Background
He was born in Bergen County, New Jersey, the son of Abraham Van Buskirk and Sophia Van Dam.
He was born in Bergen County, New Jersey, the son of Abraham Van Buskirk and Sophia Van Dam.
He represented Shelburne County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1805 to 1818. He was a lieutenant in the loyalist New Jersey Volunteers during the American Revolution. He was captured but then released and rejoined his regiment.
In 1781, he was wounded at Eutaw Springs.
Van Buskirk settled in the Shelburne region in 1783. He originally planned on farming but some time later established himself as a merchant at Shelburne.
Van Buskirk was named a justice of the peace in 1802 and a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas in 1810. He also later served as provincial collector for impost and excise duties.
Van Buskirk joined the local militia as major, later becoming lieutenant-colonel.