| His parents | Married c. 1853 | |
3GGF Peter Meyer |  Prussia --> IL --> WI | 3GGM Christine Fein-Meyer |
| Ancestor 40 (101000) c. 1825 - c. 1877 | Ancestor 41 (101001) c. 1828 - 2/12/1890 |
A Peter Mayer and Christine Fien are found arriving in New York City together on Ship Concordia, arriving from Antwerp, Belgium, 5/07/1857. They are listed as ages 28 and 32 at the time, which places Peter about two years older than most other records. There were other Meyer / Mayers next to them on the ship log (both spellings were used even within this record): adult males Leonhard, Johann, and Jacob, presumably Peter’s brothers, and Gertrude, age 3. Nobody on the ship’s log would fit the bill of their parents, so it would seem that Peter and Christine left their parents behind in Europe.
They settled in Cook County, IL (in or near Chicago) where they had five children: Leonard (1858), Joseph, Johann, Peter *, and Abbie (1868). I have not yet found their 1860 census record. A genealogist has told me that Joseph’s marriage record shows a birthplace of “Town Miles”, IL. I never saw that certificate myself. There is no such town as Miles, IL, but there is a Niles Township in Cook County about 12 – 13 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. (I believe it is suburban today and was probably completely rural at the time). Unfortunately, Cook County’s vital records were destroyed in the “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” great fires of 1871.
The “Myre” family is found in the 1870 US census living in Taycheedah, Fond du Lac County, WI. Gertrude, who would have been 16, is not listed on this family roll. Peter and Christine were by far the wealthiest family on their census page, with real estate valued at $8,500 and personal possessions worth $800.
Their last two children were born in Wisconsin: Mary (1871) and Katie (1872).
A “Peter Meyer” is listed as head of household in the 1875 Wisconsin census, living in the 6th ward of Fond du Lac. The only information about the family in that entry is its makeup of 5 males and 4 females, which perfectly matches Peter and Christine’s nuclear family, not including Gertrude.
That 1875 census is the last record of Peter. Christine is listed as a widow in the 1880 US census. She was still living in Fond du Lac, now in the 4th ward. I have not been able to find any death or probate records for Peter.
The family most likely attended either St. Joseph’s or St. Mary’s church, the only two historically German Catholic churches in FDL. They are only 2,000 feet apart. Both date back before the 1870s, but neither one has death records that old, and neither building is the original. His likeliest place of burial would be Calvary Cemetery of FDL, but that cemetery did not keep consistent records until 1889.
Christine and her young children, including 2GGF Peter, moved to Marinette, WI in the 1880s. This is her FindAGrave profile. The profile indicates that she died 2/12/1890 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery of Marinette without a surviving tombstone. This cemetery was abandoned, and some of the bodies were relocated to nearby cemeteries such as Forest Home, without headstones. I don’t know if 3GGM was moved or not.