He became an apprentice on H.M.S. Vincent in 1839 but did not like the severe discipline and swam ashore, made for London on foot and obtained a berth on an American Packet Boat.

On the 25th March 1846 he was on the Henry Clay bound for New York when the ship ran aground at Barnegate on the coast of New Jersey in an Equinoctial Storm. The weather was extremely cold and a heavy sea was running which prevented the use of the lifeboats. Frederick volunteered to swim ashore with a line. This he managed after considerable difficulty and a hawser was then pulled ashore and the crew and passengers rescued.

On the 24th August 1848 he was on the American Packet Ship New World bound from Liverpool to New York in company with a similar ship the Ocean Monarch of Boston. The two ships setting out for a race across the Atlantic. In the Irish Channel off Holyhead they noticed that the Ocean Monarch was on fire. The New World put about and sailed to the assistance of the stricken ship. Frederick swam to the burning ship, climbed on to the ship and lowered the passengers one by one from the bow sprit to boats below. By his efforts over 200 lives were saved including many already in the water.

His action was seen by The Prince of Joinville on his yacht who sent a complimentary letter to Jerome and Thomas Barry Horsfall, Mayor of Liverpool, in forwarding £50 presented to Frederick by Queen Victoria through her secretary Lord John Russell added the thanks of the City Council.

The Shipwreck & Humane Society of Liverpool presented Frederick with their thanks and a gold medal valued at 25 guineas. The Common Council of New York passed resolutions on 26th September 1848 complimenting Jerome on his courage and voted him the freedom of the city with a richly chased gold snuff box suitably inscribed. The Massachusetts Humane Society of Boston presented him with an inscribed gold medal.

When the Gold Rush to California began in 1849 as an inducement to sail on a vessel bound for the diggings, the owners advertised that Fred Jerome the great life saver would go on that ship. He finally sailed on another ship the "Tarolinta " which arrived in San Francisco on 6th July 1849.

He married Elizabeth Christina Horn, born 1835, on September 29th 1852 at St Paul's Church,Portsea. She later married James, a policeman, in September 1870, giving her age as 30, and saying she was a spinster.

Frederick was elected a member of the Society of Californian Pioneers on 6th December 1871 and on 2nd April 1877 he was unanimously elected an Honorary member by a vote of the Society for the saving of human lives in California. He was also a life member of the New England Society of California Pioneers and he owned a certificate showing that he was a member of Enterprise Lodge No.228 F&A.M. New York.