Jacob Frick

Jacob Frick
Born	September 17, 1834 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Died	November 17, 1901 Wooster, Ohio
Known for	Founder of Jacob Frick & Company

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Biographical Sketches

Frick, born Sept. 17, 1834, in Westmoreland County, Pa., was raised on his father's farm, where, in addition to performing his regular agricultural chores, he also plied the trade of blacksmithing.

At age 18 Frick struck out on his own, working for another farm for a year and a half, and then six months at a flouring mill. Over those two years he earned $210, of which he was able to put aside the large sum of $175. The economy Jacob Frick practiced in his early years would come to serve him well later in life.

Frick received what education could be obtained from attending a district school in a log schoolhouse for five or six months a year. He is said to have had a particular fondness for mathematics and to have been a prodigy in arithmetical computations.

In 1855 Frick moved with his father to Hancock County where he married Elizabeth Frick, widow of a cousin and daughter of Jacob Shelly of Wooster. The couple had five daughters and two sons born to them.

Frick moved to Wooster in 1859, entering the grain, seed and wool business in 1862. Over the next 20 years he became so successful at selling large quantities of produce to Eastern markets at full market value that his businesses did between $200,000 and $400,000 annually. The secret of his success was always being prompt in shipping and delivering everything exactly as contracted. At the same time he benefited the farmers from whom he made his purchases.

In 1880, Frick decided to enter the banking business. That pursuit occupied so much of his time, however, he took on W.D. Tyler as partner in the grain business, which was then known as Jacob Frick & Co. From 1874 to 1877 he was an equal partner with J.S.R. Overholt in the City Mills.

Following the death of Ephraim Quinby Jr. in the spring of 1880, Frick led a group in purchasing the Wayne County National Bank of Wooster, of which he was president.

Under Jacob Frick's leadership, the Wayne County National Bank of Wooster fared extremely well. By 1889, it had increased its capital stock to $55,000 and had earned the trust of the community.

Of course throughout the years Frick had been steadily investing in real estate, eventually putting together 120 feet fronting along the north side of West Liberty Street, adjoining the courthouse.

Half of that length of property is covered by an elegant stone and brick structure that had been known throughout Wooster's history as the Iron Block Building. To this venerable two-story structure Frick added a fourth floor with a mansard roof, in keeping with the architectural fashion of the day. He also had a nameplate put on top of the building, which thereafter became more commonly known around town as the "Frick Building." The structure was considered to be the city's finest business block.

In addition, Frick owned a large warehouse on South Street, a business room on East Liberty Street, his residence on North Market Street and a number of improved lots.

In the late 1880s, Frick owned 25 acres of valuable land inside the city limits, as well as several farms around Wayne County and parcels of land in Western states.

He also was the owner of Buckeye Mills in Canton for three years and owned a grain elevator in Ashland in a partnership operation. He was almost constantly buying, selling and improving parcels of real estate locally.

Frick joined the English Lutheran Church of Wooster in 1869 and contributed in large measure to its prosperity, bearing much of the financial burden when it constructed a new edifice.

Always a philanthropist, Frick gave generously of his time and money to churches, institutions of learning and anything else he identified as being a good cause.

In November 1885, Frick's wife died, and two years later he married Sara E. Rutter of Massillon, a teacher in the public schools. That union resulted in the birth of one daughter.

Family

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• Husband: Jacob Frick
• Wife: Elizabeth (Shelly) Frick
• Children:
  • William E. Frick
  • Rebecca Alice (Frick) Imgard
  • Abigail (Frick) Routson
  • Cora B. (Frick) Criley
  • Lula (Frick) Taylor
  • Helen Bettielion Frick

Vital Records

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Birth

• 17 September 1834 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Marriage

• Elizabeth (Shelly) Frick in November 1856

Death

• 17 November 1901 in Wooster, Ohio

Burial

• Wooster Cemetery, Section 1, Lot 35

Census Records

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Places of Residence

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Court Records

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Tax Records

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Land Records

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Military

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Occupations

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• Bank President
• Grain Crop Production
• Wool Crop Production
• Warehouse

Community Involvement

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Awards and Recognition

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Notes

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