Pike Township Family Stories
MEYERS, AYERS AND MARINE FAMILIES
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 255-256
By Helen Ayers MarineThis information has been collected through the years by Helen Ayers Marine on her grandparents who came from Germany and their families.
John Henry Wiegers (called Henry) was born 6 September 1818 in Dohlen, Ostfriesland, Germany. His wife, Anna Sophia Beckman, was born 18 May 1832 in Hohenkirchen, Germany. They were married 30 August 1852 in Repsold, Germany.
John Henry Wiegers died 31 July 1877 and is buried in the Neumansville cemetery near Petersburg, Illinois. Anna Sophia Wiegers died 3 August 1905 and is buried in western Nebraska.
They came to America via boat in 1854. My Grandmother Katrina (known as Aunt Kate to everyone in recent years) was born in Repsold, Germany, 16 February 1853. She was about a year old when they sailed to America. There were many sharks in those days, and if there was illness aboard the boats, the sharks would come close and upset them. Grandma became very ill, so the captain asked her parents to throw her overboard. Instead, her father and a friend would hide her in various places on the boat until her illness was over. On hearing that story, we were always very thankful.
There were twelve children born to the marriage of John Henry and Anna Sophia; none are living.
Henry and Anna with little Katrina settled near Petersburg, Illinois. Farmers met all boats in those days, and a man by the name of Smoot hired Henry, so Henry, Anna and Katrina rode horseback to Illinois.
Katrina Wiegers lived near Petersburg, Illinois, until 10 June 1869, when she married Henry Meyers. He was born 1 January 1834 in Bethn Hanover, Germany. He came to Petersburg, Illinois, also. Both grandparents were members of the German Lutheran church. They came to Pike township by horseback, fording the Mississippi and Cedar rivers. They stopped at Adams, and settled on the farm where Vernon Carter now [1984] lives. They had twelve children: Anna Meyers, Mary Meyers, Elizabeth Meyers, William Meyers, Catherine Meyers, Caroline Meyers, Henry B. Meyers, Frederic C. Meyers, Gustav Meyers, Emma Meyers and Earl Franklin Meyers.
Anna Sophia Meyers was born 31 July 1870 in Adams, Iowa. She married L. D. Ayers 2 February 1897. They had four children. Their marriage did not last; they separated in 1903. Anna took her three daughters to live with her mother, Katrina (or Kate) Meyers. The aunts and uncles were very kind to the small girls.
The first child of Anna Ayers and L. D. Ayers was Irene Gladys Ayers, who was born 14 February 1898 and died 26 February 1898.
Cora May Ayers, child of Anna and L. D. Ayers, was born 3 February 1899. She married Leslie N. French 24 December 1919. Two children were born to them: Wilma Marie French, born 20 October 1920, and Glenn Russell French, born 5 October 1922. Cora May Ayers French died 19 May 1975, and Leslie N. French, known as Nick, died 5 May 1974.
Wilma Marie French was married to Wesley Haury. He was born 8 April 1915. They have three children: Dale Haury, Jean Haury and Lois Haury. Dale Haury has three children, Melissa Haury, Angela Haury and Kevin Haury. Jean Ann Haury Dean has two children, Monica Dean and Melanie Dean. Lois Haury Kelting has three children: Gary Kelting, Brenda Kelting and Mark Kelting.
Anna and L. D. Ayers’ third child, Katherine “Kate” was born 13 November 1900. She married Marshall William Marine 14 January 1920. Marshall, known as Bill, was born 27 November 1897 in Bloomington, Indiana. They were parents of three children: Alvin Marine, Dorothy Marine and Elizabeth Ann Marine.
Kate Ayers Marine and Bill Marine’s first child, Alvin, was born 2 December 1922. He married Margaret Eileen White, daughter of Walter White and Inez White, was born 20 January 1923. They have two children, Marie Inez Marine, and Lawrence Eugene Marine. Marie Inez marine is married to Leon Rathjean They have three children and live southeast of Wilton.
Kate and William Marine’s second child is Dorothy G. Schrader, born 15 May 1927. She lives in Nevada. Dorothy and her first husband, Darold Lett, have three children: Donna JoAnne Lett, Richard Darold Lett and Dwayne Lett.
The third child of Kate and William Marine is Elizabeth Ann Marine. She married Kirk C. Grunder. They have seven children: Paula Ann Grunder, Michael Dale Grunder, Thomas Kirk Grunder, William Allen Grunder, Douglas Edward Grunder, Mark Vincent Grunder and Kevin Robert Grunder.
William Marshall “Bill” Marine died 8 November 1961.
Helen Marie Ayers, the fourth child of Anna and L. D. Ayers, was born 30 December 1902, and married David Holt Marine 27 December 1922 at the Methodist parsonage in Muscatine. David was born 2 August 1900. They were parents of four children: Wilma Irene Marine, Leroy David Marine, Lyle Aldon Marine and Velma Rose Marine.
Wilma Irene Marine was born 21 January 1924 and died 2 February 1924.
Leroy D. Marine married Mabel E. Coxon in the Downey Baptist church. Mabel is a daughter of Walter S. Coxon and Margaret Schenk Coxon. They are parents of five children: Nancy Lee Marine, Patsy Ann Marine, Dwight Howard Marine, Wendell Stuart Marine and Leonard Allen Marine.
Nancy Lee Marine Hess now lives in Misawaka, Indiana, where she is supervisor of a medical clinic.
Patsy Ann Marine Munoz lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband, Dr. Ricardo Felipe Munoz. Their son is Rodrico Alberto Munoz.
Dwight Howard Marine is living in Pelham, Massachusetts.
Wendell Stuart Marine has a refinishing shop in Iowa City called “The Rocking Chair.” He is married to Mary Hetrick.
Leonard Allen Marine is attending Iowa Wesleyan college at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa [1984].
Lyle Aldon Marine, third child of Helen and David Maraine, was born in Nichols. He was married to Marjorie Josephine Curtis at the Methodist church in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where Marjorie was teaching. Marjorie was born to the Rev. Carlin F. Curtis and Edna Hallem Curtis, who now [1984] live in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Marjorie and Lyle have two children: Jodi Kay Marine, born in Fairfield, Iowa, who is now working for Macy’s in Kansas; and Kathryn Jan Marine, who is teaching school in Forest City, Iowa. Lyle and Marjorie built their home four miles south of Fairfield, Iowa.
Velma Rose Marine, youngest child of Helen and David Marine, was born at Nichols. She was married to Dr. Keith Frederick Mills in the Methodist church of Nichols. Keith was a son of Wilma Kirchner Mills and Frank E. Mills. Keith and Velma have three children: Pamela Sue Mills, Kevin Mills and Laurie Beth Mills.
Pamela Sue Mills was married to Duane K. Krueger. Duane is a son of Walter Krueger and Gladys Attig Krueger. Pamela and Duane now live at Lawler, Iowa, where Duane teaches. They have three children: Nathan Keith Krueger, and twin sons, Daniel Lee Krueger and Joseph Allen Krueger.
Kevin Mills is the second child of Velma and Keith Mills. He was born at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was married to Cindy Ann Burr, daughter of Alice Proctor Burr and Gerald Burr of Lone Tree. They live in Riverside, Iowa.
Lauri Beth Mills, the third child of Velma and Keith Mills, was married to Maxwell Duvall at the United Methodist church in Lone Tree, Iowa. Maxwell, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Duvall of Ames, Iowa, is presently teaching at Bloomfield, Iowa, and Lauri is doing substitute teaching.
Helen and David Marine moved to Nichols in 1928. He first worked with William Loeb, then on the railroad until they went into the monument business. He was caretaker of the Nichols cemetery and the Nichols Christian church until ill health caused his retirement. David H. Marine died 15 October 1975, after open heart surgery and seven weeks’ illness in the hospital. He is buried in Nichols cemetery, as is Wilma Irene Marine, his daughter.
William Marine and David Marine were brothers, both born in Bloomington, Indiana. Their parents were Lawrence Alexander Marine and Elizabeth Bruce Marine. They were both from Tennessee and are both buried in the Frytown, Iowa, cemetery.
There were nine children in the family of Elizabeth and Lawrence Marine: Avery Marine, born 17 September 1884, died 26 May 1966; Ella Marine Kettles, born 12 July 1886, died 4 February 1911; Rose Marine Roberts, born 20 November 1889, died 11 November 1981; Teletha Addeline Marine, born 1891, died 225 November 1897; Walter Lee Marine, born 14 May 1884, died 24 May 1974; Bertha Marine, born 1885, died 25 November 1897; Marshall William Marine, born 27 November 1897, died 8 November 1961; David Holt marine, born 2 August 1900, died 31 October 1975. Bertha and Teletha died the same day of whooping cough and are buried in Bloomington, Indiana. All of these children are deceased.
Lawrence Alexander Marine was born 7 October 1866, died 23 September 1937. His wife, Elizabeth Gale Bruce Marine was born 6 September 1868, died 21 January 1911 of a ruptured appendix. Both are buried in the Frytown, Iowa, cemetery.
The second child of Henry Meyers and Katrina Wiegers Meyers was Mary Meyers, born 14 February 1872 in Adams. She married Charles Chapman 11 November 1896. Charlie was born 1 November 1870, died 6 June 1931. Mary died 31 December 1922. They had seven children: Bertha Lela Chapman, born 10 November 1897, died 22 April 1956, buried in Nichols cemetery; Verna Chapman, born and died 1 October 1900, buried in Nichols cemetery; Leonard L. Chapman, born 22 September 1901, died 12 November 1967, buried in Oak Ridge cemetery in West Liberty; Ralph Edward Chapman, born 23 may 1903, died 26 April 1972, buried in Grandview, Iowa; Laura May Chapman Geirse, born 1 January 1907, married Carl Geirse, who is deceased; Everette Earl Chapman, born 18 April 1908, died 5 December 982, buried Nichols cemetery; and Albert Wesley Chapman, born 28 September 1915, died 30 November 1974, buried in Greenwood cemetery, Muscatine.
Third child of Henry Meyers and Katarina Meyers was Elizabeth Meyers, born 29 October 1873, died 19 May 1875, buried in Nichols cemetery.
William “Bill” Meyers, son of Henry Meyers and Katrina Meyers, was born 10 October 1875, died 11 August 1937, when he was struck by lightning. He did not marry. He is buried in Nichols cemetery.
Catherine “Katie” Meyers Smith, born 9 September 1877, died 8 March 1933 at West Liberty.
Caroline “Carrie” Meyers Cochran, was born 25 July 1879, died 16 September 1941, buried in Nichols cemetery.
Seventh child of Henry Meyers and Katrina Meyers was Henry or H. B. Meyers, born 28 June 1882, died 8 June 1938 in West Liberty.
Harry C. Meyers, eighth child of Katrina Meyers and Henry Meyers, was born 7 March 1884, died 21 August 1884, buried in Nichols cemetery.
Frederic C. Meyers, ninth child of Henry Meyers and Katrina Meyers, was born 17 January 1885, died 7 December 1947, buried at Oak Ridge cemetery in West Liberty.
Tenth child of Henry Meyers and Katrina Meyers was Gustav “Gus” Meyers, born 14 November 1886, died 14 April 1958, buried in Nichols cemetery.
Eleventh child of Henry Meyers and Katrina Meyers was Emma Meyers, who was born 20 June 1889 and died 30 June 1889, buried in Nichols cemetery.
Youngest child was Earl Franklin Meyers, born 17 March 1893, died 30 September 1893, buried in Nichols cemetery.
Elizabeth Meyers, Harry Meyers, Earl Meyers and Emma Meyers died in infancy.
William Meyers was unmarried.
Catherine Meyers married Franklin Smith in 1904. Their children were Mabel Smith, Mildred Smith, William Smith, Frances Smith, Hershal Smith and Dale Smith. Dale was killed by a German sniper during World War II on 7 August 1944 in St. James, Lorient, France and is buried there in Plot A, Row 4, Grave 83.
Caroline Meyers married Roy Cochran on 19 December 1900. They were parents of ten children: Myrtle Cochran, Verda Cochran, Lloyd Cochran, Gladys Cochran, Loren Cochran, Bessie Cochran, Dorothy Cochran, Robert Cochran, Kenneth Cochran and Viola Cochran. Lloyd and Gladys died of diphtheria in 1909. Also deceased are Loren Cochran, Dorothy Cochran and Kenneth Cochran. Kenneth was killed in a motorcycle accident while in service in California.
Henry B. Meyers married Lizzie Deahr on 4 July 9106. Their children are Margaret Meyers Vanatta, Clinton Meyers, Alberta Meyers Peters (deceased) and Clifton Meyers.
Frederic Meyers married Maggie Deahr. They had no children. Both are buried in Oak Ridge cemetery in West Liberty.
Gustav Meyers married Anna Geirse on 30 December 1919. Their children are Doris Irene Meyers who married Roy Thompson and lives in Iowa City, and Donald William Meyers, who farms near Nichols.
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