This cache is owned by Louis and Renee (Lou&aBabe).
Renee’s maternal grandmother, Eleanor (Meyer) Jacobs, was the
daughter of John Meyer, the owner of the Meyer Farm. Eleanor
and her husband Regis Jacobs, Sr are buried in a nearby cemetery
overlooking the old Meyer farm location.
History
John Meyer married Barbara Felbinger in 1897. They had 4
children. Barbara died in childbirth with Joseph, who only lived 15
days, in 1902. In March of 1906, John married Barbara's sister,
Mary. They had 13 more children.
The Meyer Farm was purchased in March of 1904 from William Wible
to John L. Meyer. It encompassed approximately 18 acres.
The farm raised it's own pigs, which they would butcher then
store in a smokehouse. There were also chickens, for eggs and meat,
and cows for milk, butter, and manure for the fields. They bought
their beef for meals, as there was no refrigeration to store it.
They would butcher in October, then hold a great big picnic
afterwards.
Mary Meyer would make bread dough on Wednesday and allow it
raise. The next morning she would get up at 5am and bake 20-25
loaves of bread in an outside oven. Each loaf was wrapped in
newspaper and stored in the fruit cellar. The men would come in
from the fields for a break everyday at 2pm. They would eat
jelly-bread and have coffee. Mary would then proceed to prepare
dinner around 3:30pm. It has been told that she and the girls would
start with a peck of potatoes! The farm bell would sound at 5pm for
dinner.
The land was sold in 1994, just after the last of the bachelor
boy's, Clarence, passed away. None of his surviving brothers
and sisters would sell the farm until he was gone. Clarence was the
only one who devoted his whole life to carrying on the duties of
farming that his father started way back in 1904. He died at the
age of 88.
After an auction was held on the premises near the Marzolf/Wible
Run Roads intersection, Maronda Homes replaced the sweat, blood,
tears and very dear memories of this family farm. The primary road
through the Maronda plan is Meyeridge Road in honor of the Meyer
family and their farm.
If these grounds could only talk!
Special thanks to Joyce Thomas for the written
history of the Meyer farm. Joyce is the daughter of Eleanor
(Meyer) Jacobs and mother of Renee. We couldn't have done
this cache without Momma T!
