Passaic County NJ Archives Biographies.....Jacob F. BAER, 1836 - 1905
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 10, 2008, 2:31 am

Author: Mary Depue Ogden, Editor  (1917)

BAER, Jacob F.,
Pioneer Silk Manufacturer.

  Jacob Frederick Baer, son of Frederick Jacob and Anna (Weibel) Baer, was born
in the village of Beckton, in the canton of Basle, Switzerland, November 27,
1836, and died at Paterson, New Jersey, November 29, 1905. He attended the
schools of his native town, and immediately after, while yet a boy, was taught
the trade of silk making by his father, who moved from Arburg to Aargau, a
nearby hamlet and a part of Arburg. After thoroughly mastering every detail of
the trade under his father's careful tutorage, he decided at the age of twenty
years to emigrate to America with the hope of finding a broader and more
remunerative field for his skill and labor. He came to New York, where for a
time he worked at his trade, and later became a member of the firm of E. Walther
& Company, of New York City, where he continued up to 1863, when the firm of E.
Walther & Company were looking for a new field in which to engage in
manufacturing to the best advantage. They decided to come to Paterson, New
Jersey, then the center of the silk industry of the country, and here Mr. Baer
finally engaged in the manufacturing business for himself with the little money
he had saved by dint of simple and frugal tastes taught by his sturdy and honest
ancestors, starting with a half dozen small looms. He began to prosper, and by
his careful and conscientious management the plant increased. He introduced the
first ribbon loom in Paterson, and was the first in America to make satin back
velvet ribbons. He was in a fair way to become the largest silk manufacturer in
the country when the disastrous panic of 1873 swept the country, and with a
number of other silk makers he was among those who suffered, his plant being
entirely wiped out and his entire savings lost in the failure. At the time he
was located in the Crescent mill, on what is now Belmont avenue, and was
succeeded by the firm of Sterett Ryle & Murphy. Nothing daunted by this failure,
Mr. Baer again determined to try his resources of energy, brain and thought, and
in the meantime he secured positions as superintendent of the Pioneer Silk
Company, and later with William Strange & Company, which position he held
several years. In 1887 he resigned his position of superintendent, and resumed
the manufacture of silk ribbons on his own account, and was instrumental in
founding and establishing the Helvetia Silk Mill, which company was incorporated
in March, 1887, and soon grew into a flourishing concern. He became the head of
this concern, with branches on Van Houten street, and Lehighton, Pennsylvania,
and which to-day are the most conspicuous of the industrial establishments of
Paterson. The success of the firm was due to the untiring energy, honesty and
executive ability of its founder. The plant has been enlarged at various times
in order to meet the constantly increasing demands of its products. About 1904
an addition was made to the plant that increased the output about one-third.
There are about two hundred and twenty ribbon looms in the mill, and the concern
employs about three hundred and twenty-five operatives. The present officers
are: Frederick A. Baer, president, and Ralph Baer, secretary. Jacob Frederick
Baer always enjoyed a reputation for liberality, especially in his dealings with
his employees, and seldom if ever has any differences occurred with them. He was
a man of high ideals and probity of character, and noted for his kindness and
generosity to all with whom he came in contact. With his friends he was generous
to a fault. He was always an energetic and enterprising citizen, actively
engaged until his death, being the oldest silk manufacturer in Paterson.

  Jacob Frederick Baer married, in New York City, 1858, Louisa Blattner, born
September 26, 1838, at Kuettingen, Canton Aargau, Switzerland, died at Paterson,
New Jersey, July 4, 1904, daughter of Jacob and Anna Blattner. Their sons—
Ralph, William A. and Louis G.—inherited the father's tastes and abilities, and
followed in his occupation.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

MEMORIAL CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF MARY DEPUE OGDEN

VOLUME III
MEMORIAL HISTORY COMPANY NEWARK,  NEW JERSEY
1917


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