Sarah S. Jacobs

Sarah S. Jacobs (1813–1902) was an American writer and chief record clerk in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Biography

Sarah Sprague Jacobs was born in Rhode Island, 1813. Her parents was Rev. Bela Jacobs, a Baptist clergyman, and Sarah Sally (Sprague) Jacobs.^[1]

From Rhode Island, Jacobs removed to Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[2]

Nonantum and Natick (1853) and The white oak and its neighbors (1858) were both written for the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society.^[3] Some of her poems were brought together in Griswold's Female Poets of America.^[2] Her poems were serious and fanciful. "Benedetta" was one of her happiest compositions, and it is characteristic of her most usual tone and manner. There was no collection of her writings.^[4]

For 40 years, she was an assistant in the office of the Cambridge city clerk, relinquishing her duties about 1899 on account of ill health. She acted as chief record clerk most of that time. She had an extensive knowledge of particular local history, and her services were sought after by historical writers. She had a large share in the issue of the old records, under the direction of City Clerk Edward J. Brandon, preparing the copy and reading the proofs for the Proprietors' Records (1635–1829), published in 1896, and the town records (1630–1703) published in 1901.^[5]

She was interested in educational matters, and was fond of Cambridge institutions, retaining her interest up to the time of her last illness. She was a member of the school board from 1880 to 1887.^[5]

Sarah Jacobs died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 14, 1902.^[6] Burial was at Mount Auburn Cemetery.^[5]

Selected works

Books

• Memoir of Rev. Bela Jacobs, A. M.: Compiled Chiefly from His Letters and Journals, by his Daughter, 1837 (text)
• Nonantum and Natick, 1853
• The white oak and its neighbors, 1858
• Providence directory, 1858

Poems

• "A Vesper"
• "Benedetta"
• "The Changeless World"
• "Ubi Amor, Ibi Fides"

References

1. "Sarah Sprague Jacobs Female 17 March 1813 – 14 May 1902". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
2. Duyckinck, Evert Augustus (1866). Cyclopaedia of American literature, by E. A. and G. L. Duyckinck. p. 684. Retrieved 14 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
3. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1891. p. 256. Retrieved 14 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
4. Griswold, Rufus Wilmot (1874). The Female Poets of America. J. Miller. p. 303. Retrieved 14 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
5. "Obit (column 6, continued), Sarah S. Jacobs". The Boston Globe. 15 May 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 14 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
6. "Obit (column 5), Sarah S. Jacobs. Cambridge, May 14, 1902". The Boston Globe. 15 May 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 14 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.