John De La Vergne made large investments in the Milling industry and was very successful. He built a large house which is still standing as 41 Red Oaks Mill Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY. With the expansion of his mills, he persuaded his brother Henry and others to invest in his ventures. The mills were built during wartime and, after the war, foreign goods were brought into the market again and John's mills were ruined in the Panic of 1837. The entire family fortune was wiped out! As a result of this, most of the male members of this branch left Washington Hollow and sought their fortunes elsewhere. John moved to Marietta, Ohio and thence to Tennessee where he died.723