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{{Short description|American land developer}}
{{Refimprove|biographical article|date=May 2016}}
{{More citations needed|biographical article|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name= Isaac Newton Van Nuys
|name= Isaac Newton Van Nuys
Line 6: Line 7:
|caption=
|caption=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1836|11|20|mf=y}}
|birth_date= {{birth date|1836|11|20|mf=y}}
|birth_place= [[West Sparta, New York]]
|birth_place= [[West Sparta, New York]], US
|death_date= {{death date and age|1912|2|12|1836|11|20|mf=y}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1912|2|12|1836|11|20|mf=y}}
|death_place= [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
|death_place= [[Los Angeles]], California, US
|occupation= Land developer, agriculture, [[banker]]
|occupation= Land developer, agriculture, [[banker]]
|spouse= Susanna H. Lankershim
|spouse= Susanna H. Lankershim
|children=3
|children=Annis H. Van Nuys<br/>James Benton Van Nuys<br/>Kate Van Nuys
|relatives = {{ubl|[[Isaac Lankershim]] (father-in-law)|[[James Boon Lankershim]] (brother-in-law)}}
|parents=Peter Van Nuys<br/>Harriet Kerr
|relatives=Caroline M. Van Nuys <small>(sister)</small><br/>A. Vinton Van Nuys <small>(brother)</small><br/>Ella L. Van Nuys <small>(sister)</small><br/>Harriett E. Van Nuys <small>(sister)</small><br/>Webster B. Van Nuys <small>(brother)</small><br/>Herbert K. Van Nuys <small>(brother)</small><br/>[[Isaac Lankershim]] <small>(father-in-law)</small><br/>[[James Boon Lankershim]] <small>(brother-in-law)</small>
}}
}}
'''Isaac Newton Van Nuys''' ({{IPAc-en|v|æ|n|ˈ|n|aɪ|z}}; November 20, 1836 &ndash; February 12, 1912) was an [[United States|American]]<!---his career was in California (for 40+ years), not N.Y.---> businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the [[San Fernando Valley]]—an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of the Owens River aqueduct, and the possibility of intensive small farming, Los Angeles speculators, including [[Harry Chandler]] of the ''Los Angeles Times'', combined to buy out Van Nuys in 1909 and develop the San Fernando Valley.
'''Isaac Newton Van Nuys''' ({{IPAc-en|v|æ|n|ˈ|n|aɪ|z}}; November 20, 1836 &ndash; February 12, 1912) was an American businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the [[San Fernando Valley]], an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of the Owens River aqueduct and the possibility of intensive small farming, Los Angeles speculators, including [[Harry Chandler]] of the ''Los Angeles Times'', combined to buy out Van Nuys in 1909 and develop the San Fernando Valley.


Issac Van Nuys was not the founder of [[Van Nuys]] in 1911—he died in 1912—but was made the honorary godfather of the hardscrabble town, later to be the Valley's center, by the development syndicate as a promise in the land sale.
A development syndicate bought him out in 1911 and founded the town of [[Van Nuys]] in 1911. Its namesake was made the community's honorary godfather and died a year later. His legacy includes the town, schools, streets, libraries, and a [[Liberty Ship]] named in his honor.


==Early life==
Still, as a pioneer resident and honorary godfather of Van Nuys, there are schools, streets, libraries, and a Liberty Ship with the name of Van Nuys.
⚫
Isaac Van Nuys was born in [[West Sparta, New York]], the son of Peter Van Nuys and Harriet Kerr. His father was born in [[Millstone, New Jersey]], on February 7, 1808, moved to West Sparta in 1822, became a farmer, and eventually owned {{convert|500|acre|km2}}. He also served as a town supervisor and justice of the peace. He died January 2, 1875. Their patrilineal ancestor was Auke Jans van Nuys, a [[Dutch people|Dutch]] carpenter who came to [[New Netherland]] around 1651 from [[Nuis, Netherlands|Nuis]], in western [[Groningen (province)|Groningen]], and settled on [[Long Island, New York|Long Island]].<ref>[Stadsarchief Amsterdam DTB 461 p 412]</ref> Kerr was born in [[Cayuga County, New York]], on April 13, 1809. Peter and Harriet were married on November 19, 1829. They had seven children, Caroline M. Van Nuys (born June 4, 1833); Isaac N.; A. Vinton Van Nuys (born June 8, 1840); Ella L. Van Nuys (November 22, 1842 – July 22, 1843); Harriett E. Van Nuys (January 9, 1844 – August 9, 1871); Webster B. Van Nuys (born February 8, 1847); and Herbert K. Van Nuys (born April 22, 1852).


⚫
Issac attended the academy at Lima in which he was a student for one year.
==Biography==
⚫
[[File:Isaac Newton Van Nuys home.jpg|thumb|300px|right|1882 Van Nuys home of Isaac Newton Van Nuys]]


===Early life===
==Career==
⚫
===San Fernando Homestead Association===
⚫
Isaac Van Nuys was born in [[West Sparta, New York]], the son of Peter Van Nuys and Harriet Kerr. His father was born in [[Millstone, New Jersey]], on February 7, 1808. He moved to West Sparta, in 1822, where he became a farmer and eventually owned {{convert|500|acre|km2}}. He also served as a town supervisor and justice of the peace. He died January 2, 1875. Their patrilineal ancestor was Auke Jans van Nuys, a [[Dutch people|Dutch]] carpenter who came to [[New Netherland]] around 1651 from Nuis, in western [[Groningen_(province)|Groningen]].<ref>[Stadsarchief Amsterdam DTB 461 p 412]</ref> The mother of Isaac Van Nuys was born in [[Cayuga County, New York]], on April 13, 1809. Peter and Harriet were married on November 19, 1829. They had seven children, Caroline M. Van Nuys (born June 4, 1833); Isaac N.; A. Vinton Van Nuys (born June 8, 1840); Ella L. Van Nuys (November 22, 1842 – July 22, 1843); Harriett E. Van Nuys (January 9, 1844 – August 9, 1871); Webster B. Van Nuys (born February 8, 1847); and Herbert K. Van Nuys (born April 22, 1852).
⚫
In 1865, at the age of 29, Van Nuys was the first family member to move to California. He first lived in [[Napa, California|Napa]] and later in [[Monticello, California|Monticello]], where he owned a country store. In 1871, he moved to [[Los Angeles]], where he bought in with [[Isaac Lankershim]]'s corporation, the San Fernando Homestead Association. In 1869, it had bought the southern half of [[Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando]] totaling 60,000 acres (240&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) and engaged in the raising of stock, principally sheep. In 1873, Van Nuys and his future brother-in-law Isaac Lankershim's son, [[James Boon Lankershim]], moved to the San Fernando Valley and assumed management of the property. In 1874, they began raising grain, introducing dryland farming. In 1876, they filled two ships with Valley wheat at the [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]] in [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]]. It was both the first grain cargo shipped from the LA Harbor and the first grain shipped to [[Europe]] from California.


⚫
===Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company===
⚫
He attended the academy at Lima, in which he was a student for one year. His relatives emigrated from [[the Netherlands]] and located on [[Long Island, New York]].
⚫
In 1880, Van Nuys and James Boon Lankershim formed the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company from the San Fernando Homestead Association. Isaac Van Nuys was its president and manager. The company had a four-story building for [[mill (grinding)|milling]] to produce flour, meals, cracked wheat, hominy, and livestock feed. Van Nuys also served as vice-president of the [[Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles|Farmers and Merchants Bank]]; a director in the Union Bank of Savings; a director in the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company; and the owner of the Van Nuys Hotel, erected in 1896 in [[Downtown Los Angeles]].
⚫
[[File:Isaac Newton Van Nuys home.jpg|thumb|300px|right|<center>1882 Van Nuys home of Isaac Newton VanNuys.</center>]]
⚫
[[File:Isaac Newton Van Nuys signature.jpg|thumb|300px|right|{{center|Signature of Isaac Newton Van Nuys.}}]]


⚫
As the City of Los Angeles authorized building [[William Mulholland]]'s [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]] from the [[Owens Valley]] to the city and valley, land speculation plans for the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company property in the San Fernando Valley were developed. Aqueduct construction began in 1905 and would be completed in 1913. Afterwards, land that was useful only for dryland farming could be turned into residential towns and irrigated crops and orchards.
===Career===
⚫
;San Fernando Homestead Association
⚫
In 1865, at the age of 29, Van Nuys was the first family member to move to California. He first lived in [[Napa, California|Napa]], and later in [[Monticello, California|Monticello]] where he owned a country store. In 1871, he moved to [[Los Angeles]], where he bought in with [[Isaac Lankershim]]'s corporation, the San Fernando Homestead Association, that in 1869 had bought the southern half of [[Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando]] totaling 60,000 acres (240&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) and engaged in the raising of stock, principally sheep. In 1873, Van Nuys, and future brother-in-law Isaac Lankershim's son, [[James Boon Lankershim]], moved to the San Fernando Valley and assumed management of the property. In 1874, they began raising grain, introducing dryland farming. In 1876 they filled two ships with Valley wheat at the [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]] in [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]]. It was both the first grain cargo shipped from the L.A. Harbor, and the first grain shipped to [[Europe]]<!----the continent (note date please; pre euro-union, unification of italy, etc)---> from California.


;Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company
===Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company===
⚫
The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company, in the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in [[Los Angeles County]],"<ref name="Rod48">Roderick, Kevin (2001) ''The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb'', p. 48, Los Angeles Times Books {{ISBN|1-883792-55-X}}</ref> was a syndicate led by [[Harry Chandler]], the business manager of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', with Isaac Van Nuys, [[Hobart Johnstone Whitley]], and James Boone Lankershim and acquired "Tract 1000" in 1909 from the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company owned by Van Nuys and Lankershim. It encompassed the remaining {{convert|47500|acre|km2|0}} of the southern half of the former [[Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando]] land grant, everything west of the Lankershim town limits and south of the old furrow (present day Roscoe Boulevard) to the [[Simi Hills]] and [[Santa Monica Mountains]], excluding [[Rancho Los Encinos]] and [[Rancho El Escorpión]].
⚫
In 1880, Van Nuys and James Boon Lankershim formed the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company from the San Fernando Homestead Association. Isaac Van Nuys was its president and manager. The company had a four-story building for [[Mill (grinding)|milling]] to produce flour, meals, cracked wheat, hominy and livestock feed. Van Nuys also served as vice-president of the [[Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles|Farmers and Merchants Bank]], a director in the Union Bank of Savings, a director in the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company, and owner of the Van Nuys Hotel erected in 1896 in [[Downtown Los Angeles]].
⚫
[[File:Isaac Newton Van Nuys signature.jpg|thumb|300px|right|<center>Signature of Isaac Newton Van Nuys.</center>]]


⚫
The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company laid out plans for three new towns of [[Van Nuys, Los Angeles|Van Nuys]], Marion (present-day [[Reseda, Los Angeles|Reseda]]), and Owensmouth (present-day [[Canoga Park, Los Angeles|Canoga Park]] and [[West Hills, Los Angeles|West Hills]]); a system of roads and streets; and incorporation into the city of Los Angeles to receive the upcoming aqueduct's water. In the "Sale of the Century" in November 1910, it sold the remaining livestock and non-land assets of the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company at auction. The ''Los Angeles Times'' called the auction "the beginning of a new empire and a new era in the Southland."<ref name="Rod48" /><ref>Link, Tom (1991) ''Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait'', p.40, Windsor Publications {{ISBN|0-89781-393-6}}</ref> On February 22, 1911, lot sales begin for the new town of Van Nuys. The [[Janss Investment Company]] was the initial developer of both it and Owensmouth.<ref>"The Valley Observed" (Nov. 24, 2005) ''San Fernando Valley history, lore and sense of place'', Accessed Nov. 22, 2006</ref> The syndicate also built the [[San Fernando Line]], a new {{convert|20|mi|km}} extension of the [[Pacific Electric]] railway system from Lankershim (present-day North Hollywood), through Van Nuys and Marion, to its Owensmouth terminus.
⚫
As the City of Los Angeles authorized building [[William Mulholland]]'s [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]] from the [[Owens Valley]] to the city and valley, land speculation plans for the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company property in the San Fernando Valley were developed. Aqueduct construction began in 1905, to be completed in 1913. Afterwards, land only useful for dryland farming could be turned into residential towns, and irrigated crops and orchards.


==Personal life==
⚫
;Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company
[[File:LankershimVanNuys.jpg|thumb|An obelisk marking Van Nuys' grave in [[East Los Angeles]]]]
⚫
The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company, in the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in [[Los Angeles County]]",<ref name="Rod48">Roderick, Kevin (2001) ''The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb'', p. 48, Los Angeles Times Books {{ISBN|1-883792-55-X}}</ref> was a syndicate led by [[Harry Chandler]], business manager of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', with Isaac Van Nuys, [[Hobart Johnstone Whitley]], and James Boone Lankershim that acquired "Tract 1000" in 1909. It was acquired from the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company owned Van Nuys and Lankershim. It encompassed the remaining {{convert|47500|acre|km2|0}} of the southern half of the former [[Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando]] land grant—everything west of the Lankershim town limits and south of the old furrow (present day Roscoe Boulevard) to the [[Simi Hills]] and [[Santa Monica Mountains]], excluding [[Rancho Los Encinos]] and [[Rancho El Escorpión]].
⚫
In 1880, Van Nuys married Susanna H. Lankershim of Los Angeles, the daughter of [[Isaac Lankershim]] and the sister of [[James Boon Lankershim]], both of whom were his business partners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isaac Newton Van Nuys, [San Fernando Valley?], circa 1912 |url=https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/SFVH/id/3633/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=digital-collections.csun.edu |language=en}}</ref> They had three children: Annis H., James Benton, and Kate. He was a member of the [[Freemasonry|Masonic order]], connected with Pentalpha Blue Lodge, Signet Chapter, Los Angeles Commandery, and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and a member of the Baptist Church. He also founded [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery|Hollywood Cemetery]].


He died at age 75 on February 12, 1912.
⚫
The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company laid out plans for: three new towns of [[Van Nuys, Los Angeles|Van Nuys]], Marion (present day [[Reseda, Los Angeles|Reseda]]), and Owensmouth (present day [[Canoga Park, Los Angeles|Canoga Park]] and [[West Hills, Los Angeles|West Hills]]); a system of roads and streets; and incorporation into the city of Los Angeles to receive the upcoming aqueduct's water. In the "Sale of the Century" in November 1910 they sold the remaining livestock and non-land assets of the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company at auction. The ''Los Angeles Times'' called the auction "the beginning of a new empire and a new era in the Southland".<ref name="Rod48" /><ref>Link, Tom (1991) ''Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait'', p.40, Windsor Publications {{ISBN|0-89781-393-6}}</ref> On February 22, 1911, lot sales begin for the new town of Van Nuys. The [[Janss Investment Company]] was the initial developer of both it and Owensmouth.<ref>"The Valley Observed" (Nov. 24, 2005) ''San Fernando Valley history, lore and sense of place'', Accessed Nov. 22, 2006</ref> The syndicate also built the [[San Fernando (Pacific Electric)|San Fernando Line]], a new {{convert|20|mi|km}} long extension of the [[Pacific Electric]] railway system from Lankershim (present day North Hollywood), through Van Nuys and Marion, to its Owensmouth terminus.


===Personal life===
==Legacy==
⚫
On February 23, 1944, a [[Liberty Ship]] was named for Van Nuys and launched at [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]] in [[San Pedro, California]].
⚫
In 1880, he married Susanna H. Lankershim of Los Angeles, the daughter of [[Isaac Lankershim]] (1818–1882) and the sister of [[James Boon Lankershim]] (1850–1931), both of whom were his business partners. They had three children: Annis H.; James Benton; and Kate. He was a member of the [[Freemasonry|Masonic order]], connected with Pentalpha Blue Lodge, Signet Chapter, Los Angeles Commandery and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and member of the Baptist church. He also founded [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery|Hollywood Cemetery]].

He died at age 75, on February 12, 1912. He is interred (in Section G, Lot 118) at the [[Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles|Evergreen Cemetery]] in East Los Angeles, with a tall and distinctive monument.<ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=van+nuys&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=9478& Find a grave].</ref>

===Legacy===
⚫
On February 23, 1944, a [[Liberty Ship]] was named for Van Nuys, and launched at [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]] in [[San Pedro, California]].


==See also==
==See also==
Line 58: Line 55:


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<references/>

⚫
History of Livingston County, New York by James H. Smith, published by D. Mason & Co, Syracuse, NY
==Further reading==
⚫
*History of Livingston County, New York by James H. Smith, published by D. Mason & Co, Syracuse, NY


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ca/state1/biographies/invannuys.html American History and Genealogy Project California section - Isaac Newton Van Nuys]
*{{Cite web |title=American History and Genealogy Project California section - Isaac Newton Van Nuys |url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ca/state1/biographies/invannuys.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021104015911/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ca/state1/biographies/invannuys.html |archive-date=2002-11-04 |website=www.usgennet.org}}


{{California history}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Nuys, Isaac Newton}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Nuys, Isaac Newton}}
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[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:1912 deaths]]
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[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:American bankers]]
[[Category:American bankers]]
[[Category:American city founders]]
[[Category:American city founders]]
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[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Land owners from California]]
[[Category:Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:1912 deaths]]
[[Category:Landowners from California]]
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[[Category:California pioneers]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles]]
[[Category:History of the San Fernando Valley]]
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[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:People from Livingston County, New York]]
[[Category:People from Livingston County, New York]]
[[Category:People from the San Fernando Valley]]
[[Category:19th-century people from California]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People in 19th-century California]]
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[[Category:19th century in Los Angeles]]

Latest revision as of 17:31, 9 December 2024

Isaac Newton Van Nuys
Born(1836-11-20)November 20, 1836
West Sparta, New York, US
DiedFebruary 12, 1912(1912-02-12) (aged 75)
Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation(s)Land developer, agriculture, banker
SpouseSusanna H. Lankershim
Children3
Relatives

Isaac Newton Van Nuys (/vænˈnaɪz/; November 20, 1836 – February 12, 1912) was an American businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the San Fernando Valley, an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of the Owens River aqueduct and the possibility of intensive small farming, Los Angeles speculators, including Harry Chandler of the Los Angeles Times, combined to buy out Van Nuys in 1909 and develop the San Fernando Valley.

A development syndicate bought him out in 1911 and founded the town of Van Nuys in 1911. Its namesake was made the community's honorary godfather and died a year later. His legacy includes the town, schools, streets, libraries, and a Liberty Ship named in his honor.

Early life

[edit]

Isaac Van Nuys was born in West Sparta, New York, the son of Peter Van Nuys and Harriet Kerr. His father was born in Millstone, New Jersey, on February 7, 1808, moved to West Sparta in 1822, became a farmer, and eventually owned 500 acres (2.0 km2). He also served as a town supervisor and justice of the peace. He died January 2, 1875. Their patrilineal ancestor was Auke Jans van Nuys, a Dutch carpenter who came to New Netherland around 1651 from Nuis, in western Groningen, and settled on Long Island.[1] Kerr was born in Cayuga County, New York, on April 13, 1809. Peter and Harriet were married on November 19, 1829. They had seven children, Caroline M. Van Nuys (born June 4, 1833); Isaac N.; A. Vinton Van Nuys (born June 8, 1840); Ella L. Van Nuys (November 22, 1842 – July 22, 1843); Harriett E. Van Nuys (January 9, 1844 – August 9, 1871); Webster B. Van Nuys (born February 8, 1847); and Herbert K. Van Nuys (born April 22, 1852).

Issac attended the academy at Lima in which he was a student for one year.

1882 Van Nuys home of Isaac Newton Van Nuys

Career

[edit]

San Fernando Homestead Association

[edit]

In 1865, at the age of 29, Van Nuys was the first family member to move to California. He first lived in Napa and later in Monticello, where he owned a country store. In 1871, he moved to Los Angeles, where he bought in with Isaac Lankershim's corporation, the San Fernando Homestead Association. In 1869, it had bought the southern half of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando totaling 60,000 acres (240 km2) and engaged in the raising of stock, principally sheep. In 1873, Van Nuys and his future brother-in-law Isaac Lankershim's son, James Boon Lankershim, moved to the San Fernando Valley and assumed management of the property. In 1874, they began raising grain, introducing dryland farming. In 1876, they filled two ships with Valley wheat at the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro. It was both the first grain cargo shipped from the LA Harbor and the first grain shipped to Europe from California.

Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company

[edit]

In 1880, Van Nuys and James Boon Lankershim formed the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company from the San Fernando Homestead Association. Isaac Van Nuys was its president and manager. The company had a four-story building for milling to produce flour, meals, cracked wheat, hominy, and livestock feed. Van Nuys also served as vice-president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank; a director in the Union Bank of Savings; a director in the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company; and the owner of the Van Nuys Hotel, erected in 1896 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Signature of Isaac Newton Van Nuys.

As the City of Los Angeles authorized building William Mulholland's Los Angeles Aqueduct from the Owens Valley to the city and valley, land speculation plans for the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company property in the San Fernando Valley were developed. Aqueduct construction began in 1905 and would be completed in 1913. Afterwards, land that was useful only for dryland farming could be turned into residential towns and irrigated crops and orchards.

Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company

[edit]

The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company, in the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in Los Angeles County,"[2] was a syndicate led by Harry Chandler, the business manager of the Los Angeles Times, with Isaac Van Nuys, Hobart Johnstone Whitley, and James Boone Lankershim and acquired "Tract 1000" in 1909 from the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company owned by Van Nuys and Lankershim. It encompassed the remaining 47,500 acres (192 km2) of the southern half of the former Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando land grant, everything west of the Lankershim town limits and south of the old furrow (present day Roscoe Boulevard) to the Simi Hills and Santa Monica Mountains, excluding Rancho Los Encinos and Rancho El Escorpión.

The Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company laid out plans for three new towns of Van Nuys, Marion (present-day Reseda), and Owensmouth (present-day Canoga Park and West Hills); a system of roads and streets; and incorporation into the city of Los Angeles to receive the upcoming aqueduct's water. In the "Sale of the Century" in November 1910, it sold the remaining livestock and non-land assets of the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company at auction. The Los Angeles Times called the auction "the beginning of a new empire and a new era in the Southland."[2][3] On February 22, 1911, lot sales begin for the new town of Van Nuys. The Janss Investment Company was the initial developer of both it and Owensmouth.[4] The syndicate also built the San Fernando Line, a new 20 miles (32 km) extension of the Pacific Electric railway system from Lankershim (present-day North Hollywood), through Van Nuys and Marion, to its Owensmouth terminus.

Personal life

[edit]
An obelisk marking Van Nuys' grave in East Los Angeles

In 1880, Van Nuys married Susanna H. Lankershim of Los Angeles, the daughter of Isaac Lankershim and the sister of James Boon Lankershim, both of whom were his business partners.[5] They had three children: Annis H., James Benton, and Kate. He was a member of the Masonic order, connected with Pentalpha Blue Lodge, Signet Chapter, Los Angeles Commandery, and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was a Republican and a member of the Baptist Church. He also founded Hollywood Cemetery.

He died at age 75 on February 12, 1912.

Legacy

[edit]

On February 23, 1944, a Liberty Ship was named for Van Nuys and launched at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, California.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ [Stadsarchief Amsterdam DTB 461 p 412]
  2. ^ a b Roderick, Kevin (2001) The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb, p. 48, Los Angeles Times Books ISBN 1-883792-55-X
  3. ^ Link, Tom (1991) Universal City - North Hollywood, a Centenniel Portrait, p.40, Windsor Publications ISBN 0-89781-393-6
  4. ^ "The Valley Observed" (Nov. 24, 2005) San Fernando Valley history, lore and sense of place, Accessed Nov. 22, 2006
  5. ^ "Isaac Newton Van Nuys, [San Fernando Valley?], circa 1912". digital-collections.csun.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-31.

Further reading

[edit]
  • History of Livingston County, New York by James H. Smith, published by D. Mason & Co, Syracuse, NY
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isaac Newton Van Nuys.
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