Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Henry Meyer

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Descendants of Henry Meyer

Generation No. 2

2. FREDERICK² MEYER (HENRY¹) was born 1825 in Westphalia, Prussia, Germany, and died 23 Jun 1911 in Custer, Pierce, WA. He married (1) FRANCES LOUISA RELYEA 12 Jul 1853, daughter of UNKNOWN RELYEA and LOUISA UNKNOWN. She was born 1838 in Newberg, NY, and died 1884 in Ilwaco, Pacific, WA. He married (2) AGNETTA LARSON Jun 1881. She was born 15 Nov 1830 in Norway, and died 24 Dec 1916 in Custer Station, WA (Near Steilacoom, WA).

Notes for FREDERICK MEYER:
Reported in The Columbian Newspaper, Olympia, Washington Territory, Saturday July 23, 1853

"Married on Tuesday, the 12th inst., near Fort Steilacoom, by Henry Murray, Esq., Mr. Frederick Meyer and Miss Louisa Relyea, both of Pierce County."

September 28, 1889, Frederick Meyer filed the town site plat of Custer on a portion of the old Byrd farm. It was about a half mile west of Custer that Indian Chief Leschi was hung.

Frederick Meyer came to the Washington territory in 1849. Soon after his arrival, he took up a donation claim of three hundred & twenty acres on section 25, township 19, range 3, three miles northeast of Spanaway. Donation certificate #565. He later homestead eighty adjoining acres to this claim and lived there until his death.

Frederick Meyer played an important role in Elk Plain School, which would later become Clover Creek District #4 (which in later years, was absorbed into the current day, 2007, Bethel School District), serving as its clerk from 1866 to 1880. He donated land to the district for the siting of a new school house in 1897, from his original homestead claim. The present day Clover Creek School, Bethel School District, is located on this property.*

In the year 1880, Frederick Meyer, in district court of the territory of Washington, filed action for divorce against Louisa Relyea Meyer, upon the grounds of adultery. In that action, he stated the names of the children that were born to them and their ages. He denied the paternity of the two youngest children, who were the ages of four years and one respectively. In the petition of divorce, Frances Louisa, admitted that the two youngest children were parented by her and Philipp Hanselman. Frederick Meyer gave custody of the two youngest children to Louisa and took custody of the rest of the minor children in the Meyer household. Frances Louisa, and Phillipp Hanselman fled the Puget Sound area, and eventually married and settled. Their graves can be found in the Ilwaco Town Cemetery, in Ilwaco, Washington.

Frederick Meyer died leaving an estimated estate valued at $13,000. Robert L. Chambers, was appointed as administrator of Frederick's estate. The plot in the Steilacoom Cemetery that Frederick Meyer was buried in, at Agnetta Chambers Meyers request, was titled to Margaret A. Chambers Peterson. Margaret was aware of the burial, a few days after the burial. She apparently made no objections to the burial in the lot. On September 20, 1913, the administrator (Robert L. Chambers) filed petition with the Washington State Courts, that Fred was buried in the lot, titled to his sister, Margaret Chambers Peterson, without knowledge and insisted the remains be moved. In November, 1913, Margaret Chambers Peterson, filed a petition, herself with the same allegations, praying for the same relief. See State EX REL. MEYER Vs CLIFFORD Washington Supreme Court---August 13, 1914. 81 Wash. 324; 142 Pac. 472. Annotated Cases American and English, ANN. CAS. 1916 D, Copyright 1916, by Edward Thompson Company, NY and Bancroft-Whitney Company, San Francisco. Pages 329, 330, and 331.

The Washington State Court decision went against the administrator of the estate, and Mrs. Margaert Chambers Peterson. Fred remained in his burial plot at the Steilacoom Cemetery.

Fifty acres of the original Frederick Meyer homestead has been preserve as the Naches Trail Preserve in Pierce County, WA. The claim was originally file on the 20TH day of June, 1853. The majority of the property was held by Frederick Augustus Meyer, according to records until approx. 1924. In 1924, Walter Ristvet and family bought the property and farmed the land until the 1950's. In the mid 1950's Frederick Sutter purchased the property and used it as pasture land. Mr. Sutter's Father, Frederick Sutter, owned the Mayflower Dairy adjoining that adjoined the property to the east. In 1968 the property then changed ownership to Otis Sawyer and his sister Linda Stewart.

The 50 acre Naches Trail Preserve was acquired by Pierce County in April 2003. This project was suggested and nurtured by a local Pierce County resident, Tammy Clark. For it was her love for this open space, to have it zoned from "light industrial" to having the land preserved and available for public access.

*From the Frederickson Community Plan, Pierce County, WA., October 28, 2003.

More About FREDERICK MEYER:
Burial: 25 Jun 1911, Lakewood,WA Old Settler's Cemetery
Naturalization: 1873, WA State Frontier Justice Records, Case Number PRC-293, Frederick Meyer,Plaintiff, County; Pierce. Original Case Number 283. From the WA State digital archives. www.digitalarchives.wa.gov

Notes for FRANCES LOUISA RELYEA:
Frances Louisa Relyea marriage to Frederick Meyer took place in the home of her sister; Mrs. John Bradley, an older sister, who first husband was appointed Pierce County's first sheriff, John Bradley.

More About FRANCES LOUISA RELYEA:
Burial: 1884, Ilwaco Cemetery, Ilwaco,WA

Children of FREDERICK MEYER and FRANCES RELYEA are:

3.	i.	WILHELMINA MARY³ MEYER, b. 10 Sep 1854, Steilacoom, Pierce, Wa; d. 18 Oct 1913, Spanaway, Pierce, WA.
4.	ii.	SOPHIA ANN MEYER, b. 04 Aug 1857, Steilacoom, Pierce, WA; d. 30 Apr 1918.
	iii.	CATHERINE LOUISE MEYER, b. 20 Jun 1859, Steilacoom, Pierce, WA; d. Unknown; m. RHONYMOUS NIX, 27 Nov 1896, Pierce County, WA; b. 04 Mar 1833, PA; d. 14 Jul 1904, Puyallup, Pierce, WA.

Notes for CATHERINE LOUISE MEYER:
The 1880 United States Federal Census has "Katy Nix" [Katy Meyer], age 22, Divorced and back living with Fred and Louise Meyer with Frederick A., Nellie, William, Henry, George, Martha, and Dora.

There were no children from this marriage union.

More About CATHERINE LOUISE MEYER:
Divorced: Unknown, Pierce County, WA
Residence: 1880, Muck, Pierce, WA Territory

5.	iv.	FREDERICK AUGUSTIN MEYER, b. 07 Feb 1861, Pierce County, WA; d. 02 Apr 1946, Spanaway, Pierce, WA.
6.	v.	ROSE MEYER, b. 07 Apr 1863, Pierce County, WA; d. Unknown.
	vi.	ELLEN MEYER, b. 03 Aug 1865, Pierce County, WA; d. Unknown; m. MICHAEL JOYCE; b. Unknown; d. Unknown.
	vii.	WILLIAM J. MEYER, b. 25 Apr 1867, Pierce County, WA; d. Unknown; m. ANNIE E. UNKNOWN; b. Abt. 1874, Washington State; d. Unknown.

More About WILLIAM J. MEYER:
Residence: 1910, Spanaway, Pierce, WA - 1910 United States Federal Census

Notes for ANNIE E. UNKNOWN:
1910 united States Federal Census has "Annie E. Meyer" age listed as 36.

More About ANNIE E. UNKNOWN:
Residence: 1910, Spanaway, Pierce, WA - 1910 United States Federal Census

	viii.		HENRY MEYER, b. 16 Nov 1871, Pierce County, WA; d. 1948.
7.	ix.		GEORGE ALBERT MEYER, b. 1872, Pierce County, WA; d. 1945.

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