Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah October 5, 2020

Mr. J. J. Meyers

Some men are so fortunate as to find the vocation for which they are by nature adapted early in life and they accomplish easily what requires years of patient application on the part of others. It is evident that Joseph J. Meyers, county attorney of Carroll county, belongs to the fortunate class here mentioned. Although he has engaged in the practice of law only seven years, he has gained a place as one of the well established attorneys of the county. He was born in this county, September 25, 1880, a son of John and Catherine (Rosauer) Meyers, the former a native of Dubuque county, and the latter of Chickasaw county, Iowa. The father came to Carroll county in 1872 and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Roselle township. He applied himself with such good results that he is now the owner of a valuable place of four hundred acres and is one of the highly successful citizens of this section. Mrs. Meyers was called from earthly scenes June 8, 1895, when she was forty years of age. She was a devout member of the Catholic church, as is her husband. In their family were eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity, namely: Mary, who is the wife of P. V. Lenz, of Kimball, South Dakota; Edward C., who is engaged in the Christian ministry at Milford, Iowa; Louis F., of Hartington, Nebraska; Joseph J., the subject of this sketch; Rose, who became the wife of Frank Gerber, of Randolph, Nebraska; Kate, who married Joseph J. Wolfe, of Carroll, Iowa; Margaret, who died aged nineteen years; and Anna and John H., both of whom are at home. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Christopher Meyers, who was born in Luxemburg. He was a farmer and lived to a good old age, being the father of twelve children, Anna, Joseph, Catherine, Henry, Elizabeth, William, John, Christopher, Louis, Albert, Peter and Benjamin. The paternal grandmother was Mary Meyers. The grandfather on the maternal side is Joseph Rosauer, a native of Germany, who is now living at Hillsdale, Iowa, his wife being deceased and the maternal grandmother was Lena Rosauer. The names of their children were Peter, Joseph, Nellie, Mary, Catherine, Caroline and Elizabeth.

Joseph J. Meyers was reared on his father’s farm and possessed advantages of education in the district schools and in a parochial school at Hillsdale. He was a student for a year at St. Francis College of Quincy, Illinois, and after returning home, being then seventeen years of age, was appointed deputy county treasurer, which office he filled to the general satisfaction of the taxpayers for two years. Desiring to advance further in his studies and having already made up his mind to adopt the legal profession as his life work, he became a student of Iowa State College of Ames, where he continued for two years, at the end of which time he entered Notre Dame University at South Bend, Indiana, and took a three years’ course at that celebrated institution, graduating in 1904 with the degree of LL.B. He was admitted to the bar shortly afterward and began practice at Carroll in partnership with C. E. Reynolds under the title of Reynolds & Meyers, the firm soon becoming recognized as one of the most prominent in the county. In the fall of 1910 Mr. Meyers was elected county attorney, a position which he assumed in January, 1911. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Carroll Muzzle Company and is actively identified with other business organizations in this part of the state.

Politically Mr. Meyers has, from the time of casting his first ballot, given his allegiance to the democratic party, and his religious faith is indicated by membership in the Catholic church. He is also connected with the Knights of Columbus and the Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity. He takes an active interest in public affairs and has served as president of the Citizens Commercial Club of Carroll, being at all times ready to assist in advancing the permanent welfare of the city. He is a clear and attractive speaker and, having made thorough preparation for his profession, which he has supplemented by close and conscientious study, he has a sound knowledge of the law and is thus enabled to solve many intricate problems arising in the course of an extensive practice. He has been connected with much important litigation affecting large interests in Carroll and adjoining counties and has made for himself a highly creditable name as an attorney and as a patriotic and progressive citizen.

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