• Born: 20 Oct 1865, Madison WI
• Died: 1948, Chicago IL

  General notes:

Artist

  Events in his life were:

• He was issued design patent number 21,717 on 19 Jul 1892
  
  JAMES MEARS VAN SLYKE, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN. DESIGN FOR A SPOON.
  
  SPECIFICATION forming part of Design No. 21,717, dated July 19, 1892.
  Application filed April 2, 1892, Serial No. 427,546, Term of patent 7 years.
  
  To all whom it may concern:
  Be it known that I, JAMES MEARS VAN SLYKE, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented and produced a new and original Design for Spoons, of which the following is a specification.
  Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which the figure represents a face view of a spoon having my new design embodied inthe handle thereof.
  The design embraces features commemorative of the eagle "Old Abe," which accompanied a Wisconsin regiment through the war of the rebellion.
  The design consists in the ornamentation of the handle of a spoon, the essential feature of which is the figure of an eagle,
  The letter a indicates the figure of the eagle, the same being the termination or a continuation of the handle, and represented as perched on a transversely-disposed, block b, the latter appearing as if supported on the end of the handle, which is in the form of a trunk of a tree c. A chain d is represented as securing the eagle to the tree c. On one side of the handle, near the top, appears below the block b a second trunk or growth c'.
  At the base of the handle appears a foliate scroll e.
  In the merchantable article any suitable explanatory inscription may appear on the spoon—such, for instance, as the figures "1861-65" and the words "Old Abe" and "Wisconsin."
  I claim—
  The design for a spoon herein shown and described.
  
  James Mears Van Slyke
  
  Witnesses:
  John J. Reinking
  N. B. Van Slyke