William A. Meyer. Northeastern Iowa has had much
to gain and nothing to lose through the interposition
of the very appreciable German element of
citizenship, and the German contingent has been one
of marked prominence and influence in this favored
section of the Hawkeye State since the early pioneer
days.
He whose name initiates this paragraph was born in
the kingdom of Hanover Germany and was about fourteen
years of age at the time of the family immigration to
America. The date of his nativity was October 20,
1857, and he is a son of Conrad and Hannah
(Schroeder) Meyer who were born and reared in Hanover
and who there continued their residence until 1871,
when they came to the United States and established
their home in Clayton county, Iowa, and later moved
to Fayette county, which was the residence of him and
his devoted wife until they were summoned from the
stage of life's mortal endeavors, sterling folk who
had full appreciation of the relative values in the
scheme of human life and who marked the passing years
with earnest and productive effort, the while they
justly commanded the unqualified esteem of those with
whom they came in contact. Of their children the
eldest is Louisa, who is the wife of William Meyer,
of Postville; Minnie is the wife of Henry Klamp, of
Algona, Kossuth county; William A., of this review
was the next in order of birth; and Carl is a
prosperous farmer near Postville.
He to whom this sketch is dedicated gained his
early education in his native land and, as before
noted was about fourteen years old at the time of
accompanying his parents to America. He came to
Clayton county and obtained employment on a farm near
Garnavillo. Thereafter he passed twelve years as an
efficient and valued employe on the farm of John
Hartwick, of Giard township, and in the meanwhile he
practiced the economy born of ambitious purpose and
good judgment, with the result that he was fortified
in a financial way when he finally purchased a farm
of one hundred and twenty acres in Giard township.
His energy and progressive policies brought to him
cumulative success and he has added to his landed
estate until he now has three hundred and eighty
acres, the same constituting one of the well improved
and essentially model farms of Clayton county. He has
made excellent improvements on the place, including
the erection of a commodious and attractive house and
other good buildings of modern type and facilities,
and he is known as one of the wide awake, energetic
and enterprising farmers and stock growers of this
section of the Hawk-eye State, besides which he
enjoys the popularity that ever comes to the loyal
and upright citizen whose achievement has been large
and altogether worthy.
Though never agitated by office seeking ambition,
Mr Meyer is a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Republican party and always ready to give his
co-operation in the furtherance of measures advanced
for the general good of the community. Both he and
his wife are zealous members of the German Methodist
Episcopal church in their home community, and he has
given to the same efficient service in the offices of
trustee, class leader and superintendent of the
Sunday school.
March 24, 1887, stands as the date on which was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Meyer to Miss Matilda
Hartwick, daughter of John Hartwick, an honored
pioneer of whom specific mention is made on other
pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer became the
parents of five children, of whom the eldest, Otto,
died at the age of eleven years. All of the other
children remain at the parental home and their names
are here entered in the respective order of birth:
Gilbert, Clifton, Ewald, and Irvin.
