Jacob Gress Jr.

  General Notes:

From the Westmoreland County biographies:

JACOB GRESS, an old and well-known citizen and a prominent and successful farmer of Unity township and now a resident of Pleasant Unity, was born in Washington township, Westmoreland county, Pa., September 27, 1825, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Lauffer) Gress. The Gress family of this county is a branch of the Gress family of eastern Pennsylvania. Capt. Valentine Gress (grandfather) came from that part of the State and settled in Mt. Pleasant township. One of his sons was the late Jacob Gress, Sr. He was one of the most substantial citizens and remarkably successful business men who ever lived in Westmoreland county. He was born March 11, 1793, and died February 13, 1883, at the advanced age of eight-nine years, eleven months and two days. By trade he was a cooper but early in life he and his brother John purchased three hundred acres of timber land near Apollo and lived in a little log cabin with puncheon floor while they cleared and farmed this land. He next bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Ohio and prospered so well that in 1832 he purchased a splendid farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres in Unity township, on which he moved in 1837 and afterwards built a large brick house in which he lived until his death. He served as a soldier in the war of 1812, was a democrat in politics and held membership in the Reformed church, of which he had been deacon and elder. He was a man of unusual business ability and was a prominent and influential citizen of the community in which he lived. He was a large land-holder and gave a good farm to each of his four sons and two daughters. His wife was Mary Lauffer who bore him eight children, four sons and four daughters, and died September 2, 1880, aged eight-one years, one month and sixteen days.

Jacob Gress received his education in the schools of his neighborhood. He came to Unity township in 1837 and remained until 1856 when he moved to a farm of his father's in Mt. Pleasant township. In 1866 he returned to the home farm where he remained until 1886, when he retired from farming and active business life and removed to his present residence at Pleasant Unity in 1889. He owns his father's fine Unity township farm of one hundred and eight-six acres besides an adjoining farm of one hundred and eighteen acres and four acres of land and some valuable property at Pleasant Unity. Jacob Gress is a good business man, a "dyed-in-the-wool" democrat and one of the old and substantial members of St. Paul Reformed church in which has been deacon an elder.

On 20th March, 1856, he married Catherine Rumbaugh, who was a daughter of Peter Rumbaugh, of Mt. Pleasant township, and died in 1859 leaving two children: Franklin L., who preparing to go west, and Mary C., wife of K. Poorman. Mr. Gress remarried 9th June 1870 to Maria Zimmerman, who was a daughter of Reuen Zimmerman, of hempfield township and died May 10, 1879, leaving one child: John R. I. For his and present wife Mr. Gress united in marriage on 15th March 1881, with Julia Ann Hess, daughter of Jacob Hess, of Donegal township, this county.

Jacob married Mary Catherine Rumbaugh, daughter of Peter Rumbaugh and Unknown, on 20 Mar 1856 in Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. (Mary Catherine Rumbaugh was born on 1 Jun 1836 and died on 6 Apr 1859.)

Jacob next married Maria Zimmerman, daughter of Ruen Zimmerman and Unknown, on 20 Mar 1856 in Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. (Maria Zimmerman was born on 8 Dec 1835 and died on 8 May 1879.)

Jacob next married Julia Ann Hess, daughter of Jacob Hess and Unknown, on 20 Mar 1856 in Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. (Julia Ann Hess was born on 18 Jul 1840.)