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| [no picture] Phillip Meir (later Meyer) was born in 1818 near Hoja, Province Hanover Germany. There are no records of his parents or any brothers or sisters he may have had. Phillip was a farmer and carpenter. He married Maria Althusen. They had six children, Dietrich, Sophia, William, John, Fred and Lena. Dietrich, the eldest served in the German army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 in Alsace Lorranie, against France and was captured by the French. Phillip decided that Dietrich and William should leave Germany and immigrate to America in 1872. Germany was drafting young men into the army and Phillip didn't want any more of his sons to serve the Kaiser. In the fall of 1877, at the ages of 14 and 16, John and Fred followed their brothers to America, leaving their Father and two sisters behind in Germany. Their mother, Maria, had passed away earlier and is buried in Germany. Their father and sisters took them to Bremerhafen, Germany's northern seaport. They sailed on a stem-ship owned by the Northern German Lloyd Fleet and in about two weeks landed at Ellis Island. John and Fred met their brothers Dietrich and William in St. Peter MN and went back to Courtland MN where their brothers who were farming lived. Eventually, Phillip and the two girls also came to America. Phillip Meyer died in 1880 and is buried in the rural courland cemetary. |
Phillip and Maria Meyer Family |
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Children of Phillip and Maria Meyer: Top Row Lena Meyer, Randolph William Meyer and Sophia Meyer truss. Bottom Row: John P. Meyer, Fred Meyer and Dietrich Meyer. |
 The Meyer brothers, John and Fred heard that there was land (all prairie) for sale northwest of Courtland. Having saved their earnings since their arrival in America, they came to Gibbon, Sibley Co MN and together they bought 360 acres and built a house, barn and out buildings. They also bought horses, wagon, breaking plow, seeder, etc. The dimension lumber was brought from Courtland. The brothers then divided the land. John, who was already married, took 160 acres on which he built his buildings and Fred took the 200 acres on which he built a house and barn. Fred then also married. |
John Meyer Family Farm in Gibbon MN Then went to his son Paul Meyer Then to Paul's son Roger Meyer Then to Roger Meyer's son Jeffrey who currently owns it (2013). |
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Dietrick Meyer b. 4/3/1846 Germany d. 3/17/1928 buried Courtland. Served in German Army; Courtland farmer Married Margerita (Spoering) b. 9/25/1851 d. 1/5/1929. They had twelve children. 1) John Meyer b. 1975 d. 1959 Courland MN 2) Whilimena (Minnie) Meyer b. 7/26/1879 d. 2/9/1965 Courtland Married Fred Bode ("Chicago Fritz") b. 1/14/1870 d. 8/14/1931 John and Minnie had four children: Irene (Matzke), Clara (Macho), Alfred and Alma (Seemann) 3) Theodore b. 3/3/1882 d. 9/26/1965 farmer Courtland/Gibbon Married Emma Wilking b. 2/16/1886 d. 5/18/196? Theodore and Emma had three children: Edna, Ella and Melvin. 4) Alvina Meyer b. 7/6/1884 d. 6/7/1976 Courtland MN Married William Studtmann b. 10/5/1884, d. 4/15/1925 Alvina and William had two children: Erna and George. 5)Sophie Meyer b. 4/8/1886 d. 8/14/1966 Married Reinhold Vorwerk b. 7/28/1882 d. 3/27/1968 6) Lena Meyer b. 3/9/1888 d. 8/19/1990 7) Henry Meyer b. 5/16/1892 d. 9/17/1967 Courtland Farmer Married Wilma Pruess b. 4/4/1905 d. 5/7/1987 Had 3 children Arlene, Carol (Kehrn) and Marlys (Lindberg). 8) Emma Meyer b. 1898 d. 1918 (influenza) 9-12 Four Meyer silbings died as infants. |
Dietrick Meyer Family |
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Sophia Meyer b. 9/9/1891 Germany d. 4/25/1926 buried Courtland. Married Henry Struss b. 4/5/1956 d. 7/2/1924 They had four children. 1) Alfred Struss b. 2/29/1886 d. 6/4/1957 Married Dena Poehler b. 4/6/1892 d. 10/21/1955 2) August Struss b. 9/20/1888 d. 6/6/1955 Married Alvina Drill b. 9/20/1894 d. 9/18/1977 3) Henry Struss b. 10/30/1892 d. 9/6/1967 Married Lilly Pehling b. 1/1/1906 d. 6/24/1983 Henry and Lilly had three children: Lucille, Lillian, and Harold. 4) Magdalena (Lena) b. 10/4/1894 d. 4/18/1989 Married August Poehler b. 2/25/1887 d. 10/27/1954 Magdelena and August had one child: Edgar. |
Sophia Meyer Family |
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William Meyer b. 12/11/1857 Germany d. 8/28/1941 buried Courtland. Courtland farmer Married Maria Bode b. 2/3/1865 d. 1944. They had ten children. 1) Anna Meyer b. 5/17/1882 d. 12/25/1957 Married Fred Precht b. 9/6/1887 d. 12/12/1962 Anna and Fred had six children: Viola (Manthe), Ann Marie (Thom), Dr. Fred L., Arnold, Amanda (Nelson), and Frieda (Manthe) 2) Maria Meyer b. 4/22/1884 d. 3/26/1974 Married Louis Precht b. 12/6/1877 d. 4/13/1957 Maria and Louis had five children: Leona (Langhorst), Alfred, Louise (Kassuelke), Gerhard, and Albert. 3) Fred Meyer b. 8/12/1886 d. 1/9/1919 Married Martha Harmening b. 2/24/1892 d. 1/7/1919 Had two children Raymond and Elmer. Both Fred and Martha died during WWI flu epidemic and their 2 sons were raised by grandmother Maria. 4)Louisa Meyer b. 1888 d. 1931 Married Fred Ginkel b. 9/13/1888 d. 1952 Louisa and Fred had one child: Lillian, who died early in life and never married. 5) Albert Meyer b. 2/19/1899 d. 12/17/1988 Married Frieda Bode b. 6/6/1901 d. 8/1/1877 Albert and Frieda had one child, Willmer. 6) Paul Meyer b.? d. 12/24/1918. Paul was a banker. Married Anna Ginkel b. 2/9/1894 d. 3/3/1976 Paul and Anna had two children: Verna and Harold. Paul burned to death on Christmas Eve (stove fire). It was at his funeral that 17 members of the William Meyer family became ill with the flu and stayed over. Brother Fred and wife died, the rest recovered. 7) Rosa Meyer b. 11/2/1893 d. 1/25/1968 Married William Forbrook Sr. b. 7/5/1890 d. 8/4/1966 Rosa and William had three children: William Jr., Marion (Siebel), and Melvin. 8)Arthur Meyer b. 1/14/1902 d7/4/1966 Married Grace Bobsin b. 5/19/1905 d. 3/11/1982 Arthur and Grace had one child: Trudelle (Anderson). 9) Walter Meyer b. 4/27/1907 d. 4/8/1966 Married Rose Peterson b. 6/18/1913 Remarried Merle Pohl Two children: Marlys (Bethke) and Joyce (Wieland). 10) Martha Meyer b. 4/22/1907 (Twin) d. 10/20/1992 Married Fred Churchill b. 3/26/1902 d. 5/16/1984 Martha and Fred had one child: Lois (Lingenhag). |
William Meyer Family |
 John P. Meyer b. 4/26/1860 Germany d. 8/21/1935 Lived in Gibbon worked as farmer/carpenter Married Margeret Seemann b. 3/28/1893 d. 5/7/1913. They had five children. 1)Emma Meyer b. 4/26/1889 d. 3/14/1927 Married Reinhold Vorwerk b. 7/28/1882 d. 3/27/1968 Emma and Reinhold had three children: Gilbert, Herbert, and Elton. 2) Martin Meyer b. 8/6/1890 d. 3/27/1974, farmer in Gibbon. Married Laura Baumgardt b. 7/13/1895 d. 4/27/1983 Martin and Laura had five children: Erna, Irene (Twin to Arnold died at birth), Arnold, Roland, and Harry. 3) Dena Meyer b. 10/19/1891 d. 9/16/1984 Married William O. Kiecker b. 8/24/1888 d. 1/20/1988 Dena and William had three children: Laverna (Buboltz), Irene (Luehring), and Edgar. 4) John Meyer b. 4/28/1896 d. 2/27/1971. Farmer in Gibbon. Married Lydia Freyholtz b. 7/18/1901 d. 3/3/1968 John and Lydia had two children: Norma (Friedrichs) and Vernon. 5)Paul Meyer b. 3/17/1898 d. 9/1/1964 of cancer. Farmer in Gibbon - see farm pic above. Married Rebecca Melhop b. 10/13/1896 d. 12/24/1988 died of heart attack in Hutchinson MN, after a broken arm from fall at home in Gibbon. Paul and Rebecca had 10 children, Eleanora (Hinz then Johnson), Melvin, Raymond, Minnie (Fenske), Harold, Orlando, Warren, Marilyn (Kiecker), Roger, and Yvonne (Klitzke then Swanson). |
John P. Meyer Family |
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Fred Meyer b. 3/12/1863 in Germany d. 8/26/1937. Farmer and carpenter in Gibbon MN. Married Dorothea Marie Bunge b. 1/17/1865 d. 4/4/1938. Fred and Dorothea had six children: Stillborn first son, Fred, Arthur, Twin infants both died at birth, and Anna (Schroeder) |
Fred Meyer Family |
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Lena Meyer b. 1864 d. 1948 Married Winifred Randolph d. 1/6/1916 Lena and Winifred had two children: Art and Medora (Dora) (Harris) |
Lena Meyer Family |