The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-01-18
Catholic Priest Well Known
in Kenosha County Died
at Burlington Sunday.
HAD LONG BEEN An INVALID
Father Jacobs was Born and Raised in
Kenosha County and Sang His First
Mass at st. George Church in 1873
Funeral to be Held Thursday.

The Rev. Theodore Jacobs, aged IS
years, pastor of st. Mary's church in
Burlington, and widely known through
out Kenosha county and Southern Wis
consin, died at the parsonage in Bur-
lington on Sunday after long illness
from complication of diseases. Father
Jacobs had been in failing health for
nearly a year, but he had insisted on
remaining in charge of his large congre-
cation until a short time ago, when
his condition became such that he was
unable to leave his room and at that
time the Rev. Eugene Gehl, formerly
OF Kenosha, was sent to Burlington to
take his work. For the last week Father
Jacobs had been sinking rapidly and
the end came peacefully on Sunday. The
funeral will be held at st. Mary IS
church next Thursday morning and
the remains will be laid at rest in the
cemetery connected with the church,
which Father Jacobs had served with
distinction for more than twenty
years.
The Rev. Theodore Jacobs was nat
i've of Kenosha county. He was son
of the late Matthias and Mary Jacobs
and was born in the town of Soners
July 9th, 184S. The parents of Father
II or 4ha
dents of Somers and among the first
members of st. Georges congregation
in Kenosha. The son was educated at
St. Georges school and-after complet-
ing his course he went to work in the
offices of the Northwestern Railway
company in Kenosha. Later he became
"a bookkeeper for the late j. G.. Gott-
fredsen and he held this position until
1870, when he entered the seminary at
ST. Francis and began studying for the
priesthood He was ordained as priest
on June "a, 1878, and on June 30 his
first mass was celebrated at ST. George
church in this city. He was at once APP
pointed pastor of ST. John IS church in
the town of Paris, in this county, and
he held this position for two years,
giving up the work to go to Sinsinawa
Mound in Grant county, where he re-
manned as pastor of the church for ten
years. In this time he built a new
church for the congregation ssnd at the
same time made provision for the open
ing of mission in connection with the
church. In 1880 he was appointed to
succeed the late Father Wisbauer, who
had been in charge of St. Mary's
church for more than forty-three years.
Father Jacobs did great work at
Burlington. He built for the city one
of the finest churches in Wisconsin
and the congregation is rated as one OF
the strongest in the Milwaukee do
cese. The new church and parsonage
built under the direction of the dead
priest cost more than $4,000 and
every cent of the Indebtedness was
paid years ago.
Father Jacobs was an orator Of note
and he had frequently spoken at great
public gatherings in this and Racine
county. He was known to every one OF
the rural churches in the two counties
and in the western part of this county
it is declared that he was more popu-
lar than any of the resident priests.
Father Jacobs was a brother of For
mer Alderman Peter Jacobs of this
city. He is survived by four broth
ers, Dr. John of Chicago, Peter of Ke-
|nosha, Martin of Chicago, Joseph of