Family of Thomas and Martha Hyer of Covington, Georgia
The pioneer Hyer families found in Orlando directories, histories, and census records were direct descendants of Thomas and Martha Hyer of Covington, Georgia.
The 1860 U.S. Census of Covington, Newton County, Georgia (NARA Series M653, Roll 133, Page 427) shows family of Thomas [Farr] Hyer age 42, wife Martha [Caroline Stewart] age 40, sons: W.S. [William Stewart] age 17, E.F. [Emory Few] age 15, Alex M [Alexander Means] age 13, Th [Thomas] Goodrich age 11, Edward H P [Henry Pringle] age 9, Joseph S age 7, Martha C [Caroline “Aunt Carrie”] age 5, Joseph O A age 1.
The 1870 U.S. Census of Covington, Newton County, Georgia (NARA Series M593, Roll 168, Page 67) shows family of Martha C, Hyer, widow age 49, with children Thomas [Goodrich Hyer] age 20, Edward P [Henry Pringle] age 17, Joseph M [Michael] age 15, Carrie [Martha Caroline] age 12, and Robert L [Lee] age 8.
The 1880 U.S. Census of Covington, Newton County, Georgia (NARA Series T9, Roll 160, ED 100, Sheet 94B, Page 2B) shoes the family of Martha C. Hyer age 59, daughter Carrie age 21, occupation: school teacher and son Robert Lee age 18, occupation: carpenter.
Thomas Farr Hyer Family Bible
From Progeny Record of John Henry Hyer Charleston, S.C., Hatabel Hyer, 1971.
Offspring:
1. William Stewart Hyer
2. James Henry Spencer Hyer
3. Emory Few Hyer
4. Alexander Means Hyer [“Doc”]
5. Thomas Goodrich Hyer
6. Edward Pringle Hyer [“Pring”]
7. Joseph Michael Hyer
8. May Susannah Hyer
9. Martha Carolina Hyer [“Auntie”, “Carrie”]
10. James O. Andrew Hyer
11. Robert Lee Hyer [“R.L.”, “Bob”]
Hyer Families in Orlando
The Hyer brothers were Orlando pioneers. Property records at the Orange County Comptroller’s office show that Alexander Means Hyer and his wife Mattie Hyer were in Orlando as early as 1876 when the sold 80 acres in Orange County on March 3rd for $450 dollars; his brother E.P. Hyer acting as a witness. By all accounts the Hyers were upstanding citizens and members of the First Methodist church on Jackson Street or the First Presbyterian Church. That being said, the Saint James Cathedral 1885-1985 centennial publication identifies A. M. [Alexander Means] Hyer and E. P. [Edward Pringle] Hyers [sic] as benefactors who contributed to the construction of church in 1887. A.M. Hyer served as Orlando’s fourth mayor (1879-1880) and R.L. Hyer was active in city government, as well.
Edward Pringle “E.P., Pring” Hyer (28 Mar 1853 – 1 Feb 1909) was born in Covington, Newton County, Georgia, and married Josephine Ewing (19 April 1858 – 31 Mar 1903) of Owingsville, Bath County, Kentucky on 28 Feb 1887 at Orlando. Both are buried in Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery with other family members.
The 1880 U.S. Census of Orange County, Florida (NARA Series T9, Roll 131, Page 5, Sheet 433) shows 27 year old E. P. Hyer occupation: bar and billiards, living in the household of E. A. Richards, gunsmith. The 1885 Florida State Census of Orlando, shows E. P. Hyer age 36, single, owner of a bar room.
An 1888 publication promoting “The Seminole” Hotel in Winter Park, Florida, Proprietor W. F. Paige, includes an advertisement under “BANKS” that mentions E.P. Hyer: First National Bank of Orlando tenders its services to the people in all legitimate banking business. Exchange bought and sold on all principal points. Our motto: “Safety and Conservatism. T. J. Shine, President; E. P. Hyer, Vice President; Nat Poyntz, Cashier; B. B. Poyntz, Assistant Cashier.
The 1900 U.S. Census of Orlando, Orange County, Florida (NARA Series T623, Roll 175, ED 116, Page 21B, Sheet 11B) indicates Josephine had five births but only four living children: Hattie B [Hatabel] born Oct 1889; Edna E[wing] born Oct 1893; Mary B[rummal] born Jan 1895, and Edward P[ringle Jr.] born 30 Oct 1896. (Their first child, Dorothy, died as an infant in 1888.)
Josephine Hyer died 31 Mar 1903 and her death appears to have been the catalyst for the break up of her family. In September 1903, daughters Hatabel and Edna Hyer were sent to Statesville Female College in Statesville, North Carolina to attend school. Letters written to Hatabel and Edna Hyer from their Aunts, sister, and cousin reported that their father Edward Pringle Hyer rented out his house on Jackson Street to the Moses Overstreet family and was sleeping in the cook’s old room on the porch.
In September 1903, 8 year old Mary Hyer and her 6 year old brother E.P. Jr. were living with their Aunt Hennie, Uncle Robert Lee “R. L., Bob” Hyer, and cousin Lillian Hyer in Orlando on Jackson Street just down the street from their home. The letters indicate that Uncle Bob took E.P. Jr. to live with Aunt Carrie Hyer Worsham’s family in Covington, Georgia a few weeks later. Uncle Joe Hyer who also lived in Orlando, lost his wife in 1889, and census records indicate that his daughter Estelle “Essie” Hyer was already living with Aunt Carrie’s family when E.P. Jr. arrived to live with the Worsham family in October 1903.
Aunt Carrie Hyer Worsham died in November 1904 due to injuries she sustained in a horrific accident nine months earlier. Aunt Hennie Hyer died in September 1905 in the birth of her son, Robert Lee Hyer, Jr., leaving all three Hyer brothers widowed with children. The 1907 Orlando City Directory shows E. P. Hyer employed at R. L. Hyer’s Livery Stable, residence at 105 East Jackson. It also shows Miss Hatabel Hyer, residence 105 East Jackson. It is likely that Hatabel, 17 years old in 1907, took over the responsibility of running the household and caring for her siblings E.P. Jr., Mary and Edna who would have been 10, 12 and 13 in 1907.
Edward Pringle Hyer, died in 1909 leaving his children Hatabel, Edna, Mary and E.P. Jr., ages 19, 15, 14, and 12, orphans, but surely under the watchful eye of his brother Robert Lee Hyer, who had remarried the childrens’ former teacher May Rinaldi. The 1910 U.S. Census of Orlando, Orange County, Florida (NARA Series T624, Roll 126, ED 110, Sheet 18A, Page 46A) shows Edward and Josephine’s orphaned children: Hattie B. [Hatabel] age 20, Edna E[wing] age 16, Mary B[rummal] age 15, and Edward P[ringle] age 13, living in the family home at 105 Jackson Street. Their father must have made arrangements for the children’s well-being as the house is paid for and Hatabel is not employed.
All of Edward and Josephine’s children married except Hatabel but her obituary indicates she led a full and interesting life watching Orlando grow from a little frontier town to a metropolitan center.
Obituary and Funeral Notice – Sentinel Star, Monday, 2 June 1980, p. 4C
Miss Hatabel Hyer, Member of Pioneer Orlando Family, Dies.
Miss Hatabel Hyer, a member of one of Orlando’s oldest families and one of the area’s first woman insurance agents, died Sunday morning. She was 90. Miss Hyer, Highway 436, Forest City, helped organize the Orlando chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Organization and was one of the first officers of the Sorosis Club.
She was the daughter of Edward Pringle Hyer, who came to Orlando from Georgia in 1875 with his three brothers. Hyer opened a bookstore on Orange Avenue in 1886, which he sold in 1889. He was a member of the Orlando City Council in the 1890s.
One of Hyer’s brothers, Robert, was elected to the city council five times. He opened a livery stable at the corner of Central and Orange Avenues in 1892. The first telephone in Orlando was installed there. A second brother, Dr. A.M. Hyer, was elected as a city alderman in 1877 and became Orlando’s fourth major in 1879. Hyer Avenue in east Orlando was named for the family.
Miss Hyer was interested in recording Orlando’s history and started the Oral History Program, taking a tape recorder into old Orlandoans’ homes to record their voices as they talked about the city’s history. The Orlando Public Library took over the project and the tapes are now with the genealogy department of the library. Survivor: sister, Mrs. Neil Dale, Winter Garden. Carey Hand Funeral Chapel, Orlando.
Explore the IMAGES and DOCUMENTS below under Attachments.
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Obituary - Hatabel Hyer - 1980
The obituary of Hatabel Hyer was published in the Sentinel Star on Monday 2 June 1980, page 4C. The Funeral Notice was also...
1915-16 Orlando City Directory - Hyers in Orlando
The 1915-1916 Orlando City Directory (p. 162) shows the adult Hyer family members living in Orlando. Miss Edna E [Ewing] Hyer, clerk at...
Hyer Family - 1930 Telephone Directory
1930-1931 Orlando, Florida Telephone Directory, including Sanford and Longwood, Winter-Spring Issue, p.27. The directory shows David B. Hyer architect...
Saint James Cathedral 1885-1985 centennial publication with pictorial directory of families.
"The Good News of St. James Cathedral: A Short History of the First 100 Years of a Catholic Parish" by Edward Hayes, who attended St. James and was a columnist for The Orlando Sentinel for many years is included in the directory.
Early church benefactors noted in the directory include Joseph Bumby, Mahlon Gore, A. M. Hyer, E. P. Hyer, J. Perey Keating, J. H. Livingston, M. R. Marks, J. B. Parramore, C.H. Spellman, Anna Churchill, Catherine Lansing, Nat Pointz, Maria Reilly, J.M. O"Connell, Charles Green, J. F. Lanaghan, Peter Mack, J. W. Keller, C.F. Howes, G. Kennedy, C. H. Shattuck, J. Campin, M. Massey, John G. Sinclair, E. R. Gunby, L. O. Garrett and brothers, N. H. Brown and C. A. Boone.
Use the index to locate people, organizations and locations. Note: the directory does not have page numbers. The index numbers refer to the pdf page numbers.
Image : Winter Park Company Office Mentioned: The Seminole Hotel, The Winter Park Company, F. B. Knowles of Worcester, Mass.; F. Fairbanks of St. Johnsbury, Vermont; C. H. Hutchins of Worcester, Mass.; Judge J. F. Welborne of Winter Park; J. S. Capen of Winter Park, Elisha F. Ames of Boston; W. E. Forbes of Worcester, Mass.; S. S. Capen of Winter Park; W. C. Comstock of Chicago; Peleg Peckham of St. Louis; Robert L. Day of Boston; Joseph B. Ames of Boston; Dr. J. R. Tantum of Wilmington, Delaware; John Symonds of Keene, NH; Mayor Robert White Jr.; E. L. Maxson, Marshal Alexander Earl, Acting Marshal J. H. Lamay, Assessor Samuel S. Capen, Aldermen Henry S. Chubb, J. W. Dieffenderfer, F. R. Israel, R. R. Thayer, J.R. Mizell, Walter Simpson, J. S. Capen. Attorney William H. Jewell; A. L. Newman, President National Bank of the COmmonwealth of Boston, Mass.; F. G. Webster of Kidder, Peabody & Company, Boston, Mass.; Hon. Alpheus Harding, President Miller's River National Bank in Athol, Mass.; Judge Charles Field of Athol, Mass. Banks: The First National Bank of Sanford, Frederic H. Rand, president; Frank P. Forster, cashier. First National Bank of Orlando, T. J. Shine - president, E. P. Hyer - vice president, Nat. Poyntz - cashier, B. B. Poyntz - assistant cashier. Citizens National Bank of Orlando, L. O. Garrett - president, H. S. Kedney - vice president, H. G. Garrett - cashier.
Edward Pringle Hyer and William A. Patrick purchased property from James Delaney and Margaret Delany on 5 December 1879 for $200. It appears to be part of the property that comprised the Livery stable and mule lot owned by E. P. Hyer in the 1890s.
Property Description: North portion of Lot number Six in the plat and Survey of the Town of Orlando, Fronting twenty two feet on the Street running north and south between Lot number Six and the Court House Square and running back west Seventy feet; said lot number Six being described as follows; bounded on the north by Lot number five or Jail lot on the east, by the Street running north and South between Lot number six and the Court House Square on the South by the Street running east and west between lot number Six and lot number Seven, and on the west by the lands now owned by Robert R. Reid. Said lot number six having a front on the Street west of the Court House Square of seventy feet and running back west one hundred feet and being in the south east quarter of Section twenty six in township twenty two, South of Range twenty nine, each containing sixteen hundredths of an acre, more or less.
Others mentioned: J. C. Anderson, D. T. Shine, S. B. Harrington, J. P. Hughey. The 1884 Business District map reproduced in Bacon's Orlando a Centennial History, Volume 1, pp. 120-21 shows that this is a mule lot which in 1884 is owned by P. A. Foster who also owns the livery stable at the corner of Orange and Central. The mule lot is bordered on the north by Central Ave, on the east by Court Avenue, on the south by Pine Street.
"the above is part of the same land conveyed by James Delaney to W. A. Patrick and E. P. Hyer all of which will now fully appear lay reference to a plan of the town of Orlando on file in the clerks office of said county and state."
Others mentioned in deed: Edward Pringle Hyer, E.P. Hyer, William A. Patrick, Jane E. Patrick, T. J. Shine, J. P. Hughey, L. J. Dollins, James Delaney.
The 1884 Business District map reproduced in Bacon's Orlando a Centennial History, Volume 1, pp. 120-21 shows that this is a mule lot which in 1884 is owned by P. A. Foster who also owns the livery stable at the corner of Orange and Central. The mule lot is bordered on the north by Central Ave, on the east by Court Avenue, on the south by Pine Street.
No description has been added yet
List of property documents on file at the Comptroller of Orange County Florida and available online at the Comptroller web site.
Comptroller Orange County Florida http://www.occompt.com
The 1900 U.S. Census of Orlando, Orange County, Florida (NARA Series T623, Roll 175, ED 116, Page 21B, Sheet 11B) shows the family of Edward P. Hyer age 48, born March 1852 in Georgia; his wife Josephine B. age 42, born in Kentucky in April 1858, married 13 years, had five pregnancies with four living children. The children are Hattie B age 10, born Oct 1889 in Florida; Edna E. born Oct 1893 in Florida; Mary Brummal born Jan 1895 in Florida, and Edward P born Oct 1896 in Florida.
The fifth child was Dorothy who died as an infant in 1888.
Full names: Mary Brummal Hyer, Edna Ewing Hyer, Hatabel Hyer, Josephine Ewing Hyer, Edward Pringle Hyer
Edward Pringle Hyer, died in 1909 leaving his children Hatabel, Edna, Mary and E.P. Jr., ages 19, 15, 14, and 12, orphans, but surely under the watchful eye of his brother Robert Lee Hyer, who had remarried the children's' former teacher May Rinaldi. The 1910 U.S. Census of Orlando, Orange County, Florida (NARA Series T624, Roll 126, ED 110, Sheet 18A, Page 46A) shows Edward and Josephine's orphaned children: Hattie B. [Hatabel] age 20, Edna E[wing] age 16, Mary B[rummal] age 15, and Edward P[ringle] age 13, living in the family home at 105 Jackson Street. Their father must have made arrangements for the children's well-being as the house is paid for and Hatabel is not employed.
No description has been added yet
Obituary and Funeral Notice for Edward Pringle Hyer, Jr. -
son of Edward Pringle Hyer, Sr. and Josephine Hyer; brother of Hatabel Hyer, Edna Hyer, and Mary Hyer.
Mentioned: Theresa Hyer, Miss Hatabel Hyer, Mrs. Edna Newbanks, Mrs. Mary Dale.
