Myer Isaac Iseman (1849-1919) grew up in Darlington, South Carolina and was raised in the mercantile industry. His parents, Isaac (1818-1894) and Rosina Lillenthal Iseman (1822-1913) were German immigrants and according to the 1860 US census, they enslaved three people—aged 18, 16, and 9. By the following census, Myer and his brother Leopold (1850-1894) were living independent of their parents and were listed as a merchant and store clerk respectively.
Due to the destruction of the 1890 census data, it is unclear when Myer left Darlington. However, by 1900, he was living in Harleesville (now Little Rock), South Carolina with his wife Hattie Katz Iseman (1858-1922) and their five children: Abraham, Leon, Edwin, Isaac, and Harrol. In both 1900 and 1910, he was listed as a dry goods store owner.