According to his obituary, John Jacob Suter was born in Suhr, Switzerland on 9 April, and baptized on 16 April 1837. Find a Grave reported he was born on 3 April 1837, although the image of the headstone provided is not fully legible. Although he used Jacob as his first name, it is likely he was given the name Johann or Johannes at the time of his birth.
The identity of Jacob's parents has not been proven, although on a compiled marriage source for he and his wife Mary Ann Escher - whom he married at Drummer Township, Ford County, Illinois on 14 February 1878 - it was reported he was the son of Kaspar Suter and Maria Rüetschi. No image of the document was provided and no further sources were found for these names.
According to Jacob's obituary he was survived by a sister in Switzerland, and had two brothers that preceded him in death. Jacob's nephew Sam Suter was also recorded as born in Suhr, Switzerland, and had immigrated to the U.S. and lived in Ford County. He was the son of Samuel Suter, one of Jacob's two brothers.
Jacob served for fourteen years in the Swiss military, and was a lieutenant for two of those years. He subsequently immigrated to the United States in about 1872 and settled in Tazewell County, Illinois. His citizenship was naturalized on 3 November 1892.
In 1880 Jacob Suter was living at Groveland Township, Tazewell County with his wife and their son Joseph.
In 1900 Jacob Suter was living on a farm at Drummer Township, Ford County with his wife and their children Joseph, Aaron, Fannie, Annie and John R. Suter.
John Jacob Suter died at his home near Derby in Ford County on 22 November 1906, and was buried at Drummer Township Cemetery, Gibson City, Ford County. In his will he named his nephew Samuel Suter and oldest son Joseph Suter as administrators, with the addition of his son Arron Suter and son-in-law Ozias Ropp as bondsman.
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