Henry Van Reed, Lawyer and Judge, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, August 31st, 1821. His ancestors were natives of Holland, and settled in this country previous to the Revolution. His grandfather, John Van Reed, was proprietor of a grist mill on Tulpehocken Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River, and furnished the American army during the War of Independence with grain and other provisions while it was lying at Valley Forge. He also planted grain for the support of the Hessian prisoners captured by Washington. The property owned by his grandfather still remains in the family. His father was John and his mother Catharine Van Reed, both natives of Berks county, with which section his life has been chiefly identified. His early education was obtained in the same county; but he afterwards studied at Lititz, Lancaster county, at Lafayette College, Easton, and finally at Dickinson College, where he terminated his collegiate course in the year 1841. He then entered upon the study of law in the office of Hon. E.F. Gordon, of Reading, remaining under his instruction for two and a half years, when he was admitted to the bar and practised his profession at Reading. He pursued his calling as a barrister till 1868, when he was appointed, by Governor Young, as additional Law Judge of the Twenty-third Judicial District of Berks county until a later election. He was nominated at the end of the term for the same office, and at a later date received the nomination for President Judge. In 1872, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention for the Eighth Judicial District, under a law passed for the purpose of calling a convention in which the principle of minority or cumulative representation should be recognized, and honorably fulfilled the duties of his office. He was married, in 1851, to Harriet Gernant, also of Berks county. During his protracted career of over thirty years, as lawyer and judge, he has constantly evinced a marked ability in his profession, gaining the esteem and confidence of all classes of the community. Through life his conduct has exhibited a strong feeling of patriotism, and he can boast of never having turned a deaf ear to any call of his country for its defence.
Source: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1874, pp. 221.
Contributed by: Nancy.