Today is the birthday of Jacob Woolner (July 24, 1834-March 23, 1909). He was born in Szennitz (or Szeged), Hungary (although one source says Budapest) but settled initially in Vienna, Austria, where he married. In 1873, he emigrated to the United States, and ended up in Peoria, Illinois. In 1886, he co-founded the Union Brewing Co. with his brother-in-law Sigmund O. Mitler. It closed in 1920 due to prohibition, re-opening briefly as the Peoria Brewing Co. in 1934 but closed for good in 1940.
This is his obituary from his unexpected death in 1909.
