HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY 449
LOUIS J. VAN DALSEM
A family of Builders
A native son of San Jose and a member of one of the old and prominent
families of the city, Louis J. Van Dalsem is recognized as a
progressive, wide-awake business man whose close application to the
building business made
him well known in San Jose. He was born September 12, 1889, a son of H.
C. and Louisa G. (Wasson) Van Dalsem, and is descended from French
Huguenot and Knickerbocker stock. His grandparents, H. C. and Henrietta
(Galyen) Van Dalsem,
made the journey from Indiana to California by way of the Isthmus, and
the vessel on which they were passengers was twice shipwrecked, at one
time off the coast of Florida and later off the Mexican coast.
In 1857 they arrived in San Francisco, Cal., where they resided for a
year, and on the 4th of July, 1857, they came to San Jose. Being much
pleased with the locality, they decided to establish their permanent
residence in the city, and here the grandfather followed the trade of a
carpenter. In 1869 he met with an accidental death, being killed by a
falling beam
while erecting a building. Five days after the arrival of Mr. and Mrs.
H. C. Van Dalsem in San Jose, their son, H.C. Jr., was born, on the 9th
of July, 1857, and on attaining adult years he also turned his
attention to the carpenter's trade, receiving his instruction therein
from his Uncle, E. A. Van Dalsem, a prominent building contractor of
San Jose,
who erected the Hall of Records, the Sainte Claire Clubhouse and many other fine edifices in the city.
H. C., Jr., had little opportunity for acquiring an education, for upon
his shoulders fell the burden of providing for the support of his
mother, brother and sister. He was employed as foreman for his uncle
until 1895, when he entered the contracting business on his own
account, continuing active along that line until 1914, whenhis right
had was accidentally crushed. In 1919 he was obliged to have his arm
amputated and has since lived retired. He is still residing in the home
on North Eighteenth Street which he built in 1885, his being the first
house erected in this part of San Jose. On the 28th of September, 1887,
he was married in this city to Miss Louisa G. Wasson, of English
descent and a native of Indiana, who came to California with her
parents, James and Nancy (Ford) Wasson. Mr. and Mrs. Van Dalsem became
the parents of ten chldren;Henry who died at the age of sixteen years;
Louis J. of this review; Volney F., who is engaged in the clothing
business at Watsonville, Cal.; Theodoric, a salesman, living at San
Jose; Samuel, a prominent contractor of Santa Clara; Jesse, also a
salesman and solicitor at San Jose; Mrs. Ursula Mallpass, who is at
present residing at home. her husband being a millman with the Pacific
Manufacturing Company; Nancy, at home; Alice, a high school student;
and Eugenia, who died July 15, 1910.
In the grammar schools of San Jose, Louis J. Van Dalsem pursued his
education. and when sixteen years of age started out in life for
himself, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. For
a number of years he worked as a journeyman carpenter, first going to
Oregon, then to Washington, and subsequently spending one year in
Southern California, returning in 1910 to San Jose, where he followed
his trade. In December 1910, he entered Company B. Fifth California
Infantry, as a private, winning promotion to the rank of corporal and
later was made sergeant. In 1916 he went to the Mexican border as first
sergeant of his company. After five months' service at Nogales, Ariz.,
returned to San Jose, and on March 28, 1917, he was again called to the
Presidio at San Francisco. On April 6 he was commissioned a second
lieutenant, becoming first lieutenant in the One Hundred Fifty-Ninth
Infantry. Fortieth Division, on October 13, 1917. From September 27,
1917, until July 26, 1918, he was stationed at Camp Kearney, and was
then sent over-seas, landing at Liverpool, England, whence he was
ordered to Winchester, Southampton, and later to Harve, France. At
Neronda, France, he had charge of the training of casuals and took many
replacement troops up to the front. Later he was with the Second Army
Corps, operating with the British forces, and was in the Somme salient
of November 1st until the armistice was signed. He traveled over France
while engaged in the work of taking casuals back to their original
units and subsequently was stationed for awhile at Cadillac, later at
Bordeaux, sailing from that port for the United States and landing at
Hoboken in March, 1919. He remained at Camp Mills, N. J., for thirty
days before returning to the Presidio, where he was discharged as
commanding officer of Company B., his original assignment, May 27, 1919.
Returning to San Jose, Mr. Van Dalsem entered the building and
contracting business, specializing in the construction of first-class
bungalows. He was active along that line until May, 1921, when he
became associated with Harley B. Miller in the plumbing business at
Tenth and Santa Clara streets, in San Jose. Both are capable and
energetic business men and their trade is rapidly developing.
In San Jose, on September 4, 1917, Mr. Van Dalsem was united in
marriage to Miss Helen M. Harney, a native of Oakland, Cal., and a
daughter of J. T. Harney, a prominent fruit commission merchant, whose
fruit and vegetable wagons traversed the country around San Jose, going
as far south as Santa Cruz. He came to this section of the state when
Mrs. Van Dalsem was quite young and she acquired her education at the
Notre Dame Convent of this city. Mr. Van Dalsem is a member of the
American Legion at San Jose, of which he has served as sergeant-at-arms
and is also connected with San Jose Parlor No. 22, N. S. G. W. In
business affairs he has displayed keen discernment and his is a most
creditable record, characterized by devotion to duty, by integrity and
enterprise in business and by loyalty in citizenship.
Transcribed by Marie Clayton, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 449
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