DR. JACOB FRANKLIN MEYERS

    Dr. Meyers was born 13 Sept. 1879 in Lisbon, Iowa. Jacob Franklin or Frank as he was called was the second of five children of Jacob Erb and Amanda M. Heller Meyers.

    The elder Mr. Meyers, born 1851 in Montgomery County, Ohio and his wife in 1848 in Pennsylvania. Both families were early settlers of Lisbon, Iowa.

    Frank attended school in Lisbon, graduating from high school in 1897 and entered Western College for two years before his enrollment in the University of Iowa Medical School. After graduation from medical school in 1903, Dr. Meyers returned to Lisbon and joined Dr. Garner in his practice for several months.

    On 26 Oct. 1904 Frank married his high school sweetheart, Maybelle Edna, daughter of Jonas Shirer and Matilda Cook Gauby; both families coming to Iowa from Pennsylvania in the mid 1850's.

    Dr. Meyers first came to Elliott to fill in for a vacationing resident physician and liked it so well that before the end of 1904 he had moved his new wife there, taking over the practice of retiring Dr. Manker. His first office was over Nixon's Drug Store, later to become a grocery store.

    The first residence of the newcomers was a small house west of the Methodist Parsonage. In 1909, shortly after the birth of their second child, Mrs. Meyer's father came from Lisbon and built the young couple a house on Main Street.

    Three children were born to this union: Gaylord Franklin, born 30 Dec. 1905. He graduated from the University of Iowa, School of Pharmacy in 1926, but being only twenty years of age and too young to take the state board and become a practicing pharmacist, he returned home to operate a grocery store owned by this father . Gaylord married Winona Helen, daughter of Orville and Nellie Norris Moser, of Clarinda on 8 April 1935. They have one daughter, Janice, born in 1936 in Elliott, and three grandchildren.

    The second child of the Frank Meyer's was Mildred Gauby, born 14 Jan. 1909 in Elliott. She attended the local schools, continued her education at Cornell College, majoring in primary education. Mildred taught fourth grade in Elliott for two years before becoming the wife of Myron William Malony in 1930. Dr. Malony was born in Elliott, attended school in Red Oak, dental school at the University of Iowa and orthodontics at the University of Southern California. He practiced dentistry in Elliott for 12 years before moving to California. The Malonys have three children: Patrick Allen, born 1931; Sara Diane, 1937; both entering the world at their grandparents home in Elliott, and Michael William, born in South Gate, California, in 1944.

    The third child born to Dr. and Mrs. Meyers was Maynard Franklin, who died of pneumonia in his ninth month on 10 March 1911.

    Dr. Meyers was active in the civic affairs of this city, serving both as mayor and councilman. The Meyers were members of the Methodist Church and Frank also belonged to the Masonic Lodge, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, A.M.A. and the Iowa State Medical Assoc. Maybelle was associated with the Eastern Star and Rebeccas. Dr. Frank Meyers was a much respected member of this community. After an illness of several years, he passed away at his home 23 Feb. 1935.

    After living alone for three years, Mrs. Meyers sold the family home and moved to California to be near her children. She enjoyed many happy years with her two children, four grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. Maybelle Meyers remained a resident of Southern California until her death on 20 Sept. 1971 in Hemet, California with burial in Elliott, Iowa beside her husband and youngest child.