Myles was born April 8, 1896 in Northwest Stanberry, Missouri. He attended school for a few years and then he helped his father, Newt, as school janitor. Myles enlisted in the Army on July 6, 1918 in Albany, Missouri. He was in Company D, 2nd Corps School, Demolition Battalion. Myles served 13 months in WWI in France. When the Army discovered he was the son of a cemetary sexton and knew how to dig graves, they "put him to work digging graves" in France. He was discharged on July 23, 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. After returning from France, he worked at the Swift Packing plant in Denver, Colorado for 4 years. Returning to Stanberry, he again helped his father and finally took over as sexton of High Ridge Cemetary in 1930. He dug all graves by hand until 1952. He then went to Sunflower, Kansas and worked in the Ordinance Powder plant until 1957. Returning to Stanberry, he worked as a custodian at Farmers State Bank and the Methodist Church until a heart attack forced him to retire in 1967. Myles was known for his meticulous yard and beautiful flowers. He married Virta Irene Motzkus on his parents' 50th wedding anniversary. They had one daughter, Henrietta Nell Kier Martin, born March 5, 1933.
Biography submitted by Vitra Kier to "Where the Railroad Ends", history of Stanberry, Missouri. Hand written information on WWI training company photograph owned by Lee Hoskins.
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Featured National Park champion connections: Myles is 15 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 21 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 13 degrees from George Catlin, 15 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 21 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 15 degrees from George Grinnell, 26 degrees from Anton Kröller, 14 degrees from Stephen Mather, 21 degrees from Kara McKean, 14 degrees from John Muir, 18 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 23 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.