Petrus (Jacobi) Jacoby (abt. 1709 - 1761)

Born about 13 Dec 1709 in Offenbach am Main, Starkenburg, Hesse, Heiliges Römisches Reich [uncertain]

Husband of Maria Elizabeth (Heuer) Jacoby — married about 1728 in Westheim, Germersheim, Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 2 Feb 1761 at about age 51 in Bucks, Pennsylvania

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Peter (Jacobi) Jacoby was a Palatine Migrant. Join: Palatine Migration Project Discuss: palatine_migration

Biography

Peter Jacoby/Jacobi was born 1710 in Hesse, Germany. He died in 1761 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Birth Date: 13 Dec 1709

Name: Peter JACOBY. Peter Jacobi.

Emigrated 1741 on ship St. Mark's

Buried

Date: 4 Feb 1761

Place: Tohickon Dam, Bucks, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America.

Occupation: farmer.

Excerpted from History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1914, p. 605:^[1]

"Peter Jacobi, an immigrant from the Palatine, Germany, arrived in America, in the ship "St Mark." He qualified for citizenship at Philadelphia, Sept. 26, 1741. He settled in Bucks County, Pa. He married Mary Elizabeth Heuer, who survived her husband for many years. She died at an advanced age, at the home of her son-in-law, Andrew Snyder, in Richland township, Bucks County. Her death occurred previous to Jan 9, 1790, since letters of administration were granted on her estate, on that date, to Andrew Snyder. Their children named in the distribution account filed were the following: Conrad, the "eldest son", who accordingly received a double portion; Henry; George; John; and Margaret. Conrad was born June 7, 1730, and Margaret, who was probably the youngest, was born Jan 6, 1749, and died March 22, 1828."

"Conrad Jacobi was granted a warrant for land in Bedminster township, Bucks County, from the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania on May 18, 1751. In April, 1768, he bought a tract of land of 220 1/2 acres in Springfield township, adjoining the Durham township line. He sold this property in 1779 and settled on a tract of 259 acres in Durham township. In 1787 he returned to Bedminster township, where he purchased a farm of 152 acres, near the old Tohicken church, and he remained there until his decease, March 26, 1795. Conrad Jacobi married Feb. 11, 1755, Hannah Riegel, born May 27, 1729, and died at the home of her son, Leonard Jacobi, in Hilltown township, Bucks county, Nov. 27, 1828, at the age of 99 years, 6 months. Their children were: Philip, Peter, John, Benjamin, Margaret, Catherine, Henry, died young, Elizabeth, Henry and Leonard Jacobi."

Research Notes

Unsourced information has listed both Peter Martin Jacoby and Anna Maria Fischer and Martin Jacobi and Anna Catherine Bischoff as possible parents. Source(s) connecting either set of parents needs to be sought out.
Ancestry's Germany, Select Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 also shows a Johann Peter Jacobi born on Feb 6 1709 to Conrad Jacobi and Anna Maria Weisenborn.^[2]

Additional Biographical Information

After many years of research, Henry Sylvester Jacoby published his 600+page book: A Record of the descendants of the Pioneer Peter Jacoby of Bucks County, PA", in 1930. In the 4 chapters preceding Peter and his wife's history in chapter V (pages 69-82) the author provides an overview of his research and reporting of it, some German history, and some background of the Covenanters who married German immigrants.

CHAPTER V PETER JACOBY, THE PIONEER, AND HIS WIFE Pages 69- 82

Note:

• Unless otherwise stated, all the information in this profile comes from Chapter V and is cited using page numbers.
• Text has usually been copied as found in the book- this includes unusual spelling of words, abbreviations, etc.
• Henry Sylvester Jacoby sometimes refers to Peter as the "Pioneer" and other times as "Peter"
• Meager Records-in the opening sentence on page 69, the author states: The records relating to the immigrant Peter Jacoby are quite meager. And based on Henry Sylvester Jacoby's description of the difficulty and time lapse in finding information about Peter's wife, Maria, the author could have applied the word meager to her information.

Page 79- The Family Name

Jacobi is the German form which is equivalent to James in English. The Latin for James is Iacobi. It is interesting to note that the pioneer's oldest son Conrad wrote his own name Conrad Jacobi, but wrote his father's name Peter iacobi, in an inscription on the inside of the front cover of his large family Bible. This inscription was discovered by the author 27 Dec. 1911 in Norfolk, Virginia, and was the most original source whence the name of the pioneer was obtained,

Page 69 Date of Arrival at Philadelphia

Departing from Rotterdam, last from Cowes, and sailing on the St Mark, Peter Jacobi arrived in Philadelphia on 26 Sept. 1741.

See attached IMAGES 2-6 - Peter Jacobi's name appears on 3 lists associated with the St Mark and found in both Volume 1 (Images 83A, 83B, 83C typed) and Volume 2 (Images 83B and 83C handwritten) of the book Pennsylvania German pioneers: a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808.

The lists were identified as List A - The Captain's list, List B- the Oath of Allegiance, List C - the Oath of Abjuration-^[3]

Oath of Allegiance On page 69, the author provides an explanation of the lists of arrivals and a summary version of the Oath of Allegiance. The existence of such original lists of signatures is due to the fact that in 1717 and some years afterwards the influx of foreign immigrants was so large as to excite such alarm that on 14 Oct. 1727 the Provincial Council adopted a resolution to the effect that all masters of vessels importing German and other foreigners should prepare a list of such persons, their occupations, and places whence they came, and further that these foreigners should sign a declaration of allegiance and subjection to the King of Great Britain, and of fidelity to the Proprietary of Pennsylvania.

A special form of oath was devised for subscription by these newcomers which, among other words, recited the following: We Subscribers, Natives and late Inhabitants of the Palatinate upon the Rhine and Places adjacent ... will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his present Majesty King George the Second, and his Successors, Kings of Great Britain, and will be faithful to the Proprietor of this Province; and will demean ourselves peaceably . . . and strictly observe and conform to the Laws· of England and of this Province ,,,'

The Pioneer a Member of the Reformed Church.-

On page 76, the author writes: According to various entries of baptisms in Reformed Church records all the sons of Peter were members of the Reformed Church, and it is reasonably certain that the parents belong to the same denomination.

Location of Pioneer's Home.-

On page 76 the author writes: In the record of the Great Swamp Reformed Church occurs a very unusual entry of a marriage the translation from the German being as follows: " Married 17 Jan. 1773 Joh Jacobi son of the late Peter Jacobi of Heacock Township, ... Another transcriber gives the name of the township as " Hekokl " ...The author declares: This record is remarkable since it refers to both parents and the residence of one of the parents. Peter died in 1761...

Land Ownership On page 76 the writes: No county record relating to real estate owned by him has yet (1929) been discovered. Since many owners of land in those years failed to have their deeds recorded, this fact leaves uncertain whether or not Peter owned any land, and hence the location of his home could not be determined by that kind of evidence.

Note; Henry Syslvester Jacoby provided extensive details of the locations and lands held by some of Peter's sons and researchers should refer to his book rather than just the son's profiles.

The Pioneer's Death, February 1761

On pages 78 and 77, the author writes:The record relating to the estate of Peter Jacoby was found in Administration Book G, p. 2S1, in Philadelphia Co., although Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties, and at this time the county seat of Bucks was at Newtown. It is entry No. 58, 1761, and reads as follows: "Wm. Plumsted, Esq., Reg Gen etc. To Henry Jacobie of Springfield, Bucks County, yeoman, son of Peter Jacobie, dece'd. Greeting Mem That Letters of Adm in Comon form were granted to Henry Jacobie above named on the Estate late of Peter Jacobie dece'd. Invent to be exhibited on or before the 12th day of March next & an acco. on or before the 13th day of Febry Anno 1762. Given under the seal of ye Regr Gen'-Office at Philada the 12th day of Febry 1761 p. wm. Plumsted, Reg. Gen•." Since it was customary to apply promptly for such letters, it is probable that Peter died early in Feb. 1761. This fact indicates why his widow entered the caveat at the Land Office 17 Aug. 1761, although a full explanation of the transaction is not obtained;

The Pioneer's Wife Maria Elizabeth.-

On page 80: The first information secured about her name was obtained 3 Jan. 1887 from the Springfield Reformed Church records in Bucks Co., Pa. The entry stated that Elizabeth, the daughter of Conrad and Hannah Jacoby, born 12 Sept. 1772, was baptized 8 Nov. 1772, the sponsor being Elizabeth Jacoby, the grandmother. Subsequently, an entry in the Great Swamp Church records was found, which stated that "Elizabeth Jacobi" was the sponsor at the baptism, 30 Aug. 1778, of Elizabeth the daughter of John Jacobi.

Settlement of her Estate.-

Page 80- 81: The second source of information was contained in the Orphan's Court records of Bucks County. The administrator's bond is dated 7 Jan. 1790; gave the name of the decedent as Elizabeth Jacoby, widow; and was signed by Andrew Snyder (Andreas Schneider, in German). The bond was filed 9 Jan. 1790. The inventory was taken 20 Jan. 1790, and the report stated that Elizabeth Jacoby was of Richland Tp.

Names of the Children.-

The names of the children are given in regular order. Additional information has been added from each child's information in CHAPTER VI SECOND GENERATION starting on page 83.

1. Conrad, 7 June 1730; alt birth 7 July 1730 died- 26 Mar or 28 March of dropsy married Johanna Hanna Riegel born-May 1729 in the Palatinate, Germany; Reformed; died 27 Nov. 1828;
2. Henry, -1733; was born -- 1733 died 12 Nov. 1809; married, born - 1742 died 25 Aug. 1812;
3. George,--; was born -- died--1815 (?); married Anna Maria Philip born 26 Dec 1752 died 17 Jan. 1831
4. John, 2 Mar. 1745; died 27 Jan. 1805; married Anna Eberhard born 20 Oct. died 3 Jan. 1811;
5. Margaret, 6, Jan. 1749 died 22 Mar.1828; married Andrew Snyder born 2 Dec. 1739 in the Duchy of Zweibrucken, in the Palatinate, South Germany; died 26 Oct. 1815

At the time of the mother's death the children's homes were located in the following townships: Conrad in Bedminster; Henry in Lower Mount Bethel; George in Macungie; John in Manchester; Margaret in Richland.

Page 81 Place of Family Burial.-

Both Peter and Maria Elizabeth Jacoby were buried in the graveyard at the Tohickon Church. The oldest tombstones were made of red sandstone, a native stone, which offers far less resistance to climatic conditions than marble. Both of their tombstones have disintegrated. ... Since the ad ministrator's bond was dated 7 Jan. 1790 Maria Elizabeth probably died close to New Year's day. She was a widow for almost 29 years. The reason why the date of her death was not entered in the church records is probably due to its occurrence between two pastorates. Rev. Nicholas Pump opened his pastorate I Aug. 1790.

Page 82 Maiden Name of Maria Elizabeth.-

The discovery of the old family Bible in Norfolk in 1911, referred to previously, revealed the maiden name of the pioneer's wife in the inscription written by her son Conrad. It is either Heuer or Heier.

Quality of the sources- The author, Henry Sylvester Jacoby describes in detail how the family histories are set out, citations are within the text and not as footnotes, how extensive information was obtained and where it was obtained. He also included 43 pages of lineages, a biographical index, Pennsylvania German and Covenanters history, Pennsylvania County histories, Church histories, estate information and much more. The book had far superior information compared to Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsSearch, etc. The easiest to use and cleanest copy of the book was on the seekingmyroots website.

Research Notes

1) Wife's Parents - lacks positive evidence

Henry Sylvester Jacoby only gives a maiden last name as Heier.

Listed Parents - no sources cited for Conrad Heuer and Hanna Jacoby

Alternate Parents Suggested in Ancestry account: Maria Elisabeth Heüer daughter of Johan Julig Heuer and Anna Ursula Heuer 01 Jan 1709 (1 Jan 1709) Baptism Place Berlin,Brandenburg, Preußenin the Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-197 located at: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4711405:61229?ssrc=pt&tid=25558051&pid=232384830962

2) Peter's Birth year - lack of supporting evidence even though on FAGM

3) Marriage - evidence needed; also only 1 marriage as according to Will Peter's wife was a widow for 29 years.

4) Suggested child- Bartholomew - not correct - reasons - Based on reading of the 2 genealogy books listed below, Bartholomew was not the son of Peter Jacobi and Maria Heuer. In fact, even though Helen Eaton Jacoby Evard provided details of her extensive research in the final chapters of her Bartholomew genealogy book Bartholomew's parents are not known.

A) Reasons for Bartholomew not being Peter Jacoby's sons are: There is no reference to Bartholomew in the highly detailed chapter about Peter and Maria Heur Jacoby, nor is a Bartholomew included in the Index of the genealogy book by Henry Sylvester Jacoby located online at: The Jacoby Family Genealogy : a record of the descendants of the pioneer, Peter Jacoby of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Author: Henry Sylvester Jacoby, 1930. Pages 98-105. located at: https://seekingmyroots.com/members/files/G003570.pdf

B) No parents are listed for Bartholomew in the book specifically written about him and his descendants in the genealogy book titled Descendants of Bartholomew Jacoby IDENTIFIER 2028366 CREATOR Evard, Helen Eaton Jacoby, b. 1888 SUBJECT Jacoby family, Cramer family, Jacobs family, Leonhard family, Waddell family PAGE COUNT 356 located at: https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/474347-descendants-of-bartholomew-jacoby?offset=44571

Sources

1. ↑ Peter Jacobi, from the "History of Lehigh Co, Pa.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. Germany, Select Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898.
3. ↑ Images and information from: Pennsylvania German pioneers : a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808 Statement of Responsibility: by Ralph Beaver Strassburger ; edited by William John Hincke Authors: Strassburger, Ralph Beaver, 1883-1959 (Main Author) Hincke, William John (Added Author) Publication: Norristown, Pennsylvania : Pennsylvania German Society, c1934 3 v. Subject Class: 974.811 W3 located at: https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/445908/?offset=0#page=323&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=

• Strausstown Roots

• Jacoby, Henry S, "Jacoby Family Genealogy - A Record of the descendants of the Pioneer Peter Jacoby of Bucks County, PA", 1938. located at: https://seekingmyroots.com/members/files/G003570.pdf. See also at: https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/577816-the-jacoby-family-genealogy-a-record-of-the-descendants-of-the-pioneer-peter-jacoby-of-bucks-county-pennsylvania

• The Jacoby family genealogy : a record of the descendants of the pioneer, Peter Jacoby of Bucks County, Pennsylvania includes separate listing for the book's chapters and a name search function is located at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/10300/

• Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 28 November 2018), memorial page for Peter Jacoby (Jacobi) (1710–2 Feb 1761), Find A Grave: Memorial #28821860, citing Tohickon Cemetery, Bedminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Joan of VA (contributor 46993634) .

• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970.

• Strassburger, Ralph Beaver; edited by William John Hinke. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808 (Pennsylvania German Society, Norristown, PA, 1934). Subject Class: 974.811 W3 located at: https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/445908/?offset=0#page=323&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=

• Online Rootsweb Source. This page is dedicated to CONRAD AND JOHANNA 'HANNAH' (RIEGEL) JACOBY located at: https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cst/taylor/conrad.htm

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Jeff Kline for creating WikiTree profile Jacoby-159 through the import of Kline_Branch.GED on Dec 5, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Jeff and others.
• Jacoby-226 was created by Elizabeth Zelle through the import of Morgan-LeClerc Family Tree.ged on Oct 23, 2014.
• jimrathosky