BIOGRAPHIES: Peter MYERS, Meyers Valley, Trempealeau Co., WI

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** Posted for informational purposes only -- the poster has no connection 
to this subject.

Peter Myers, one of the elderly residents of Arcadia Village, who may justly 
claim to being one of the pioneer settlers of Trempealeau County, was born 
in France, Oct. 8, 1836.  When a boy of 10 years he came to America with his 
parents, who settled on a farm eight miles from Syracuse, N. Y., and here 
young Myers was reared and resided until he was 25 years old.  Then, in 
1861, he was married to Lena Kraner, daughter of George Kraner, a neighbor.  
In 1864, with his wife and eldest child, George, he came West, journeying by 
train to La Crosse, Wis., from there by boat to Trempealeau, and then by ox 
team to Arcadia Township.  Here he homesteaded 160 acres of land in one of 
the beautiful valleys three miles south of Arcadia Vilage, which took its 
name from him and his family and is now known as Myers Valley.  The land on 
which he settled was wild and there were no buildings on it, so his first 
work was to erect a small log house and barn.  There were plenty of Indians 
in the vicinity, but they gave him no trouble, and he grubbed and cleared 
his land without interference.  After a while he bought an additional tract 
of 80 acres, and still later on other land until the farm contained 330 
acres.  He also built a substantial frame house, a stone barn, 36 by 60, and 
a stone granary, 24 by 40 feet in dimensions.  His farming operations were 
conducted with intelligence and industry and proved successful, so that in 
time he became prosperous.  Mr. Myers resided on this farm until 1888, at 
which time he retired and moved to Arcadia Village, which place has since 
been his home.  He has always been a Democrat in politics, but was never 
politically active and has held no public offices.  Reared a Catholic, he 
has been true to his faith and is a member of the German Catholic church of 
Arcadia.  Though grown somewhat feeble with advancing years, he is a man 
highly respected and his neighbors took a warm sympathetic interest in his 
celebration of his eightieth birthday, on Oct. 8, 1916.  He is now a 
widower, his wife having passed away in December, 1899.  They were the 
parents of eight children:  George, Anna, Anton, Agnes, Clara, Rosa, Otto 
and Isadore.  George, who was born in New York State, Feb. 14, 1862, 
remained on the home farm when his father moved to the village, and operated 
it for 15 years.  He is now on one of the other farms of his father.  Anna, 
now Mrs. John Wiffler, is residing in Arcadia and keeps house for her 
father.  Anton, born in 1867, died in 1915.  Agnes, born Jan. 6, 1869, later 
Sister Wilfreda of Notre Dame, died Jan. 3, 1917.  Clara is the wife of 
Peter Dahm, of Arcadia.  Otto is living in Arcadia with his father.  Isadore, 
born Sept. 13, 1881, is living on the old family homestead, where he has 
been since 1904.  He married Elizabeth, daughter of Edward and Julia Haines, 
who reside on an adjoining farm.  His marriage took place Sept. 26, 1905, 
and he and his wife now have six children:  Hildegard, Irene, Wilfred, 
Ethelreda, Evangeline and Aurelia.

--Transcribed from "The History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, 1917," 
pages 770 - 771.