Dr Jacob Gilbert Zern (1845-1926) - Find a Grave Memorial

The Lehighton Press (Lehighton, Pa.), March 26, 1926, p. 1:
"J.G. ZERN, DOCTOR, SOLDIER, CITIZEN, DIED SATURDAY
Our venerable and beloved friend and fellow citizen, Dr. Jacob Gilbert Zern has at last crossed the dark river - death, the inevitable conqueror of us all, having relieved him of his long and terrible suffering. He was 81 years old. The end came on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock.

With the patience and courage of a stoic, he suffered almost 10 years and was a helpless invalid. He never complained. He who had restored to health and happiness thousands of others, was powerless in the grip of that terrible affliction, arthritis. Dr. Zern was one of nature's noblemen. He was beloved and respected by all who knew him. His upright Christian character was known to everybody. He was a typical "poor man's doctor," and in the discharge of his professional duty, the distinction was made that he always leaned toward the poor and unfortunate. No storm was too great nor night too cold to get out of his warm bed at any hour to answer a call of distress. Those who have read "Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush" will recognize in Dr. Zern the prototype of Ian MacLaren's "A Doctor of the Old School." He was an all around doctor, and possessed of great skill as a physician and surgeon. In his early practice, he made his visits on horse back, carrying his medicines in his saddle bags. Thus passed a noble soul, and this community takes pride in his having been a part of it.

Dr. Zern was born February 24th, 1845 on a farm in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County. His father was Rev. Jacob Zern, who was the son of Abraham Zern, an immigrant from Germany. The latter took an active part in the War of 1812. His mother's maiden name was Sophia Gilbert, who was descended from French Huguenot stock. His great, great, grandfather, Martin Sensenderfer and his great grandfather, Christian Specht, were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. His father, Rev. Jacob Zern was for many years a well known minister of the Evangelical Association in the eastern part of the state.

Dr. Zern married Ellen M. Edinger October 13th, 1870. They had two sons and two daughters, three passing away in infancy, and the last surviving daughter, Katherine Victoria, wife of Homer Heberling, died in 1920.

In August, 1862, Jacob G. Zern at the age of 17 tried to enlist in Capt. Smith P. Gault's company of 122 Reg. Penna. Volunteers, but being too young to enter the army without the consent of his parents, was rejected. He returned to Earlsville, where he succeeded in securing a position as teacher in the Earlsville school. On the 20th of October, 1864, he again tried to enlist and was accepted in Co. C, 195 Penna. Volunteers and served until July 1865, when he was honorably discharged from the army. After the close of the war, Dr. Zern began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. S. B. Detwiler, of Montgomery county, subsequently he entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with the class of 1868. He practiced his profession in this community for almost fifty years, locating first in Weissport. While a resident of Weissport, he became interested in politics and was a staunch democrat. He was generally a delegate to the Democratic county conventions. He served as school director and assessor a number of times, and also served as postmaster of Weissport during Cleveland's administration. In the fall of 1878 he was elected to the state legislature and was re-elected to the session of 1881. In 1894 he was elected associate judge of Carbon county, serving in office five years. He was the first president of the Carbon County Medical Society and one of its active members for many years. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the American Medical Society. He also was a member of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Surgeon's Association, serving as its president for one year, and as secretary for about twenty years. He was largely instrumental in having the hospital car stationed at Lehighton for emergency service. For upward of thirty years he was one of the local surgeons of the L. V. R. R. Upon completion of the Panther Creek Valley Hospital at Coaldale, he was appointed one of its consulting physicians. In 1902 he was elected to the state senate from the 22nd district, comprising the counties of Carbon, Monroe and Pike. He was blessed with a wonderful memory and took great pleasure in relating to his friends the experience of his travels, which included the most important points of the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Soon after moving to Lehighton he was elected burgess of this borough, and declined a renomination. He helped to organize the First National Bank of Lehighton, and was one of its directors for more than forty years. He was a member of The Pennsylvania German Society, a charter member of Washington Post 122, Weissport, of the John D. Bertolette Post G.A.R., a charter member of the Kights of Pythias Lodge, charter member of the Council of American Mechanics and a charter member of the order of Red Men, Weissport. He was one of the prime movers in organizing Lehighton Lodge 621, Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons, and became it's first worshipful master. He was also a past master of Carbon Lodge 242, F. & A. M., and a past eminent commander of Packer Commandery, 23, of Mauch Chunk.

Dr. Zern is survived by his widow, a grandson, Jacob Zern Heberling, and three sisters, Mrs. Mary Phifer, of Parryville; Mrs. C. B. Melot of Woodhaven, L. I., and Mrs. D. S. Grossman, of Lehighton.

The funeral services were held on Tuesday afternoon from his late home Third and Iron Streets conducted by his pastor Rev. Ward K. Shultz, of Bethany U. E. Church. Lodge 621, F. A. &M. conducted the burial service in Lehighton Cemetery. The funeral arrangements were in charge of Heller & Son, morticians. The pall bearers were Dr. C. J. Kistler, Dr. J. A. Trexler, Dr. C. H. Wagner, Charles F. Bretney, George D. Kresge, A. F. Greenawalt.

A side of his character may be best summed up in the lines from Goldsmith:
‘A man he was to all the country dear,
More bent to raise the wretched than to rise.
His house was known to all the vagrant train,
He chid their wanderings but relieved their pain.
The long remembered beggar was his guest,
Whose beard descending, swept his aged breast.
The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay,
Wept o’er his wounds, or, tales of sorrow done.
Shouldered his crutch and showed how fields were won.
Pleased with his guests, the good man learned to glow,
And quite forgot their vices in their woe.
Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,
Adn even his failings leaned to virtue’s side.
Beside the bed when parting life was laid,
And sorrow, guilt and pain by turns dismayed,
Tis noble champion stood.
To them his heart, his love, his grief were given_
But all his serious thought had rest in heaven.’ “

From Dennis Brandt (Member No. 47232334):
"The son of Rev. Jacob & Sophia (Gilbert) Zern, in 1860 he may have been working as a laborer for farmer George Carothers in West Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, although that is unconfirmed. By 1864, he was a teacher by occupation and stood 5' 8" tall with brown hair and blue eyes.

The obituary's tale of his attempted enlistment with what became the 122nd Pennsylvania Infantry may be apocryphal. It is true that he eventually served with the 195th Pennsylvania Infantry, although there is disagreement as to the dates. Per his compiled military service records, he enlisted and mustered into federal service at Lancaster October 20, 1864 (a unique date compared to the others in the regiment), as a private with Co. C in the one-year organization of the 195th Pennsylvania Infantry. However, the company register claims he enlisted in the field at Monocacy Junction, Frederick County, Maryland, September 4, 1864, and mustered into federal service there on September 5, a questionable claim given as that was where many members of the 195th's hundred-day organization re-enlisted with the one-year organization, and there is no evidence that Jacob served with that organization. Despite its September enlistment date claim, the company register actually supports the October enlistment date by demonstrating that when the hundred-day organization left service Jacob was turned over to the provost marshal at Summit Point, West Virginia, for transfer to the new organization, something done for each of the handful of men who enlisted on "off" dates. He honorably discharged June 16, 1865, also an unusual date compared to the rest of the regiment. The 195th Pennsylvania served only guard duty throughout its tenure and thus reported no battle casualties."