Jacob Zuber, (1851-1933)

Headstone GPS Coordinates: 

Birth: 16 September 1851, Spiez, Bern, Switzerland    

Death: 13 April 1933, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Sarah J. Zuber

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None.

Disclaimer: These lines have not been officially proven by NSDAR standards

Jacob and Sarah Zuber were among the original homesteader families and community builders of the Hintzville/Crosby/Seabeck area.

Jacob Zuber was born on September 16, 1851, in Spiez, Bern, Switzerland, to Christian Zuber and Elisabeth Haueter. In 1872, as a young man of twenty-one, he immigrated to the United States, leaving his parents behind in Switzerland. Like many immigrants of his era, Jacob came seeking opportunity—but unlike many, he would go on to carve an enduring legacy out of raw wilderness.

Years later, on July 7, 1884, Jacob settled in Crosby in the Washington Territory, staking his homestead long before roads, infrastructure, or stable commerce existed. Nearly four decades afterward, he reflected on those early days in the Kitsap County Herald (September 23, 1921), recounting what it meant to be among the first settlers:

“Located and made permanent home on homestead on the 7th day of July 1884. There were no roads and very few neighbors, and most of them made a few days settlement once in six months. The winters were especially dreary, sometimes seeing no one for months, only when going to Seabeck for mail. But undaunted and in good spirits I kept busy hewing a homestead out of the wilderness. I had a dream, i.e., of making the ‘Roses bloom in the Desert.’ I could see a future for the country if the people would stick and co-operate. Division has ever been the stumbling block of the producer and laborer.
Handicapped as we were by a mill company store in Seabeck, and a tri-weekly mail boat from Seattle to Seabeck, it is needless to say that the prices in the store were extortionate. And if you shipped by freight the boat would charge the difference between Seattle and Seabeck prices. One sample for instance: Coming home from Seattle one time, all the freight I had was what I carried with me across the gang plank. Arriving in Seabeck my freight bill was $3.25. Not being timid I protested and told them the freight charges exceeded the cost of the goods. And it almost makes me blush to recollect that the very atmosphere turned blue. Then the captain told the purser ‘take a dollar and a quarter and let him to the H—!’ I said pleasantly ‘all right captain, perhaps I will have the pleasure of meeting you there.’ The boat fare was $4.00 one way. Many got discouraged; still I had faith in the country, as I have today. I called a meeting at Al Turner’s place, where Crosby now is, to discuss matters. Many said there was no use talking. Then I took the floor and said ‘brothers, neighbors, we are all in the same box. One thing we must acknowledge – we are skinned both ways, going and coming. God has given us this country, and it will be just what we make of it. The mill company will not improve our condition as far as I can see. The corporations are all alike. They all agree on one thing, namely exploitation.
“Now take the cue, brothers, let’s co-operate and do something for ourselves. To that end I will make you a proposition. I will look out a route for a road to Port Washington Bay, where Chico is. It is only about 9 miles.”
The very idea scared many of them. Nevertheless, I got busy and cruised the location, and enough of them got interested to start the work. I camped in the woods and stayed with the work 85 days straight, with first one gang and then another. By the first of July we had a trail cut through for foot travel, and what do think – the boat fare dropped to one dollar. We finally got the road in condition to get to Chico with a wagon. Now think again Mr. Clark, the manager in the mill company store in Seabeck, cut the prices on his goods 30 percent as soon as the first wagon had gone over the Chico Road.
The above is a simple illustration of co-operation. And I can truly state that I am father of the Crosby-Chico Road. Very few of the old pioneers are left, but I am still at the old stand, have faith in the country and enjoy the fruits of my labors. We have a very good co-operative-built community hall, and for this country, very good roads, and almost every rancher can afford an auto.”

Jacob’s words reveal more than a road-building effort—they reveal a philosophy. He believed deeply in cooperation, self-reliance, and community action. His leadership in organizing and constructing the Crosby-Chico Road not only reduced transportation costs but also broke the economic grip of the Seabeck mill company store. Through persistence and collective effort, he helped transform isolation into opportunity.

In addition to farming poultry, Jacob contributed to nearly every aspect of early community life. In 1891, he helped build the first schoolhouse in Crosby alongside Ashbel Hite, Thomas J. Lewis, and George Stevens. He helped organize the Crosby Community Club in 1911 and served for years as a road supervisor, leading donation work on the Nellita Road and other early routes. His labor was constant, practical, and forward-looking.

Jacob married Sarah J. Bauer on November 25, 1893, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sarah, born March 11, 1858, in Natchez, Mississippi, to Theodore Bauer and Sara Elizabeth Hall, brought with her a diverse heritage—her father from Prussia or possibly Austria, and her mother originally from England. Together, Jacob and Sarah had one son, Jacob Edward Zuber, born in Seattle in 1897, who would grow to become an active and respected member of the Seabeck community.

Sarah endured many years of illness, and Jacob devoted himself to her care. When Jacob passed away on April 13, 1933, at age 81—his death attributed to “cardiac asthma induced by valvular heart disorder”—the Kitsap County Herald published a tribute on April 21, 1933:

“Crosby lost on April 13 one of its oldest pioneers, in the passing of Mr. Jacob Zuber. Mr. Zuber has left a monument behind him which the folks who knew him will never forget. He was a hard worker and willing to help others at any time. He was the leader in building roads by donation work about forty years ago. He was their leader in building the Nellita road and also the old Chico Road to the Canal. Hours and hours he toiled. He was a road supervisor for years. And, as we have heard folks say, he was one hundred percent American. He cared for an invalid wife for fifteen years or more being bedfast most of the last five years. And all Mr. Zuber’s talk was as to how he could help his wife more. He had one son, who is a hard worker and who will now take over the care of his invalid mother. Mr. Zuber was 81 years old and was only poorly for a few days before death. The funeral services were held at the Bremerton funeral home on Monday. Rev. Hokenstad delivered a touching sermon. Two solos were rendered by Mrs. Jack Barrieau, with Mrs. Grey at the piano. A large body of friends were present, and then there was the ritual at the graveside at Seabeck. Rev. Hokenstad spoke well when he said that some folks do not need great stone monuments on their resting places, as they erected greater monuments in the minds of those who knew them. The service was very touching. A duet, ‘Safe in the Arms of Jesus.’ was rendered at the grave by Mrs. Grey and Mrs. Jack Barrieau, and the body of one of Crosby’s best citizens was laid away to await the great day of awakening. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the aged and invalid widow and her son, and may the great Father above take care of His own.”

Just weeks later, on May 14, 1933, Sarah also passed away at age 75 after years of illness. The Kitsap County Herald had reported on May 12:

“Mrs. Jacob Zuber is very sick. Dr. Saunnders was called to her bedside Saturday and his report is that she may pass away at any moment. Her son, Eddie Zuber, has a trained nurse taking care of his mother. It is a hard blow for this son, as only a short time ago he buried his aged father. Sympathy is felt for Mr. Zuber. Mrs. Zuber has been an invalid for years.”

Jacob and Sarah Zuber are buried together in Seabeck Cemetery beneath a large granite stone. Yet, as Rev. Hokenstad observed, Jacob’s truest monument was not of stone. It was the road cut through forest, the schoolhouse raised by neighbors, the community hall built by cooperation, and the enduring spirit of a settlement that flourished because one determined immigrant believed that roses could bloom in the wilderness.