Biography:  
The Life of Julia (Mercier) Jager 

Julia Mercier was born in 1861 in Cheshire, Connecticut. Her father, Alexander Mercier, was a French Canadian immigrant, and her mother, Jane Brennan, was an Irish immigrant. They had been married since 1856, and had a three year old son, Joseph, when Julia was born. Alexander enlisted in the Civil War when Julia was a tiny baby, and died from diseases contracted during the war when Julia was just three years old. She never had a chance to know her father. When her mother remarried a year after Alex’s death, her new husband became the only father Julia ever knew.

Patrick Hughes, Jane’s second husband, moved his new family to Chicago as soon as the arrangements could be made. Jane used her own money for the train fare and for their new house. Although Patrick got a job at the Gas House, his Irish temper got him in lots of trouble. He eventually got to drinking too much, and life became very difficult for the family. To add to the strain, a new baby, Mary (Mamie), was born into the family during their first year in Chicago. Then, six years after their arrival, they were caught in the middle of the great Chicago fire. They lost everything they owned and had to start over. Julia was just ten years old at the time, and it must have made quite an impression on her.

After the fire Patrick’s drinking became even worse. Jane had used all of her widow’s pension and the money due the children from their father’s pension, and she had to take in laundry to make ends meet. She put up with many years of Patrick’s abuse because she was Catholic and didn’t believe in divorce. Patrick claimed to be a devout Catholic also, but it appeared to be in name only.
In 1881, when Julia was twenty years old, she married Frank Jager, the son of a German immigrant. Her older brother, Joseph, was not yet married, but had probably moved away from home. Now Jane had just Mary at home, and eventually she was convinced to leave Patrick. Her divorce became final in 1883, and she moved in with Joseph. The following year Joseph married, and Jane probably spent her remaining in his home. She died in 1907.

Just one year after Julia got married, she gave birth to a baby girl, Florence Eva. But tragedy befell them six months later. After spending an enjoyable, but hot, June day at Lincoln Park, Julia and Frank returned home with the baby in the horse and carriage. After they got home the baby got chilled, ended up with pneumonia, and died. Loosing her first born must have been a great trial for Julia. It was almost two years before Julia gave birth to another baby girl, Elsie Mary, in 1884. Two years later Earl Francis was born. These were the only children she ever had.

Julia’s husband was a successful businessman, having joined his father’s lumber business in Chicago. He also was an inventor, and got a patent on a railroad car door he invented. His talented son, Earl, did all the artwork. The family had a beautiful mansion on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, and with servants in the household, Julia did not have a hard life. However, this too was not to last. Frank lost all his money in a business deal, and after that he began drinking. Elsie and Earl got jobs to support the family, but eventually they both got married and started their own families.
Frank Jager died in 1939 of cancer of the prostate. He and Julia had lived for several years with Elsie’s daughter, Anita. Julia lived nine more years after Frank’s death. She spent her last few years at Techny, Illinois in a home for the elderly. She died of an Aortic Aneurysm on October 15, 1948 at the home of her granddaughter

pdarling@bmt.net
  

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