Biographical / Historical Notes
Samuel and Deborah Brockman Price emigrated with their nine children from Wislica, Poland to the United States in the early 1800s to escape Russian rule over Poland and the fear of their sons being drafted into the Russian army. Upon arrival in the U.S., the Price family settled in New York.
Jacob Price (May 5, 1839-May 18, 1915), son of Samuel and Deborah Price, enlisted in the U.S. military as a private in Company D of the 5th Regiment and fought in the Civil War. Jacob was discharged from the military on June 27, 1864 after sustaining a gunshot wound and soon after traveled to work for his brother, Adolphus, in Colombia, South America where he ran clothing stores. Jacob returned to the U.S. in the early 1870s and operated a men’s furnishings store in New Jersey. Jacob married his second wife Celia Lindenborn of New York in 1873. By the late 1880s, Jacob transitioned to operating his business in San Diego, purchasing the Reed Block at the corner of Sixth and H Streets. He renamed it the Price Block and opened a men’s clothing store at this location. The store was later taken over by his children, Samuel, Walter, and Alice and renamed Price & Price. Price Block also later housed Price & Speyer, a boot and shoe store run by Jacob’s son, Charles, and Albert Speyer. Following Jacob’s death in 1915, a conflict arose for his widow Celia Price with her claim to Jacob’s Civil War pension due to his previous, unresolved marriage. As a result, Celia was denied claim to the pension.
From the guide to the Price Family Papers, 1873-1918, (San Diego History Center Document Collection)
