NEU, JACOB, now living retired in his pleasant home at 423 West Adams Street, Springfield, Ill., is a representative and public-spirited German-American citizen, and spent most of his life in hard work and industry. He was born in Germany, January 24, 1838, son of Henry and Katherine (Faust) Neu, both natives of Germany, who died in Baltimore, Md., the father in May, 1892, and the mother at the age of seventy-two years. The father was a blacksmith and brought his family to the United States in 1856, locating permanently in Baltimore.

The education of Jacob Neu was acquired in his native land, and at the age of fourteen years he began assisting his father, who owned a farm, in addition to working at his trade. The young man remained on the farm four years, being eighteen years of age at the time he accompanied the rest of the family to America, and remained with them two years in Baltimore. In 1858 he came to Springfield, Ill., leaving his parents in Baltimore, and found employment in the blacksmith shop of John Schubert, Seventh and Jefferson Streets, with whom he remained four years, then found similar employment with Mr. Booth. In 1861 he became a member of the fire department, whose location was on South Seventh Street, in the building now occupied by Johnson & Hatcher. Mr. Neu was employed at Davidson & Henley's for four years before his retirement in Springfield.

At the age of eighteen years Mr. Neu became a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and fo many years has been a member of the German Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which he served some time as Trustee. He has been a Democrat in political views ever since locating in the United States. He is industrious and thrifty by nature and has won a fair degree of financial success. He is a great lover of his home and greatly enjoys the comforts his past years of hard work have won for him, and which he knows how to appreciate. It is such men as he who comprise the best citizens of the country.

Mr. Neu was married, in 1860, to Katherine Lutz, who was born in Germany, in 1841, daughter of Conrad and Mary (Fisk) Lutz. Mrs. Neu's brothers were extensively engaged in meat packing and during the Civil War secured large contracts for supplying meat to the Government. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Neu, a son, who died in infancy, and a daughter, Mary, who married George Bettinghaus, a contractor and builder of Springfield.