Jacob Obermann Explained

Jacob Obermann
Birth Place:Germany
Birth Date:March 23, 1819
Known For:Jacob Obermann Brewery
Resting Place:Union Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Jacob Obermann (March 23, 1819 – April 24, 1887) was a German immigrant to the United States who became a prominent businessman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's brewing industry.[1]

Personal life

Obermann was born in Germany on March 23, 1819.[2] He immigrated to the United States in 1843.[3] [4] He was a Mason and a member of the Turner Society.[5] His father was Peter and he had a brother (Caspar) and sister (Catherine). He married twice; Maria until her death in 1852, then Barbara. He had four children (Barbara, Mary, Richard, Edwin) with his second wife.[2] He had at least four other children (Philip, Gustav, George, Herman), probably from his first marriage.[5] He was a member of the Milwaukee Common Council.[5] He died on April 24, 1887, at the age of 68 and is buried in Union Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2]

Career

Obermann began his career as a shoemaker in 1843, then opened a store in 1849.[4] He continued with his shoe business until opening a brewery (named Germania Brewery) at 5th and Cherry streets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1854 and brewed 'Standard', 'Weiner' and 'Extra Brew' styles of beer.[6] [7] [4] [8] He had a partner in the business by the name of Max Fueger.[4] He added an ice house in 1866.[3] The brewery was the city's largest for twenty years until 1874.[6] By 1880, the brewer, along with his sons, was producing 30,000 barrels of beer annually.[7] Obermann's brewery became one of the leaders in Milwaukee's brewing industry until his death in 1887.[1] [4] He was a member of the Brewers' Insurance Company of America[9] [10] and a founding member of the Mechanics Mutual Fire Insurance Company.[5]

Aftermath of the brewery

After Jacob Obermann's death, the business was continued by his sons until debt problems, due to an investment in Chicago, Illinois, incurred a loss of $200,000, caused the company to go into receivership in 1893, then again in 1895. The brewery was subsequently sold at auction to Philipp Jung.[5] Obermann's son Gustav went on to operate a brewery of his own at the end of the 19th century.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/brewing/ Brewing
  2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172420624/jacob-obermann Jacob Obermann
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=fiutGEdT7KwC&dq=Jacob+Obermann&pg=PA207 Breweries of Wisconsin
  4. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Property/HI16247 502 W CHERRY ST
  5. https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.oberman/58/mb.ashx Jacob Oberman Family 1850 - 1900s Milwaukee, WI
  6. http://www.brewingmuseum.org/museum/walk-through-obermann-brewery A Walk Through Jacob Obermann Brewery
  7. http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/140/Milwaukee.pdf Rediscovering Milwaukee's historic breweries Part I: Milwaukee's downtown breweries
  8. Web site: Old brewery in Milwaukee will become new housing . .
  9. http://www.slahs.org/history/brewery/schlitz/history2.htm Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.: A Chronological History 1873-1881
  10. https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.oberman/59/mb.ashx The Brewers Fire Insurance Company 1870s Milwaukee, WI
  11. http://www.oldbreweries.com/breweries-by-state/wisconsin/milwaukee-wi-74-breweries/gustav-a-obermann-brewing-and-bottling-co-wi-328a/ Gustav A. Obermann Brewing and Bottling Co. – WI 328a