The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-04-25
Jacob EsteY.

From the Brattleboro Reformer we CLEAN
the following facts relative to the late Jacob
Estey He was born in Hinsdale, N. H, ,on Sept.
30th 1874 and was of English descent. He was
one OF seven children of whom four survive him.
At the early age of l3, he left home and started
in plumbing business for himself as soon as he
came of age. He soon began the manufacture
of small musical instruments and gradually
built up his present immense factories. He
was twice married, leaving two children by his
second marriage, Col j. julius Estey and Mrs.
Abbe Fuller.
There was great side to Jacob Estey, which
these Incidents. almost sacred in their charac-
ter illustrate and which it was given to but
few to know. In the intense and at time seem
ingly abrupt activity Of his life, bent what he
was pursuing, giving and taking the blows of
life, hating all shams and frauds with tremen-
dous hatred, with no tolerance for waste or
shiftlessness or expenditures that had no good
or useful purpose in them, frequent conception
of him was as hard, grasping unfeeling man.
The barrels of flour he was constantly sending
to poor people were unknown or unnoticed by
those who so enormously estimated him. His
days were few that were unmarked by some
such acts of kindly charity and even his part
ners and his Office associates would not learn
until long afterwards Of his deeds of generosity
for he was inclined to be secretive about them.
The money which he has given for religious and
educational purposes for the Shaw university
and Vermont academy, missionary associations
and struggling churches all over Vermont and
the country, to educate worthy young men for
the Christian ministry, as he was constantly
doing, will doubtless amount up into the hun
dreds of thousands. He was an exceedingly
sensitive man. and many times when he only
felt pain for wound or a wrong, it was taken
by outsiders for vindictiveness. An illustration
of this was a case where an associate once
found him in tears over letter of retraction
and apology from o man who he felt had deeply
wronged him Another man who fought him
passionately for years, Silas M. Waite, is said
to have remarked since his fall here that If he
had to go to any man in Brattleboro for kind
ness he could be sure Of getting 1t from Jacob
Estey There was constantly yelling up in him
a flood of tenderness, OF which the sparkle could
occasionally be seen in his qcaint humor, but
which he guarded from the sight of the world
with peculiar modesty, for this reason often
leaving himself to be greatly misunderstood.
Dea Estey was one of the founders of the
Baptist church In 1870, and has always been an
earnest and liberal supporter of IL. He was a
selectman of the town in 1863 and 1879 80, q NOM
Der Of the Vermont house OF representatives In
1869 and 1870, county senator In lS12 and preSi-
dental elector In 1875. strong and very nearly
successful canvass for him for governor was
made in 1876, and IL was his experience in this
canvass, the things he learned about the venalty
and trickery of politics that cured him OF any
further ambition In that line. He never could
be made afterwards to listen TO any proposition
TO run for Office"