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Van Horne family papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MS 024.001

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the life and work of Mahlon Van Horne, who served as pastor of the Union Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island, for 28 years, beginning in 1869, along with papers from his family. Included is the original manuscript of his sermon, “The Negro in Rhode Island,” that he delivered in 1887, a letter he wrote October 15, 1902, reporting the death of his son in a horse-riding accident in St. Thomas, a letter addressed to Florence (Van Horne) Miller, a collection of photographs of Van Horne, his family, and locations in Newport and St. Thomas, a wedding certificate from his marriage to Rachel Ann Huston in 1862, a certificate of confirmation of his son, Mathias Alonzo, dated April 10, 1898, and a bill for the funeral services of his wife dated January 6, 1902.

Dates

  • Creation: 1862 - 1911

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

RIBHS staff staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biographical / Historical

Mahlon Van Horne was born March 5, 1840 in Princeton, New Jersey, to Mathias and Diana (Oakham) Van Horn. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1868 and became pastor at the Union Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1869, where he served for 28 years. While in Newport, he was an active part of the Black community and campaigned for civil rights. In 1871 he successfully ran for a seat on the Newport School Committee. In 1885, he became the first person of color to be elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly and was re-elected in 1887 and 1889. President William McKinley appointed him as consul to St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies in 1896, a position he served in until 1903. Van Horne died May 25, 1910, in Antigua.

Van Horne married Rachel Ann Huston (1836-1901) in 1862. They had four children who survived to adulthood, Florence Viola (1864-1950), Mathias Alonzo (1870-1932), Louise Adeline (b. 1872), and Mahlon Agustus (1877-1902). Mathias Alonzo Van Horne found success as Rhode Island’s first Black dentist and Louise Van Horne was the first African heritage teacher at Newport's public schools.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet (1 box + 32 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Title
Van Horne family papers
Author
A. Robinson
Date
2024 July 18
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society Repository

Contact:
600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue
Building 8
Providence Rhode Island 02908 USA