The Historic City Cemetery

As a young man, Jacob answered the call to serve during the Mexican–American War , enlisting in Company K of the 2nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment . Like many volunteers of that time, he left home and traveled far from New York to fight in a war most Americans only read about in newspapers. For soldiers like Jacob, the war meant long marches, rough camps, and unfamiliar country. The heat could be punishing, and disease often proved as dangerous as battle. Volunteers guarded roads, protected supply lines, and helped maintain the American army as it pushed deeper into Mexico. When the war ended, Jacob returned north and eventually made his way to Tonawanda. Here, he became more than just a veteran—he became part of the town’s story. He built the Frank Hotel , which once stood where the old Essex House later stood, and he played a role in laying out what became Clinton Park . In those years Tonawanda was still growing, and people like Jacob helped shape the community that would ta...