John Thomas Van Cleave

John Thomas Van Cleave
29 Nov 1840 - 29 Jan 1914
John was from DeBeque, and with his partner, Mr. Harvey, bought into an existing Rifle plumbing business in 1909.
It was a good time as Rifle put in water and sewer in 1906, so there was a lot of retrofitting to be done.
In an attached Apple Pie day float, they have their toilet, sink, and bathtub on the float.
The first Apple Pie day was held on 1909 so the photo is circa 1909.
The business they bought was built by John McKarnes who was a Rifle resident beginning at least from 1897.
McKarnes built his plumbing shop in 1901. In 1903 he installed steam heat in the McLearn store. He sold the business to Van Cleave & Harvey in 1909.
Van Cleave & Harvey sold it in 1912. In 1924 Hoback bought the building and turned it into a flour mill.
In 1945 Ray Cole bought it and turned it into a laundry, living upstairs. Ray went on to build his A&W next door to the south.
In 2002 the flour mill was torn down. It was ready to fall down by then.
John Van Cleave was from a large family of 8 children. When John Thomas Van Cleave was born on November 29, 1840, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, his father, Benjamin, was 24 and his mother, Nancy, was 23. He married Matilda Jane Elliott on November 16, 1865, in Polk City, Iowa. They had eight children in 18 years. He died on January 29, 1914, in De Beque, Colorado, at the age of 73, and was buried there. Hopefully one of the descendants knows who Mr. Henry was.
John served in the Civil war. He was born in 1840. His wife was born in 1848 and she died in 1885 at age 37. Their 8th child had been born in 1885.
John passed away in 1914 in DeBeque at age 74 and is buried in the DeBeque Cemetery.
All of his children lived to at least 75 years of age.

        

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