Biographical Sketch of Jacob Jahraous, Franklin County, Missouri

>From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and 
Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing 
Company, 1888.

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Jacob Jahraous, hotel keeper at Labaddie, was born on the River Rhine,
Bavaria, December 15, 1825, and is the son of Jacob and Mary (Stull)
Jahraous, natives of Bavaria.  The father was born in the year 1801,
and lived in the land of his nativity until 1849, when he and his fam-
ily immigrated to America, located in Pike County, Ohio where he re-
sided until his death, which occurred shortly after the war.  During
that memorable struggle he enlisted in the United States cavalry com-
pany and served during the remainder of the war.  He was a fortifica-
tion officer before coming to America.  After landing he followed
agricultural pursuits as a livelihood.  The mother was born in 1805,
and died in Pike County, Ohio in 1855.  To them were born four child-
ren, all now living, Jacob being the eldest.  At the age of eighteen
he left his home, came to the United States, and obtained employment
with a piano maker at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.  After remaining there five
years he went to New York City, and was given the position as foreman
in the large establishment of F. F. Holmes, a piano factory.  At the
end of two years he went to Piketon, Ohio and worked the next six
months in a hotel kept by his uncle.  He then returned to New York 
City, and shipped on a steamer, making the island of Cuba, Jamaica,
also Aspinwall and New Orleans, and other places in southern latitude.
He then shipped on the steamer Humbolt, bound for Havre, France, in
the capacity of steward.  About this time his parents came to America
and young Jahraous saw them as far as Albany, N. Y. on their way to 
Pike County, Ohio and again returned to the life of an ocean rover,
this time on the steamer Pacific, as chief steward, bound for Liver-
pool.  He made nine trips to Liverpool, after which he accepted a 
position as steward on the steamship Philadelphia, making Cuba, Aspin-
wall, New Orleans and other places.  On the trip he and the captain
disagreed, and when they reached Aspinwall our subject deserted, went 
to Panama and was engaged by the Pacific Steamship Mail Company as 
house steward and out-door clerk.  He was soon promoted to private
messenger by the same company, and soon began to transfer baggage 
across the Isthmus on his own account, but was unfortunate enough to
get sick and lose all he had.  His mules were stolen, and when he re-
covered he went to work again as house steward and out-door clerk.
After working one year longer he was given a vacation of three months,
and during the time visited his parents in Ohio, who all the time
thought him dead.  It seems that, after leaving the steamship Phila-
delphia, cholera broke out among the passengers and employes, and his
name was found among the ship articles, and he was reported as having
died.  Mr. Jahraous then returned and again went to work for the Paci-
fic Steamship Mail Company, but was transferred to the San Francisco
office, where he remained but a short time, and then returned to Ohio
and began farming.  December 31, 1854, he married Abigail Lehmeyer, a
native of Prussia, born in 1829, and died in New Haven, Franklin Co.,
Mo., July 13, 1861.  This marriage resulted in the birth of three sons,
George W., born February 22, 1857, or on Washington's birthday, and in
the town of Washington, therefore his name was called George Washington;
Joseph E., was born December 14, 1858 at New Haven and Henry E., born
at New Haven on April 21, 1860.  In 1867 Mr. Jahraous married Mary
Hartemeyer, who was born in Baden, Europe, about 1831.  Two children 
were the result of this union, viz.: Anna C., born at Washington, Feb-
ruary 6, 1870 and William, who was born in the town of New Haven, Sept-
ember 29, 1869(?), and died April 26, 1884.  Agricultural pursuits not
suiting Mr. Jahraous he sold his property and came to St. Louis, Mo.,
where he entered 320 acres of land in Maries County, but not liking
this very well either, he moved to Washington, Franklin County, and 
made that and New Haven his home until 1861.  He had picked up the car-
penter's trade, and was doing well at this when his wife died, leaving
a family of three children.  After getting them homes, he enlisted in
the State Militia, but the next year went to Illinois, borrowed money 
and went to California, where he again began working for his old 
friends, the Pacific Steamship Mail Company, making two trips between
Panama and San Francisco.  He then engaged as workman in a billiard
table factory in the latter city, but soon gave that up for a saloon,
on the corner of Kearney and Pine Streets, which did not suit him, and
he abandoned that for work in the city hospital as third cook, under
Dr. Garwood as resident physician of city and county hospital, and was
then promoted to the position of first cook in the city and county 
almshouse.  He later returned to St. Louis, and, gathering his children
together, moved to Washington, in order to educate them.  Mr. Jahraous
then resumed the carpenter's business, and was also bridge carpenter
on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  He soon gave that up and moved to
Labaddie, Franklin County, and started a saloon, which he continued 
until the spring of 1887, when, instead of a saloon, he started a gro-
cery store, and since going to Labaddie has been keeping a hotel. Him-
self and wife are members of the Lutheran Church, and politically he
is for the best man.

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