Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 728
STEPHEN A. MYERS

The MYERS family has been identified with the history of Harrison county, Iowa, since 1869, in which year the father of Stephen A. MYERS first located in the county. Mr. MYERS is a worthy scion of his father and has engaged in general farming and stock raising in such a manner as to stamp him as one of the most progressive farmers of the county. The MYERS family has been very active in every phase of the history of the county for many years, and the father of Stephen A. was for a long time one of the most influential men of his community.

Stephen A. MYERS, the son of Freeley W. and Marguerite E. (GARNER) MYERS, was born on August 10, 1888, in Taylor township, Harrison county, Iowa. His parents were natives of Adams county, Pennsylvania, and Pottawattamie county, Iowa, respectively. His father was born on June 7, 1845, and his mother on December 8, 1852.

Freeley W. MYERS came to Harrison county, Iowa, in 1869. He had been a soldier in the Civil War, serving in Company A, Two Hundred and Ninth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He served three years and took part in many of the hardest-fought battles of that memorable struggle, among them being Shiloh, Appamattox Court House, Fort Steadman, and the battles which were fought by Grant in the summer of 1864, and up to the fall of Richmond in the spring of 1865. Although Freeley W. MYERS located in Harrison county in 1869, he only remained here about thirteen months. He then went to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a six-months' prospecting trip. He finally decided to return to Harrison county and locate permanently. He bought two hundred acres of land in section 13 of Taylor township, and added to this until at the time of his death he owned five hundred and four acres in Taylor township in one tract; three hundred and fifty-four acres in one tract in Raglan and Taylor townships, and four hundred and eighty acres in North Dakota. He continued in active farming pursuits until 1897, when he moved to Missouri Valley, where he resided until 1900. In that year he moved back to the farm, where he lived until 1902. He was justice of the peace in Taylor township for many years and held other offices. He was president of the Farmers' Alliance when it was first organized in this county. In politics he was a strong advocate of everything which he felt would make for better government, and did not hesitate to vote for the best men regardless of party affiliations.

There were five children born to Freeley W. MYERS and wife: Carlos U.; Henry A.; twins who died in infancy, and Stephen A. Carlos U. first married Lola COULTHARD, who died leaving her husband with two children, Lola and Lalla. Lola, the older child, was accidentally shot when she was six years old. After his first wife's death Carlos U. MYERS married Eva DIXON, and to this union eight children have been born, six of whom are living, Cora, Vera, Carlos, Theodora, Leora and Henry. Henry A., the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Freeley MYRES, was killed in a runaway when he was twenty-three years of age.

Stephen A. MYERS was given a good education in the schools of his home neighborhood. He was the youngest of the family and lived on the old home farm until his marriage, when he began farming for himself. He now lives on the old home farm and follows in the footsteps of his father in general farming and stock raising. He feeds cattle and two hundred head of hogs each year for the market. He also raises a considerable number of cattle. His mother is still living in Missouri Valley.

Mr. MYERS was married on August 10, 1909, to Mattie E. HAYWARD, who was born in Pottawattamie county, Iowa, a daughter of John H. and Alice (FLECK) HAYWARD, natives of Missouri and Iowa, respectively.

Fraternally, Mr. MYERS is a member of the Tribe of Ben-Hur at Missouri Valley. In politics he is progressive and supports the best man, feeling that in so doing he is best serving the interests of good government. Mr. MYERS is still a young man on the threshhold of life, and the success which has followed his efforts thus far indicates that he will one day be one of the most substantial farmers of the county.

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