Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Adler, Jacob 1837 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com May 9, 2007, 12:05 am

Author: Portrait & Bio Album, 1890

JACOB ADLER, senior member of the firm of Adler Bros., is with his brother 
Peter, conducting successfully a large meat market, prominently located on 
Exchange Street, Joliet, and forms no unimportant factor in the business 
community of this thriving city. An experience of thirty years in the cattle 
and meat trade, has given him an insight into all the details of the business, 
and succeeded in making him comparatively independent, financially. He is of 
German birth and ancestry, and possesses in a marked degree the substantial 
and reliable qualities of one of the best nations on the face of the globe. 
The subject of this sketch was born in the Prussian Province of Greis Metsig 
Brodorf, March 17, 1837, to Michael and Margaret (Sebastian) Adler. The family 
in 1838 emigrated to America, landing in the then unimportant city of Chicago, 
May 20. Later they located in Will County, where the father engaged in 
farming. The family comprised then but two children, one of them being Jacob 
who is now the only member of the family living who was born in the 
Fatherland. The farm lay in the vicinity of New Lenox. The father was a 
resident of Joliet Township from 1843 to 1870. He had therein a fine farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres, besides considerable city property and town lots. 
He finally removed to Joliet, which remained his residence twenty-one years 
prior to his death which occurred July 10, 1889. He had then arrived at the 
advanced age of eighty-five years. The mother died December 15, 1888, aged 
eighty-four. Michael Adler was born November 2, 1803, and his wife, Margaret, 
December 6, 1804. Both were members of St. John's Catholic Church. The elder 
Adler, upon becoming a voting citizen, identified himself with the Republican 
party with whom he remained until after the extinction of slavery, when he 
wheeled over into the ranks of the Democracy. He became quite prominent in 
local affairs, served on the School Board and in some of the minor offices. He 
accumulated a comfortable property, putting up buildings on Jefferson and 
Chicago Streets. His honesty and integrity caused him to be highly respected 
in his community. He was a self-made man in every particular, commencing at 
the foot of the ladder and climbing up to a good position, socially and 
financially among his fellow-men. To him and his good wife there was born a 
family of eleven children, four of whom died in early life. The survivors are 
Jacob, our subject; Margaret, the wife of Frederick Rappal of Cook County; 
Angeline is with the sisters of St. Francis; Peter, who lives with our 
subject; Veronica and Mary live together in the old homestead; Jasper died at 
the age of twenty-six years. The subject of this notice developed into manhood 
on the old farm in Will County, remaining a member of the parental household 
until reaching his majority. He then joined the caravan going to Pike's Peak, 
journeying across the plains from Leavenworth and following the old trail, 
making the first part of the journey with horses, then taking oxen and being 
on the road three months. Arriving at his destination he engaged in mining and 
remained in that vicinity until the approach of winter. Then satisfied with 
his experiment in the wild West, he returned to his native haunts and the 
following year engaged in shipping cattle to Chicago, Boston and New York 
City. He also commenced butchering and established himself in the meat 
business. He purchased many of his cattle in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas 
and Missouri, shipping mostly to the East. Later he began buying cattle which 
he shipped to Chicago and to this he has given his attention largely for the 
last ten years. Mr. Adler established his meat market about 1861 and has been 
engaged off and on in the meat market and agricultural business for a term of 
years, being fortunate in his business enterprises. For the last five years 
his brother Peter, has been his chief assistant, although he operated with him 
considerably previous to this time. He is the owner of the National Hotel 
Block, in which his market is situated and he has other improved property on 
Joliet and Chicago Streets, and also farm property. Mr. Adler cast his first 
Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln and voted for three Republican 
Presidents thereafter; then feeling that he had reason to change his views, he 
allied himself with the Democratic parly, of which he is a stanch supporter. 
He is a man prompt to meet his obligations, and occupies no secondary position 
among the business men of his adopted city, he has represented the Sixth Ward 
in the City Council four years, but otherwise has refrained from assuming the 
responsibilities of office. Mr. Adler was married January 13, 1866, to Miss 
Emily Erhard. Mrs. Adler was born in July, 1842, in Joliet, and is the 
daughter of George and Louisa (Perilot) Erhard, who were natives of Germany 
and early settlers of this county, to which they came in 1835. They are now 
deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Adler there have been born eleven children, of whom 
only seven are living, namely: Louisa, Jacob, Emily, Lawrence, Michael, 
Patricia M. and Catherine. They form a bright and interesting group and will 
be given the best advantages the city affords from an educational point of 
view. Mr. and Mrs. Adler are connected with St. John's Catholic Church, whose 
church edifice Mr. Adler assisted materially in building, and he has always 
contributed liberally to the support of the society. The family occupies a 
neat, modern residence on South Chicago Street,and they number their friends 
by the score among the people where they have lived for so many years.

Additional Comments:
Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, Containing Full Page 
Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens 
of the County; Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1890

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