About Jacques Jacobs of Trocadero

About Jacques Jacobs of Trocadero

He was my great grandfather. He died long before I was born. I believe my Grandmother and her brother were the only children he had with his wife. I understand his wife refused to divorce him.
I had understood he had died at a piano starting up the first national orchestra of South Africa. He had had a love child with him, and her mother. Rumour has it one uncle of mine has tracked down his aunt, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with our family. But, one person who knew him well was Percy Grainger, the Melbourne born pianist who met him in 1901 in London, and who reported seeing him on a cruise in 1949. His behaviour on that cruise was reportedly very bad, with affairs with women obviously being carried out. Jacques would have been fairly old then. My Grandmother was a younger child born circa 1897. Even back then, the Dutch born, London based performer had been successful. Had he been born in 1875, then he would have been quite young to have his success in 1903 where he had toured Adelaide and in 1904 when he toured South Africa. But that would make him close to 75 years old in 1949 which is believable if he had kept himself fit. but if he had been born in 1865, then his behaviour at 85 seems less likely.

I understand the British Library National Sound Archive includes works of Jacques Jacobs, including recordings.


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I began looking at Jacques life after finding his name on my Grandmother's second marriage certificate. More can be found, possibly, with work on Elizabeth Hurierty, his dutch born first wife.

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the biography of Jacques Jacobs of the Trocadero Restaurant? on Quora

Update. 

Jacques was born 1872 in Amsterdam (resident) Netherlands according to 1911 census. 

Elizabeth Hurwitz was born in Amersfoort, Holland in 1868. Married 1890? 

Their daughter was Sarine, born between jan and march 1899 in Fulham, and their son was Henry born 1898. 

1901 census they lived in Hammersmith, London, UK 

1911 Census they lived in 30 Cleveland Avenue, Chiswick

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Update on Joseph Ball who changed his name to Joseph Patrick Ball
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Update 29th April

Found Jacques Jacobs. He lived to be 90 years old and in the end, lived in the city my dad was working in soon after, New York City. Jacobs had been a major music producer in his life, but I will know him for his family connections and poignant stories. His dad had been born on the day that my dad died. My relatives have found his son's family. They had been lost since before WW2. Henry had gone to Indonesia and then changed his name. One family member is known to be in Queensland. Jacques older sister had family too, they live in UK, having survived the holocaust, but not unscathed. 1872 was a tough year in Netherlands for the family. It was the year Jacques father died, but also the year his wife's youngest brother was born, several months after his father died.

Jacques was raised by his mother and clearly had a precocious talent. He married a woman four years older than him in 1896. He became internationally famous at the 'steak house' Trocadero in London. He had a talent for promotion. He also seemed to have a talent for spending money. I gather his family situation got difficult for him. I suspect there are relatives in South Africa or Israel who have been left bitter by him. Growing up, my father spoke with glowing pride of his mother's ability to work and raise money for plane tickets to visit us in the US. Jacques was still around then and he might have helped? My grandmother was not rich in her lifetime, but she was blessed. The music industry, then and now, was not family friendly. My view is, I love my family.