FRANK MEYERS – A Tale of Irony? by BARNEY MOORHOUSE
Frank Meyers was born on April 10, 1928 in the 150 year old house across the highway from the comfortable brick bungalow that he and his wife Marjorie call home. He built the bungalow himself in 1964. “I built all of the buildings on my farm,” he told me. In fact, Frank Meyers has lived his entire life on his present property. And now the federal government, encouraged by a Municipal government that sees dollar signs, is about to expropriate his land. Therein lies the irony.
During 1775-1783 Captain John Meyers, a.k.a. Hans Waltimeyer, fought for England during, depending upon your point of view, the American Revolution or the War of Independence. Loyal to Great Britain, Capt. Meyers changed his name to disassociate himself from his pro-American family. Capt. Meyers, according to Frank Meyers, was feared by the Americans for his commando – type raids. Frank related that in order to coerce children into obedience mothers would threaten that Capt. Meyers would eat them if they didn’t shape up.
Following the war Capt. Meyers moved to the present Belleville area and for $100 purchased land from John Taylor in 1790. In short, the Captain erected Meyers’ dam on Meyers’ Creek. The Indian name of the river was Sagon-aska. It was also known as Singleton’s River after Capt. John Singleton, one of the first to settle the area.
According to Frank Meyers, Capt. Meyers had a dispute with Governor Gore who then changed Meyers’ River to Moira and Meyers’ Creek to Belleville in honor of his wife Lady Bella “which name has subsequently been transmogrified by the addition of a single letter.” (source County of Hastings Directory, 1879-1880.) And so Belleville eventually came into being, incorporated as a Town in 1850. In 1860 Belleville separated from the County but that’s a story for another day.
On May 22, 1798, King George 111 granted Capt. Meyers 1000 acres, presumeably for service rendered, “forever.” Language is constantly evolving as a living entity. An example from the document shows that the letter “f” is today’s letter “s” – as in the word “affigns (assigns).” The Crown patent, issued by the Minister of Natural Resources, December 30, 2010, confirms this original deed.
During the intervening years the Meyers family sold all but the remaining 230 acres which brings us to the irony earlier mentioned.
The federal government is in the process of expropriating Frank Meyers’ property. Of several properties being expropriated Meyers is the last to hold out. He was under the impression that MP Rick Norlock had introduced a bill to do so but Norlock told me there was no such bill. “For reasons of national security a decision was made by the government to move JTF2 (Special Forces) to CFB Trenton. In order to accommodate that unit it was necessary to purchase acreage north of the base. “
Ironically, some have suggested Capt. Meyers, during the Revolutionary War, was considered by some to be Special Forces.
Frank Meyers lives across the highway from his acreage describing it as prime agricultural farmland, tile-drained and rock free. He raises 30-35 beef cattle, grows hay for his cattle and crops of soybean and corn for market. “It produces bumper crops and has provided a good living to the Meyers families for over two centuries,” he said, asking, “Why on earth would politicians pick the best farmland for soldiers’ training? The Lord doesn’t make any more of this prime land and it is all we have to feed Canadians.” Meyers wondered why the government didn’t pick nearby Mountain View where there is another CFB airstrip where there are “only rocks and red cedar?”
Meyers said the expropriation has caused his family much stress. “Happiness to me is our little corner of Capt. Meyers’ farmland,” he added.
A CN mainline runs between Meyer’s house in which he was born and the farmland. He has been hit twice by trains speeding along the Toronto, Windsor and Montreal line. Nothing serious it turns out. Once a cow caught its hoof in the tracks and Meyers had to get a crow bar to free the animal. Now he loads the cattle into a trailer to move them across the rail line. It’s a busy line. Frank doesn’t know when CN bought the right of way.
Meyers would like the government to compensate him with comparable farmland near his house. He said he didn’t know what was happening at the moment. MP Norlock said, “Mr. Meyers will be appropriately compensated for the property. There are legal proceedings he has initiated and we shall see the outcome.”
In the meanwhile, on the acreage that remains, Meyers is building a barn behind his house to house and repair his equipment. In spite of the aches and pains that accompany his age, Meyers remains positive and plans for the future.
In February 2013, the federal government sent Myers a letter instructing him to abandon his farm by March. “I told them I wasn’t going anywhere,” he responded. Since then Myers has planted his corn and soybean crops. When I most recently talked to Frank, just before going to press, he said the sweet corn was six or seven feet tall – “It’ll be ready in two weeks” – and he had taken the hay off his fields to feed his cattle. “The recent rain was a real blessing,” he added. In the meantime government agents paid him a visit checking for oil leaks from his farm equipment (“they found none”) and to see if there were any barn swallows in his barns. “There were so they can’t tear down the barns.” Perhaps, because the swallows, according to SARO (Species at Risk Ontario), are an endangered species? Perhaps nature is providing Myers a helping hand?
On his own behalf Myers is lobbying Rob Nicholson, the new minister of National Defense, seeking his help opposing the expropriation while enduring the military’s policy of hurry up and wait. Then again military budget cuts may impact plans to move the Special Forces. Will this irony be a case of “The government giveth; and the government taketh?” Time, as THEY say, will tell. 2013
As of 2023 there has been no movement of the Special Forces, the military has apparently moved toxic material from the air base to this prime farmland and Frank Meyers has died. People ask why couldn’t the government leave Frank to live out his life in peace before expropriating the land?
Photo– Frank in front of the house he was born in.