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SAMUEL MEYER, a successful farmer of Washington township, Shawano county, was born in Schubin, Prussia, September 9, 1824, son of Michel and Maria (Riemer) Meyer, who were also both born in Schubin.

Michel Meyer was a farmer in Prussia, and followed that occupation until his death, which occurred in 1842; his wife, Maria, died in 1830. They had three children, namely: Peter, now deceased; Fred, a farmer in Nebraska; and Samuel, the subject of these lines, who received a common-school education in his native place, was reared a farmer boy, and worked at home until he enlisted in the army at the age of twenty-one. He served three years, and was in the war between Germany and Denmark in 1848. In 1852 he sailed from Bremen for New York in the steamer "Germania," which was one of the only two steamers that ran between those ports. On account of violent storms, they were twenty-eight days in crossing to New York, and were obliged to lie over at Halifax, N. S., for twenty-four hours. It took all the money Mr. Meyer had to pay his passage, and he procured work on the wharves at New York, loading and, unloading vessels, and received good wages for his services. At the end of six month's he went to Newport, Herkimer Co., N. Y. and hired out to a farmer at six dollars a month and his board, later receiving twelve dollars a month and board.  He worked on different farms in that county two years, then went to Hamilton, Butler Co., Ohio, and was employed there as a farm hand for several years.

From Hamilton Mr. Meyer went to Milton, Wayne Co., Ind., where, about the year 1862, he was united in marriage with Miss Sophia Delka, who was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Andrew and Louisa Delka, natives of Germany, and they had two children as follows: Albert Charles, who died at the age of thirty; and Mary, now Mrs. John Kaempf, and they are now living on the farm with her father. When Mary was nine months old her mother died, and in 1869 Mr. Samuel Meyer married a widow lady by the name of Friedericka Shulz, of the town of Herman, Shawano, Co., Wis. She had one child, at that time twelve years old, named Dora, now the wife of John Rossow, a farmer; they have seven children. Mary Meyer was married to John Kaempf in 1885, and they had two children: Elmor Roman, who died at the age of two years and five months; and Urvin Oliver, who is now (August, 1895), three and one-half years old.

After his marriage Mr. Meyer located on a rented farm in Wayne county, Ind.  Four years later he disposed of his possessions and removed with his family to Washington township, Shawano county, Wis., where he purchased eighty acres of wild land from the government, and erected a small log shanty, which was burned three years later. Mr. Meyer and his family were at some distance from the house at the time, picking berries, and on his return he found it in ashes. It is supposed that Indians, who came to steal when the family were away, started the fire to cover up all traces of their theft. Mr. Meyer then built his present home.  He now has 140 acres in Section 20, the greater part of which is cleared, and is putting up a larger and more modern dwelling, which it is expected will be ready for occupancy by the fall of 1895. Mr. Meyer was the first white settler of Washington township, and held the office of township chairman the first year of its organization. In politics he is a strong Democrat. Both he and Mrs. Meyer are members of the German Lutheran Church in Cecil, Washington township. He is a man of intelligence, fond of reading, and is much respected.