Christian Fike

Notes:

SOURCE: "Christian Fike and His Descendants" by Merilyn B. Fike Morrow
page 22, AEC Christian Fike, III - - - - -

"When Christian, III was 63 years old, in 1855, he packed his household goods in a covered wagon and with his wife and seven of their 13 children and their families, started for Iowa. The children who accompanied him on the trip were: Peter, Moses, Tobias, John, Joseph, Susanna and Sarah.
The trip was a long and hard one. One son who started out with them, Emmanuel, turned back for some reason. Later he did go to Iowa and settled on a farm.
Little did anyone know that Christian, III had enough money in a pouch around his waist to buy each of his children a quarter-section of land. The family settled in Monroe Township, Benton County, Iowa, on sections 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33. The price paid was the homestead price of $1.25 per acre, and from $5.00 to $10.00 an acre for the balance. Later Christian, III bought a quarter-section for his daughter Mary.
A large log house was built on the farm that was to belong to Moses. The families all lived together in this large log house until houses could be built for the others. Christian III and Susanna made this log house their home until they died.