Obituary from Woltz Family Bible entitled: Death of an Early Settler: From the Polo Press at Polo, Illinois

Jacob Petrie died at his home in this city at 3:07, Tuesday morning, July 28th. For the past two years he has been failing in health and for a month has been too weak to leave the house. The funeral which was attended by a large congregation, was held Thursday morning at the West Branch Dunkard Church, Elders Amick and Newcomer officiating, after which his remains were deposited beside those of his wife and son in the cemetery near that church. Quite a number of the old settlers attended the funeral from Polo, going in a body.
Jacob Petrie was born in Washington Co., Maryland, March 6, 1811. He was the son of a powder maker, who resided near Funkstown. In his youth he was apprenticed to the plasterers trade, and on completing his time he went to Springfield, Ohio, where he spent six years. He then returned to Maryland for a short visit, and then came west to Mt Morris in 1830 or '40. There he assisted in plastering the first Seminary buildings. Then he went to Springfield, Illinois, and in company with another Marylander, they plastered the old state house. He shortly after took up a farm in Pine Creek, now occupied by Mr. Shaw, and here a few years later he made his home. About 1850 or '51, he was married to Miss Susan Rowland. They had one child, a son, who died in 1857, aged two and a half years. In April 1865, they moved to Polo where he has since resided. the same year, he entered into partnership with H.M. Funk and they built the City Hall block and engaged in the hardware business. In this business he continued a partner for about seven years. Mrs. Petrie died January 15, 1885. It is understood that Mr. Petrie is worth about $75,000, a large part of which is supposed he left for charitable purposes.

Ogle County Press in Illinois 1891:
By the will of Jacob Petrie the following bequests, and possibly a few others, were made: To Miss Lizzie Renner he gave his interest in the homestead and $3,000; to his brother-in-law, John W. Cahill, $1,000; to the Presbyterian Hospital, Chicago, $2,000; to the Erring Women's Hospital, Chicago, $1,000; to the Kansas Old Folks Home, his brick store in Polo; to two Miss Shaffers, relatives, he gave $500 each; to his sister, Mrs. Woltz, he gave an allowance of between three or four hundred dollars per year as long as she lived. The balance of his property, consisting of monies, notes, etc., amounting to about $40,000, he gave to an organization called the Old People's and Orphan's of the German Baptist or Brethren Church. H.D. Barber was appointed as executor.

Jacob's will was contested and alleged in substance that Jacob was not of sound mind and memory when he made his will. Filed Oct 26, 1891. At the March term a jury hearing was held and jury couldn't agree upon a verdict and case was still pending. It was finally settled with one half Jacob's estate going to the said contestants and the other one half to the proponants of the said will. (Proponants were those listed in the above newspaper article above and the contestants were: Louisa Woltz; Laura Hiteman; Frances Stouffer; Mary C. Bovey; Annie R. Barton; Philip P. Castle; Freedline Petrie; Jonas Petrie; David Petrie and Upton Petrie).

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