My Genealogy Hound

Christian N. Mayer, who lives on the South Hill Creston road five miles south of Creston, where he opened up a farm and has resided since 1869, is one of the prominent pioneer agriculturists and progressive citizens of Union county, as well as one of the few remaining Civil war veterans. He is the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of valuable and well improved land and for a great many years has been a breeder and dealer in Durham shorthorn cattle. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, September 19, 1837, a son of Jacob N. and Frances (Barr) Mayer, who were both natives of the same place. The father was the owner of a small farm and was a miller by trade. In his family were three children, two sons and one daughter, the latter having passed away.

Christian N. Mayer lost his mother when but a child and, as the home was then broken up, he went to live on a farm with his grandfather, John Strohm, by whom he was reared. Mr. Strohm represented the state of Pennsylvania in the lower house of congress and was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, with whom he boarded in Washington, D. C. Our subject made his home with Mr. Strohm until he had attained his sixteenth year, when he accepted a position in a country store in his native county, clerking there for one year. He then removed to Cedar county, Iowa, where he remained for about seven years, working at farm labor during the summer months and being employed in a nursery in the winter season.

However, on the 5th of August, 1862, at Muscatine, Iowa, he enlisted in Company G, Thirty-fifth Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry, the regiment joining the regular army at Camp Strong. He participated in the engagements at Vicksburg, Nashville, Jackson and Mobile and was with Banks at Red River. He also acted as clerk of the quartermaster’s brigade for a year and a half. On the expiration of his three years’ term of enlistment he was mustered out and honorably discharged at Davenport in August, 1865, returning to Cedar county, Iowa, with a most creditable military record.

He was then employed in a lumber yard at Wilton for a year, and in September, 1866, was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Hartman, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of George Hartman, who came from Pennsylvania and took up his abode near Wilton, Muscatine county. Mr. Mayer there remained for two and a half years after his marriage and then came west to Union county and purchased eighty acres of the farm on which he now resides. The land was all raw prairie but he resolutely set to work to establish a home, overcoming difficulties by dint of hard work and untiring perseverance. He put out all the trees, both shade and ornamental, that are now seen on the place and also planted an orchard. He has also erected a good house, large barns, cribs, outbuildings and in fact none of the accessories of a model farming property of the twentieth century are lacking. He also added to his farm from time to time until it now comprises two hundred and eighty acres, all of which is under a high state of improvement and development. In addition to the successful control of his farming interests he has for a number of years been raising Durham shorthorn cattle, Poland China and Duroc Jersey hogs and good graded draft horses, and has met with a large measure of prosperity in both his agricultural and stock-raising interests. He is a stockholder in the Farmers’ Mutual Telephone Company and is widely recognized as a representative and enterprising citizen of the county.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mayer were born ten children, seven of whom grew to maturity. Hattie is the wife of Frank Hood, of Arispe, Iowa. Marietta, who became the wife of Colonel Carl Shields, died when twenty-four years of age, leaving one son, Earl Leo, who has been reared by our subject, with whom he still makes his home. John is in the employ of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad at Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Elmer C. is in the service of the Hawkeye Implement Company, of Des Moines, Iowa. Roy B. and Ray H., twins, are both on the home farm. Anna E. is the wife of
A. Maxwell, a merchant of Des Moines.

Mr. Mayer has always voted the republican ticket where national questions and issues are involved but at local elections casts an independent ballot. He is a stalwart friend of the cause of education and has served his town as school director. He has also acted as road supervisor and was elected and served as county recorder for a term of two years, discharging all his public duties in a highly satisfactory manner. He first joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Iowa City, then at Wilton and later was demitted to the lodge at Creston. He is a member of Potter Post, G. A. R., of Creston, thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old army comrades, and is an elder in the Presbyterian church of Platte Center, in which his wife also holds membership.

Mr. Mayer has seen this county transformed from an uncultivated and sparsely inhabited region into a rich agricultural district teeming with all the conveniences of modern civilization, and he has also been an active factor in the work which was necessary to bring about this wonderful change. He helped to lay out the roads on section lines and otherwise aided in the work of development and improvement here. He has made his home in Union county for almost forty years and is widely and favorably known as one of its pioneer settlers and old soldiers. He started out in life empty-handed but by persistent, well directed labor and business management has gained the prosperity that now enables him to live a quiet, peaceful life, surrounded by legions of friends, a loving wife and happy family.