Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-11-24
obltuaru.-R Richard Meuer. sen.

ster, in the Province of West Phalla,
Germany, May 30, 1917. When -
years of age. be went to Hamburg
where he attended school for four
years. At the age of 16 he was
apprenticed to mercantile firm in
Libun., Russia, with which firm he
served an apprenticeship OF seven
years and afterwards remained with
the same firm for a further period of
five years. He was then employed as
head book-keeper by the firm Harri-
son, Eastwick & Winans, Americans,
who had located at St. Petersburg,
and who had secured a contract from
the Russian government to build the
rolling stock for the first railway in
Russia, line projecting from St.
Petersburg TO Moscow. He remained
with this firm for six years. Mr..
Eastwick having retired from the firm
and returned to Philadelphia, induced
Mr.. Meyer to come to America which
he did in the spring of 1851. settling
in Philadelphia. In September of the
same year he declared his intention of
becoming a citizen of the United
States, taking out his final papers in
Philadelphia in 1856. He was en-
gagged in the wholesale grocery bust
ness in Philadelphia for five years,
and upon closing out this business
came to Lancaster in 1856, thinking
to remain but a short time but in
reality for the remainder of his long
and useful life.
On July q. 1858. he married Mar
Lha Phelps at Beekmantown, New
York, who survives him. She is the
mother of seven children, two of
whom died in infancy and five of
whom survive him.
His first business venture in the
west was ia company with William
Griswold in a saw mill which was
built on land one block north of the
site of the electric light plant. He
next engaged in the mercantile bust
ness, building store upon the site of
the building now occupied by the
state bank of Grant county. The
business was first conducted by Meyer
& Liscum, afterwards by Richard
Meyer, and for many years known as
the Lancaster store. He continued
in the mercantile business until 1868
when he sold his stock of goods to
Ryland & Holloway, ne entering their
employ as book-keeper in the bank
which had heretofore been started
by them. He remained as book-keep-
er of this bank which was afterwards
owned by G. w. Ryland alone until
1878.
He was then employed by the
directors of First National Bank, of
Boscobel, To act as cashier and gen
eral manager of the business of that
concern. which position he held until
he had liquidated its obligations and
brought its business to a successful
close. In 1880 he became a partner
in the banking business with G. w.
Ryland, and from that time was
actively engaged in the banking bust
ness until 1889 when he sold out his
interest in the bank of Richard Meyer
q Co., to r. B. Showalter, thus termi-
mating his, active career as a banker.
In 1892 he became a stakeholder and
director in the Meyer-Showalte bank
of Lancaster, which position he held
until his death.
Mr.. Meyers business ventures were
always successful. He was conserva-
tive and systematic. Although linn
tied, his early school training served
as the groundwork of the superior
education which he afterwards
acquired. With quick perception
faculties, he possessed also an analy-
teal mind, which, with the aid of his
thorough elementary work, gave him
the power of converting requirements
into education and enabled him to
become not only thorough business
man, but a scholarly and accom-
plished gentleman. No professional
man was ever more closely welded to
his profession than was Mr.. Never to
his business, which he regarded as
his profession and which he pursued
accordingly. AS relaxation from
his business he devoted himself to lit
erature and languages. lie was
master of German, his native tongue,
and he acquired English, French and
Russian as we'll, his knowledge of
English having been acquired Before
coming to America. He was a great
and discriminating reader and had
made himself familiar with the best
English and German authors. He
had high appreciation Of art and
himself possessed no little skill with
the pencil and brush.
His keen observation. quick mind
and ready wit, made him a bright aud
entertaining conversationalist and
drew about him a coterie of friends
who could appreciate such qualities.
Never robust in health for some
years after the close OF his business
career, he suffered acutely with bod
lily ailments, but recovering. spent
the last year or more Of his life in the
full possession Of his faculties and
comparatively free from physical all
ments, and when the end came he
sank away as peacefully as the sun
sinks below the western horizon.