William F. Meyer claims the old Buckeye state as
the place of his nativity but was still an infant at
the time of the family removal to Iowa, where his
parents became pioneer settlers in Clayton county, so
that he was here reared to manhood under the
conditions and influences of the early period of the
county's history, his educational advantages having
not only included the facilities of the public
schools of the period, but also of Briggs' Academy.
He may now be said to be conducting one of the
pioneer mercantile establishments of the county, as
he is direct successor to the general merchandise
business that long received the direct co-operation
of his mother and that is one of the leading
enterprises in the thriving little city of
Garnavillo.
Mr. Meyer was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio
on the 31st of October, 1853, and is a son of
Dietrich H. and Margaret (Kregel) Meyer, who
immigrated from their old home in Germany when young
folk and who first established their home in Ohio,
from which state they came to Clayton county, Iowa in
the earlier '50s and became pioneer settlers at
Garnavillo, which was then a mere frontier hamlet.
Here they became associated in the conducting of a
general store of modest order, and after the death of
the husband and father, in 1871, the widowed mother
continued the business - that from which has been
evolved the substantial and prosperous general
merchandise establishment, now owned and successfully
conducted by the subject of this sketch, who is one
of four survivors of a family of twelve children. The
devoted mother continued her association with the
business until her death, which occurred in 1893, and
thus she survived her husband by more than a score of
years, both having been zealous communicants of the
Lutheran church and having been numbered among the
founders of the church of this denomination at
Garnavillo.
William F. Meyer initiated his independent career
by engaging in the hardware business at Garnavillo,
in 1873, and with this enterprise he continued his
identification until 1881, when he sold the stock and
business and purchased one-half interest with his
mother in the well established general merchandise
business which he has individually continued since
her death. He has maintained for his store a high
reputation for effective service and for fair and
honorable dealings, so that its trade is drawn from
all parts of the prosperous territory normally
tributary to Garnavillo. Mr. Meyer was one of the
principal organizers of the Garnavillo Savings Bank,
of which substantial and popular institution he has
been the president from the time of its
incorporation. His political allegiance is given to
the Republican party and as a citizen he has proved
himself loyal and public-spirited. He has had little
time to give to official service, but was specially
alert and efficient during his incumbency of the
township offices of clerk and trustee, besides which
he served for several years as a member of the board
of education. He and his wife are zealous
communicants and influential members of St. Paul's
Lutheran church at Garnavillo and for several years
he served on its board of trustees in the capacity of
president. He owns besides his substantial store
building one of the attractive residence properties
of Garnavillo, and this pleasant home is known for
its generous hospitality.
In the year 1881, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Meyer to Miss Elizabeth Duttle, who was born in
the city of Dubuque, this state, where her parents
the late Jacob and Christina Duttle, were early
settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have one son, Arthur L.
who completed the curriculum of the public schools of
Garnavillo and then entered Beloit College, where he
was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In
preparation for his chosen profession he entered the
University of Pennsylvania, in the city of
Philadelphia, where he continued his technical
studies during four years, at the expiration of which
he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Thereafter he devoted two years to effective and
original investigation in part at Harvard university
and in part at Oxford university, England. He is now
engaged in research at the Rockefeller Institute for
Medical Research, having been appointed to the staff
of that institution in the year 1915.
