John Myers (1787–1830)
Bushrod Washington bought cotton seed from Myers in 1828.
John Myers, the eldest son of a Jewish merchant who was one of the first millionaires in the United States, was born on 15 September 1787 in Norfolk, Virginia. He entered the family business at the age of twelve and within a decade became a full partner with his father. Following service as an aide-de-camp and captain during the War of 1812, Myers oversaw the family business’s branch office in Baltimore, Maryland. The Panic of 1819 bankrupted him, leading to a brief stint in debtor’s prison. Myers died in Norfolk on 27 November 1830.
Eric L. Goldstein and Deborah R. Weiner, On Middle Ground: A History of the Jews of Baltimore (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018), 25–26.
Ira Rosenwaike, "The Jews of Baltimore: 1810 to 1820," American Jewish Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, Number 2 (December 1977), 101–24.
Laurie J. Henry and Michael E. Bitter, "Early Nineteenth Century Accounting by an Adolescent Merchant," Southern Business Review, Volume 32, Issue 2 (Spring 2007), 42–55.
"Crime and Punishment at Fort Norfolk in 1814," Courier (Summer 2006), Norfolk Historical Society.
Myers-Burrage-Graham Papers (I) Group A, Special Collections Research Center, The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.
John Myers at FamilySearch.