This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: farwellwalter Surnames: Jacobs, Myers, Hoskins, Borchers, Maxwell, Wadley, Harris, Hanna Classification: biography Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.iowa.counties.fremont/7533/mb.ashx Message Board Post: SAMUEL JACOBS, born March 7, 1821 in Harrisburg, PA -d. Sept. 4, 1903 in St. Joseph, MO; married ANNA MEYERS at Fairfield, Iowa in 1849; buried at Hamburg.....He was the maternal grandson of General John Andre and Mary (Harris) Hanna; she was the daughter of John Harris, founder of Harrisburg, PA......In 1847, Samuel Jacobs came west as a government civil engineer. In 1849 was surveying the Des Moines River. He published the "Jeffersonian" at Fairfield, Iowa; then he surveyed the route of the C. B. & Q. Railroad across Iowa; in 1865 came to Council Bluffs as real estate agent. Surveyed the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad. In 1869 moved to Hamburg, Iowa, where he sold lots. CHILDREN: 1. Mrs. S. F. Hoskins of Peoria, Illinois 2. Mrs. H. H. Borchers of Hamburg, Iowa 3. Mrs. A. L. Maxwell of Portland, Oregon 4. Mrs. J. V. Wadley of Chillicothe, MO 5. Miss Sarah Hanna (Jacobs?) 6. Miss Henrietta Hanna (Jacobs?) N.B.: I must have copied numbers 5 and 6 incorrectly: It seems their last name should have been "Jacobs". The Des Moines river surveying project was a dream of building the Des Moines river into an important commercial shipping lane. George Washington Lucas and Dr. William Dewey of Fremont county pushed through legislation in the Iowa State General Assembly which moved the capital from Iowa City to Des Moines; this change of location was based on the success of such a project which would result in Fort Des Moines becoming an important commercial center. The General Assembly did not count on the Interstate Commerce Commission's determination to make Chicago a center of an east-west railroad network wherein 40 per cent of all east-west railroad tracks would pass through Chicago. Back in 1855, the idea was for the main route for business coming from the Far West to turn southeast after reaching Fort Des Moines......BUT, thinking of Samuel Jacobs, note that Council Bluffs DID become the jumping off place of the continental railroad -- and -- the Council Bluffs to St. Joseph railroa! d is still in operation! -- W.F. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.