Uncle Jacob ?

Rutland  Oct 4^th, 67

 “We called at Uncle Jacobs one evening this week.”  

Jacob Blakely gravestone

Who was Uncle Jacob?  I know the names of all of Hattie’s parents’ brothers & sisters.  The only Uncle Jacob was Walton’s brother Jacob Blakely who died in 1855.  And here she refers to someone living in Rutland in 1867.  They couldn’t have gone together to his grave one evening, since he was buried in Pawlet.

Could this have been Uncle Marshall’s wife’s uncle?  I’ve researched both of her parents, but found no Jacobs.

Was Uncle Jacob a dear family friend who had earned the position to be called “Uncle”?  I’m not aware of anyone in our family who was ever referred to this way.  Was this a former servant, being called by the Southern custom for close family slaves?  That’s an even more far-fetched idea in this family.   Was there a man associated with the school who would have been called “Uncle”?  Where else can I look?

Hattie said nothing else about this evening visit, except, “The fire at Centre Rutland could be seen here very plain.”  And that might be from Uncle Marshall’s house, not even related to the sentence about the visit to Uncle Jacob.