Krieg, Mathias 1827 - 1913

KRIEG, SCHULTZ, SKINNER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 6/20/2019 at 23:40:36

Elkader Register & Argus, Thur., 24 Jul. 1913. Elkport and Vicinity column.

Mathias Krieg died at 5:00 a.m. July 9th, 1913 in his old home on Bear Creek, three miles west of Elkport, Iowa, now owned by his son, Adolph Krieg. He lived to be 86 years and twenty-three days of age.

The deceased was born in Lindack, Wurttemberg, Germany, June 16th, 1827, and was with his parents until the age of fourteen, this being the last of his school days. Then his parents gave him the chance to learn the shoemakers' trade, which took three more years of his boyhood and at the age of seventeen he was master of his trade. He then left the home of his parents to look for work. He worked in many cities and towns in Germany, also different countries, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium until the year 1848, when these countries feared that there would soon be trouble so they held all young men for military duty, but, as he was not the necessary height and could not serve, he and his older brother made up their minds to go to a free country and on the 23rd of august, 1848, they left their fatherland and crossed the ocean to America, landing in New York Oct. 12th, 1848, and in a few days to Phidadelphia, where he worked one year at his trade, going from there to Louisville, Kentucky. He worked one year at this place and then went to St. Louis, Mo., and a year later to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he stayed two years. He then heard of a colony to be organized so he came to Clayton County in 1853 and was one of the first colonists of Communia, Clayton County, Iowa.

In 1856 he bought a farm on Bear Creek, where he was married on the 12th of March, 1858, and was the father of six children, two sons and four daughters. His wife died two years ago and two daughters died in infancy. He lived 57 years on the old home on Bear Creek.

Eight months ago he made up his mind to walk to Manchester, Iowa, which is 25 miles from his home. This he made in nine hours, with ease, at the age of 85 and said he could have walked ten miles more.

The deceased leaves to mourn his departure four children, two sons, August Krieg, of Philipsburg, Montana, and Adolph Krieg, on the old home, on Bear Creek, near Elkport, Iowa and two daughters, Lena Schultz, near Elkport, Iowa, and Mary Skinner, of Manchester, Iowa; seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and one brother-in-law 88 years old, near Edgewood, Iowa.