Charleston Gazette
May 22, 1910
Remains Of Doctor Mayer Brought Home By His Family
Funeral Will Be Held Monday At Two Oclock With Rev. Leon Volmer Officiating
Named His Choices For Pallbearers
Wonderful Old Man Is Mourned By Great Circle Of Friends In
Charleston
The remains of Dr. D. Mayer were brought to Charleston last evening from Cincinnati, the city in which he died.
The funeral will be held Monday at 2 o'clock p. m., from the residnce [sic], 138 Summers street and will be conducted by Rabbi Leon Volmer, of the Virginia street temple.
Before he left here for Cincinnati and while realizing the possibility of his dying while away, Dr. Mayer asked that he be buried while wearing a suit indicating his membership in the G. A. R. And before he left he named four of the men he wished to be his pass bearers. These were Col. W. E. Chilton, ex-Governor W. A. MacCorkle, M. Goldbarth and Charles Loeb. After he had named these men, who were his friends for many years, he grew too weak to name the other two, but it was suggested that he intended to name Hon. Adam Littlepage and Ike Lowenstein, and they have been designated as the other pall bearers.
Throughout the city of Charleston expressions of regret were made when it was learned that Dr. Mayer had died. Nearly everyone who has been here for any length of time knew him and every one who had the honor of his acquaintance liked him. He was for many years identified with business, professional and poltical [sic] affairs, and was successful in nearly all of his undertakings. In fact he was one who might have been termed properly a self-made man. At the time of his death he was aged 73 years, four months and fourteen days, having been born January 6, 1837, in Nierstine, Germany. He is survived by ten children, who are:
Dr. Joe Mayer, Winfield; Albert Mayer, Ballard, W. Va.; Edgar Mayer, Decorah, Iowa; Ernest Mayer, Boston; Dan Mayer, Hinton; Ralph Mayer, Hinton, Bernard Mayer, Tampa, Fla.; Mrs. Charles Winkler, New York; Mrs. Lewis Litt, New York, and Mrs. James Fahy, New York.
Mrs. Litt was formerly of Texas. She went to New York three months ago to bury her son who had died in the southwest, and will make her home there.
Dr. Mayer is given credit with being the founder of Odd Fellowship in South America. He was distinguished in that order as he was in the Masons. In fact he was one of the few thirty-third degree Masons in this state, having obtained to that exceptional rank through services rendered the organization.
He measured high in the rank of success in every line he undertook, and from, 1853, when he came to this country, he met with few reverses[.] Before coming to this part of the country after landing in New York from Germany, Dr. Mayer spent one year in New York, and then went to Pomeroy, Ohio, where he remained several years. He was identified with the salt industry in Meiggs [sic] county for some time and then went to medical college in Cincinnati where he graduated. Later he went back to Pomeroy where he practiced his profession and edited the Granraus, a German newspaper, for a few years. When the Civil war was called[,] Dr. Mayer formed a company of volunteers in Jackson county, and the company was in camp in Mason county for some time. Dr. Mayer was elected captain but soon afterwards resigned to accept the position of surgeon in the Fifth regiment of West Virginia volunteers. He served in that capacity till September 1864, when he was honorably discharged. At the time of his death he was commander of the department of West Virginia G. A. R., and was held in high regard by all the veterans. His last ambition was to be present at the encampment which was held here last week and he had prepared an able address to be delivered then. During the moments of his delirium just before his death he made reference to the speech and called the names of a number of comrades who were near and dear to him.
The successful career of Dr. Mayer shows what pluck, perseverence [sic] and talent will produce. He was interested in the insurance business for a number of years and made a success of that just the same as he did while practicing medicine and following the profession of law. In politics he was a leader and was one of the most notable characters while in the legislature of the state during two terms. Then when he went as consul to Buenos Ayres he made such a record that he was appointed later, by President Roosevelt, as consul general there, a post he occupied with distinction for four years. It was during one of his return trips on a vacation, that Mrs. Mayer died on board ship and was buried at sea. That deplored occurrence was April 15th, 1905.
Three years ago Dr. Mayer married Miss Olive Blumback, of Newport, Ky., who survives him. No children were born to their union.