MEGINNES, William Sr. and Catherine Harmon – William was born near Chamersburg, Pennsylvania in 1786, and came to the Roanoke, Illinois neighborhood in 1853. He and Catherine then moved into Greene Twp. in 1855. There were nine children born to them; William Jr., being the father of Charles, who in turn was the father of the William Meginnes who lives on the home farm in 1953. The pioneer, and elder William Meginnes died October 18, 1858, aged 72.
MERCHANT, A. M. and M. A. – Parents of John Merchant who died in service in the Civil War, September 9, 1864, aged 23.
MESSER, Rev. Isaac and Sidnay Ann Forbes (1787-1843) – Rev. Messer was the oldest member of the Messer family which came into Illinois. He was born May 2, 1781 in Pennsylvania, and died on the Mackinaw River January 21, 1861. He was a veteran of the War of 1812. His pioneer wife died May 9, 1843. Both are buried in the Messer Cemetery south of the Mackinaw.
While not of El Paso Twp., the Messer family have been prominent in the nearby area ever since, and this pioneer preacher, who was pastor of the earliest United Brethern Church near Fifer, was the great grandfather of Wayne Messer. Rev. Isaac's son, John B. Messer, settled the Thomas Enright farm in 1836. Rev. Isaac buried a son in the Messer Cemetery who died February 26, 1835, one of that area's earliest burials, only one year after Rev. Isaac arrived to build a cabin near there in 1834.
MESSER, Isaac Jr. and Nancy E. Locke (1836-1906) – As a three year old boy, Isaac accompanied his parents to the Mackinaw River area in 1834. He was born December 28, 1831 and died April 30, 1900, and is buried in the Messer Cemetery.
MESSER, John B. and Susan E. Patton – John was born in Pennsylvania on August 4, 1807, and died on the Mackinaw River on November 10, 1879. It is believed he moved into Illinois before his father Rev. Isaac did, as he settled in Sugar Grove in the fall of 1828. He moved to a site near where Lexington now stands in 1829, coming to the Thomas Enright farm north of the Mackinaw in 1836. John and Susan were the parents of John Patton Messer, who in turn was father of John, Frank and Irvin I. Messer.
MESSER, John Patton and (1) Mary S. (1842-1867), (2) Elizabeth J. (1838-1928) – John was the son of John B. Messer and Susan E. Patton, and the father of John, Frank and Irvin Messer.
MESSER, Joseph and Martha Lock (1832-1875) – Joseph was born in Pennsylvania on September 5, 1825 and died April 8, 1898 near the Mackinaw. A pioneer settler in the area with his father, Isaac, and his brother, John B. Messer. Both are buried in the Messer Cemetery.
METZGER, Chris – Born in Philadelphia, September 15, 1834. He settled in Panola Twp. in 1856 as a farmer. He moved into El Paso in 1873 and engaged in the grain business, with the firm of McClellan & Co.
MEYERS, Jacob C. and Jane – Jacob came to Panola about 1855 with his family. He was from Pennsylvania. Both he and his brother O. P. A. Meyers, had first settled in Greene Twp. where Jacob had purchased "metes and bounds" survey in the SE 1/4 of SW 1/4, Section 20 on December 10, 1852.
MEYERS, Oliver P. A. and Nancy J. – Oliver was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1828. He patented the E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 22, and the W 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 23 in Greene Twp. on July 13, 1850, and other lands in Sections 1, 15 and 21 in 1854. He is credited with naming