CARL & ELIZABETH (WILLE) MEIER are buried at the Clayton Center Cemetery in Lot 59. Carl died July 22, 1921 and Elizabeth died October 28, 1925.

Carl Meier was born Johan Heinrich Christian Carl Meyer in Eldena, Mecklenburg, Germany on December 31, 1838. He had a brother Frederick Meyer born in 1835 in Eldena, Mecklenburg, who is also buried at the cemetery in Clayton Center, in the old area North of the church. There is also a Lizette Meyer buried near Frederick. It has not been determined if she is a sister or a cousin. Meyer is the original spelling of the surname. Their parents were Johan Frederick Meyer b. July 7, 1787 in Eldena and Johanna Chatarina Kaetelhoen (Bunge as she was a widow) b. January 4, 1802 in Stück, Mecklenburg, Germany.

Elisabeth Wille (Meier) was born on April 13, 1853 in Germany. Her last residence in Germany was Gr Wanzer, Sachen-Anhalt.

We have found Carl Meyer and Elisabeth Wille on the same ship, The Vandalia, coming from Hamburg on May 4, 1872. Carl was by himself and Elisabeth was with Heincich Wille b. abt 1821, Dora b. abt 1832, Wilhelmina b.May 1864 and Frederick b. 1866. Heinrich Wille who died in 1897 is buried in the Clayton Center Cemetery so we are fairly sure he and Dora were Elizabeth's parents.

Next we find Carl (listed as Chas.) Meyer and Elisabeth Wille marrying at the First Zion Lutheran Church on September 27, 1872 in downtown Chicago. The witnesses were Heinrich Wille and Ernst Vess or Voss.

In 1874 Carl Meyer purchased land North of the Zion Lutheran Church in Clayton Center and they moved there.
The purchase of the land is on record at the Court House in Elkader, Iowa. They attended the Zion Lutheran Church from 1874 to about 1892.

In the 1880 census Carl (he as Chas.) and Elizabeth Meyer are listed living in Read Township, Clayton County, IA.. They had 8 children while living outside Clayton Center.

Around the 1890 census the surname for Carl and Elizabeth was changed to MEIER from Meyer. We are thinking the census taker made a mistake and Carl thought they had to use that spelling.

In 1892 Carl sold his land to his brother, Frederick Meyer, who had married Anna Kiefolt who was previously married to Christian Ihde. She was also from Mecklenburg, Germany. Frederick and Anna had no children - Anna had children from her first marriage.

Then Carl and Elizabeth Meier moved to Postville, Allamakee County, Iowa. They attended the St. Paul Lutheran Church where most of the children were confirmed.

On a 1908 map of Brule County, White Lake Township, South Dakota Carl and Elizabeth Meier are found living on a farm 10 miles North of Kimball. The map identifies the land as belonging to J. C. Meier. They are there in the 1910 census for Brule County.

Carl and Elizabeth had the following children in Clayton Center:

MINNA DOROTHE ELISABETH MEYER b. May 10, 1875 d. July 28, 1948 Mitchell, SD She was married to Christian SCHLIE of Howard County, IA and Hans VOSGERAU in Brule County, South Dakota. Her children were John Meier who married Lizzie PLOS, Walter Schlie, Clarence Schlie, Alvina Schlie and Elizabeth Vosgerau.

JOHN FREDERICK CARL WILHELM MEYER b. February 18, 1877 d. March 20, 1879 in Clayton Center, IA. Died at age of 2.

BERTHA WILHELMINE ELIZABETH MEYER b. November 20, 1878 d. June 7, 1883 Died at age 4-1/2.

CHARLEY ERNEST MEYER b. August 9, 1880 d. June 15, 1955 in Sterling, Illinois. Charley married Marie Anna PLOS who was born August 6, 1886 in New York, NY. The had the following children born in Kimball, SD - Edward Meier, Milo Jim Meier & Elmer Edward Meier who eventually lived and died in Sterling, IL.

FRITZ CARL AUGUST MEYER b. October 14, 1882 d. September 4, 1958 in ? Minnesota. He married Mary Anna Mauer in Kimball, SD. They had the following children - Lillian Meier who married a BIEHL, Herbert Meier who married an Eileen, Leonard Meier who married an Allie, Mildred Meier who married Herman BOEHMER and lived in Royalton, MN, Albert Meier who lived in Mitchell, SD and married a Darleen.

BERTHA SOPHIA LOUISE MEYER b. February 2, 1884 d. January 1, 1969 buried at cemetery in Clayton Center. She married John Henry IHDE and lived in Clayton County, IA. They had the following children - Mildred IHDE who married Arno John HUEBNER. Their children were - Madonna Bertha Mary HUEBNER who married Rolland Robert FRYE and Dennis HUEBNER who married Linda FRIEDLEIN. Roine IHDE who married and lived in California

LENA ANNA WIHELMINA MEYER b. October 20, 1887 d. in Waterford, California. She married Fritz Johann Carl "Fred" IHDE also born in Read Township, Clayton County, IA. They had six daughters - 3 were Florence Ihde who married Lewis MECKLENBURG, Freida Ihde who married Bernard COOK and Angie Ihde who married a CONNELLY

ANNA MINNA LOUISE JOHANNE MEYER b. October 9, 1889 d. January 5, 1969. She married Fritz Freiderich Frantz Ihlenfeldt who was from Clayton County, IA. They did not have any children.

The following children were born in Postville, IA:

WILHELM CARL MEIER b. April 18, 1892 d. Sterling, IL
He did not marry.

ELSA FRIEDERIKE MARIA CAROLINE WILHELMINA MEIER b. October 2, 1894 d. August 14, 1970. She married Fred Hansen in Kimball, SD. They had the following children who were born in Kimball, SD - Bernice Lina Elisabeth Hansen who married Ellis Parmley in Salem, SD. They had six children: Ronald, Charleen, Dennis, Janet, Darrell and Debbie. They lived in Sioux Falls, SD. Pearl Dora Wilhelmina Hansen who married Harold Sandberg in Sioux Falls, SD. They had two children, Marlene and Dwayne. Clifford Hansen who married Eliner Shuett and had one son Gaylord. Robert Hansen who married Betty Olsbo from Madison, SD and had two children - Richard and Pamela.

- contributed by Marlene Sandberg Hurney, great-granddaughter of Carl & Elisabeth. Looking for any connections to the Meyer, Meier and Wille families who came from Clayton and Allamakee Counties, IA. Please contact me for further details.

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