Joseph Bishop Van Sciver was born on May 14, 1861, in Hainesport, New Jersey. He grew up in Camden and attended the E. A. Stevens School. In 1881, he founded his furniture manufacturing and retail business in a small shop at 210 Federal Street. The business grew rapidly, and by 1888, he had moved to a four-story building directly opposite the Pennsylvania Terminal and Ferry at Delaware and Federal. Over the years, he expanded his operations to Trenton and Allentown, Pennsylvania.
By 1923, the Van Sciver business occupied ten acres, with new construction and buildings added in 1890, 1896, 1902, and 1923. The furniture produced by Van Sciver was shipped all over the world, and the business was a household name. In addition to furniture manufacturing, J.B. Van Sciver was involved in other businesses related to the manufacture and sale of construction materials.
On June 9, 1892, he married Florence Groff Kelly at the First Baptist Church in Camden, and they had four children: Joseph B. Jr., Russell, Lloyd, and Ruth. The Van Scivers later made their home in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.
J.B. Van Sciver remained actively involved in his business until about a year before his death on June 19, 1943. He was succeeded by his son, Joseph Bishop Van Sciver Jr., as the chief executive officer of the company.
Related Photos
Related Articles
-
Centennial Mirror 1828-1928
Centennial Mirror of the City of Camden, NJ Published in the interest of a growing city, nineteen twenty-eight. THE City Commissioners of Camden extend their Greetings to all citizens of the City, State and Nation who may visualize the Camden of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, through this volume which is dedicated to the Cause of…
-
Camden Industries
ABATTOIRS ADVERTISING POSTERS ART GLASS ASBESTOS ASPHALT AUTOMOBILES AUTO & TRUCK BODIES AUTO RADIATORS AUTO SPRINGS AUTO TOPS AUTO SUPPLIES AWNINGS BAKERIES BOAT BUILDERS-SHIPS AND YACHTS BOILERS BARRELS BOOKS AND BOOKBINDERS BOTTLERS BOXES BRASS CASTINGS BRICKS BRICK SEWER PIPES BROOMS, WHISK, ETC. BUILDING MATERIALS BURLAP BAGS CANDIES CAP MANUFACTURERS CARBIDE CAKES CARBON BLACK, ETC. CARPET…
-
First Camden National Bank Celebrating 130th Anniversary
Camden Courier-Post – June 16, 1942 Institution Started Business at Second and Market Streets in 1812—16 Years before City Was Incorporated By Oscar Magnuson First Camden National Bank and Trust Co. is celebrating its 130th anniversary today. There are no special exercises to commemorate the reaching of another milestone by the oldest bank in South…
-
Stores Will Join In Bargain Period
Camden Courier-Post – June 9, 1933 Merchant’s Association Announces Plans for Three-Day Event A committee of the Merchants’ Cooperative Association, headed by Harry A. Moran, secretary and manager of the the Hurley Store, has announced a three-day co-operative promotion which will be known as Camden’s Co-operation Days. All merchants of this city have been invited…
-
400 Friends Pay Homage to ‘Good Gray Poet’
Camden Courier-Post – June 1, 1933 Men and Women From Many Sections Visit Walt Whitman’s Tomb and Old Mickle Street Home on His 114th Anniversary. By Frank Sheridan “It’s just a little street where old friends meet.” That’s Mickle Street where Walt Whitman, the “Good Gray Poet,” once lived, and old friends came back here…
-
CAMDEN – A Great City Growing Greater
Evening Courier – Centennial Anniversary Edition – February 13, 1928 Just one hundred years ago today, a little group of men went before the Legislature and asked that body to incorporate as a city the straggling and struggling village of Camden. If these men could now visit the city born that day through their efforts,…
Leave a Reply