Donald Lines Jacobus

Donald Lines Jacobus
BornDonald Lines Jacobus
(1887-10-03)3 October 1887
New Haven, Connecticut, US
Died7 October 1970
OccupationGenealogical writer
Period1912–1970
GenreGenealogy

Donald Lines Jacobus (3 October 1887 – 7 October 1970) was an American genealogist and historian. He was a Fellow of The American Society of Genealogists and the founder of The American Genealogist (TAG).[1]

Early life and education

Jacobus was born on 3 October 1887 in New Haven, Connecticut, the only child of John Ira Jacobus (1855-1912), a banker,[2] and Ida Wilmot Lines (1855-1952), daughter of Henry Lines. The Jacobus family's lineage can be traced back to Dutch origins, recorded in Albany, New York, in 1683.[3][4][5]

He received his education at Yale University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908, followed by a Master of Arts degree in 1911.[5][2][1]

Career

Jacobus began working on his genealogical compendium Families of Ancient New Haven in 1912, and it was published in eight volumes between 1922 and 1932.[1] This compendium was published as a part of The American Genealogist journal (originally called New Haven Genealogical Magazine), which Jacobus established in 1922. He served as editor and publisher of the journal until 1937.[6]

His other published works include:[7][8][9]

  • Genealogy as Pastime and Profession, 1930
  • History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield, a three-volume work sponsored by the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter in Fairfield, Connecticut, 1930–1932.
  • A History of the Seymour Family: Descendants of Richard Seymour of Hartford, Connecticut, for Six Generations; With Extensive Amplification of the Lines Deriving from His Son John Seymour of Hartford

Jacobus was a Fellow of The American Society of Genealogists. Following his death, his colleague Milton Rubincam described him as "the man who more than any other single individual elevated genealogy to the high degree of scholarship it now occupies."[9] In 1972, the American Society of Genealogists established The Donald Lines Jacobus Award "to encourage sound scholarship in genealogical writing".[10]

Awards

Jacobus was the first genealogist to be included in the National Genealogy Hall of Fame by the National Genealogical Society.[8][9]

Personal life

Jacobus never married. He enjoyed tracing the descendants of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.[7]

He died at the Golden Manor Nursing Home in New Haven, Connecticut, on 7 October 1970 following an extended period of illness.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Manuscript No. 101 Jacobus Collection, 1766 - 1976" (PDF). Newhavenmuseum.org. New Haven Colony Historical Society Library. July 1979. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, Frederick Adams Virkus, A. N. Marquis, 1928, p. 269
  3. ^ Genealogies of Connecticut Families, From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 1, Adams - Gates, ed. Gary Boyd Roberts, Clearfield Co. Inc., 1998 (reprint Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006) p. 659
  4. ^ Comstock-Thomas Ancestry of Richard Wilmot Comstock, H. Minot Pitman, 1964, p. 299
  5. ^ a b c National Genealogical Society Quarterly collected volumes 59-60, National Genealogical Society, 1971, p. 55
  6. ^ "History". The American Genealogist. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association Annual Meeting, Hilton Baltimore, Baltimore, MD on 25 November 2014 (2015). "Donald Lines Jacobus and the Making of American Genealogy". All Academic Research. Retrieved 7 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[dead link‍]
  8. ^ a b Lucy Jarvis (2015). "Who was Donald Lines Jacobus, and why should you know about him?". Retrieved 7 June 2015.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ a b c "Donald Lines Jacobus". National Genealogy Hall of Fame Members. National Genealogical Society. 2015. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Awards > The Donald Lines Jacobus Award". American Society of Genealogists. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
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