From the book Building America, A History of the Family Feick (Feik-Fike) by Anita Gundlach Feick, pages 22-32

1620- Ernsthofen, in the Odenwald, Germany.

The marriage day of Hans Veick (Feick) and Catharina Medess, the daughter of the village mayor of Brandau, Lenchen Medess.

This was a day of celebration for all of the people in these small villages. And a special celebration was held when one year later, in 1621, a son was born to the young couple. They named him Martin (Merten Feig). No other children are noted from this marriage and in 1636 the father, Hans Veick, became ill and died. In those days life was difficult for young widows so Catharina wasted no time after the death of Hans and on the 7th of June in 1636 she was wed to a widower from Steinau. The widower Jacob Klim was a well-to-do farmer who was the only person in Steinau to survive the plague and his home was the only one left standing. In 1618 Catharina's sister Apollonia had wed Hans Gliem, the son of Hans Gliemen of Steinau. As these names all had several spellings depending on the person doing the writing, it is not known if he was related to the widower Klim (also spelled Kliemen) or not. This is a good possibility, however.

After the marriage of Catharina Medess Feick and Jacob Klim, she and her son Martin Feick moved to Steinau into Jacob's home, #46. In 1638 Jacob, and in 1642 Barbara, were born to the Klim's and in 1651 Catharina, Jacob and the two children moved to Obernhausen, to land that Jacob had inherited, leaving #46 Steinau to Martin Feick. Perhaps it was a wedding gift for on the 24th of April 1651, martin married Anna Barbara Zeünert of Ottmauchau.

Martin and Anna Barbara (Zeünert) Feick were the parents of nine children: Hans Merten (Martin) 1652, Agnes Maria 1653, Barbara 1654, Hans 1656, Reinhardt 1657, Jakob 1662, Johann Balthaser 1664, and twins Elizabeth and Eva in 1667. The oldest son, Hans Martin (spelled Feigt in the church records) was born in 1652 and in September of 1672 he married Catharina Lachmuth. He inherited #46 Steinau. He lived to a goodly age dying in 1737 at age 85. 

His wife, Catharina Lachmuth, had been a young widow with two young children when she wed Hans Martin, and she had five more children with him: Ottilie 1673, Johann Velten or Valentin 1676, Johannes 1679, Maria Katharina 1681, Johann Niclaus 1684-85, and Johann Niclaus 1686. Note that when one child died the next child of the same sex received the same name. 

Johann Valentin as the oldest son was the inheritor of #46 Steinau. He was married on 19 June 1703 in Steinau to Anna Katharina Balz, the daughter of Wilhelm Balz (or Baltz) of Ernsthofen. Eight children blessed this union: Christina Barbara 1704, Anna Katharina Barbara 1706, Johann Adam 1708, Johannes 1711, Anna Maria 1713, Johann George 1716, Anna Barbara 1718, And Anna Elizabetha 1723. In 1732 Johann Valentin was in the hills overlooking Steinau, tending the fires under the logs he was making into charcoal when the stacked logs slipped and he was killed. With his death #46 Steinau passed into the hands of his oldest son, Johann Adam.

In 1738 Johann Adam married Anna Margaret Lautenschläger and in 1954 he was wed to Anna Eva Rossman. He had eight children by his first wife: Katharine Barbara 1739, Anna Katharina 1741, Johann Jakob 1742, Anna Barbara 1744, Johann Conrad 1746, Anna Elizabeth 1748, Anna Regina 1750, and Eva Elizabeth 1751. The three children of his second marriage to Anna Eva Rossman were Anna Margareta 1756, Johann Adam 1757, and Maria Susanna 1761.

On the 17 of January 1769, Margaret Elizabeth Weidmann of Guttersbach became the bride of Johann Jacob Feick, oldest son of Johann Adam Feick. The name now is being spelled with fewer varations, Feick seems to be the accepted way with feig and Feik following. Seven children were born to Johann Jacob and his wife: Johann Conrad 1769, Johann Nicolaus 1772, Susanna Maria 1774, Anna Catharina 1778, Elizabetha Margareta 1781, Johann Ludwig 1784, and Maria Elizabetha in 1788.

Johann Conrad, as eldest son, was the inheritor of the family homestead #46 Steinau. In 1793 he took as his bride Catharina Elizabetha Weber, a local maiden. Nine children blessed this union: Maria Katharia 1793, Anna Katharina 1796, Johann Georg 1798, Johann Philipp 1801, Anna Margareta 1803, Johannes 1806, Johann Jacob 1808, George Philipp 1811, and Johann Adam 1813.

We know that the family of Johann Conrad scattered. This was the beginning of the great German emigration to the States. The German people now had more freedom to move than they ever had. The oldest son, Johann George inherited the homestead. His next brother, Johann Philipp, built a home and the outbuildings across the road from the homestead. On the barn lintel was carved, and is still discernable, the following:

T.R.BAUT     JOHANN PHILIPP FEICK    1842

Descendants of both of these families still live in - and own - these two homes in Steinau. Johann Georg Feick is living in the homestead and Philipp Feick, now (1982) in his late 80's across the road. Other descendants of the family live in the surrounding villages and one owns a "gasthaus" in Steinau.

Steinau, a tiny farm village in the Odenwalk, the foothills of the Alps, held not much future for the young people. In 1836 a Feick brother and sister, their spouses and their families, came to America and made their way to Crestline, Ohio (Anna Catharina Feick Bauer and George Philipp Feick, children of Johann Conrad and Catharina Elizabeth Weber) Other cousins from  nearby villages also came to the States. All wrote home about the glowing prospects available. Here in Ohio they were farmers and carpenters. Sons and cousins from Crestline made their way to Sandusky some temporarily, others to remain permanently. Here in the Sandusky area they were mostly builders.

Back in Steinau, three of the older children of Johann Philip Feick, another son of Johann Conrad Feick, spent much time talking and dreaming about coming to Ohio. The decision was finally made and it was just a matter of finding the finances to make the trip. while waiting to save enough money, they planted three pine trees near the Feick homestead. These trees, planted by Johann Philipp, Johann Adam, and Elizabeth Catharina are still growing in the filed next to the house. They are (in 1982) approximately 134 years old. 

The first one to come to Sandusky was Johann Philipp Feick, the oldest son, who arrived here in Sandusky in 1849. In Sandusky he obtained a job working as a carpenter for Adam Bauer. Adam Bauer was a cousin of Philip's being the son of Anna Katharina Feick and her husband Johann Philipp Bauer who had come to Crestline in 1836. In 1852 Johann Adam Feick followed his brother to Sandusky. He, too, worked for Adam Bauer as a carpenter. 

The third Feick from this family to emigrate was Elizabetha Catharina who came to Ohio in 1854, two years after her brother Adam. She went to Crestline to live and it is supposed she lived with her uncles and aunts there. In 1856 she married Johann Boehm, a young man born in a neighboring village in Germany and now living in Galion, Ohio. She died in Galion in 1865 after having born three children: a son and two daughters.

About the year 1856, Adam Bauer went out of the business of building and into the wine and grocery business. At this time Philip and Adam Feick began taking building jobs on their own. Philip Feick married Johanna Karolina Steuk on 17 July 1856. Three years later Adam was wed to Johanna Fulton (Foldau) and began advertising his building abilities in the local newspapers. 

Then years after Adam married, in 1866, his youngest brother arrived from Germany. Johann George had been living in Frankish-Crumbach since the death of the mother and had been apprenticed to a local builder. He was 17 years old when he arrived in Sandusky full of ambition. Here he spent several more years working for his brother, Adam Feick, and learning much more about the carpentry trade. George was a man of ambition, vision and energy. He was the spark, the driving force, behind the firm of Adam Feick & Bro. which came into being in 1872. Adam was the steadying influence, the one who tempered the driving ambition of the younger brother. (Adam had all his pictures taken from the side. His other eye was blinded in an accident.)

When George left Germany he brought with him a cousin, a daughter of his Uncle Georg Feick of Steinau. She was coming to be with her sister in Crestline, Ohio, and the family did not want her to travel alone. As they also did not want the two young people to be gossiped about aboard ship, as they would have been were it known they were two young cousins traveling together, they traveled across as brother and sister. A year or so later she married Frederick Beach in Crestline. The sister she had come to join was already married to Adam Eckstein of Crestline. 

Adam Feick had acquired an excellent reputation for skillful, durable, and honest workmanship. He had been building good sturdy homes in the Sandusky area and when he and George formed the firm of A. Feick & Bro. this reputation stood them in good stead. The firm was a success from the start. The two brothers were a good match, one with big dreams and one a steadying influence to keep these dreams within bounds. The firm filled many, many large contracts of note, erecting many large and handsome structures throughout the state of Ohio and into other states.

Only a few of the buildings constructed by the firm of A. Feick & Bro. can be listed, in fact, only a few of the buildings constructed by any of the Feicks can be listed for the list would cover far, far too many pages! Some things they constructed in the 1880's and 1890's are the Pitt-Cooke home on W. Washington St., Zion Lutheran Church, the German Lutheran School (which was attended by Johan Adam Feick and probably his sisters), the Cooke block on Market Street, Osborn School, Campbell School, Erie County Jail, buildings at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (now the Veterans' Home), railroad stations at Sandusky and Painesville, St. Mary's Church, the State Capitol Building in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Castalia rail station, and homes too numerous to mention. They were masters at the art of building stone buildings, and utilized the blue limestone Sandusky was known for. 

More about Adam  More about George Sr.

Adam Feick had two sons and five daughters who lived to maturity. The oldest and the youngest were sons and in between were the five daughters. The oldest son was John Adam. Reared Lutheran, being members of Zion Lutheran church, the family, nevertheless had many good Catholic friends, and when it came time for "Johnny" to further his education, he was sent to St. Mary's Institute in Dayton, Ohio, a school with strict rules operated by the Brothers (now University of Dayton). Boarding schools in this age did not have time off for Christmas, Easter, or spring break. Classes were held six days a week and on Sunday church services were attended. Here he studied architecture and drafting. He attended from November of 1880 to July 1, 1891. Joe, Lizzie Zipfel's older brother attended at the same time as did several of the Cable boys form Sandusky. The Zipfel's and the Feick's were very close friends, lived one block apart, and Lizzie had her eye on the handsome Johnny for a long time. They were much in love. 

The inevitable happened and in the Fall of 1884, Lizzie discovered that she "was" even if Johnny had assured her that she "wasn't". she left for Buffalo to visit friends hoping her suspicions were unfounded; however, a thickening waist (she was having to "lace" tightly) and morning sickness made the visit not as cheerful as visits in the past had been. coupled with this was the news that her mother was very, very ill.

Needless to say, arrangements were made and John and Lizzie were married in November of 1884. Young Edwin made his appearance in February of 1885. He died five months later of "summer complaint".

The young couple lived with the Zipfel family on Jackson Street not far from the Feick home on Central Avenue, then known as Miami Avenue. Lizzie was the oldest daughter, the mother was dying and there were tow older brothers to feed and three younger sisters and a young brother who needed care. This responsibility fell on the shoulders of Lizzie, a fact of life which was not always appreciated by her new husband.

Maria Daniel Zipfel died in 1886. Shortly after this, Lizzie's father, Constantine Zipfel, a wealthy butcher and prominent in the German community, left for an extended stay in Germany - for his health- leaving Lizzie in charge.

She was still "mothering" her brothers and sisters when her husband had to go to Wyoming to be the foreman on the building of the new state capital at Cheyenne. Johnny spent many, many hours in his little shack in Wyoming, writing letters to Lizzie, trying to convince her that her loyalty to her family was fine but what about him?

She did make at least one trip to Wyoming during the years they were building the capital but she did not like the new raw young land and Johnny could not persuade her to stay. He was very disappointed that she did not come for the laying of the cornerstone, as this was a time for much revelry, and really was an historic event for Wyoming which was just in the process of becoming a state. Wyoming letters

Back in Sandusky, Lizzie's widowed father, Constantine, come home form Europe after many months and was squire-ing a comely young girl around. His taking her buggy-riding made the gossip column of the local paper. He married Catherine Leis in 1888; he was 49 and she 22. Lizzie Zipfel Feick was 21, her brothers Charlie and Joe were 4 and 5 years older than their new "mother". 

All of the Zipfel children were most unhappy with their father's marriage but it relieved Lizzie from her duties and she and Johnny could start a life of their own. This they did in a new home on Maple Avenue on land Adam and George Feick owned. They lived next door to Emil Feick, Johnny's cousin.

Adam Feick and his brother, George, had had a very fine relationship. there was a difference of 17 years in their ages but there was 13 years difference between John and his Uncle George. The two brothers, Adam and George, built large homes next to each other on Miami Avenue (now Central Avenue) and the families got along very well. 

That is, they got along very well until Johnny married, but Lizzie and Ernestine, Uncle George's wife, detested each other and each kept a sharp outlook to make sure things were divided evenly. Lizzie wrote to Johnny in Wyoming to report each slight and this also did not help his peace of mind while he was there. Many of his letters from the west are smoothing Lizzie's ruffled feathers and telling her that he would take care of things when he returned. A letter dated April 3, 1887 from Cheyenne, Wyoming says: "You say George's wife says so & so....tell her to shut her mouth....there is a good deal of talking going on among the women, and I am just about getting sick of that and shall put a stop to it if I hear any more. Every one should mind their own business and I will try and do the same".

Money was, of course, a big item. Johnny held the purse strings and gave money to his wife only when she asked for it and then in small amounts, or she was told to ask his father or Uncle George for money on which to live.

More about Johnny

Things would have been different, too, had young Edwin lived, but he died when but 5½ months old. Only one other child would bless this union, John Charles (Charlie) born in 1889 when the family lived on Maple Avenue. Charlie idolized his father for Johnny was a benevolent man who loved people, loved life, loved his family, and loved being the head of the family.

Just around the corner form the Maple Avenue home of John A. Feick, on Monroe Street, was the home of Lewis A. Taubert, a hardware merchant who was married to the daughter of winery owner John A. Strobel. Charlie grew up with the Taubert daughter, Mylitta, and in 1912 they married. One weekend Charlie came home from school in Pittsburgh where he attended Carnegie Institute (now Carnegie Mellon) and Mylitta got on the train with him and returned to Pittsburgh with him. An elopement!! They were married at Niagara Falls in Canada. Charlie did not graduate from Carnegie Institute but he did finish that year, the newly weds living in Pittsburgh. After the school year, he and Mylitta lived with his father and mother on Maple Avenue. As babies started arriving and the house grew too small, Grandpa Johnny purchased a larger home on Decatur Street, one with four bedrooms and room in the downstairs for the office for there were now two Feick building firms: George Feick & Co. and John A. Feick Builder. 

On the death of Adam in 1893, the firm became George Feick & Co., consisting at that time of George Feick and his nephew John A. Feick, and continued on in the manner set by A. Feick & Bro. They had irrigation projects in Wyoming, a sugar plant in Wyoming, three buildings at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, the Law Building at Ohio State University in Columbus, and they built Sugar City, Colorado, (the sugar plant, the homes, the school, the stores), as well as many homes and businesses in Sandusky and vicinity.

In the early 1900's the two separated and George now took his sons into this firm and John A. Feick started his own business knowing that HIS son would shortly also be a builder. George Feick's offices were upstairs over the store he built on the corner of Central Avenue and Decatur Streets. John A. Feick operated his business from his home at 321 Decatur Street. 

The firm of George Feick and Sons flourished also. George was an expert in building brick and stone buildings with a reputation for excellence. His oldest son, Emil, attended Ohio State University for a time and in 1893 was working as a carpenter for the firm. In 1900, Emil married Louise DeLor and while their permanent home was on Maple Avenue, they moved to Oberlin for a while where Emil was foreman of a construction job the Feick's had at the university. 

Emil was the first of George's sons to enter the business. George, Jr., the second son, studied architecture at Cornell University, spent a year in Europe studying architecture, formed the firm of Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie in Minneapolis, Minn. Sometime before 1919 he decided to return to Sandusky and join the family firm for he was associated with Geo. Feick & Sons at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Graefe in 1919.

Augustus Lawrence Feick, the youngest son of George Feick and the child of his second marriage to a cousin of Ernestine's, Minnie Klotz, never did join the firm. He also graduated from Cornell and became active in the field of advertising in Cleveland, Ohio. Augustus was married to Ivon Gamble. Ernestine Klotz Feick, George's first wife, died in December of 1888 of inflammation after childbirth. She had just given birth to twin girls, she was not quite 36 years old and had born nine children for George, five sons and four daughters. two of the sons and three of the daughters lived to maturity, the other four died in infancy. 

Emil Feick died in 1929, his father died in 1932. Those were the years of the crash of the stock market in '29 followed by years of depression and the building trades had no work. By this time the firm of George Feick had quite a bit of real estate around Sandusky and George, Jr. assumed the job as manager. The building firm of George Feick & sons went out of existence.

Some of the buildings built by George Feick and Sons are as follows: the Feick Building; Sandusky High School (now Adams Junior High School); Edwards Gymnasium at Delaware for Ohio Wesleyan University; buildings for Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio; (Severance Chemistry Laboratory, Warner Gymnasium, Carnegie Library, Phinney Memorial Chapel, the Administration building, Keep Cottage, Rice Hall, Men's building); banks in Mansfield and Sandusky; the Lakeside Hotel; the Lakeside Administration Building; St. Joseph's Church, Marblehead; Congregational Church, Sandusky; St. Mary's School. 

John A. Feick & Son constructed part of the Perry Memorial at Put-in-Bay, Ohio; the Put-in-Bay School; the U. S. Fish Hatchery, the Colonial, cottages on Gibraltar Island, and many homes on South Bass Island; buildings on Middle bass Island. After the death of his father, Charlie did not want to become a builder of large buildings. He loved construction and loved homes and he became an expert in the remodeling and renovation of older homes, many of which had been constructed by his father and grandfather. Lists can be made but it is impossible to say "George built this," or "John A. Feick built this" because all of the Feicks worked together. Many buildings were constructed independently but on large construction jobs they more often than not, worked together. 

Back to the house on Decatur Street, 321 Decatur, where John A. Feick had his office and workshop as well as his home. The workshop was in the basement; the workbench ran down the center of the large room which had been dug out of the solid limestone which underlies Sandusky. Items that were custom made were taken out through the cellar stairs or if too large for that, a cellar window would be removed and the item taken out that way. 

Upstairs on the first floor, the drafting room and office  were in what was originally the downstairs bedroom. For several years, Lewis Taubert, Charlie's father-in-law, was the bookkeeper for the firm. Lewis Taubert was a mild-mannered man and was not cut out to be a shop-keeper. He had been in the hardware business with his brother-in-law, "Rinkleff & Taubert - Hardware" - but after several years, George Rinkleff purchased the Taubert share of the business and it became Rinkleff's Hardware.

Charles Feick adored his father and his father must have had a vibrant personality; if something was good enough for "pa", it was good enough for Charlie. Mylitta wanted a home of her own but had to live with her in-law's. Charlie always worked with and for his father and he never received a paycheck. "Pa" was liberal with the money but he had to be asked for it. Charlie and Mylitta could have anything they wanted but hey had to ask. On two different occasions Mylitta had houses rented and was ready to move but first she had to convince her husband who said "you tell pa", and then she had to tell  grandpa - who would cry. 

She couldn't hurt her father-in-law so they never did move. Grandpa (papa tot he children) Johnny adored his grandchildren. They could not do wrong and as they were the only young people in Grandma Lizzie's family, too, they had plenty of attention. Most of Lizzie's brothers and sisters had no off-spring. 

Charlie Feick was a very popular young man, as his father had been before him. He was a good dancer and active in the Masonic order where he and Mylitta attended the many dances. He also was an expert pool player, a sharpie, and when pool sharks would come to town to play against the locals, he often was the one chosen to defend the honor of Sandusky. Charlie Feick was also a locksmith par excellence. He could have been a second Jimmie Valentine. The local banks used to call upon his services if they had to get into the vault and for some reason could not... he could open the safes. He set his two oldest sons up with a key business when the were in grade school. Complete with business cards. 

The Feicks did much building on the island of South Bass and had built a cottage on Peach Point with a bunk house behind it to house workmen. The cottage also housed any member of the Feick family who cared to come as well as the many friends of the family. The cottage has six bedrooms, most of which had two double beds, so many people could be accommodated. After Charlie took over most of the building business, "papa" and "mama" Feick spent their summers at the island and the three oldest grandchildren plus several nephews spent their summers with them. Tom, the youngest grandchild, was only one year old when his grandfather died.

In the early '30's, young John and his sister Mary were cleaning out the cottage in the spring and piling the rubbish that had accumulated in a heap in the back yard. (Edward says he was there, too, but as he avoided anything to do with cleaning he was not involved.) Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the pile was too close to the old wooden bunkhouse and when John and Mary put a match to the rubbish, it ignited the bunkhouse also and the building burned to the ground. A brick garage was erected then upon the site and a full bathroom installed onto it. The cottage itself did not and does not, have inside facilities as putting a bath in the cottage would mean losing one bedroom and no one ever wanted to do this. 

Originally the back porch of the cottage had a huge ice box built on it - one whole wall of cabinets, metal-lined, in which huge amounts of meat and vegetable s could be kept. Also the kitchen had a huge old coal stove and to do the cooking and cleaning a couple were hired for the summer. Spending the summer at Put-in-Bay was a wonderful thing for the assorted grandchildren and relatives. As bathing was done mostly by going swimming in the lake with a bar of soap, it was very appealing to the children. On the lot to the west of the Feick cottage was public dock and Grandpa Johnny had a cannon to welcome arriving and departing yachts. The cannon is about two feet long and is not in the possession of Edward Feick. There a re also tales of enterprising guests who stole ladies bloomers form the wash line and ran them up the flag pole in the front yard instead of the flag. There were many gay and happy parties at the Feick cottage. It is presently in the property of the Edward L. Feick family. 

In 1924 Charlie built a shop and warehouse on the back of the Decatur Street lot and the building which had been taking place in the basement of the house now moved back into the warehouse. The construction office remained in the home for quite a few years, though, and when someone form the warehouse had to be called to the phone, Mylitta would fling open her kitchen window and shout. This she did until her grand-daughter started imitating her call "Char....lieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" An intercom was then installed and finally a business phone. In the early '30's the office was moved from the house to the shop building in the rear. Now the downstairs bedroom which had housed the office for so many years reverted to its original use. 

Charlie slept late in the morning and  worked late at night and there was many a summer evening ruined for the neighbors by his habit of turning on the electric saws and cutting up some lumber for a job on the morrow.....at midnight. Occasionally, the neighbors would be irritated enough to call the police to have him cease and desist. The policemen assigned to this task usually said something like this, "Uh, Charlie, uh, I'm supposed to tell you that your are making too much noise. Uh, there, I told you." Around midnight, Charlie and whoever had gathered in his office for the evening would go to one of the neighborhood bars for a snack. Charlie did not drink but he did like a midnight sandwich. After this he would be ready to "turn in". 

Charlie's oldest son, John Charles, Jr., graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis; retired from the Navy; worked for Westinghouse; started his own employment agency in Cleveland; died in 1976.

More about Charlie  More about Mylitta Taubert Feick

Edward, the second son, attended Rice University in Houston, graduated as an architectural-engineer from Ohio State University, is a registered architectural engineer and a registered surveyor in the state of Ohio. was president of Feick Contractors and a partner of Feick Associates until he retired to become Erie County Engineer. After being the county engineer, he retired to do property management. 

Thomas, the youngest son, graduated as an architect form Ohio State University, worked with his father for several years, decided he did not like the building part of the trade and was architect-in-residence for Providence Hospital in Sandusky until he retired. 

More about Ed

Edward's son, John, is a graduate architect from Kent State University, registered by the state of Ohio; president of Feick contractors and a partner in Feick Associates. Carl, the youngest son, graduated from case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as a civil engineer; attended Naval Officers' Candidate School in Newport, R.I. spent 4 years in the Navy and is a surveyor. 

To Edward L. Feick's credit are many offices, factories, and homes in Sandusky. In the early 1900's, George Feick built the school for St. Mary's Catholic church. In recent years, Edward built two large additions to this school, the addition of an all-purpose room and gym and a wing of class rooms. In the late 1800's, George Philipp Feick, a cousin of this family, built the County Infirmary on  South Columbus Avenue. Feick Contractors remodeled the entire building into a beautiful home for the county offices. The first city greenhouse was built by John Adam Feick; the replacement was constructed by Feick Contractors.