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- One of a German immigrant family; see the biography of his son. He was about 14 when his father came from Hanover in 1844. From the biography of his son:
"John H. Meyer, father of the Ellinger business man, was born in Hanover and was fourteen years of age when he came to this country. He had only a country school education, hut was very apt as a business man, acquired business forms as he needed them, was expert in the handling of stock and crop productions. During a portion of the war he was overseer of a factory at LaGrange making hats for the Confederate soldiers, but subsequently was employed as a teamster carrying cotton and general merchandise in and out of Brownsville. Following the war came his settled activities as a farmer, and he raised crops over the site of the present town of Ellinger. He sold ninety acres to the railroad company for townsite purposes, and the depot was built not far from his house. He took an advanced stand in the breeding of blooded horses, and raised some of the best specimens of those animals in Fayette County. He was also widely known as a cattle drover. His market was at Houston, though it was his usual custom to sell his cattle off his ranch directly to the northern buyers. At his death he possessed 1,260 acres in the Colorado bottom, and it was one of the finest estates along that river. From the time Ellinger was founded he took a very active interest in its growth and development, and lived in the village until his death. He was always a democrat in politics, took much interest in the principles of the party, and was very strong in espousing the cause of his friends when they were candidates. Although not an orator he occasionally made talks on political and other subjects. Very seldom was he in court on business of his own and when such occasions did arise he defended his own cases. He had no fraternal affiliations, but this was due to the opposition of his wife to such orders. He was brought up in the faith of the Lutheran Church and gave liberally to the support of church and charitable causes in his community.
"John H. Meyer died March 20, 1893; he had been married nearly forty years. His wife was Miss Dora Alerbush [Ellerbusch], whose father, Albert Alerbush, came from Hanover, Germany, and settled in the Ellinger locality. Mrs. Meyer died in February, 1911. Her children were: Charles J. H.; Nancy, who married Jacob Koehl and died near Ellinger leaving children; Charles F., a farmer near Ellinger; John, who died just at his majority; D. Fritz, a ginner at Ellinger; Dora, wife of Charles Von Rosenberg of LaGrange; Annie, wife of F. W. Girndt of Ellinger; and Otta A., of Houston. [ . . . ]"
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