Family tree

Lucy Parker Jacobs (nee Binney)

Father and mother: Stephen Binney and Emily Pryor

Dates: 1834-?

Married: Dr. Henry Augustus Jacobs (?-1880), 21 October 1872

Children: none

See 1881 census entry.

Other facts: Her father, Stephen Binney, did not like Dr Jacobs before the marriage, and hoped that the engagement would be broken off (see Stephen Binney's letter). He also is dismissive of Lucy, saying "Lucy .. although willing enough [is] of no great assistance, as you are aware."

Lucy's letter mentions the Doctor several times, although her hand-writing is so bad that you can't always work out exactly what she is saying. That letter gives some idea of Lucy's character. She seems to be interested in details about the house, and descriptions of what people were doing. She mentions far more people's names than the other letters; I wonder if Emily (her sister, the recipient of the letter) knew who she was talking about!

From Provincial Archives of New Brunswick:
Saint John Daily Telegraph of October 25 1872: m. Parish Church of St. George, Moncton, by Rev. George S. Jarvis, D.D., Dean Rural, assisted by Rev. William Walker, Jr., A.B., Rector, Henry A. JACOBS, Esq., M.D. / Lucy Parker BINNEY eldest d/o late Stephen BINNEY, Esq., same parish. There is a marriage bond which seems to give the date as the 21st October 1872, I think.

Lucy Parker Jacobs (nee Binney)
Family photo

In the first letter from Emily Binney, 28th May 1874, there are several references to Lucy (called Loo's). Her mother seems to be partly exasperated by Lucy's behaviour and partly proud of her. Lucy is married to her Doctor by this time, but her mother seems cautious of him. She carefully only visits Lucy when the Doctor is out, and she doesn't refer to the Doctor by his first name. Lucy is 'doing up' the house, apparently with great energy and enjoyment.

From Provincial Archives of New Brunswick:
Moncton Times of December 9 1880: d. At his residence 8th inst., Henry Augustus JACOBS, M.D., age 48, eldest s/o late Godfrey JACOBS, M.D. of Lunenburg, N.S. Funeral Friday half past 1 o'clock.

The 1881 Canadian Census shows that Lucy had returned to live with her mother and brother by then. What is more, although specified as a widow, she has decided to call herself Binney again. Perhaps the father was right! But we must be careful not to read too much into this. The photo, and her mother's will refers to her as Lucy Jacobs.

In the second letter from Emily Binney, Lucy seems to be far quieter. The letter says "We are without a Servant and no prospect of getting one as yet. Lucy is almost worn out household duties."

The letters from Irwine Binney written after their mother's death say that "Lucy and I purpose living along together in a quiet way." Irwine emphasises several times how quiet the house seems with just the two of them. This seems a great change from when Lucy was young and a whirl of energy. Irwine Binney's obituary mentions his sister Lucy who had been living with him and his wife. This is in 1912, when Lucy would have been 77. The letter of Sarah Ketchum written after Irwine Binney's death suggests that Lucy Jacobs resented Irwine's marriage and disliked his wife. However, Sarah Ketchum assumed that Lucy was going to carry on living with her sister-in-law.

From Genealogy of the Binney Family in the United States collected by Charles J. F. Binney (published in 1886):
Lucy Parker [Binney], b. Dec. 1834; m. Dr. Henry Augustus Jacobs, of Moncton, Oct. 22, 1872. He d. Dec. 7, 1880, no issue.