass, Barr, Wiley, Start, Marley, McBride, Robinson and White. John Janvier (father and son, usually not specified) were quite active for many years in New Castle affairs. Scharf lists as public activities for John Janvier (Sr. or Jr. not specified): Union Fire Company in 1796 Director of New Castle branch of Farmers Bank (1807, 1811-1815, 1831-37, 1874) Union Line stagecoach 1822 (and subsequently NC&FTRR) Trustee New Castle Common (1847) New Castle Gas Company (1857) and Water works (1869) UD has a similar list (also not distinguishing Sr. from Jr.) 
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Jim Meek
nc-chap.org 2014, 2015
nc-chap.org 2014, 2015