Descendant of the Co-Founders of Sunbury Visits Roots

George Allen Larson of Oregon came to Sunbury to visit the sites where is great-great-great grandfather Lawrence Myers was one of the co-founders of the Village of Sunbury, Ohio.

Brothers Lawrence and Williams Myers platted Sunbury in October 1816.  Lawrence owned the land north of Granville Street and his brother owned the land south of Granville Street.

The boys were sons of Philip and Martha (Bennet) Myers.  Their siblings were John who married Sarah Stark,  Thomas who became a sheriff, Harriett who married Madison Myers and stayed in the old Myers home in Forty Fort, Sarah who married Rev. George Peck and Betsy.    All stayed in Wilkes-Barre PA area but William and Lawrence. Martha dismissed the two

Curator Polly Horn showing Larson this home of his ancestor

Ohio boys when telling Charles Miner about her family which became part of Miner's History of Wyoming, in a Series of Letters, 1845.  Somehow the families managed to keep in touch.  Lawrence would borrowed money from his father 3 times to work on his tavern. 

Lawrence and his wife Eliza built a one room house on Lot 45 in Sunbury which is known as the 1816 Room of the Myers Inn today. From here they ran a tavern for travelers and raised their family of three children, Henry Bennet, Thomas Phillip and Martha Ann Myers.  Two other girls died as infants.

In 1820, when stagecoaches began running through Sunbury from Mt. Vernon to Columbus, Lawrence built a two story stagecoach in near his one room house.  Like the house, the inn had lap siding which Lawrence hoped would run his neighbor, Hezekiah Rodgers, who had an inn in a log cabin, out of business. 

The stage business was good with a livery barn in the future Granville Street and a blacksmith on the north half of the lot next door.  In 1824, Lawrence borrowed money from his father in Wilkes Barre, PA., to join his house and inn with a Tavern Room in between.  For the first time in 8 years, the family had their own living space. 

William sunk vats and built a tannery on the other side of the Big Walnut Creek off today's Route 37 towards Johnstown.  When he died in July 1824 he left his wife Betsy, with 4 little girls Patty, Amy, Ellen, and Elizabeth, land and debts. Rufus Atherton and Artemus Cutler was assigned to guide Betsy in the selling of property to support her daughters.  By 1829, Artemus and Betsy were married when they sold some of William's land south and west of Sunbury to David Armstrong. 
 

Eleven year old Henry probably stepped into his father's shoes to help Eliza with the Inn,  On August 24, 1847 he married Lenora S. Brown, the daughter of his mother's brother Col. Thomas Brown of Berkshire.  The service was performed by S. A. Bronson in Delaware County, Ohio.  To this union Stephen Bennett Myers was born July 22, 1848 in Sunbury.  Lenora died in November 1849 and is buried in Berkshire Cemetery near her parents.  In 1854,  Henry went to Kingston Township, Luzerne CO., PA to visit his uncle Thomas Myers.  While there he married his cousin, Fanny B Myers.

In 1860 census, a Philip Myers age 29 is a sawyer in Oskaloosa Mahaska County, Iowa.  I believe this man is the son of  Thomas Myers of Kingston, Luzerne Co., PA and therefore Henry B. Myers' brother-in-law.  At any rate Henry B and Fanny were also in Oskaloosa in the 1860 census.  There children were Stephen(13),  Harry (2) and Fanny B (2 months).  Henry B. had a dry goods store.

Meanwhile in Sunbury in May 3, 1843, Eliza Myers sold lots 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 (the Inn) to William W. Winans for $2200.  She bought Out-Lot 30 from Samuel Peck  and later Lot 32 from Ellen and Amie Myers (possibly

George at Lawrence Myers Marker in Berkshire Cemetery

William's daughters).  Larson said she moved to Iowa  and died in Oskaloosa on October 25, 1855.

After Henry B. Myers died in 1864 is Oskaloosa, Fanny moved to Chicago with her children Harry, Sadie, and Susan.  Harry died in 1888 but I do not know the fate of the girls.

Stephen Bennet Myers married  Helen A. Colby and moved to Onawa, Iowa where they had 7 sons, the fifth was Dan Dean Myers.  Dan is the father of Reatha who married George Larson.  They became the parents of George Allen Larson.  Learn more about the family and George's research at  www.olelarsonsfolks.net.

Another son of Stephen and Helen was Lawrence Myers whose son Gail was married to the president of Dennison University.  In June 1991, Gail with his children Ericka and David set out from Granville to try to find the Sunbury, Ohio, where their ancestor had purchased a Bible for $4.25 on December 2, 1827.  Since there had been 5 Sunburys in Ohio they were planning on a long excursion.  Imagine their surprise when the first one was in a neighboring county and not only did their ancestor live there, he was co-founder of the town.  Gail called his brother Lawrence Myers in Tulsa, OK who was the caretaker of the Bible.  Lawrence and his wife Edith agreed to be the Grand Marshall's in the July 4th parade in 1991 as the village celebrated its 175th anniversary. 
A couple of years later, Gail had the Lawrence Myers Markers renovated.

Goto Gail Myers
Goto Markers
Goto Lawrence Myers Visit

(5-24-2013)