Jacob Beidler was born in Bedminster, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1815. As a boy he toiled on his family’s farm; an industrious child he earned extra money working as a cabinetmaker and carpenter. In 1842 he moved to Springfield, Illinois where he opened a grocery store with his brother Henry but the partnership didn’t last very long.

In 1844 Jacob Beidler married Mary Ann Funk and they moved to Chicago where he found work as a carpenter. Within a few years Jacob Beidler prospered from the purchase of large parcels of Chicago real estate and the sale of lumber carried by boat to Chicago from his lumber company in Muskegon, Michigan.

Jacob Beidler and his wife Mary had 8 children. When he died on March 15, 1898 his fortune was valued at $2.5 million. A generous man, throughout his life he contributed to several local charitable organizations including Presbyterian Hospital, the YMCA and Lake Forest University.