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William VAN ALSTYNE, from Scodack Landing, New York, came to Texas in 1841 to seek his fortune. He lived in Houston and became a wealthy man. He put up the first 3-story building in Houston and was on the board to bring the first train to Texas. The Buffalo Bayou Brazos and Colorado Railway, which later became part of the S. Pacific’s main line. We don’t know how VAN ALSTYNE made his money but he lost it in the crash of 1890's. His son, A. A. VAN ALSTYNE, married Catherine Stone LUFKIN of Galveston and they had two daughters: Mary (Mrs. Wm. S. SINCLAIR, Sr.) and Alberta (Mrs. HARVEY) and moved to Galveston where the girls grew up. The gingerbread trimmed house still stands on Broadway.
The father of Catherine Stone LUFKIN was Abram P. LUFKIN, a ship captain from Bucksport, Maine, who came to Galveston in 1843.