Chapter 1
Chapter One
Jacob Marley was born on March 8th, 1784, to John and Elizabeth Marley in the Westminster area of London, England, just a couple of miles by carriage to the London Stock Exchange. Westminster, located along the River Thames, is one of the most important boroughs of London. It is home to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. James Palace, and the Houses of Parliament. John was a dapper young gentleman and successful businessman in London, as Elizabeth was a beautiful, elegant, and bubbly woman that always greeted anyone with a kindhearted smile. They both would dress in the latest English fashion and lived in a beautiful two story home that was well decorated with the most stylish decor.
Once John felt they were well-established they decided it was time to raise a family of their own. Jacob’s birth was a terrible one for Elizabeth that would result in her death two weeks later. He was the first and only child of the couple, a couple which was deeply in love since they first met. John would never forgive his son for the death of his beloved, or so it seemed to Jacob, and their relationship would become very cold and distant. John would slowly die from heartbreak in 1801, leaving a young Jacob to fend for himself.
If Jacob learned anything from his father, it was the importance of financial security. His father seemed like two different people, the vigorous and sharp-witted businessman, and the hollow emotionless father at home. John worked for the Exchange as a speculator in stocks, and did quite well. London was experiencing tremendous growth during the Industrial Revolution, and John was able to capitalize on this growth with his shrewd business manners and negotiating skills. Even though he portrayed these characteristics he was still liked by most of his peers, always fair in his dealings. By the time Jacob would start his own banking and speculating business London had become the largest city in the world. Sadly, Jacob would not inherit the same personal traits in his business dealings as his father.
On the other hand, living in a large house for only two residents gave them plenty of space to ignore each other. Jacob mistook John’s quiet and distant demeanor to mean that he no longer wanted his son. In all fairness to Jacob, he was too young to understand the pain his father was going through, nor did he have the capability to help ease his father’s pain. At the same time, John did not do a very good job of maintaining a close relationship with his only child. Jacob was a painful reminder every day, and even though he never actually blamed his son for the tremendous loss he felt, he definitely gave that impression to young Jacob.
John’s world was caught up between the end of the American War for Independence and the wasted coffers of the Crown, coupled with the growth of the Industrial Revolution. The Crown would spend over 250 million pounds and lose over 1.3 billion British lives before the war with the colonies ended. And as everyone knows, the heavy taxation levied not only in London, but in the colonies before the war, was a result of the previous conflicts with other European powers. Many taxes would continue following the war with America that had major implications on lower to middle class Englishmen. John was able to capitalize on a time when few regulations existed in trading, and would unwillingly pass along his substitute love for wealth to his son.
The Industrial Revolution in England led to tremendous growth in both population and manufacturing. Iron smelting improvements would lead to a boom in steel production and John was also able to profit from this growth. In fact, Britain would go from a major importer of iron to a major producer of iron products when Jacob was a young man. Machines were now replacing hand production, and improvements in medicine led to fewer stillborns and longer lives. John was able to take advantage of this growth as well with tremendous speed, only to see this growth slow after the death of his beloved Elizabeth.
Jacob’s childhood was void of close relationships as a result of his upbringing. He was educated at home by a governess until he was of age to attend the prestigious Eton private school for boys near Windsor. His governess, Esther, was hardly a kind soul which would eventually lead to Jacob’s lack of compassion towards others. She was an older woman that had never been married. Esther was very strict with rarely a kind word, and her inability to actually nurture young Jacob would affect him his entire life.
John was able to afford the tuition to Eton not only through his shrewd business moves, but also due to the contacts he made. Jacob always felt the move was most likely due to his father wanting to get him away to avoid the constant reminder of his wife’s untimely death. Jacob would never allow himself to get close to anyone, male or female, so he would grow into a very cold and distant person. He would spend most of his time avoiding the other boys at school, and would spend his time alone in his room reading. He missed a great opportunity to forge relationships with some of England’s most powerful families while at Eton, but it was he that chose not to allow these relationships to develop.
Eton was not a great time for Jacob. Not only did he not create any true lasting relationships at the school, but he seemed to find himself in trouble a lot. The Headmaster was known as a ’disciplinarian’ compared to the previous headmaster and this would lead to a number of “flogging Friday” meetings between the two. However, Marley would leave the school with great knowledge of business as he would spend most of his free time reading books on economic philosophies away from the other students.
His reading consisted of books by early economists, such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Adam Smith. He would somewhat become friends with David Ricardo, who briefly worked with his father on the London Stock Exchange. Ricardo was influential in industrial specialization and a break from simply accumulating wealth. His work focused on the impact of wages on workers. This became a major discussion on occasion from the young Jacob Marley and David Ricardo. As much as he read on the changes to the English economy, he still believed that gold and silver would never diminish in value, and by accumulating these precious metals, or monetary wealth, one would never go hungry.
Jacob’s limited interactions with his father primarily focused on his future. He knew he wanted to be financially successful at a young age. Jacob was able to see firsthand what upper middle class wealth could bring a person, regardless of how cold his relationship was with his father. He would, however, discover a love for money at a very young age which was probably a substitute for his relationships with others. After his father passed away, Jacob did manage to get an apprenticeship with a longtime friend of his father as a banker, a move that had a major impact on young Jacob Marley.
Marley’s apprenticeship in the banking world was very rare. Most were traditionally designed around crafts and trades, and had prospered so to speak, with indentured servitude. Most of these apprenticeships could be traced back to medieval times. But with the changes in vocations during the Industrial Revolution led to a growth of more urban businesses, so changed the philosophy toward apprenticeships. No longer did the more ‘civilized’ forms of business require you to be from a poor background. Nor did they all go unpaid. The banking world found a need for training that young adults could not get at a liberal arts college so the profession gradually incorporated on-the-job training philosophies that Marley became a part of at the right time. However, it definitely did not hurt that Jacob was also well educated before starting his apprenticeship.
Jacob, like his father, was able to profit from the economic growth in banking and commerce within London, especially after the Napoleonic Wars. Following his apprenticeship he was hired by a privately run bank in downtown London. He would learn a lot about the finance and banking industry, as well as the accounting business. Jacob did not take long to start his own business in banking and to expand his business to not only lending money, but also serving as a ’counting house’. This was a new and expanding business during this time period when companies began looking outside of their own walls for someone to keep track of their incoming and outgoing funds. Very little actual money from these businesses came through Marley’s office. He would be responsible for tracking all transactions and keep a record of payments of a wage, pension, expense or debenture in a ledger for that company. And since it was hard for most trades and companies to individually hire someone for this position, Jacob found a profitable way to grow his own business.
Marley was able to make an impressive real estate deal in getting his office along Cornhill near the London Stock Exchange, in an area that would later be called the Square Mile. As his business prospered he reached a point where he decided to find a partner, someone with similar ideology as himself. Then he could divide the responsibilities between banking and loans that he would be responsible for, with the accounting side dedicated to his new partner. Ironically, the accounting side seemed to be much more profitable than the banking, so the firm became strictly a counting house only.
Jacob believed strongly in a low overhead and keeping expenses as low as possible. This would lead him to cutting back on simple expenses in the day-to-day operations of his building. In other words, the building itself reflected the cold damp personality of its owner. The sign above his door was a small wooden one, with only his last name and ‘Counting House’ on it. Fortunately, there was just enough room between his name and ‘Counting House’ to add the name of his future partner. There were very few furnishings in his office and the walls were completely bare. In fact, visitors would have to stand since there was no extra seating. He rarely used coal to keep the place warm in a tiny stove when it was cold out, and had very few pieces of furniture besides his desk, chair, safe, and coat rack. He would occasionally hire a clerk, but found that it was cheaper to use apprentices that would cost much less. This was the only reason he added another desk to the empty foyer area in the front of the office.
Marley had little interest in people’s personal lives. He was definitely a product of his environment. Jacob rarely conversed with his employees unless it was related to the business. He couldn’t tell you which of his employees were married, had families, where they lived, or even some of their names.
Jacob lived a short walk from his office to his home on Lime Street. Somewhat out of place for a residence, the building was primarily office space for other counting houses and businessmen that he would eventually purchase entirely. His home would become most of the second floor of some of his competition, which allowed him to control their rent and make their impact on his business even tougher. It also added to his loneliness since by the time he arrived home the businesses in the building would be closed for the evening. The living quarters were very similar to his own office. Large and dark with minimal furnishings, because he knew that darkness saved money. A sitting room practically bare with only a large wingback parlor chair, a small end table next to the chair, a fireplace, and a bell to summon any hired help. This of course was never used by Jacob since that also cost unnecessary expenses. The fireplace was actually ornately done with tile work depicting stories from the Bible, most likely completed by the Dutch merchant that originally built the building. There was a lumber room which housed what measly belongings Jacob had, along with a small supply of coal and wood for the fireplace. And finally his bedroom, furnished only with a small chest of drawers, his large wooden bed with heavy curtains placed in the middle of the room, along with a small table and chair adjacent to one of the walls.
He would start each day with a walk toward Cornhill and down to the Exchange. This was a common ritual with a number of bankers and businessmen in the area. As he walked, he would never look in the direction of a stranger, or even someone he knew by name. He had no need for idle chat or pleasantries. It was at the London Exchange that Jacob would create his accounts with those in need of his services. He would expand his services and become involved in commodities trading, which is part of the reason he would make the trek each morning. After a short period of time Jacob would promptly make his way to his cold, dark, damp office before his scheduled opening time at nine o’clock sharp. The end of his day was just as mundane, as he took the same walk with the same stops on his way home each evening. All the while avoiding any unnecessary conversation with anyone he came across, avoiding any eye contact or pleasantries.
Jacob definitely did not see the point to corporate philanthropy. He firmly believed in the ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality, especially when it came to business. Even though the term would not be used for decades, Jacob definitely believed that the economy could only continue to grow by weeding out the weaker businesses and focusing on the strong. Those that failed in their business endeavors deserved to fail and needed to be eliminated for those that thrived. He had little sympathy for those that were not able to repay their debt, and became a strong advocate for the services like the debtors’ prison and workhouses. He also had no sympathy for those that did not succeed, because he felt that everyone had an equal chance and those that didn’t succeed did not put out the proper effort. So each time someone would enter his office, especially around Christmas time, Jacob would indulge himself in sending them on their way empty-handed.
His search for a partner would lead him to a young Ebenezer Scrooge. A young man with similar ideals as his, which would eventually lead to the one true relationship he ever had. The two of them were so similar in all aspects of their lives that Jacob found the only person he would eventually want to see succeed. In fact, Jacob would offer Ebenezer a place to stay in his home until Scrooge had become financially capable to own a place of his own. They found a space on the opposite side of the giant staircase in what used to be an office. They did not socialize while at home, though, due to the large size of Jacob’s home and the fact that he only allowed Scrooge a small area to the left of the grand staircase leading up to the living quarters. It was a meager two room area that Ebenezer barely furnished to make it livable, with a small table and chair, a bed, and a night stand with a candle used for lighting.
Ebenezer developed his own personality in a similar fashion as Jacob. He had a cold and distant relationship with his father, however there was no doubt that his father really didn’t care for his son. This relationship would lead to Scrooge spending many of his early years away at boarding school. But unlike Jacob, Ebenezer had a sister that he truly loved. Fanny was such a pleasant spirit that always looked on the bright side of things. Her beauty and radiance made her an extremely likeable person, and she rarely was seen without a smile on her face. But in a similar fashion as to Jacob’s mother, his sister passed away as a result of childbirth and Ebenezer would blame his nephew Fred for her untimely death.
Ebenezer also had another love in his early life, Belle. Belle was a beautiful woman that he met while working for Fezziwig. She was everything Scrooge wanted in a woman, kind, caring, and petite with an elegant style despite her meager upbringing. She reminded him a lot of Fan, always with a gleam in her eye and smile on her face. They would court for a short period of time until Ebenezer got up the courage to ask her hand in marriage. He loved her deeply and could not wait to start a life with her together, or so he thought. Jacob never really had a relationship like this.
Similar to Jacob, Ebenezer grew up with a wealthy father that sent him away to boarding school. When his father summoned him home from school to fulfill an apprenticeship of his own, he left him with no money. This left Ebenezer with a desire to once again acquire wealth, which would lead to the downfall with his relationship with Belle. They met while they were both poor, but Ebenezer would have an ill-guided desire for greed that would lead to Belle leaving him.
During the latter part of Jacob’s time on Earth, he acquired a terrible pain in his mouth that he left untreated because he didn’t want to spend any of his ‘hard earned’ money getting it checked out. He would find himself in constant pain as the swelling and abscesses in his gums continued to grow. You can imagine how this impacted his temperament. He became very short with those that he did not see ’eye to eye’ with, and his relationship with Ebenezer also became even more distant. This pain would become so prevalent that it would ultimately lead to his fatal heart attack on Christmas Eve in 1836.
Jacob Marley’s death on Christmas Eve would have a lasting impact on Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge despised Christmas before this event, and this would only reinforce his feelings toward the Holiday Season. In fact, outside of the clergyman, the undertaker, and the clerk, Scrooge was the only other person to attend the ’funeral’, if that is what you would call it. Ebenezer and Jacob always worked on Christmas Day if it fell during the week. To them it was nothing but a reason for others to miss out on a day of work, and they both had little sympathy for the less fortunate that felt it was ok to do so. They would have nothing to do with those that dropped by occasionally trying to get philanthropy for the poor and destitute. And Ebenezer would continue this practice long after Jacob’s death. To fill the void of losing his partner, Ebenezer would eventually hire a clerk named Bob Cratchit, but never removed Marley’s name from the sign above the door.
In fact, Scrooge had no issues with new ′acquaintances′ that arrived at his place of business and called him Marley. Ebenezer had pretty much morphed himself into both entities with his shrewd business practices and cold personality. Jacob could see the impact he had on Scrooge during their time together. He would cringe every time that Ebenezer would repeat a line that he had used during their time together when dealing with these individuals. And this happened more often than not around Christmas time. The one that got him the most was any time Ebenezer referred to ’decreasing the surplus population’.
Christmas time is actually a very dismal time of the year, weather-wise. It almost always has a feel of gloom; foggy, cold, windy, damp and occasionally snowy. These were all personal traits of Jacob that he helped pass on to his partner, or more correctly reinforce in him. They both would skimp on the amount of coal used to stay warm around this time of year, because the cold of winter had no impact on them, as neither did the heat in the summertime. Barely lit candles for light were a standard staple if someone were to walk by and peer in the window while they worked. The hustle and bustle of the season would pass them by year after year, as frantic last-minute shoppers, carolers, or children playing all raced by them.
As for Jacob upon his death, he found himself in total darkness. There was no ′light′ that supposedly many had envisioned in their ′near death′ experiences. He felt like he was swimming at the bottom of a dark dismal body of water but not needing air to breath. Marley was not even sure which way was up or which was down. He was just there alone in his thoughts. And in this incredibly quiet and completely dark atmosphere Jacob lingered, and lingered, and lingered for what seemed like an eternity. He would constantly try to figure out his surroundings, but to no avail. He felt nothing. He saw nothing. Left only with his thoughts as to where he may be.
Was he dead? He had no idea. He did notice the excruciating pain in his jaw was gone. But occasionally he would feel as if weight had been added to him, but he was not sure how or why. As the weight of this unknown entity began to grow, they began to ′clang′ anytime he felt like he was moving. He had lost track of time. He had lost track of himself. He began to replay events of his life over and over in his mind, with certain events leading to another ′weight′ added to him. It seemed that anytime he replayed an event in his mind that he knew was not in the best interest of those involved, a weight was added.
Could that be it? He would ask himself this question every time this happened. Am I being punished in some sort of afterlife for those that I have wronged? Is this what they call Purgatory? Are there others that are in a similar situation as I? Will this go one forever? Poor Jacob had no idea what was happening to him. After what felt like he had re-lived his entire life, things around him began to change. He began to hear the clanging of other chains. He thought he heard voices. He began to see things around him as though the dark shroud of death was lifting. And as this shroud was lifting he had a clear view of his former partner, Ebenezer Scrooge.
He followed Ebenezer’s career and personal dealings from afar, with no interaction. He also saw into Ebenezer’s thoughts, as they replayed his own former events of his life. Jacob saw portions of Ebenezer’s childhood. He saw his past relationships. He saw his interactions with others and how they changed over time. And for the first time, Jacob started to understand that the life they both had chosen was misguided. But why? Why was this happening? And what could he do about anything now?
Jacob’s time in this altered state lasted seven years on Earth. Each day he watched how Ebenezer treated others, and the impact that it had on those around him. His guilt about his own behavior began to grow with each passing day on Earth. He knew what the links of the chains represented. They represented each time he had a chance to make a difference in the world, especially those that needed help, but he refused to do so. They represented things that were more important to him than humanity itself; ledgers, locks, cashboxes, deeds, anything that had to do with acquiring wealth or the business. He began to understand that not everyone has an equal playing field. He began to understand the plight of the less fortunate, especially those that wanted to work, tried to work, but were forced into poverty based on the actions of those like him. And finally he felt ashamed and guilty for what he had done.
It wasn’t until Christmas Eve Day, seven years after his passing, that he was approached by what appeared to be an apparition with somewhat human characteristics. She had long flowing blond hair that had a particular glow. She was wearing a white robe and seemed to move with the greatest of ease. As the ghostly figure approached, he became somewhat disheveled, because he had no interactions or communications for at least the past Earthly seven years. Of course he had no idea what day it was, or even what year it was. He believed he had been living in his own version of Hell since he passed away.
“Greetings, Jacob.” She said.
“Who are you?” Replied Jacob.
“I am Sophia, and I have been sent to you with a proposition.”
“From whom?” Asked Jacob.
“That is not important at the moment, but we have been watching you. We have been following your thoughts and your internal struggles with your actions on Earth. We are impressed with your own self-discoveries and how you were able to analyze the weight you have forced yourself to bear. We also have noticed your interest in your former partner, and the path that he has decided to take in life.”
“So would you be willing to help change the disposition of your former partner to not follow in your footsteps?” Asked Sophia.
Jacob thought about the request. And of course with his background he thought about negotiating some sort of favorable treatment for himself for doing so. But then it hit him. He had no right to ask for favors after he squandered so many opportunities while on Earth.
“Of course I would.”
“Great!” Replied Sophia. “I would like to introduce you to a few others in your same predicament that might be willing to help us with our cause.”
All of a sudden Jacob found himself surrounded by three more apparitions. They were in a well-lit all white room with only a long table surrounded by five chairs. Even though the room was lit up, there were no lights or windows. It glowed as if the walls were lights as well as the partition to what was on the other side. Sophia thought it would be a good idea for everyone to give a quick introduction since they all primarily came from different time periods, but had a general connection to the city of London.
“Greetings!” exclaimed the first of the spirits. “My name is Jonathan, and I grew up near Hyde Park along the Serpentine. I come from a large family with 6 brothers and sisters, which is why I became interested in horses. Training horses was my true love, and an escape from the hectic life at home. I worked at the stables there, until my accident when I was 17. I was unfortunately thrown from my horse during the Great Fair landing head first on a rock.”
“Well, my name is Benjamin Davies, and as you can obviously see I have some Welsh to me background!” stated the second. “I also come from a very large family with 11 brothers and sisters! My father was involved in sea coal mining in South Wales before moving us to near the Forest of Dean for freemining. I also followed in his footsteps like the rest of my family until my accident.”
“I suppose I will have to introduce you to David,” said Sophia, “since he is unable to speak for himself. David comes from the Rotherhithe area and actually became involved in the trading and shipping business. He is unable to speak as a result of a deal gone bad before his untimely death.”
“I am Jacob Marley,” Jacob said quietly, “and I am probably the secondary reason we are all here together. I was an only child, as my mother passed shortly after childbirth. I was a banker and owned a counting house in the center of London. Ebenezer Scrooge was my business partner until my death on Christmas Eve seven years ago.”
After the introductions, the five of them began to discuss ways to help Ebenezer Scrooge change from his miserly self to one of love and philanthropy. Sophia led the discussions with most of the input concerning his personal life from Marley.
So the brainstorming began amongst the apparitions. And as apparitions from different time periods themselves, they constantly threw out ideas that were similar to themselves. Jonathan was a young, spritely being that died at a young age. At first, Jacob had a difficult time deciding if he was a boy or a girl, with such a small petite body and long flowing white hair. During his short time on Earth the spirit made choices that did not actually fit his personality. He was one of those young lads that others perceived to be unjustly mean and judgmental to those around him. He would relentlessly pick on others, as well as get others in trouble for deeds that he would perpetrate. Jacob assumed that he was probably picked on at an early age due to his feminine mannerisms. Jonathan grew up in an affluent area of London, and always thought of himself as being better than others. And even though he didn’t physically age in his body after his passing, he did age with his head and face. Unfortunately his love for horses not only led to his demise, but offered a glimpse into the type of person he could have been. He was very caring toward his animals, but a trait he ignored with fellow human beings.
Benjamin was uncharacteristically jovial for a man in his position. He was larger than life, with brown curly hair that seemed a little too long for his face. Surely someone with that type of mentality would not be in a similar position as Jacob. But his chains were caused not by his outwardly characteristics, but by those from within. He learned over time that his chains were caused by his insensitivity to others while he was supposedly ’joking around′ with his fellow man. He knew that sometimes he made comments with malicious intent, but gave the appearance that they weren’t. What he didn’t always realize was how severe the pain was that he inflicted on others, including those that would take their own lives.
David was eerily similar to Jacob, except that Marley was definitely a law abiding citizen. He was a very greedy individual that led to a number of illicit dealings and lies about others, which would ultimately lead to his inability to speak. Like Jacob, David had no time or interest in becoming a family man. He was a very thin but tall man with bony cheeks and somber demeanor. He made his money in the trading business, which was thriving with the overseas colonies. However, he also would deal with rival countries to England, smuggling everything from tobacco, rum, slaves, and guns. A chronic liar, one of the shady dealings he was a part of not only led to his recent demise, but also the removal of his tongue. This information was provided by Sophia, who would ultimately tell the story of his life, and his thoughts about what he should have done while he was still on Earth. Of course his disability would make his role somewhat limited, but he was ready and willing to do whatever was needed.
One thing they all had in common. They knew of their own guilt, agreed to be a part of this process, and asked nothing in return. To them it was all about some type of personal redemption for their time on Earth.
