The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: NC
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
Author: James Ervin McKinney, Sr.
Jacob was born in Oberbexbach, a village in Saarland, Germany. This part of Germany was in a region called the Palatinate. It joined France and was an area, at times, claimed (and occupied) by both France and Germany. Because of this, able-bodied men were subject, for as long as they were physically able, to be pressed into military service at any time. The inhabitants were subject to forced labor, sometimes two days per week. Decades of religious warfare in Germany led many Germans to migrate to the Colonies and the promise of religious tolerance.
Jacob was the son of Johann Nicolas and Maria Catherina Scherrer. He served an apprenticeship as a tailor and came to America with a recommendation from “The Sworn Masters of Tailoring in the town of Ottweiler”. He arrived in Philadelphia on 26 September, 1752 on the ship “Richard and Mary” from Rotterdam. That same day he took the usual oath of allegiance to his Majesty. His whereabouts during his first years in America are open to speculation. Within the next few years, he arranged for his bride-to-be, Hannah Sophia Dick to come to this country. It is reported he paid at least a part of the cost of the trip. They were married on 7 October, 1755. Nothing is known of Hannah’s parents, but it stands to reason that if he arranged for her to join him from the fatherland, that she too must have lived in the same immediate area as Jacob.
They may have resided for a while in Pennsylvania and Delaware. By 1763 they had settled in Orange County, North Carolina, residing in that portion of the county which was cut off in 1770 and formed into Guilford County. He resided near Gibsonville, on a farm of about 195 acres located to the north of Rock Creek. He and his family attended Friedens Church. This church, in these early days, served not only the Lutherans, but also the German Reformed denomination.
Jacob lived out his days in Guilford County, farming and following the trade of hatter and raising a family of nine children. He lived through the American Revolution, but perhaps felt he was too old to take an active part and thus saw no military service. However, he did support the cause as evidenced by his being paid for services rendered by the state of North Carolina. This is found in North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, #5172, Roll #S.115.123. The service for which he was paid is not known, but presumably could have been for the tailoring of uniforms, the making of hats, or possibly for the furnishing of provisions.
Jacob died 26 September 1795 and is buried in the Friedens Lutheran Church Cemetery. The original headstone was found broken and partially buried by grasses on 7 June 1925. The base was found a few feet to the south of the grave of his son, Frederick. These stones were later replaced by one of his descendants. The present marker identifies him as a revolutionary soldier, but I can find no evidence of that, and I believe it to be in error.
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