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Meyer, Iowa
Page 1
Naming of Meyer
 Naming of Meyer
Several meetings were held at the schoolhouse and after the government concession had been granted, a vote was taken for naming the town. Several names, among them St. Anna, Durben, and Meyer were suggested and eventually the name of Meyer was adopted in honor of John Joseph Meyer, the oldest living settler, who through his active zeal has merited the title: "The father of our village." At these meetings, the name of May Creek was also determined and given to the creek north of Meyer.
Meyer Incorporated
With the opening of the new school, an attempt was made to unify the three school districts in the community of Meyer, and to form an independent district with a centralized school at Meyer. The vote was taken and the measure was defeated. Thereupon steps were taken to incorporate Meyer according to the provisions of the statutes of Iowa. Nick Weyland was promoter of this movement and drew up the limit. He filed an application in the spring of 1901, but the concession was not granted until late that same year. Nick Weyland, Jacob Winkels and John E. Hemann signed the instrument whereby Meyer became an incorporated village. Due to a subsequent petition the limits of the incorporated district were extended in 1911. The officers elected in 1901 at the first polls were: John J. Meyer, mayor, and council assisting of Jacob Winkels, Anton Mauer, Peter Weber, John E. Hemann and Matt Adams. The state census of 1910 credited Meyer with a population numbering 387. The corporation embraced Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 35, 36, and part of 16, 21, 58, 34 of Stacyville Township; Sections 2 and parts of 1 and 11 of Liberty Township; and parts of 19, 30, and 31 of Wayne Township. The entire area within its limits covered about 18 square miles.
Meyer Community
The territory around Stacyville had long been settled before anyone came to fix the constant abode with those limits known as the Meyer corporation. The first settlers came from McHenry, Illinois, and selected a place for their home somewhere north of the present site of Meyer. In 1872, Peter Freund, Henry May and Bernard May arrived from McHenry Co. Illinois, and were the first to erect permanent homes in this vicinity. Although Greer and Foster lived south of even a few years previous, yet after a period of several years sold their land again and sought homes in a different locality. Two years later in 1874 Stephen Freund followed and settled directly west of the present site of Meyer. In 1875 Jacob Winkels, who had bought the year before, and Peter May, both from McHenry Co. Illinois, arrived. In the same year Baltas Schaffer and Hubert Hackenmiller built a home on the place formerly known as the John Klapperich farm. Early in 1875, Anton Wolf arrived from Fond du Lac Co. Wisconsin, and located nearby where Meyer now stands. In the spring of 1876 John Joseph Meyer of Calumet Co. Wisconsin, Math Durben and Anton Mauer of Fond du Lac Co. Wisconsin bought land one mile west of Meyer. Anton Mauer however did not erect a home there until a few years subsequently while Meyer and Durben fixed their homes immediately upon their arrival. About the same time Peter Theobald who had come from Fond du Lac Co. Wisconsin some years previous, took possession of his farm located directly southeast of the present site of Meyer. Within this period of four years a promising settlement had grown up and soon many others followed and homeseekers came in great numbers. They had no place of worship of their own but joined hands with the Stacyville pioneers and erected a church in that village until their number grew so large and demanded a division to accommodate the needs of the entire people. Manifold were the hardships which these heroic settlers had to endure. The entire country was a vast prairie, a home of rapinous beasts, a source of danger of man and flock. Besides they were unable to erect homes, convenient and warm, as we have them at present. Then too, they had no adequate market nearby. In the earliest times McGregor was a much frequented market, but very soon after Osage became the most visited trading post.
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