Meyer Family History
Adam William Meier 1885-1963 was one of 10 children born in Kansas to George & Eva Meier. Adam and Anna (Loewen) married about 1908 and had 3 children Arnold, Frances and Milton all born in Kansas. By 1930 the family moved to San Joaquin County in California to take up farming there. As seen in the 1930s group photo, it appears that Adam & Anna and their son Milton and wife Ann were working with their other oldest son Arnold in family business in the sales of minerals that was referred to as self-supporting medical mission work by Arnold. By the 1950s, in his 60s, Adam Meier/Meyer was employed at the Modesto Veterinary Hospital.
Through Ancestry records it was Anna Marie Loewen 1888-1986 parents that immigrated from Russia and they were also part of the Brothersfield Mennonites who later became Adventists.
Milton Sr. and Ann had three children; Mickey, Marcia and Monte. Mickey Meyer married Verdene Libby and they had three children; Michelle (Shelley), Milton III (Skip) and Kristine (Krissy). Mickey and Verdene were ranchers and then became pastors in the SDA church for many years. They later came back home and took over running the 4000 acre Meyer family ranch in Indian Valley Idaho. They sold much of the ranch and retired in Hayden, ID.
Meyer Photos
Meyer Documents
MILTON & ANN MEYER HISTORY IN NEWSPAPER
PORTRAIT OF A DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN
Ann Meyer has been providing a home for Idaho’s elderly and homeless for 35 years, longer than anyone else in the nursing home business in the state.
With her husband Milton, she runs a 4,000-acre ranch south of Indian Valley near Midvale. The demands of the ranch take much of the Meyers’ time, but it’s clear that people come first.
The Meyers came to Idaho in 1947, and Ann started a nursing home on Cole Road in Boise. Soon, her home was full.
Later, the couple moved to a place south of Parma. They intended to resume farming, but many patients wanted to go with Ann, and she remodeled the house on the farm and operated it as a nursing home.
Nineteen years later the Meyers moved again, this time to their current home, where they continued their involvement in agriculture and nursing home care. Ann gets help from Milton, and also from her son and daughter, plus their spouses.
According to those who know her, Ann’s prescription for healthy life is love, and she doesn’t skimp on its application.
Ann is proud of her patients, many of whom have blossomed under her care. One of the joys of her life is being called “mother” – or even “grandmother” – by some of her younger charges.
Though her work at the nursing home now takes most of her time, Ann in the past has been involved in school projects and was a member of the Boise School Board. Also, she has been head deaconess and treasurer of her church.
In 1977, she was named Mother of the Year in Cambridge.
Ann was once asked how she had accomplished so much.
Her answer: “A long time ago I took the Lord as my partner. Sometimes when I am faced with the nearly impossible I say, ‘Lord, you know how much I can lift without damage to my body. Please lift the rest of the load.’ And he does.”
Courtesy of Idaho Statesman, December 6, 1982.
MICHELLE SIMPLIFIED DIRECT FAMILY TREE
GEORGE MEIER
(gg-grandpa); married to Eva (Mohr); immigrated to America from Russia’s Volga River Valley in 1876
ADAM MEIER
(g-grandpa), born December 29, 1885; died November 23, 1963; married to Anna (Loewen)
MILTON MEYER
born September 21, 1917 (grandpa); married to Ann (Katchuk)
MILTON MEYER JR. (MICKEY)
born June 22, 1941 (dad); married to Verdene (Libby)
MICHELLE (SHELLEY) MEYER
born August 30, 1963; married to Lon Gienger
GEORGE AND EVA MOHR MEIER FAMILY TREE
GEORGE AND EVA MOHR MEIER
ADAM WILLIAM, seventh child of the marriage
born December 29, 1885
died November 23, 1963
married to ANNA LOEWEN on November 25, 1906
born October 18, 1886
died November 1988
ARNOLD ALLEN, first child
born December 15, 1908
died 1960
married to CHARLOTTE CRAMPTON on August 14, 1930
born September 4, 1909
ILA LAURENE
born April 8, 1933
married to WILLIAM WESTERHAUT on May 5, 1955
***DA RENE
born June 20, 1956
WILLIAM JR.
born 1959
FRANCES ELAINE, second child
born October 14, 1912
married to CLARENCE R. McDONOUGH on March 1, 1947
born June 8, 1920
DONALD EUGENE
born May 18, 1949
MILTON LOEVEN, third child
born September 21, 1917
married to Ann Katchuk on August 21, 1935
born March 20, 1916
Milton Jr. (Mickey)
born June 22, 1941
Wilmonte Wayne
born April 21, 1947
Marcia Kay
born September 30, ****
MEYER FAMILY STORY
Among the descendants of a great many German Families who left Germany and made their homes in southern Russia were the ancestors of George Meier and his wife Eva (Mohr). These families left Germany because the Emperor and his generals were forcing the young men into the armies of their land.
An ancestor named John Meier had nine sons and three daughters. These girts all three married brothers whose name was Wolfe. They have not been kept track of, it seems; the nine brothers have scattered everywhere and have hundreds of descendants. One of them was named Matthias (Matthew) and he was the head of our line of descendants.
Some of these people became dissatisfied in Russia and decided to leave for America. Among them were George and Jacob Meier, brothers. They left Russia, where they had always lived in the valley of the Volga River. A large town nearby was Saratov. George and Eva, with their one-year old or less little daughter, Eva, crossed country to Hamburg, Germany, by rail, and took passage on a ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
As they were crossing the English Channel going to England, where they had to take a larger ship, the baby took very sick and passed away. Mother Eva tried to keep her, by hiding her in wraps, and carrying her around. However, some of the officers of the ship found it out, and so they had to give her up. She was buried in an English Cemetery, at Liverpool, England. So, empty-armed and sad-hearted, they came to America. It took a long time, several weeks, for a sailing ship to get across the big old Atlantic Ocean.
They finally landed in Canada after sailing up the St. Lawrence River for several hundred miles.
Later they rode by train and came to Atchison County, in Kansas. George bought a farm and they lived in Atchison County for several years. In November, 1877, a little boy was born to them. They named him Frederick. Then a little over two years later, in February, 1880, a pair of twins was born to them. Their names were given as Henry and Mary Katherine.
No one knows how long they lived in Atchison County, Kansas, where George bought an 80-acre farm about five miles south of Tampa, or four miles east of Durham. As time went on, six more children were born to them; George, Adam, Mollie, John, Hannah, and Leah. Mr. Meier also bought two other farms of 160 acres each, so he then had 400 acres in three farms.
About the year 1900 George and Eva planned and built a large new house. The four boys had two beds in one large bedroom, and the four girls had two beds in another. George and Eva had a nice bedroom too. All these rooms were upstairs. They also had a large barn and several other buildings—corn crib, graineries, a cob bard, etc., etc.
To add to the family income they operated a big corn sheller. it ran by four-horse power. One day something went wrong with the horse-power part, and Fred got down under it, to see if he could fix it up again. Somehow a big piece of iron fell on him, striking his head. He became paralyzed and in a few days, he died. He was twenty years old. It was in January and very cold. he is buried in a country cemetery six miles southeast of Tampa.
The rest of the family all grew up, got married, and have homes and families of their own and are scattered all over the country.
Henry was the first one to marry and leave the home. The others soon followed as they grew up, and finally George and Eva were alone again.
The finally sold all the farms and bought some lots in Hillsboro, and built a new house for themselves. One daughter, Mollie, lived in Hillsboro, and she was handy to kind of care for and watch out for them.
Mother Eva began to fail in health and strength, and after about two years she passed away. It was June 5, 1927. Father George had taken precious care of her all this time, and her passing caused him to fail rapidly. he passed away August 3, the same summer. Their funerals were just eight weeks apart. The home was sold and the estate divided among the eight children.
Notes: This was written when my mother was nearly 80 years old, and in language that would appeal to a child. I asked her to write this for my daughter, Ann, who was then about 8 years old, as we lived so far from most of the family that Ann had very little contact with relatives, and I felt she should know the family history. I have cherished it all these years, still in her own handwriting, my mother’s, that is, and regret that I have never put it into a form that could be useful to others, also. I hope this will fill the need for Geneva, and as I remember, Clarice wanted a copy also, at one time, so I made an extra one for her.
Lovingly, Helen