Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 906
XAVIER ALECK

Xavier ALECK, a resident of section 28, Cass Township, was of the pioneer band who found their way to Harrison County in 1856. He purchased land on the site of his present home. He was a single man at the time, and was a tailor by trade. He worked during 1857-8 at that trade, among the settlers, and March 1860, he was united in marriage to Christiana GIEGER, a native of Germany, born July 9, 1839, coming to America with her parents in 1854. They came to Pennsylvania, and in 1860 to Harrison County, where the father died in 1883, the mother having died in 1863. Her coffin was made by hand by E. STRAUSS.

Our subject and his wife are the parents of twelve children, ten of whom are living; A. Magdalena, born March 26, 1861; Frederick L., August 3, 1862; John X., March 9, 1864; Theresa M., January 13, 1866; Martha J., February 5, 1868; J. Adolphus, February 12, 1870; Creszenzia, born December 7, 1871, died September 16, 1872; Charley H., born September 17, 1873; Amelia J., April 21, 1876; Ida E., born March 30, 1878, died August 8, 1878; Anna E., born December 12, 1879; and Rosa B., August 21, 1883.

Our subject was born in Grand Duchy of Baden, March 13, 1828, and is the son of Sorenz and Agadea (SCHILL) ALECK, and is the youngest son of a family of eight children. Our subject and one brother, George, came to American in 1849. George lived in Camden, near Philadelphia. The father was a turner and machinist, making spinning wheels and doing iron work. He died in Germany, in 1841, aged fifty-six years. The mother died in the same county, aged seventy-one years.

In the Fatherland, and when fifteen years of age, our subject commenced to learn the tailor's trade, serving an apprenticeship of two years, after which he followed the trade, working in various places in his native land until October, 1852, when he came to American, landing in New York harbor October 7, and three days later was found at Williamsburg, working at his trade, remaining there until Christmas, when he accompanied his brother to Philadelphia. He had not intended to let his brother know that he was there for fear he might think he wanted some favor of him. Soon after arriving at Philadelphia he resumed work at this trade, following the same until March, 1855, when he started West by railroad, having no particular point in view. From the last-named place he took a ticket to Chicago, with the stop-over privilege. But he finally landed in Chicago, where he worked three weeks, and then started for St. Paul, Minn. This was the last of April, and on arriving at Galena found that Lake Pepin was frozen over so that boats were not running, which gave him the impression that Minnesota was too cold a country in which to live. Owing to the large number of travelers, our subject had hard work to find a place to sleep in Galena.

Abandoning the idea of going to St. Paul, he started by boat for St. Louis, arriving there the first week of May, and three days later headed for Council Bluffs, but stopped at Weston and worked for awhile at his trade, arriving at the Bluffs in July, and spent the remainder of the season working in a brick yard, and not being used to that kind of work, he found it very hard. Before going to work in the brick yard, however, he, with five others, started with ox-teams into Nebraska to take a claim. Their wagon was of the old linch-pin style, and while out on the prairie about two days' drive they lost one of their linch-pins, which at first seemed a serious accident, but by the use of their ingenuity a pin was provided from a piece of their whip stock.

This trip decided our subject's Nebraska fever, as he said he would not live in a country where there was not enough wood with which to make a linch-pin. so after going to Fontanelle, he returned to Omaha and Council Bluffs and went into the brick yard, as before stated. In the following winter, he worked as a cook for a gang of men who were erecting a sawmill; the following spring he came to Harrison County. He was very favorably impressed with this country, finding the settlers here of a friendly class; and a man at that time was not obliged to tell a falsehood in order to procure a glass of liquor.

It will go without saying that our subject is not in sympathy with the present prohibition laws of Iowa, believing, as he does, that it has not helped the moral condition of affairs and has taken away one feature of our personal rights vouch-safed under the Constitution, but does not wish to complain of his treatment in America.

After our subject had been in this country some time he wrote a friendly letter to his mother in the old country, in which he told her she need not worry about him, for he was as independent as Adam and Eve, the only difference being that he had to plant his own apple trees, a gentle reminder that he thought he was in the Garden of Eden.

Politically our subject is loyal to our American form of Government, and at the present time casts his vote with the Democratic party.

Our subject's present farm comprises seven hundred and twenty acres, and is drained by the waters of Pigeon Creek. He has a natural building site and his farm presents the appearance of order and thrift.

As a matter of historical interest he wishes it recorded that the platform of the temperance party, which says the power of the Government comes from the Lord, is not correct; he believes that the power of our nation comes from the people, and that the laws are fixed by the education and ideas of those making up the Government.

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