A Short History of The Fleek Family

According to our most authentic traditions in the family and from such other sources as I have able to draw my information from so far I can supply at least a portion of the facts and instances necessary for a complete review of our family's history in America. If perchance developments occur concerning any points vital or relative as the case may be of course my outline sketch is open to correction and alteration. G.W. Fleek

The Fleek family - or more properly Flick - came over to America about the year 1750. At this period George II was still on the English throne and in Prussia Frederick the Great had ascended the throne just vacated by the tyrannical Frederick William and had begun his remarkable but yet distinguished and prosperous reign. There was as it were a lull throughout Europe at this period. The War of the Spanish Succession was over a few years previous and the terrible Thirty-Years War had not faded from the popular mind, the famous Seven Years War was yet below the horizon of the future. What then more natural than that the Colonies should at this time of peace begin to attract attention as the land of Franklin and Bery'. West as a country fertile in resources unfounded in territory and bringing to its citizens greater freedom of thought and action than had ever been vouchsafed to any people on the Continent.

At this period sixteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence our family's original ancestor came to the Colonies from Prussia. Some of his family of children were already married and had at that time numerous glimpses of the future running around as is their want. The youngest of this family was Henry Flick at the time of their emigration only two years of age and who afterwards became the direct ancestor of our branch of the family and the only branch I may here remark that spelled the family name with double 'e' (ee) instead of the original 'ic'.

Coming direct from Prussia and perhaps knowing little about the Colonies the family settled immediately in Somerset Co. Penn. near the town of Berlin. Here I should infer Henry married his wife Susan Varner also of Prussian nationality. According to statements her home was in Chambersburg Penn. xxxxxx Henry Flick continued in Somerset Co. Penn. till the year 1792 and thence moved to Hampshire Co. Va. - now Mineral Co. W. Va. - where he resided during the remainder of his life. Henry had altogether eight children: - Adam, Solomon, Benjamin, John, Jacob, Henry, Susan and Katharine. Pursuing the main branch of the family I cannot take up any but Adam Flick Sr. (See elsewhere for the other children) At the time of Henry Flick's removal to Virginia his son Adam was sixteen years of age having been born in Pennsylvania Oct. 11, 1776. I can imagine easily a backwood's family settled up among the tree-clad mountains of the Blue Ridge in a country which even at present is wild and romantic and in 1792 must have been a sort of wilderness of desolation. Here among the very few settlers in the region and these I should judge in a great part of German descent the young Adam made his home and lived his young life surely not having much opportunity to sow wild oats but brought up as a sturdy mountaineer or backwoodsman. Here he met Elizabeth Umstadt of German extraction and Oct. 14, 1799 having just become twenty three years of age married her. Elizabeth Umstadt was the daughter of Peter Umstadt a Prussian. She was one of a family of seven children all born and raised so far as my information goes in Hampshire Co. Va. Adam and Elizabeth Flick (for as yet the name was not changed, of which more anon) had born to them in Virginia seven children - Adam Jr., Abraham, Isaac, Conrad, John, Magdalena, and Elizabeth.

Adam Flick Jr. was born in Virginia Mch. 11. 1803. Here he was raised and educated so far as the very common school advantages of that day permitted. Being of more than average intelligence and ability Adam starting to school at the age of four years soon led his school particularly in mathematics. Teaching as was then the custom the 'Three R's' of course 'Rithmetic' was thought the most important. Hence at a very early age Adam obtained quite a notariety for his achievement of solving without aid every problem and difficult point in his Arithmetic and submitting all the solutions written in a neat comprehensive style to his Master a feat that no other pupil in his school could accomplish. When Adam was fifteen years of age his mother died leaving several children younger than Adam. At what time old Peter Umstadt died I know not but my Grandfather Adam remembered him at his mother's home as an old white haired man, always dressed in black - black coat, waistcoat and small clothes with black stockings and shoes with large silver buckles. He recalled the old man sitting always in his place by the fire reading his Bible indeed one of those images in the recesses of memory that can never fade though stranger sights may easily sink into oblivion.

Perhaps about this time in Adam's life he and his brother Abraham or Abram changed the old family name of Flick to Fleek thinking perhaps that the double e gave a smoother sound and was more easily written than the ic of the old name. Somewhere about this time perhaps later Adam's father Adam Fleek Sr. married Mary Dawson nee Putnam.

I now come down in time to Adam's first journey to Ohio probably the first very distant journey he had taken. He went in company with his Uncle who rode a horse but Adam walked the entire distance although it had been the agreement that they were to take turns riding. Adam was then about eighteen. To pursue our narrative Adam on this occasion visited his uncle Jacob Fleek who lived near the mouth of the Big Hocking where he died. Returning soon to Virginia he lived with his father till he was twenty two. Then probably impressed with the idea that he must start out in search of his fortune Adam bought a drove of horses in Hampshire Co. Va. and went east to old Virginia to dispose of them. Losing by this operation he built a boat on the Potomac and loading it with flour, pork lard, butter, honey, hoop-poles (...) he came down to Georgetown and Washington where he sold out at a great loss. Disgusted he returned home and soon set out for Ohio as a more prolific region for young enterprise. This was perhaps in 1825. Coming to his Uncle Putnam's in Logan Co. Ohio Adam got work grubbing roots and stumps at $2 per day on Squire Pierce's newly cleared land. In the spring of 1826 he came to Newark having obtained a six horse team from his Uncle Solomon Fleek. At Newark he hauled stone for the Ohio canal which was being built at that time. In the fall of 1826 having been attacked with fever and ague he returned to his sister's in Logan Co. where he remained during the winter. Returning to Newark in the spring he continued to work on the canal till it was finished and then he hauled goods or anything else that came to hand until after his marriage with Alla Lord Sherwood Dec. 24, 1829. The Sherwoods were English having come from Sheffield Eng. some time previous.

After this he rented land and farmed for some time. Then in partnership with one Farmer he employed himself as a butcher for some time perhaps not long. After throwing up butchering Adam rented what was commonly known as Buckingham's Mill - now Montgomery's - at the eastern extremity of Church St. Newark. While running this mill my Father John S. Fleek was born June 2, 1837."

The following concerning the genealogy of the Fleek family has been written as substantially correct. However if some of the descendants have drifted away I trust others will be kind enough to call them into the fold and obtain their lineage and continue this work. I have received a great deal of information from my predecessor. C. M. Fleek (Charles)