The Jacobus family's lineage can be traced back to Dutch origins, recorded in Albany, New York, in 1683.
[1] This compendium was published as a part of The American Genealogist journal (originally called New Haven Genealogical Magazine), which Jacobus established in 1922.
Following his death, his colleague Milton Rubincam described him as "the man who more than any other single individual elevated genealogy to the high degree of scholarship it now occupies.
"[9] In 1972, the American Society of Genealogists established The Donald Lines Jacobus Award "to encourage sound scholarship in genealogical writing".
[7] He died at the Golden Manor Nursing Home in New Haven, Connecticut, on 7 October 1970 following an extended period of illness.