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Frederick Valentine Meyer was born
on April 17, 1829 in Bremen Germany, An important place since medieval
times, Bremen was a free city on Weser River and one of the buisest ports
in Europe. The German revolution of 1848 was one of the factors which produced
a steady stream of German emigrants to America.
Twenty-two year old
Frederick, along with his brother Herman, came by sailing ship around Cape
Horn to San Francisco. In spite of sail trouble off the coast of
Ireland, the six month long voyage brought the two young men safely to
their promised land.
The father of Frederick
Valentine and Herman Meyer was John Meyer. Their mothers name is unknown.
Herman Meyer worked his way east and eventually settled in Franciscoville,
Michigan. Meanwhile, his brother, Frederick left San Francisco and went
up the Sacramento Valley, arriving in Shasta County in 1851.
The pioneer worked in
mining camps around the county and must have done well enough to have been
able to invest in a fair amount of property in the Millville area of the
county, some of it along Cow Creek in Eastern Shasta County.
The first record of
land purchased by Frederick Valentine Meyer is found in the Shasta County
Deed Book C (Page 404) on January 30, 1854, showing the tranfer of one-third
part of the Anthony Dutter ranch, situated in a valley northwest of Cow
Creek in the Millville area. About a one mile distance from the same creek,
it was bounded on the west side by Joseph Worhley, and contained about
104 acres, a house, one-third of the stock, two yokes, oxen, several hogs,
wagon and a plow, all for the sum of $700. This indenture listed Frederick's
residence as Shasta City.
Meyer bought more property
in those flush times. After becoming more established in Shasta County,
Frederick at age thirty-one, took time off to travel to Franciscoville,
Michigan, to visit his brother Herman. It was Herman Meyer who introduced
his brother to nineteen-year old Caroline Louise Notten, who he married
there on May 2, 1860.
Caroline was the daughter
of John and Dorthea Notten. The newlyweds returned to Shasta County in
1860, to them fourteen children were born. The Meyer ranch and home along
Cow Creek in the Millville area, no longer in existence, was a typical
two-story pioneer farmhouse with three bedrooms for the girls and a spare
bedroom upstairs. The boys slept in a seperate building over the wine cellar.
The living room contained an organ, which Caroline bought from a peddler.
Outside the kitchen of the
farmhouse was a well, one hundred feet deep. Water was drawn up by hand
in a bucket at first, but later they used a pump. In the yard were an orange
tree and fig tree; an orchard near the springs contained apricot, plum,
apple and pear trees. Two large vineyards were on the property. From the
grapes Frederick made wine, some of which he sold.
During the early years,
Native American Indians, members of the Achomawi tribe, who mostly lived
along the Pitt River, lived in their semi-subterranean houses not far from
the Meyer ranch. Here they made their flour from the manzanita berries.
Caroline was not afraid of these Indians because she was able to communicate
with them by signs, even though they spoke different languages. When the
old chief came by, usually on his way to town, or even to the annual 4th
of July celebration, he would accept her offer of lunch and hot coffee.
On August 20, 1866,
the beginning of a series of tragic events began to unfold just south of
Millville, on a ranch owned by the Dersch family, along Bear Creek. Mrs.
Dersch and family were attacked by Indians and they murdered her. Then
Mrs. Jones was murdered by Indians near Copper City, just north of Jones
Valley. After this Caroline would take the children and camp overnight
on the hill behind the house when Frederick had to make a two-day business
trip to Shasta. They were fearful that unfriendly Indians would discover
a woman alone and burn the house.
By 1870 the Transcontinental
Railroad was completed, it was a major engineering accomplishment, because
of this the Meyer family were able to visit their family in Michigan in
1870, heading down to Sacramento to take the ride. While there one of the
fourteen Meyer children were born, who was named Frederick Valentine Meyer
Jr.
It was there on the
Meyer ranch that Frederick and Caroline Meyer were about to live out the
rest of their lives, watching their children grow and marry. Some of their
children married into other pioneer families of Shasta County.
Caroline Louise Notten
Meyer died on August 27, 1908 in Millville. It was that same year, Frederick
Valentine Meyer Sr., started losing his eye sight. By the end of 1908,
Frederick was blind in both eyes and was poor in health. Still, he survived
another eight years, up until December 31, 1916, when he died.
Both Frederick
and Caroline Meyer are buried in the Millville Masonic Cemetery. The Meyer
Ranch is a member of the State of California's 100 Year Club, for being
in buisness 100 years. Part of the original Meyer Ranch is still in existence
today. The descendants of Frederick and Caroline Meyer Sr., still live
in present day Shasta County.
Their Children:
| Anna (Fred McBroom) | b. 1861 |
| Mary Frederick (Frank R. Love) | b. 1862 |
| John (Lived 4 Months) | b. 1864 |
| Elizabeth (Edward Howell) | b. 1866 |
| William Henry | b. 1868 |
| Frederick Jr. | b. 1870 |
| Herman (Grace Gertrude Gray) | b. 1872 |
| Caroline (George Boyle) | b. 1875 |
| Adah Julia (William Yank) | b. 1877 |
| Charles Edward | b. 1879 |
| Olive (J. W. Chatham) | b. 1881 |
| Albert | b. 1883 |
| Walter | b. 1886 |
| Harry | b. 1890 |
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