----Source: NEILLSVILLE PRESS (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 01/19/1928

Beyer, William (31 MAY 1846 - 16 Jan 1928)

(the first part of my copy was cut off)….soon overcame the difficulties of pioneer life. In 1875 William Beyer was married to Miss Gustine Puttkammer and they settled on the home farm. To the original place they added other lands until Mr. Beyer had in all 440 acres. In Oct. 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Beyer, with eight of their children, went to Portland, Oregon, four of the children remaining here. About four years ago Mr. Beyer's health began to fail and he and his wife returned to make their home here.

Mr. Beyer was a man of sterling honesty and uprightness. During his long life here no work was ever heard against his character. He did faithfully and well all the duties of life, as a husband, father, neighbor and citizen. He did more than the ordinary duties in developing his community. He early took an interest in building a church, donated the site for the builder and helped actively in its construction and maintenance. This church, the Pine Valley Lutheran, was long known and is still known as the Beyer Church. Mr. Beyer was very fond of music and was himself something of a musician. He gave his sons preliminary training in music and assisted them in further musical education, until they developed a fine band in the family, an organization which became quite famous in Portland when they lived there. He was on the whole a man of fine qualities, far beyond the ordinary.

To Mr. and Mrs. Beyer were born twelve children, eleven of who, with his wife, survive him. The children are: Mrs. W. J. Wagner, Neillsville; Mrs. Ben Wagner, Neillsville; Oscar Beyer, Wausau; Wm. F. Beyer on the home farm in Pine Valley, Clark County; Mrs. Theodore Linster, Weston; Herman Beyer, Greenwood; Elmer Beyer, Neillsville; August Beyer, Globe; Alma Beyer, deceased; Carl Beyer, Portland; Albert Beyer, Portland; Mrs. Hilda Cutter, Portland. He leaves 27 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; also one sister, Mrs. Ferdinand Knoop of Pine Valley.

The funeral was held Monday in the Beyer Church in Pine Valley, burial taking place there. Rev. J. G. Buth preached the funeral sermon, six sons acted as pallbearers and three granddaughters as flower girls. All surviving children were in attendance at the funeral.