1853   GULLICK

The Gullick Family arrived at Castle Garden, NEW YORK CITY, on the 16^th of July, 1853, on the “Elise” from BREMEN, Germany. They would have gone cross country to the MISSISSIPPI  RIVER & then traveled, by riverboat, to KEOKUK, IA. They bought a farm along SUGAR CREEK, just a little south of FORT MADISON, the now extinct town of VIELE.

 

1) Christian GULLICK, age 40, of DRACHHAUSEN,

2)   Wife: Henrietta WIEDNER Gullick, age 39

& children:

3)   Frederick GULLICK, 13, (he later married Mary MUSCHICK of DRACHHAUSEN, who immigrated in 1857)

4)    Wilhelm GULLICK,  6,

5)   Caroline GULICK, 3 , married William Kuddebeh

6)   Henry GULLICK, born 2 years after arrival in USA, married Eliza Eigel

                               

Christian GULLICK had been in the military since age 11, but became a farmer in the USA; a complete career change.

 

Farms of 160 acres were being sold by the Federal Government, for $200 or $1.25 an acre. It took the average farmer 6-8 years to get this virgin prairie farm into full production.  If he had 1/3 to ½ of it broken in 4 years he was doing well, and the value would go to $8 an acre, a huge investment growth.

 

When the First WENDISH Families started to arrive, IOWA was just opening. In 1855, the railroad ended at DAVENPORT and the first bridge across the MISSISSIPPI  RIVER, into IOWA was built. These folks were really out on the edge of the wilderness.

Revised Nov 1, 2005