Life & times of the venerable George Myers

George Myers was in his 99th year when he died on the 17th of March, 1884, at the home of his daughter, Phebe (Mrs. Felix) Gartin, south of Chariton in Lucas County's Benton Township.

Born in York County, Pennsylvania, during 1786, George had moved west --- as the United States did --- during his century, living in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana before arriving in Davis County, Iowa, during 1854 when he was 68 and already past what we look upon now as retirement age.

His stay in Lucas County was relatively brief --- daughter Phebe had brought him home to live with her following the death 23 years later of her step-mother, Annie, at Bloomfield during 1877. His remains were taken back to Davis County for burial beside Annie in Bloomfield's I.O.O.F. Cemetery.

This rite of passage was noted only briefly in The Chariton Herald-Patriot of March 19, 1884, as follows: "Died, George Myers, of Benton township, in the 99th year of his age. Mr. Myers is the father-in-law of Felix Gartin and was buried from the residence of the latter. He was buried in Bloomfield, Iowa. Mrs. Phebe Gartin and sister and son, Charley, accompanied the remains to their last resting place."

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There's no indication that a complete obituary ever was published in Iowa, but George's descendants in Bartholomew County, Indiana, saw to it that one was published there 30 years after he moved to Iowa. Here's the text from The Republic of Columbus as printed on April 1, 1884. George had 16 children during the course of two marriages, so descendants were scattered across the upper Midwest, including several in Indiana.

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Died, March 17, 1884, near Chariton, Iowa, George Myers, aged 98  years, 1 month and 28 days.

Mr. Myers was born in Pennsylvania, Jan. 19, 1786. In early childhood his parents removed to Kentucky, thence to Ohio, where he was married to Delilah Baker, but whom he had several children, 5 of whom survive him. While still in Ohio, his wife died and in time he married Anna Wice, a widow, the children of this marriage surviving him are two. In all, sixteen children were born to him. His grandchildren are quite numerous, and of great-grandchildren there are perhaps more than 200 and of great-great-grandchildren there are three.

In the year 1834 or 1835 he with his family settled on Clifty, one mile southwest of Hartsville,, Bartholomew county, Indiana, on the farm now belonging to Henry Mobley. At the time of his taking possession there were, perhaps, 20 acres cleared. With the assistance of his children, all but one being girls, he cleared and worked the farm, the girls who were old enough doing their part of the field work the same as the father and the boy. While living here the children by his first wife and the eldest by the second were married.

Of the children, Eliza married Andrew Trisler and lived many years on Fall Fork, and is now in the west. Margaret married Daniel Anderson and now lives near Elizabethtown and has many descendants throughout the county.

In the year 1854 he sold his homestead in Indiana and removed to Bloomfield, Iowa, where he resided until 1877, when, having lost his wife, he went to live at Chariton, Iowa, with his daughter Phebe, where he died. He was buried at Bloomfield,  Iowa.

His life span is attained by few; less that two more years of existence and he would have been a century old.

He was three years old when our present government was formed, twenty-one when the first steamboat plied the waters of the Hudson and sixty when Morse sent his first message by telegraph.

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My own Myers family also was based in Lucas County's Benton Township, but there's really no indication that the two were related. "Myers" and variants are among the most common surnames out there.

However, George seems to have originated in York County, Pennsylvania, as did my ancestor, Abraham Myers, so I may have to look  into this further at some point.