John Carl & Elisabeth(Wille) Meier Family

This is a family picture of the John Heinrich Christian Carl Meyer/Meier and Marie Charlotte Wilhelmine "Elisabeth" (Wille) Meyer/Meier family taken about 1907. The spelling of Meyer changed to Meier by Carl about 1890 for some unknown reason.
Johann Heinrich Christian "Carl" Meyer is from Eldena, Mecklenburg, Germany born there on December 31, 1838. Elisabeth Wille was born on April 13, 1853 in Gross Wanzer, Sachen-Anhalt, Germany (Prussia). They came to New York, USA, from Hamburg on the Ship Vandalia on May 4, 1872 arriving on May 22, 1872. John Carl and Elisabeth married at the First Zion Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL on September 27, 1872. They then moved to Clayton Center, Clayton County, Iowa about 1874 where they bought land. They sold that land about 1890 to Carl's brother Frederik Meyer and then moved to Winneskiek Co., IA on a farm near Postville, Allamakee County, Iowa. About 1905 they purchased land North of Kimball,Brule County, South Dakota. Most of the family moved there and some girls stayed in Clayton County, IA. Carl & Elizabeth (Wille) Meier are buried in the cemetery in Clayton Center, Clayton County, Iowa in Lot 59.