The Jacobus Family Letter Collection contains letters written to Julia A. Jacobus by various family members. The letters provide insight into everyday life in New Jersey from the 1854 to 1870. In addition to family news, there are references to the Civil War, with the various correspondents discussing those they know on the front lines.

Julia A. Jacobus was born on September 29, 1843 in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. Her parents, Peter Jacobus (1810-1884) and Elisa Ann Oliver (1806-1854), had eight children – Mary C., James O., Martha W., Sarah, Emma L., Delilah A., and William C.; Julia was their sixth child. Julia is listed on the 1860 census as living in the household of Jemima Harrison Baldwin, where she was likely working as a domestic. Julia married Baldwin’s nephew, Frederick Irving Harrison, on December 13, 1866. They had two children – Genevieve Harrison and Mary Elizabeth Harrison. Julia died of pneumonia on May 22, 1870. She was only 26 years old.  

Mary C. Jacobus (1833-1898) married Bethuel Goodrich (1822-1885) in 1857. The couple lived in Newark, New Jersey, where Bethuel worked as a store clerk. Goodrich later served in the New Jersey Brigade of Militia with Company F, 1st Regiment. He served a three-month tour in 1861 during the American Civil War. After his death, Mary applied for a war widow's war pension in 1890.

James O. Jacobus (1835-1868) married Hettie Ann Van Ness (1836-1905). The couple lived in Caldwell, New Jersey where James worked as a clerk. Together they had three children and belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church.

Martha W. Jacobus (1837-1892) lived with her brother, James, and worked as a seamstress until she married Thomas O. Jacobus (1828-1918), a carriage manufacturer. They lived in Montville, then Montclair, New Jersey. Together they had two children.

Sarah Jacobus (1839-1913) lived in Caldwell and later Newton, New Jersey.

Emma L. Jacobus (1841-1913) married Edwin J. Bacron (1837-1909) in 1861.  Edwin worked as a house painter and together the couple had eight children. Bacron was also elected ten times, from 1870-1879) as constable at Montclair, New Jersey.

Deliah A. Jacobus (1846-1873) married William Van Wart (1842- ), a house mason. The couple had one son. The family lived in Fairfeld, New Jersey, but Deliah died young at the age of 27. Her name is also seen in records as “Adelia A. Jacobus” and her husband’s as “Van Woert.”

William C. Jacobus (1848-1865) died at the age of 17 in Caldwell, New Jersey.

Frederick Irving Harrison (1841-1873) worked as a milk dealer/farmer in Orange Township, Essex County, New Jersey. He was born on December 23, 1841 to Ira Harrison (1795-1890) and Mary Jones (1798-1877). He was one of ten children. Harrison died on February 3, 1873. He and Julia are buried at Rosedale Cemetery, Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey with their two children.

Annie Sophia Ayres (1845-1899) was Julia Jacobus’ cousin. She was the daughter of David Garrigus Ayres (1807-1885) and Louisa Angelina Oliver (1810-1892) and lived in West Urbana and Champaign, Illinois. Annie married Willis George Sale (1845-1920) and died in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1899.

The Jacobus Family Letter collection contains correspondence all addressed to Julia A. Jacobus, written by her siblings (William C., James O., Emma L., Sarah, Martha, Delilah, Mattie/Hattie), friends, and cousins (Annie S. Ayres, “Mary”, as well as various other male and female cousins). One letter is from Julia, addressed to her husband, Frederick Harrison. The letters mostly contain information pertaining to family life, spanning from 1854-1870, the year Julia died. A handful of letters mention the Civil War, though her brothers were not the right ages to serve in the army. They mostly discuss men they knew from their areas who were on the front. In addition to correspondence, there is a folder of legal documents pertaining to different members of the family, such as marriage records and financial documents.