(This photo was probably taken ca 1870 during Johann's second and final stay in Richmond. It appears all his children received similar pictures—at least three are still known to exist.)

Relatives have several letters that were sent to Johann while he was alone in the States. In his daughter Libby's first letter, dated September 6, 1859 (the oldest of the letters), she asks about her father's journey to America: "I hope you did not have much illness or rough weather." Then she tells him about having to stay home from work to take care of mother: "She has had 3 boils under her right arm and one coming up under her left; one of her boils under her right arm has broken. There is one not broken and another coming; she is obliged to poultice them."

In his son, John George's letter, dated December 5, 1859: "Mama's legs are sickly, they would be quite well, if she did not scratch or rub them." Then he asks whether his father is looking for a house for the family, plus procurring furniture and servants. Also, in the letter he said he looked forward to seeing his aunt and uncle, and cousins. So, it must be assumed that Charles H. Meyer, Johann's youngest brother, was already in New York, since Carston was the executor in Britain.

In other letters, there was talk of Catherine's tuition; Elizabeth and John being good dancers and going to parties and balls; selling and auctioning off furniture prior to emigration. Finally, on March 6, 1869, John George writes that the family will set sail April 10th.

While working in New York, Johann received a patent for separating iron from sugar with a magnet extractor, the patent issued in July 1868. It's possible that he was working for the Havemeyers when the patent was issued, which means by patent law they might have proclaimed ownership even though Johann had done the work while still in England (there are drawings and documents attesting to that fact, dated July 7, 1856). This is all mere conjecture but, if anywhere near the truth, it might explain the falling-out and Johann's departure for a refinery in Portland, Maine—and certain of the Meyer Family's regrets over not owning Domino Sugar.

After parting ways with the Havemeyers, Johann supervised two other sugar refineries, the one in Portland, and another in Richmond, VA, where Johann spent his final years in charge of the Old Dominion Sugar Refinery, located at Dock Street and Seventeenth Street. Unfortunately, "Gas-Tar" was discovered in the water used at the plant, and a chemist reported there was no known way to destroy it. After that, things didn't go well, I fear, as Johann lent the principal owner money, only to have him go bankrupt in January, 1874, two months before Johann passed away.