Jacob Anthes, the son of Martin Anthes and Catharine Schmitt, was born March 25, 1836 in Kitchener, Ontario. Jacob married Magdalena Stricker circa 1857 and the couple had six children: Sarah Anna, Mary Elizabeth, Martin Franklin, Catharine A., Martha Magdalena, Clarissa Lovina and Emma Caroline.

The 1861 census lists Jacob as a farmer, religion as Methodist, located on land close to his father's in Wilmot township. In 1867 Jacob moved his family to Carrick Township, near Mildmay, Ontario where Jacob preached for the Evangelical Association. He had a local congregation but also rode far and wide across the countryside to preach to widely scattered congregations. He and his family moved again in 1868 to Port Elgin where Jacob helped to build the Evangelical Association Church. By 1871, Jacob's occupation in the census was listed as "preacher" and his religion as "Evangelical Association." Jacob and his family relocated to Kitchener in 1873 where he served as pastor of Zion Evangelical Church. He died unexpectedly in 1874 at the age of only 38 of what is described as "brain fever."