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Mizer Family 1937 
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"History of the Mizer Family-1937 In 2002, this little 8 page Mizer history book was found among the keepsakes of her grandmother, by a great grandniece of its owner, J.E.Mizer. James "Elmer" Mizer 7/9 who resided near Tunnel Hill, Ohio was the youngest son of Mary Melissa Carnahan and Alfred Lorenzo Mizer 6/4 of Bladensburg, Ohio. This early Mizer History was written by Phillip Allen Mizer 7/1. Born in Coshocton County Ohio, he taught at the Evans Creek School until ill health prompted him to move the family to Tennessee. With the help of his sister, he worked as a book salesman. From the Hotel in Oliver Springs, Aug 22, 1888, Phillip wrote this recollection. There his sister Margaret, age 18, contracted typhoid fever and died. Phillip died the following day in Nov of 1889. Their remains were returned to Ohio and buried at Evans Creek Church near Bakersville.As late as 1937, when this little book was distributed, the Evans Creek Valley was still a homeground of Mizers and their kin. Phillip's brother Charles, a President of the Mizer Reunion Association, expressed in the introductory pages a hope "that this brief history...be augmented from year to year..." Building from 8 pages to nearly 2000 in 60 years, his dream has been fulfilled. Although research has corrected some facts, this book is a family heirloom which will be enjoyed and treasured. Genealogy must be in our Genes! Sue Matthews 9/1 |
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Mizer History The first Mizer family came to America in the year 1702. Queen Anne of Holland sent a colony of 100 men and their families to America in the year 1702 and settled at Albany, N. Y., where they were given a grant of 100 acres of land each by the Queen. Michael Mizer was not satisfied with the location and he and several others built canoes and traveled down Big Swastika creek as far as Hummelstown, where they found a little settlement of eight families and another at Reading of nine families. Michael looked the country over and decided to locate on Millbach creek where he had found some wonderful springs and he thought the Indians would not trouble him or his family. He had been at Millbach a short time when the Indians made it unpleasant for the families that had remained Hummelstown. They left in the night and joined Michael and they called the place Newmanstown. In 1708 the Indians ordered them all to leave or the penalty would be death (1) The Mizer farm at Millbach is still the same size, and from Michael on down to the present time, the oldest boy always got the farm, and the first was always named George.. So for six generations this farm on Millbach has been known as the old George Mizer homestead.. The first George Mizer fought in the Revolutionary war, distinguished himself at the battle of Brandywine. One of the Mizers was captain in the Baltimore War. The will made by the first Michael Mizer some two hundred years ago is still in the possession of the George Mizer who is living now on the old Mizer farm at Millbach. He also has the gun, coffee pot, and other relics that the first Michel Mizer brought from Holland. Michael Mizer had a desperate hand to hand fight with the Indians in which he killed one with his hunting knife, but the other Indian escaped, taking two of the children, girls, with them. One of them made her escape and reached home and later married a Mr. Lawrence and moved to Virginia. The other girl remained with the Indians. The old Mizer saw mill built in 1735 on Millbach creek still stands. The old bible, printed in 1709, is still in the home. The house the Mizers now live in was built in 1819 and is a beautiful farm home built of limestone and brick. Some of the Mizers went west from Millbach and settled in Ohio in Harkson county, and John Mizer, son of George came to Tuscarawas county about the year 1806. He settled near Ragersville where there was an abundance of deer and wild game of all kinds. Being a great hunter he spent most of his time in the woods.. He owned many parcels of land, paying for the same with money obtained from the sale of skins and the bounty paid by the state for wolf scalps and other predatory animals. It was John Mizer who suggested the name Bucks township where he lived on account of the abundance of deer in this region. So the commissioners acted on his suggestion and named it Bucks township, Tuscarawas county. George, Jacob, Frederick, Daniel and Phillip were all brothers of John, and all came to this part of Tuscarawas county at about the same time. There are a number of Mizers in Indiana and there is a settlement in Tennessee called Mizer and all are descendants of the first It is to be hoped that this brief history will be augmented from year to year by bits of history that may be handed to the president of the Mizer Reunion organization. The following bit of Mizer history was written by Phillip A. Mizer at Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and is as follows: Oliver Springs, Tennessee, August 22, 1888. The writer of the following lines and who is his own biographer, from some unknown cause suddenly took a notion to put upon paper the principal events in the history of his ancestors as far back as is possible. About a year after the celebrated Penn's treaty with the Indians about the year 1702, a man by the name of George Mizer, a Hollander by birth, hearing the wonders of the new world, and an ardent admirer of Wm. Penn, as well as the peaceful doctrines of Quakerism, embarked with a number of other adventures, in a vessel bound for the land beyond the sea, destined for the port of Philadelphia. After a somewhat boisterous voyage of about 28 days they landed safely at their destination on the morning of April 25th, 1702. George Mizer went on several exploring expeditions through northern, central and southern Pennsylvania. He was a great hunter and one part of the country struck him as being very desirable for a man of his tastes. He then secured title to one square mile of land about 60 miles south of Harrisburg, near a village, Sheridan, on Millbach creek. The title is established entailed and the oldest son of each son of each family was named George Mizer, and the old homestead is occupied today by George Mizer. As far as can be learned all who spell their names Mizer, Miser, Myser, Misner or Meiser, all can trace their ancestry back to George Mizer who came from Holland in 1702. The grandfather of the writer of this brief history emigrated when but 10 years of age, from Washington country, Pennsylvania, to settle near the old village of Salem which is situated on the line of Jefferson and Harrison counties in Ohio. His name is Phillip, and here he became an apprentice to a carpenter and cabinetmaker and finished his apprenticeship at the early age of 20 years. He was married shortly after to a buxom pioneer girl, Margaret Schultz, the daughter of a pioneer farmer who came to Harrison county about the same time the Mizers did. She never had a chance to go to school and consequently could not read or write. But Phillip, under difficulties that would appall the college or high school student of today, learned to read and write and cypher and consequently was about the only educated man in the community. In 1820 they moved to the village of Shanesville, Tuscarawas county, and Phillip's five brothers and three sisters came with them, their parents having died within a few weeks of each other, shortly before moving to Shanesville. George, John, Fred, Jacob, Phillip and Henry and three sisters. Phillip began at once to work at his trade making furniture, coffins and building houses. He lived contentedly at Shanesville for 10 years while his older brothers, George, John and Jacob became great hunters and Indian fighters. John played a prominent part in settling central Ohio, and won the prize for the greastest number of wolf scalps in Tuscarawas county and he suggested the name Bucks township to the commissioners on account of the great number of deer to be found there and they also named Buckhorn creek because of the way the creek branched off towards its source like a buck's horns. John was also the slayer of the notorious Indian chief White Eyes (1), whom tradition says carried around his neck a string of 99 dried tongues of white people whom he had killed. But a bullet from the unerring rifle of John Mizer prevented him from getting his 100th scalp. Jake was the giant of the family, being seven feet, two inches in his moccasins and was said to possess the strength of four ordinary men and could out run any of the Indians who cared to challenge him. John, George, Jake and Phillip bought a tract of land about ten miles southwest of Shanesville on what is known as Evans creek and John walked to Zanesville, which was then the state capital and entered the land and returned the next night about 10:00 P. M., a distance of over 60 miles round trip. In a few weeks they were all removed to their new homes where they built cabins for their families and where they lived the remaining years of their lives in peace and quiet watching the country that had been an unbroken wilderness become (reference 1986 Meisser Genealogy) Written by P. A. Mizer At Oliver Springs Hotel, Tennessee April 22, 1888. This data was compiled by John Mizer, of Sandyville Phillip A. Mizer, Chas. Mizer. Pres. Mizer Reunion Assn. Return To: MEISSER Home Page |
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Meisser Family History Copyright 2002 Web Page by Charles Paul Keller URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~keller/meisser/work/book1937.html
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