Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County,
Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of
prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with
portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States,
and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890;
page 217-218; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Balthaser Jacobs. For varied reasons numbers of foreigners
come each year from European countries to make for themselves homes in
the United States and here pursue the trade or profession which they
learned in their native land. To this class belongs the subject
of our present sketch, he having been born in one of the Rhine
Provinces, in Germany, November 25, 1827. His parents, Peter and
Mary (Rechner) Jacobs, never came to America, the father dying previous
to the time of our subject’s journey hither and the mother passing away
from earthly scenes in the year 1864. The parental family
consisted of eight children, all living except John, the
first-born. The survivors are: George, Joseph, Jacob,
Balthaser, Antone, Elizabeth and Mary, and all but our subject reside
in their native land.
Mr. Jacobs spent his early years on his father’s farm and
obtained a fair common-school education, also learning the trade of a
wagon-maker. He started for America in 1850, and upon reaching
the New World spent three weeks in New York City, and then went to
Buffalo, where he worked at his trade. At a later date he was a
carpenter in the country around Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and in 1855
came to this State, settling in Polo, where for a year he remained
doing carpenter’s work.
The young man then purchased eighty acres of land which he
cultivated until the year 1865, from which time until 1869 he traveled
throughout the State. Finally locating in Canton he began
gardening on a small scale and has continued the occupation up to the
present time, and gradually increased his business until he is now one
of the leading nurserymen of the place. He began with three lots,
a quarter of an acre, on which he raised the earliest and best potatoes
in the market, and now owns eleven lots on Elm Street, with one and a
half on W Lite Street, in the heart of the city, and has three
greenhouses and two dwelling houses. He does a large gardening
business and has the leading trade as a florist; he is also engaged in
berry culture.
In May, 1877, Mr. Jacobs was united in marriage with Miss Maria
Walter, daughter of Conrad Walter, and a native of Germany. Mrs.
Jacobs is an excellent housewife and is devoted to the interests of her
family, the circle including four sons - George, Carl, Lewis and John,
and a babe unnamed.
Our subject is a Catholic, and his wife belongs to
the Unitarian Church. They are religious people, and embrace
every passing opportunity to advance the interests and welfare of their
neighbors and friends. Mr. Jacobs is well and favorably known in
business circles as a thrifty, industrious and honest man who manages
his affairs in a most systematic way. As a citizen he is
law-abiding, sober and quiet, attending strictly to his own affairs,
and for over twenty years he has been regarded as one of the best of
the German born citizens of the county.
