Jacob Broom was born in Wilmington, Delaware on October 17, 1752. His father, James Broom, was a blacksmith and a prosperous farmer, with holdings in real estate, gold and silver, and his mother Esther, the daughter of John and Mary Willis of Thornbury, in Chester County; Esther’s parents were Quaker. The family attended Old Swedes Church (Holy Trinity Church) in Wilmington.

Mr. Broom’s education was a conglomeration of home study, the local available schools (Old Academy, which later would be known as the College of Wilmington) and at Old Swedes, where no doubt, he found the finest of his learning, under the tutelage of the Reverend Lawrence Girelius. By Pastor Girelius’ wholesome and good example, Jacob developed into an excellent young man, full of promise and hope, with powerful mathematic and writing skills. Broom began to devote attention to the study of surveying, which of course was a field of endeavour that was both profitable for him and important to the burgeoning nation.

On December 14, 1773 Jacob Broom married Rachel Pierce, with Pastor Girelius presiding over the ceremony. Rachel was the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Pierce of Greenville, which was near to Wilmington. Robert Pierce and family were devoted patriots, and found themselves in the midst of the conflict; Robert with a warrant for his arrest, by the British army. Jacob and Rachel were blessed with ten children, with eight reaching adulthood, each child was baptized at Old Swedes church.

Many would consider Jacob Broom too busy, but clearly he had learned to be industrious, not being satisfied with surveying, involved himself in a machine shop where he prepared and repaired machinery for use in his cotton mills; and the extracting of iron from Murderkill Creek. Not only was he successful in business but in local politics, holding a veritable cornucopia of local offices. Borough assessor, president of the Wilmington street regulators (overseeing the care of sewage, water and the streets), New Castle County, justice of the peace, Wilmington assistant Burgess (vice-mayor) in 1776 at the age of 24, and held that office six times, and Chief Burgess (mayor) four times. To demonstrate his popularity in Wilmington, Jacob never lost a city election. Add to these elected positions, he was the original incorporator, and first treasurer of the first library in Wilmington, and the first Postmaster of that city; an early promoter and stockholder of the Delaware Bank, and his pursuit of the construction of toll roads, canals, and bridges.

Although young Mr. Broom’s strong pacifist roots (coming from the influence of his Quaker relatives and friends), prevented him from fighting in the Revolutionary War, nevertheless, Jacob was a Patriot. He offered his services as surveyor to the Continental Army and prepared maps of the Brandywine region for General Washington.

In 1784-86 and again in 1788, Mr. Broom was chosen as a representative to the Delaware state legislature. In turn, he was selected by that body to represent the state at the Annapolis Convention, although he was unable to attend; yet by examining later reports and writings he most likely sympathized with the political reforms that the convention called for.

In 1787, Broom was selected to attend the Constitutional Convention, where he was found to be a proponent of a strong central government, yet his desire was to retain as much state control as possible. When he recognized that his and others more de-centralized ideas could protract the Convention or derail it all-together, he relented to the need of a robust federal government.

Jacob returned to Wilmington, after the Constitutional Convention, and in 1795 he built a home near the Brandywine River, on the outskirts of the city. He continued his long-standing affiliation with the Old Academy leading him to assist in the schools' reorganization into the College of Wilmington and serving on that college's first Board of Trustees. Broom was a lay leader of the Old Swedes Church of Wilmington; where he found many opportunities to be involved in the religious affairs his community.

Jacob Broom died in late 1810, at the age of 58, while attending to business in Philadelphia. Jacob Broom, a dear son, a beloved father, a caring husband, an ardent Christian, one of Wilmington Delaware’s shining stars; a signer of the United States Constitution and a true Founding Father of this great nation.