Captain Adam Jacobs of Brownsville is of German extraction. His grandfather, Adam Jacobs, emigrated from Lancaster county at an early day into Allegheny County and there carried on farming on Turtle Creek, near Braddock's Field, eleven miles east of Pittsburgh for several years, and then moved to Brownsville where he entered into merchandising which he conducted until his death which occurred in 1818.He had but one son who lived to maturity named after himself, Adam Jacobs, and who was bor in Brownsville, December 3, 1794, and was educated at the subscription schools and at Washington College and became a merchant and on the 16th of January 1816, married Eliza Reiley, daughter of Martin Reiley of Bedford, Bedford County, Penna. He died June 29, 1822, leaving two children, Adam Jacobs; and Ann Elizabeth Jacobs, long since deceased.
Adam Jacobs is the subject of our sketch and was born January 7, 1817. He received his early education in the pay schools and at about sixteen years of age was apprenticed to G W Bowman to learn coppersmithing and remained with him for four years. He then went into the business for himself and in a year or two afterwards took to steamboating unti 1847. He was at this time and had been for years before engaged also in building steamboats, and from 1847 forward prosecuted steamboat building vigorously at times having as many as eight boats in a year under contract. He built over a hundred and twenty steamboats before practically retiring from the business about 1872, since which time he has, however, built about five boats for the Pittsburgh, Brownsville, & Geneva Packet Company and other contracts.
Captain Jacobs was also engaged in merchandising with all the rest of his active business from 1843 to 1865 and may be said to be still merchandising for he has a store at East Riverside. Since about 1872 he has spent his time mostly in Brownsville in the winters and at his country residence, "East Riverside," Luzerne township on the Monongahela River during the summer seasons.
On the 22nd of February, 1838, Mr Jacobs married Miss Ann Snowdon, born in England in 1816, a daughter of John Snowdon and Mary Smith Snowdon who came from England and settled in Brownsville in 1818, where Mr Snowdon soon after started the business of engine building and carried it on till disabled by age. Mr and Mrs Snowdon both died in advanced years, and were buried in the Brownsville Cemetery where a fine monument marks the place of their repose.
Mr and Mrs Jacobs have had ten children, eight of whom are living: Mary Jacobs, wife of William Parkhill; Adam Jacobs Jr married to Laura Myers of Canton, Ohio; Catharine Jacobs, wife of S S Graham; John N Jacobs married Sarah Colvin; Caroline S Jacobs, wife of John H Bowman; Anna
Jacobs, wife of Joseph L McBirney of Chicago, Illinois; Martin Reiley Jacobs, now residing in Colorado; and George D Jacobs.