Howard Van Pelt

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Howard Van Pelt
Howard Van Pelt.jpg
Sandy Hook Pilot Howard Van Pelt
Born(1830-09-27)September 27, 1830
Stapleton, Staten Island, US
DiedApril 20, 1878(1878-04-20) (aged 47)
Staten Island, US
NationalityUnited States American
Occupationharbor pilot
Spouse(s)Margaret M. Perry
Children5

Howard Van Pelt (September 27, 1830 – April 20, 1878) was a 19th-century New York Sandy Hook Pilot. He is best known for being a Sandy Hook pilot that lost his life on duty. He was knocked overboard when the hawser parted struck him in the chest while towing the bark Ukraine. His son, James Howard Van Pelt, was also a Sandy Hook pilot and lost his life when boarding a tank ship in 1915.

Early life and career[]

James Howard Van Pelt

Howard Van Pelt was born on September 27, 1830, in Stapleton, Staten Island. His father was Jacob Van Pelt and his mother was Mary Simonson. He married Margaret M. Perry and had five children.[1]

He was a pilot who trained his son, James Howard Van Pelt, in the piloting business who became a Sandy Hook pilot. His son was fifteen when he helped his father sail a four masted schooner safely into the Brooklyn docks.[2]

On May 21, 1866, Howard Van Pelt was listed as a member on the Board of Pilot Commissioners.[3]

Death[]

On April 20, 1878, Howard Van Pelt, at age 47, drowned when he was knocked overboard when towing the bark Ukraine off Sandy Hook. The hawser parted striking him in the chest killing him instantly. His body was recovered and taken to his residence at Stapleton, Staten Island.[2][4][5] He was buried at the Silver Mount Cemetery in Sunnyside, Staten Island.[6][7]: p20  His son, James H. Van Pelt, was serving as an apprentice on a pilot boat outside Sandy Hook when his father was killed.[8]

His nephew Frank P. Van Pelt, a Sandy Hook Pilot, died at age 81 in Staten Island on July 20, 1942.[7]: p83 

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "1850 United States Federal Census". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  2. ^ a b "Pilot Falls To Death Boarding An Oil Barge". The Sun. New York, New York. 20 Sep 1915. p. 12. Retrieved 14 Apr 2021.
  3. ^ "Annual Report of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, for the Year". Wheeler and Williams. 1867. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  4. ^ "Port Of New York, April 20, 1878". New York Herald. New York, New York. 21 Apr 1878. p. 14. Retrieved 14 Apr 2021.
  5. ^ "The New York Times Book Review and Magazine, Honorable Company of Pilots The Picked". Arno Press. 1923-08-12. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  6. ^ "Howard Van Pelt". Find a Grave. Ancestry.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Allen, Edward L. (1922). Pilot Lore; From Sail to Steam, and Historical Sketches of the Various Interests Identified With the Development of the World's Greatest Port. The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations.
  8. ^ "The Pilot's Death". The Evennig Telegram. New York, New York. 1878-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
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