Eliab Myers

As printed in 1902

ELIAB MYERS, M. D.

Eliab Myers, who for many years successfully practiced medicine, and whose contributions to medical literature and kindred subjects have made his life of value to his fellow men, was born in Springfield, Ohio, December 17, 1848, and is a son ot JN. Myers, who came to the Buckeye state from Phoenix, Baltimore county, Maryland, in the year 1837. The ancestry of the family can be traced back to Jonathan Meyers, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, who settled in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1708. There he purchased a farm and carried on agricultural pursuits. His son, John Myers, changed the spelling of the name, dropping the first “e.” The family is a very old German one, identified. with the Keystone state from an early period in its development. Many of the number have become prominent in professional life as ministers and in other of the learned professions and the descendants have usually been connected with the Lutheran and Reformed churches. John. Myers was united in marriage to Miss Negley, and unto them were born nine children, all of whom lived to an advanced age

— between seventy and ninety years—with the exception of the father of our subject. John Myers came with his family to Clark: county and purchased bottom land in Mad

- River township, where he carried on agricultural pursuits until his death. Both he and his wife were buried in the old George Keifer cemetery, on the farm now owned by L. J. M. Baker.

J. N. Myers was born in York county, upon the home farm that had been in the possession of the family since 1708. His natal day was in 1810, and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded Miss Mary Catherine Miller, who was born in York county in 1812. As before state, the year 1837 witnessed their arrival in Clark county. In 1838 he purchased a farm in Bethel township, which he traded in 1840 for what are known as the Valley Mills, south of Enon. He learned the trade of a wheelwright in early life and followed that pursuit until his removal to Clark county. Here he carried on agricultural pursuits only until 1840, when he removed to Valley Mills and turned his attention to the operation of a saw and flour mill and a distillery, residing there until 1847. He then removed to what is now West Springfield, and rented a sawmill south of the Buck creek bridge, owned by James Leffel. This he operated until 1851. He also bought the home which is now the last house on West Main street. A portion of this tract of land is now included within Snyder Park. In connection with Mr. Lemon, Mr. Myers went to Dialton, in Pike township, and built a steam sawmill, the first in that part of the county. This they operated for a time, Mr. Myers removing his family to the new home in 1852. The mill was conducted until 1860, when it was converted into a wheel manu- TEE.BIOGRAPHICALSRECORD.

factory, the firm engaging in the manufacture of wheels for the Thomas € Mast Company, agricultural implement builders. Thus Mr. Myers was engaged until his death. In 1864 the entire plant was destroyed by fire, which occasioned great loss, as there was no insurance, but he at once rebuilt and remained an enterprising and progressive citizen of Dialton until his death. He was the real founder of the town and his business affairs were conducted most of the time alone, as he had a partner only a short time. He died October 2, 1866, whiié his wife long survived him, passing away on the Ist of January, 1896. In their family were thirteen children, but six of the number died in early childhood. Those who reached maturity were as follows: Sarah J., born in 1838, in Phoenix, Maryland, was married in 1851 to John Bosserman, an old settler of Springfield, who died in 1888, and she is now living in Vernon county, Missouri; Rebecca, born in 1839, is the wife of James Edmiston, a farmer living in Bethel township, Champaign county; John, born in 1841, at Valley Mills, died at Dialton, in January, 1902; Jacob, born in 1842, was associated in business with his brother John until 1893, when he went to the west and js now a general ranchman at Walla Walla, Washington; Catherine Ann, born in 1845, is living in German township, Clark county, and is the wife of Samuel Dingledine; Eliab is the next younger; Alice Ida, born in 1854, is the wife of James M. Jenkins, of Shelby county, Ohio,

Dr. Myers was educated in the common schools and when a young man engaged in teaching in Dialton and in the western part of the county. He read medicine with Dr. R. Rector, of North Hampton, Ohio, and received private instruction in languages.

Later he engaged in teaching and in reading medicine for four years and pursued’ several courses of lectures in the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, where he was graduated in March, 1873, with the degree of M. D. He then began practice at North Hampton, where he remained for one year, after which he was located in Fairfield, Greene county, where he practiced until the winter of 1879. Dr. Myers then came to Springfield, where he opened an office and engaged in general practice. In 1885 he pursued a special course of study in the Bellevue Medical College of New York, and at all times he has been an earnest and indefatigable student in his efforts to broaden his knowledge and thus make his services of greater benefit to his fellow men. He was appointed a member of the board of pension examiners under President Cleveland ‘in April, 1885, and within six weeks had the board established. He remained in that office until 1889, when he resigned, continuing, in the practice of medicine until 1891. In that year he took up the subject of embalming, since which time he has been lecturing and writing on the subject and has been teaching since 1894. He has compiled and published two works on embalming, the first issued in 1897 and the second in 1900. He lectures to state associations in this country and to embalmers’ associations in Canada and is a regular contributor on that topic to various papers published in the United States and to foreign journals. His text books have been sold throughout the civilized world. He lectures in the larger cities and also gives demonstrations, and has made deep research concerning the subject, now giving his entire time to this line of investigation.

The Doctor was married in 1873 to Annettie M. Baker, who was born in Enon,

As printed in A Biographical Record of Clark County Ohio (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.