In 1850, he moved to Belleville, New Jersey where he built freight schooners until 1861 when he returned to Staten Island and purchased the shipyard that became known as "J. S. Ellis & Son".

About a thousand people witnessed the launching, including William H. Starbuck, Captain Josiah Johnson of the Edmund Blunt, No.

She was named after William H. Starbuck, a railroad financier, who paid for the cabin and presented the colours, including the signal flags.

[3][4] The Sandy Hook pilot boat Joseph F. Loubat (1880) was built and launched from the Jacob S. Ellis's shipyard.

The Staten Island Railway brought a large number of pilots and their families to Tottenville to participate in the launch.