Isaac Van Leer (January 7, 1772 – August 10, 1821) was a Pennsylvania ironmaster and owned the Hibernia Furnace, Springton Forge and historic

Hibernia House Hibernia House is an historic home which is located in Hibernia County Park, near Wagontown, West Caln Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. History and architectural feature ...

in West Caln Township, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the influential

Van Leer family The Van Leer family, originally spelled Von Lohr, is an influential German-American family that emigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania in the 17th century from the Electorate of Hesse near Isenberg, Germany. The family made their fortune in the U ...

and was the son of Samuel Van Leer, a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Biography

Van Leer was born in 1772 in

Easttown Township Easttown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,477 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History The land that eventually became Easttown Township was o ...

in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

to Samuel and Hannah (Wayne) Van Leer. His father Samuel Van Leer, served as a captain during the American Revolutionary War. In 1814, Van Leer purchased land and the Hibernia Iron Works in West Caln Township, Pennsylvania. He also owned the Springton Forge in

West Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania West Nantmeal Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,170 at the 2010 census. It and East Nantmeal Township were originally part of a single Nantmeal Township, which was divided in 1739. History Nantmeal wa ...

. In 1815 he purchased the

and lived there. In 1816, he declared bankruptcy and gave the Springton Forge property to his wife's family in order to settle his debts. In 1817, he sold the Hibernia location at a financial loss due to flooding damage. On April 17, 1800, he married Elizabeth Culbertson and together they had four children - Wayne, Linford, Margaret and Hannah. All children would own or be involved with the iron industry, except Lindford who died as a child from a fall. Unlike most of his family, Isaac was a Presbyterian. His son, Wayne, moved to Texas in the 1800s and enlisted with the Union Army during the American Civil War at age 15.

References

External links

The medical Van Leer family of Pennsylvania and New Jersey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Leer, Isaac 1772 births 1821 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American ironmasters American Presbyterians American people of German descent Burials in Tennessee People from Chester County, Pennsylvania People of colonial Pennsylvania People from Dickson, Tennessee Van Leer family