Surnames: Jacobs, Reiley, Snowdon, Parkhill, Graham, Bowman, McBurney
Captain Adam Jacobs, deceased. The late Captain Adam Jacobs was in his day one of the most prominent and energetic businessmen of western Pennsylvania. He was a son of Adam Jacobs and Eliza Reiley Jacobs and was born at Brownsville, Fayette county, Penna, January 7, 1817.His grandfather, Adam Jacobs, was a native of Maryland, emigrated to Lancaster county, Penna, removed to Allegheny county, and subsequently to Brownsville in about 1794 where he was engaged in the mercantile business until his death in 1818. He sleeps in the old Episcopalian cemetery. He
had one child, Adam Jacobs, the father of Captain Adam Jacobs.Adam Jacobs, the Captain's father, was born December 3, 1794, educated at Washington College, and was married January 16, 1816, to Miss Ann Reiley of Bedford county, and died June 29, 1822. He was a dry goods merchant.
Captain Adam Jacobs, while learning the trade of coppersmith with G W Bowman, obtained a very limited education. After two or three business ventures he engaged in the steamboat business which he followed until 1872. He commanded several and built 125 steamboats that plied upon the western waters. During this time he was interested more or less in milling, banking, mining, farming, merchandixing and railroading. In 1865 her purchased 1,000 acres of land on the Monongahela river, eight miles southwest of Brownsville which he named "East Riverside."
Washington's birthday, 1838, he married Miss Ann Snowdon, daughter of John Snowdon. They had ten children, of whom eight are living: Mary Jacobs, wife of William Parkhill, cashier of Second National Bank; Adam Jacobs, captain of the James G Blaine; Catherine Jacobs, wife of S S Graham, superintendent Pittsburgh, Brownsville and New Geneva Packet Line, and engaged in wholesale and retail grocery business; Carrie S Jacobs, wife of J H Bowman, banker and real estate dealer; Annie Jacobs, wife of Joseph McBurney of Chicago, and engaged in white lead business; Martin B Jacobs, a broker in Chicago; George R Jacobs, a farmer in Greene county, Penna, and John N Jacobs, farmer in Luzerne township.
After a long and eventful career, Captain Adam Jacobs died on December 18, 1883. He was for over forty years one of the prominent, active and useful leading businessmen of western Pennsylvania, and whose boats plied on all the navigable waters of the Mississippi valley.