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(October 15, 1797 - March 9, 1853) William Myers (b. 1753) and his wife Flora moved from Virginia to Kentucky, where the last of their ten children, David Myers, was born. David married fellow Kentuckian Letitia Reddish (1801 - 1885) in 1820. They moved to Indiana in 1829 and to Illinois in 1831, where David became a well-established Baptist Preacher. In 1843 he was ordained at Taylor's Creek Church in Jersey County, Illinois. Inspired by the prospect of free land in Texas, David and Letitia traveled south with their children and grandchildren, and on Christmas Eve, 1845, they crossed the Red River into Texas. They settled on a land grant in Peters Colony located 12 miles northwest of the present-day city of Dallas. Myers quickly established himself as a religious leader of the pioneer settlements in this area and on May 10, 1846, organized the Union Baptist Church, the earliest continuing Baptist congregation in Dallas County. He served Union Baptist Church until his death and was instrumental in the establishment of other churches in the area including Bethel, Rowlett Creek, Liberty, and Lonesome Dove. Myers died of pneumonia resulting from exposure to cold rain on his return home after delivering a sermon in Collin County. |
