Arthur C. Van Duyn, well-known attorney-at-law, of Greenfield, this county, and former prosecuting attorney for this political district, is a native son of Hancock county, having been born on a farm in Brown township on October 20, 1870, son of George W. and Sarah A. (Tague) Van Duyn, the former a native of Henry county, this state, and the latter of this county, who are now living pleasantly retired at Shirley, this county.

George W. Van Duyn was reared to the life of the farm in Henry county and lived there until his marriage, after which he moved to Brown township, this county, where he became a substantial farmer and where he and his wife made their home until their retirement from the farm in 1910, since which time they have resided in Shirley, where they are very comfortably situated. To them seven children have been born, of whom the subject of this biographical sketch is the eldest, and all of who are still living, the others being as follow: Claud, a Hancock county farmer; Emma, who married William Burns, a farmer, who works in Shirley, Indiana; Obe, who is a farmer and school teacher; Alice, who married Floyd Kitterman, a Henry county farmer; Nellie, who married Thomas Brookshire, a painting contractor of Henry county, and Charles, a farmer.

Upon completing the course in the district schools of his home township, Arthur C. Van Duyn taught school for a couple of terms in Brown township and then attended the Central Normal College at Danville for three terms, after which he resumed teaching and was this engaged for about ten years, teaching eight years in Brown township, one year in Blue River township and one year in Vernon township, during which time he also was conducting a general store at Shirley. In 1893 he was appointed postmaster at Shirley and held that commission for four years. During all these years Mr. Van Duyn had been a close student of the law and had devoted much of his leisure to the careful reading of the law, becoming thoroughly grounded in the rudiments of the profession, and on July 5, 1898, sold his store at Shirley and moved to Greenfield, where he took a further course in reading under a competent preceptor and was admitted to the bar on examination that same year. He opened an office for the practice of his profession in that city, his first location having been in the Masonic Temple, and has been practicing in Greenfield ever since, his present office being in the Thayer building. In 1900, two years after taking up the practice of the law, Mr. Van Duyn was elected prosecuting attorney for this judicial district, on the Democratic ticket, and in 1902 was re-elected to the same office, serving in that important public capacity for four years. He later was appointed county attorney and served in that office for two years. Mr. Van Duyn has been successful in his practice and has other interests outside the legal profession, being the owner of a fine tract of farm land in Montana.

In 1892 Arthur C. Van Duyn was united in marriage to Perilee Eakin, who was born in this county in 1873, daughter of James and Hester (Bales) Eakin, both natives of this county and well-to-do farmers, and to this union two children have been born, Raymond C. and Eva Pearl. The Van Duyns have many friends in and about Greenfield and are held in high esteem by all. Mr. Van Duyn is a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Improved Order of Red Men and takes a warm interest in the affairs of these organizations.

Transcribed from History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman, B. L., Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916. Pages 911-912.

Submitted by Sylvia (Rose) Duda, Laingsburg, MI September 27, 2001.

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