Henry van Wart (1784 - 1873), an American who became British by special act of Parliament, founded the Birmingham Stock Exchange and served as one of Birmingham's first aldermen and a director of the Birmingham Banking Company. He was married to Sarah Irving, the sister of author Washington Irving. They had four children: William (1812 - 1868), Matilda (b. 1814), Marianne (b. 1816). and George (b. 1817; later a wine merchant). William later named his first- born Washington Irving Van Wart (b. 1836), whose niece in turn was called Rosalinda Irving Van Wart (b. 1874).