William Frick, Sr

William Frick, Sr., a well known farmer residing on section 17, township 3, range 8 west, Monroe County was born in the Hessian province of Germany on the 2d of October, 1819, and is a son of Henry and Catherine Frick. His father was a farmer and butcher. In 1833, accompanied by his family, he crossed the Atlantic, landing in New Orleans in May of that year. They went thence to Little Rock, on to St. Louis, and later to Belleville, St. Clair County, in the vicinity of which place the family lived for some time, the members working for farmers in the neighborhood until 1834, when the father rented a farm. In the fall of 1835 the family came to Monroe County, where again a farm was rented. For a short time the sons worked for others, and then worked upon the home farm, a claim of school land having been secured. Mr. Frick, Sr., continued to live in this locality until called to the home beyond, on the 4th of September, 1860. In the family were eight children, five of whom are still living, John, William, Charles, Ernst and Jacob.

William Frick, of this sketch, continued to work as a farm hand until twenty-two years of age. In 1840 he bought land in Randolph County, a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, comprising forty acres of timber land and one hundred and twenty acres of prairie. On the 17th of September, 1850, he married Mary Magdelena, daughter of Christopher Heyl, a native of Germany, who came to Illinois from Pennsylvania about 1835 and settled in Monroe County. Mrs. Frick was born in Pennsylvania September 1, 1833. The young couple began their domestic life upon his farm in Randolph County, but after two years our subject sold out and removed to the farm which is now his home. He and his brother John are the older settlers living in the township. When they came here, deer, wild turkeys and other game were very plentiful. The land was wild, and the work of civilization seemed hardly begun.

In 1890, Mr. Frick was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 23d of September. In their family were eleven children, eight of whom are still living: William Henry, a farmer; Mary Magdalena, wife of Charles Menmann, who operates a farm belonging to her father; Louisa, wife of Amend Streicher, of Red Bud; Carolina Henrietta; Johanna, wife of John Whiteside, an agriculturist of this community; Mary Ann, at home; Emil D., a merchant of St. Louis; Edward Christopher; and Ernest Henry, who are still upon the home farm. One child died in infancy; Elizabeth died at the age of six and a-half, and Mary when eight and a-half years of age.

Mr. Frick at one time owned over four hundred acres of land, but now has three hundred and eight-three acres, forty-three on section 18, forty on section 7, one hundred and twenty on section 5, eighty on section 17, eight on section 21, and twenty on section 16. The land is all highly cultivated and improved, and Mr. Frick successfully carries on general farming and stock-raising. He started in life for himself without a dollar, and in his early years had to work very had to provide for his own maintenance, but was industrious and frugal, saved his money, and by judicious investments and well directed efforts he has become one of the substantial farmers of he community. In politics he is a stanch supporter of the Democracy, and for three years as Supervisor of his township. He was one of the organizers of the Evangelical Church, is now serving as Trustee, and has ever been one of its active and faithful workers. Mr. Frick in an early day drove a peddler's wagon from Hecker to St. Louis. He supplied the merchants with goods, and took their produce to market in St. Louis, making three trips every two weeks. This was during the Cholera epidemic in 1849.