Johann Mayer-Second Owner of the Messer/Mayer Mill
Shortly after his marriage, in the year 1851, Johann George Mayer
and his bride, Juliana took passage at Hamburg, Germany for New York with Wisconsin as their prospective destination. Their journey by sailing ship lasted approximately three weeks. It was, as one might expect, a particularly sad parting from their parents and siblings. Johann’s mother frequently went up to the attic of their home to look out the window toward the west where her three sons, a daughter, a daughter–in-law and a son-in-law had gone. They were responsible for taking their own food on the ship and, apparently, their main food staple was Zwieback.
Johann’s brother, Fred, had emigrated to Milwaukee approximately one year earlier and became the founder of the well-known F. Mayer Boot and Shoe Company in Milwaukee. After a brief sojourn in Milwaukee, Johann and Julia moved 25 miles northwest to Washington County where he took up 40 acres and became a frontiersman. During those early years, they endured hardships that fall to the lot of pioneers. Despite the innumerable obstacles and the discouragements which he encountered, he never lost heart but energetically pursued his course with the determination which resulted in success. As circumstances permitted, he increased his holdings until he owned 160 acres of land and transformed the land into a well improved property. He engaged in diversified farming and stock raising, constructed one of the first concrete dams and developed private hydro-electric power to run his saw
mill and grist mill, and thus acquired a competence which enabled him to spend the evening of his life in well-earned rest.
According to their family Bible, they had 15 children. There was much hard work to be done on the farm and his wife had her share of it. According to relatives, “George” as he was known by family and friends, never got the water or milked the cows. He thought that was women’s work. His wife, Julia, had to do all that plus churn the butter, work in the fields, etc. She also did all the sewing, washed the windows every Saturday, and raised the children. Because of all
this, she was as thin as a stick. George was a good provider though, and he worked like a slave. He cleared the land by himself. He went to town regularly to take things to market and stayed with his brother when he did these trips. Note: Johann Mayer became the owner of the Messer/Mayer Mill when Andrew Messer died unexpectedly and his wife could not keep running the mill.
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