| Notes |
- GABRIEL JACOBS was born on July 7, 1781, on a farm in East Pennsboro Township of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. This was three months before British General Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown, essentially ending the Revolutionary War. In about 1788, when he was seven years old, GABRIEL accompanied his parents, WILLIAM JACOBS and ELIZABETH TROLLINGER, and his brothers and sisters, when they moved from the East Pennsboro Township farm to George's Creek Hundred area of Allegany (then Washington) County, Maryland, near the present town of Lonaconing, Maryland. There the family settled on the slopes of Dan's Mountain. There were no public schools in George's Creek Valley at the time so GABRIEL learned his "Three R's" from his parents on the farm. It was not until 1810 that the first school in the area was founded by Reverend William Shaw. It functioned as a private school without tax support. When GABRIEL was 21, he married his first cousin, MARGARET JACKSON, who had been born on April 27, 1782, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. She daughter of SAMUEL JACKSON and MARGARETHA (MARGARET) DROLLINGER (TROLLINGER). MARGARETHA AND ELIZABETH TROLLINGER were sisters. The marriage was performed by Reverend Wiilliam Shaw on November 21, 1805, in his little Methodist church in George's Creek Valley. He was best described as a circuit-riding preacher who served many small back-country congregations in the mountain area. GABRIEL obtained no license to marry MARGARET, as none were required in Maryland at the time. GABRIEL and MARGARET were blessed by twelve children, namely: Elizabeth, Mary, Samuel L., Sarah, Jacob, Barbary (Barbara), Enos, Dorcas, AHIMAAZ, Jesse, Cephas (Cephus) and Rhoda. All reached adulthood except Jacob, who died at the age of about 15 months. In his youth, GABRIEL liked carpentry and intended to pursue it as a career. But as he grew older he turned his talents toward agriculture. Then as the result of a special original warrant obtained on November 25, 1804, by him for 15 acres of land, which he was able to have compounded, he was granted 85-1/8 acres of Maryland State-owned land on November 13, 1805. This land was on the northeast side of Dan's Mountain in the George's Creek Valley area of Allegany County. It was about two miles east of the present-day town of Lonaconing. GABRIEL promptly named it "Mount Gabriel." He received a patent to this land on November 10, 1813, after paying 5 pound, 13 shillings and one penny half penny for it. Later he sold this tract of land to James Dye on May 4, 1844, for $500. However, the deed was not recorded until October 5, 1864, some 16 years after GABRIEL'S death, when his heirs finally sold his various lands. It is interesting to note how the boundaries of this tract of land were described. The deed read, in part, "Beginning at a bounded white oak tree standing on the northwest side of Dan's Mountain - - - to a bounded black oak tree; then by a straight line to the beginning." Later, on August 17, 1815, GABRIEL JACOBS purchased 200 acres of land a mile west of the present village of Lonaconing and described on the maps of the day as Lots 3726, 3732 and 3942, He paid William Ayers $600 for this land, which known as "Mount Pisgah." The deed for it was recorded on October 7, 1815. Then on January 3, 1816, GABRIEL JACOBS purchased part of a lot in the Mount Pisgah area plus adjacent lot 3942, totaling about 200 acres, from John and Mary Rankin "and other" for $600. The Rankins had moved westward to Ross County, Ohio, and sold this land to GABRIEL through land agents. Finally, on September 18, 1825, GABRIEL was granted an additional 30 acres of undeveloped government land, which he named "Mount Michael." It was adjacent to his "Mount Gabriel" lots. After GABRIEL'S father, WILLIAM, died in 1816, his estate was held by his widow, ELIZABETH and her children. However, after ELIZABETH died in 1833, GABRIEL released his 1/9th interest in his parents' estate for $25 so that it could be sold to William Shaw, the son of Reverend Shaw, in 1843. Meanwhile, GABRIEL'S father-in-law, SAMUEL JACKSON, died on May 27, 1833, leaving a 236 3/4-acre farm on Dan's Mountain, known locally as "Timothy Level," to his heirs. As the executor of SAMUEL's will, GABRIEL decided to rent the farm out to one of SAMUEL JACKSON'S neighbors for a period of several years and distributed the income among the heirs, including his own wife, MARGARET. However, on December 9, 1835, GABRIEL bought out the share owned by SAMUEL JACKSON'S son, Joseph Jackson, and his wife, Mary, for $225. At the time, they were living in Vermillion County, Illinois. Then on March 31, 1836, GABRIEL bought out the share of heir Jacob Jackson and his wife, Elizabeth, for $225. At the time they were residing in Perry County, Ohio. An item of interest is the fact that GABRIEL was appointed as an appraiser of the estate of his friend and neighbor, Samuel Ayers, after he died in 1843. After GABRIEL JACOBS' death in 1848, the estate of SAMUEL JACKSON was was turned over to an attorney named Thomas J. McKaig, who sold it to the Big Parker Vein Coal Company for $71,000 in 1854, after the discovery of tremendous coal deposits in the area.
GABRIEL'S will, made out on September 13, 1847, was witnessed by his neighbors Moses, David and Salim Ayers. In it, he specified "I bequeath unto my wife MARGARET JACOBS to have and to hold the farm, the house, and the stock with the farming utensils, household and kitchen furniture to have and to hold for her maintenance during her lifetime and when she is dead and the funeral charges are paid I request that my lands and goods be sold and that an equal distribution be made of the proceeds and an equal division made among my eleven children." He also added, "Now there will be found among my papers accounts against some of the heirs with their names appended thereto which will be laid against those that have their names appended to the accounts." Gabriel named his sons, AHIMAAZ and Jesse, as executors of his will. Of interest from an inflation viewpoint, is that they valued "3 milch cows & 1 bull" at $25.00, "1 bay mare and 2 spring colts" at $70.00; "1 family bible" at $1.00 and "1 old coffee mill" at $0.06. In all, his personal property was valued at $816.65. His real property was listed as consisting of 200 acres known as "Mount Pisgah" and valued at $2,000, plus another tract of over 236 acres known as "Timonthy Level" and valued at $2,700, for a total of $4,700. In addition, notes were due to GABRIEL in the amount of $893.81. Upon GABRIEL'S death on October 11, 1848, he was buried in the old Green Cemetery near the present town of Lonaconing, Maryland. On his tombstone was carved "Gone To Meet My God." He was buried beside his friend, and his father's brother-in-law, SAMUEL JACKSON. The will was probated on November 14, 1848 Then on December 22, 1852, his wife, MARGARET, and his children: Samuel, AHIMAAZ, Jesse, Cephas, Dorcas, Rhoda, Elizabeth and Mary sold GABRIEL'S three-fifth interest in the 236 3/4 acre farm, called "Timothy Level," to Michael P. O'Hern for $18,000. Following this, on September 13, 1856, GABRIEL'S daughter, Dorcas, and her husband, Jacob Koontz, who at the time were living in Ogle County, Illinois, sold their interest in GABRIEL'S "Mount Pisgah" to her brother, Samuel, for $3,000. Then on September 3, 1862, GABRIEL'S daughter, Barbary, and her husband Abraham Isehhart, sold their interest in "Mount Pisgah" for $600. In accordance with his wishes, GABRIEL JACOBS' "Home Place" farm on Dan's Mountain, formerly called "Mount Pisgah," was later sold to Henry H. Porter in 1864. Each of the eleven heirs sold their share for $1, 755.98. Meanwhile, GABRIEL'S widow, MARGARET, had decided to move westward to MiamiTownship in Greene County, Ohio, to live near her son, AHIMAAZ, who had purchased a farm near Yellow Springs, and her grandchildren. There she purchased 23 acres of land in section 25 from Charles Ohlwine for $2,100 on October 4, 1853. One of the highlights of MARGARET'S life at Yellow Springs came when her son, Samuel L. Jacobs, from Ogle County, Illinois, and his wife, Elizabeth Coffman, visited her in 1854 or 1855. With them they brought her 10-year old grandson, Henry Clay Jacobs. In fact, he stayed with her and attended the Horace Mann School at Yellow Springs while they went on eastward to visit friends and relatives in Maryland and Virginia. When MARGARET JACOBS died near Yellow Springs on October 20, 1855, she was buried in the Glen Forest Cemetery in Yellow Springs. (Note: I found her grave there in Lot 1034 in June 1993. The top of her headstone was broken off and missing. I hope to have to have it repaired in 1994.)
REFERENCES:
1. Mark Jacobs, Jr.; "Gabriel Jacobs - My G G Grandfather"; unpublished manuscript; circa 1990.
2 . Margaret D. Culper; "Allegany County Marriage Licenses, 1791-1847"; Maryland State Archives.
3. Deed; William Ayers to Gabriel Jacobs, 7 October 1815; Maryland State Archives.
4. Deed; John and Mary Rankin to Gabriel Jacobs; 19 July 1817; Maryland State Archives.
5. Deed; Joseph and Mary Jackson to Gabriel Jacobs; 28 December 1835; Maryland State Archives.
6. Deed; Jacob and Elizabeth Jackson to Gabriel Jacobs; 13 April 1836; Maryland State Archives.
7. Deed; Gabriel and Margaret Jacobs to Matthias Jacobs; 23 June 1843; Maryland State Archives.
8. Deed; Gabriel and Margaret Jacobs to James Dye; 5 October 1846; Maryland State Archives.
9. Deed; Heirs of Gabriel Jacobs to Michael P. O'Hern; 22 December 1852; Maryland State Archives
10. Deed; Jacob and Dorcas Koontz to Samuel Jacobs; 3 October 1856; Maryland State Archives.
11. Deed; Abraham and Barbara Isenhart toi John Trenear; 16 September 1862; Maryland State Archives.
12. Deed; Ahimaaz and Emily Jacobs to Henry H. Porter; 29 April 1864; Maryland State Archives.
13. Deed; George A. Pearce to Henry H. Porter; 22 June 1864; Maryland State Archives.
14. Deed; Jeremiah and Rhoda Miller to Henry H. Porter; 27 December 1864; Maryland State Archives.
15. Will; Gabriel Jacobs; 14 November 1848; Maryland State Archives.
16. Inventory, Estate of Gabriel Jacobs; 28 November 1848 and 8 February 1849; Maryland State Archives.
17. Letters to James W. Jacobs, 1990 -1993 by Mark Jacobs, Jr.
census 1810
Name: Gabriel Jacobs Township: District 3 County: Allegany State: Maryland
census 1820
Name: Gabriel Jacobs Township: Election District 4 County: Allegany State: Maryland Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
census 1830
Name: Gabriel Jacobs Home in 1830: , Allegany, Maryland
census 1840
Name: Gabriel Jacobs Township: District 4 County: Allegany State: Maryland
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1781 - 1848 (67 years)
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