Bio: E. Jacobs, Caddo Parish La Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana The Southern Publishing Company, Chicago & Nashville, 1890 Submitted by: Suzanne Shoemaker sueshoe@hotmail.com ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** E. Jacobs is the president of the First National Bank of Shreveport, La., and has been so since it was first established in 1877 as the banking house of E. and W. B. Jacobs. It continued to grow and flourish under this name until 1887, when it became nationalized and took the name First National Bank. Although some of the stock in the bank is owned by a number of the most prominent business men of the place, yet Mr. Jacobs and his son, W. B., have ever owned a large portion of the stock, and are now respectively president and cashier. This bank has the patronage of the largest firms, the most prominent and wealthy citizens, and also the surrounding country and their line of deposits run very high. The capital of the bank is $200,000, and, together with the surplus and undivided profits, will amount to nearly $300,000. The establishment is located at corner of Milan and Market Streets, and is commious and conveniently arranged, being well supplied with all the modern conveniences, in the shape of vault, safes, time-locks, etc. This bank is in correspondence with the American Exchange National Bank of New York, the National Bank of Commerce, St. Louis, Mo.; the Louisiana National Bank, New Orleans, and is also the United State Depository for this section. The board of directors comprise the following well-known citizens of Shreveport: F. M. Hicks, R. T. Cole, James F. Utz, E. J. Leman, H. Florsheim, S. G. Dreyfuss, C. H. Ardis, E. Jacobs, W. B. Jacobs and H. Kretz, a capitalist of Reading, Penn. E. Jacobs, the president of this bank, was born in Prussia, and in his boyhood, or about 1842, he emigrated to the United States and three years later located in Shreveport, La., where he was engaged in business for a few years, subsequently going to Texas, where he was actively engaged in stock dealing until 1874, but during this time he also conducted a mercantile establishment in Shreveport, and only discontinued it in 1880. he came to this State with little or no capital, so far as money was concerned, but he possessed an abundant fund of industry, frugality and economy, for which those of German birth are justly famed, and by his indomitable pluck has become one of the wealthiest men in the State. He has always taken an active part in building up the business of the city, and is also interested in planting, being the largest land owner in Caddo Parish. his residence in Shreveport is one of the handsomest in the place, and his family, which consists of his wife, who was formerly Miss P. L. Cole, a native of Alabama, and his six children--two sons and four daughters--move in the highest social circles of the place. Mr. Jacobs is not only respected for the success which has attended his efforts, but also for the sterling integrity which has ever characterized his efforts and for his broad intelligence, sound judgment and liberal and progressive ideas. That oft-abused phrase, "self-made man", can with truth be applied to him, for he began the battle of life for himself a poor boy with but few friends or acquaintances, and is now one of the foremost business men of Louisiana, and is especially well known and honored in Caddo Parish, where his friends are almost unlimited. His son, W. B. Jacobs, was reared principally in the town of Shreveport, but was educated in Berlin, Prussia, and after finishing his literary education he traveled for some time throughout Europe, and thus acquired a knowledge which only traveling can give. He afterward returned to his native land and associated himself in business with his father, the firm being, as stated above, E. & W. B. Jacobs. He is a young man of exceptionally fine business qualifications, and has thus far proved a very successful financier. He is a prominent member of the Board of Trade, and is always among the foremost to advance the interests of his city and community. He and his father are the proprietors of the Jacobs' Cotton Compress of Shreveport, and are interested in all and stockholders in many public institutions of this section. Their worth to the community in which they reside is almost inestimable, and they have proved themselves model American citizens, being patriotic, high principled and enterprising, and may well be said to be among those rare gentlemen and princes of men who are seldom duplicated in any community. W. B. Jacobs was married, in 1881, to Miss Frances Abrams, of St. Louis, and their union has resulted in the birth of three bright little daughters. Captain T. E. Jacobs, postmaster, Shreveport, La. Captain Jacobs, who is numbered among the esteemed and representative citizens of Shreveport, La., was born in Shelby County, Mo., in May, 1836, and is a son of John W. and Mary (Thatcher) Jacobs, natives of the Old Dominion. The parents emigrated to Missouri in 1836, located in Shelby County, and there the father carried on merchandising until his death, which occurred in 1845. The mother had died two years previous to this. They had eleven children, five now living--one son and four daughters. Captain T. E. Jacobs left Missouri in 1849, when thirteen years of age, and came to Shreveport, La., where he had an uncle living. Here he attended school and received a very fair education. In 1856 he began steam boating and followed the river for years. He ran a number of steamers of his own of which he was master, and plied between Shreveport and New Orleans. He gave up the river in 1887, but still holds a large interest in the business between Shreveport and the coast. He is the agent for the Red River and Coast Line, and has filled that position for some time. In 1861, when the threatening war cloud broke over the nation, Mr. Jacobs enlisted in Caddo Rifles, of Shreveport, and served until the close of hostilities. He was made postmaster in May, 1890, and is holding the office at the present time to the satisfaction of all. He is the owner of some good real estate in Shreveport, and is a stockholder in the Electric Street Railway and the Red River and Coast Line. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Ancient Order United Workmen, is a thorough business man, and has been a resident of the city for many years. he has made many warm friends, and has the confidence and esteem of all acquainted with him, and socially is a member of the Confederate Veterans' Association.