My Name is John Angus Jacobs ... John Jacobs was my grandfather and Angus F. Jacobs was my father...
John Jacobs was the son of Matthew Jacobs and Eliza Manuel. He was born approximately 1844. He is listed as age seven in the 1850 household of Matthew and Eliza Jacobs. After his father's death he is in the household of his step-father William H. Williams by the 1860 census of New Hanover County, NC at age sixteen. The next certain record of him is the 1900 census where is listed in Pembroke, Robeson County with his second wife, Sophia McArthur, his step-children, two of his children from a previous relationship, and a child by Sophia. However, there are clues to his life between 1860 and 1900.

Somewhere between 1870 and 1876 he sired a child by Abby Jacobs of the Cypress Creek community. Abby was the daughter of his older half-brother, Robert Jacobs. This child was Luke Jacobs, who would live in Pender his entire life, marrying four times before eventually setting with his cousin China Jacobs as wife number five. Luke (age seven, listed as 'Luther') was living with his grandmother Molcy Jacobs in 1880. Luke listed his mother 'Abbie' as deceased on his 1919 marriage license to Hannah Pigford; it is likely that Abby died between 1873 and 1880. Whether or not John and Abby Jacobs were married is unknown.

Later, John Jacobs had two children by Cornelia Jones of Pender County -- Sam Jones and Cora Jones. Sam Jones listed his birth date as May 1, 1884 when he verified the birth date of Luke's daughter, Victoria Jacobs, for her delayed birth certificate. Cora Jones Moore's birth date was listed as 1885 on her 1934 Pender County death certificate. Although the ages are off, they are almost certainly the Sam Jacobs (6) and Mattie Jacobs (5) listed as his children in his household on the 1900 census. Perhaps she was 'Cora Mattie', or simply written incorrectly. John Jacobs and Cornelia Jones were not married[4] but it appears that John had some hand in raising their offspring.

By the 1900 census John Jacobs had moved to Pembroke in Robeson County North Carolina, and married Sophia McArthur. Pembroke town is the center of the Lumbee tribe, of whom Jacobs are members. Today's Pembroke University is an outgrowth of the separate Indian schools that the people established with their own funds to keep from being sent to Jim Crow schools with freed slaves. John moved to Pembroke as the Robeson people were lobbying the local and state government to accept them as 'Indian' and relieve them of Jim Crow. In this era, that meant vehemently denying a drop of black blood -- and cutting off relatives who could not or would not make this claim. The Robeson County people were sorting themselves, just as the Sampson County kin were sorting themselves into 'Coharie Indians' versus 'colored'. Into this story moved John Jacobs of Pender County; a known relative, possibly browner than many of the 'Lumbee' Jacobs, and married to a woman of the county who's ancestry was known to be black. Small wonder, then, that the Robeson County Lumbee Jacobs recognized the Pender Jacobs as kin; Robeson-transplant John Jacobs recognized his Pender County kin; but John Jacobs and the Lumbee Jacobs -- living in same county -- steadfastly ignored, derided one another. There must have been a lot of 'water under the bridge'. The 1900 census lists John born in November 1844; Sophia (1854); Sophia's children (Lonnie, Lawrence, Charlie, Evotabell, Emma, Lizzie, Lawson, Tom) listed as step-children; Sam and Mattie listed as his son and daughter as mentioned above; and Patrick (Son. April 1899). John and Sophia had been married for three years. Sophia had borne nine children; this includes Patrick.

In 1910 John's step-sons Lawrence, Lawson, and Thomas still lived with him (age 65) and Sophia. Son Anguish was aged twelve. Anguish was likely the 'Patrick' of 1900. John named Anguish after his brother Taylor's son, Anguish Jacobs. In 1913-1917, John Jacobs was listed as a plaintiff heir to Matthew Jacobs land on Cypress Creek in Pender County. In 1913-1917 John Jacobs was listed as a plaintiff heir of Matthew Jacobs in the family court case. By 1920, he was listed as seventy-six years old. Son Anguish (20) lived with him and Sophia in Pembroke, Robeson County.

John Jacobs died April 7, 1924 in Robeson County. His son Angus was the informant for the death certificate, and stated that John was born in Pender County to Matthew Jacobs.

My Name is John Angus Jacobs ... John Jacobs was my grandfather and Angus F. Jacobs was my father...
John Jacobs was the son of Matthew Jacobs and Eliza Manuel. He was born approximately 1844. He is listed as age seven in the 1850 household of Matthew and Eliza Jacobs. After his father's death he is in the household of his step-father William H. Williams by the 1860 census of New Hanover County, NC at age sixteen. The next certain record of him is the 1900 census where is listed in Pembroke, Robeson County with his second wife, Sophia McArthur, his step-children, two of his children from a previous relationship, and a child by Sophia. However, there are clues to his life between 1860 and 1900.

Somewhere between 1870 and 1876 he sired a child by Abby Jacobs of the Cypress Creek community. Abby was the daughter of his older half-brother, Robert Jacobs. This child was Luke Jacobs, who would live in Pender his entire life, marrying four times before eventually setting with his cousin China Jacobs as wife number five. Luke (age seven, listed as 'Luther') was living with his grandmother Molcy Jacobs in 1880. Luke listed his mother 'Abbie' as deceased on his 1919 marriage license to Hannah Pigford; it is likely that Abby died between 1873 and 1880. Whether or not John and Abby Jacobs were married is unknown.

Later, John Jacobs had two children by Cornelia Jones of Pender County -- Sam Jones and Cora Jones. Sam Jones listed his birth date as May 1, 1884 when he verified the birth date of Luke's daughter, Victoria Jacobs, for her delayed birth certificate. Cora Jones Moore's birth date was listed as 1885 on her 1934 Pender County death certificate. Although the ages are off, they are almost certainly the Sam Jacobs (6) and Mattie Jacobs (5) listed as his children in his household on the 1900 census. Perhaps she was 'Cora Mattie', or simply written incorrectly. John Jacobs and Cornelia Jones were not married[4] but it appears that John had some hand in raising their offspring.

By the 1900 census John Jacobs had moved to Pembroke in Robeson County North Carolina, and married Sophia McArthur. Pembroke town is the center of the Lumbee tribe, of whom Jacobs are members. Today's Pembroke University is an outgrowth of the separate Indian schools that the people established with their own funds to keep from being sent to Jim Crow schools with freed slaves. John moved to Pembroke as the Robeson people were lobbying the local and state government to accept them as 'Indian' and relieve them of Jim Crow. In this era, that meant vehemently denying a drop of black blood -- and cutting off relatives who could not or would not make this claim. The Robeson County people were sorting themselves, just as the Sampson County kin were sorting themselves into 'Coharie Indians' versus 'colored'. Into this story moved John Jacobs of Pender County; a known relative, possibly browner than many of the 'Lumbee' Jacobs, and married to a woman of the county who's ancestry was known to be black. Small wonder, then, that the Robeson County Lumbee Jacobs recognized the Pender Jacobs as kin; Robeson-transplant John Jacobs recognized his Pender County kin; but John Jacobs and the Lumbee Jacobs -- living in same county -- steadfastly ignored, derided one another. There must have been a lot of 'water under the bridge'. The 1900 census lists John born in November 1844; Sophia (1854); Sophia's children (Lonnie, Lawrence, Charlie, Evotabell, Emma, Lizzie, Lawson, Tom) listed as step-children; Sam and Mattie listed as his son and daughter as mentioned above; and Patrick (Son. April 1899). John and Sophia had been married for three years. Sophia had borne nine children; this includes Patrick.

In 1910 John's step-sons Lawrence, Lawson, and Thomas still lived with him (age 65) and Sophia. Son Anguish was aged twelve. Anguish was likely the 'Patrick' of 1900. John named Anguish after his brother Taylor's son, Anguish Jacobs. In 1913-1917, John Jacobs was listed as a plaintiff heir to Matthew Jacobs land on Cypress Creek in Pender County. In 1913-1917 John Jacobs was listed as a plaintiff heir of Matthew Jacobs in the family court case. By 1920, he was listed as seventy-six years old. Son Anguish (20) lived with him and Sophia in Pembroke, Robeson County.

John Jacobs died April 7, 1924 in Robeson County. His son Angus was the informant for the death certificate, and stated that John was born in Pender County to Matthew Jacobs.