Nick Ecker, the farmer

Nick Ecker (aka Nic or Nicolas) was a farmer all his life.  After his marriage to Minnie Trapp in 1896, they farmed on rented land by Granville, Iowa.  In the spring of 1905 they moved to Richland County, North Dakota, where he rented a quarter section of land in Ibsen Twp, five miles north of Mooreton.  The move took three days by train, a distance of about 300 miles.  They had 3 rail cars, one for the family which consisted of father, mother, and three small boys (Henry, Leo and Joe).  One rail car contained their furniture and another their livestock and farm equipment.  Stops were made along the way at water wells so the horses and cattle could get a drink.  Mother Minnie (who was about 6 months pregnant) took enough food along to sustain the family for several days.  Her brothers Peter and Henry helped with this move.  One account of this was that they went a few weeks ahead with Nic, then Nic returned for his family.

After farming the rich land in North Dakota, Nic wanted a farm of his own but wasn't able to buy land in Richland County.  They had friends in Lac Qui Parle County in Minnesota so he scouted for land there, and in 1912 was able to purchase a quarter of land southwest of Madison in Hamlin Twp.  In the spring of 1913 he moved his family to this farm.  The house was small so they immediately began to add on an addition because by now, the family had grown by five more children (Helen, Rose, Regina, William and Aloys).

Farming was done with horses and was hard work, as you might imagine.  The Eckers were always hard workers, Minnie raised a large garden, and with so many mouths to feed, the whole family had to pitch in to help with the work.  They milked cows, raised pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, maybe even turkeys?  They butchered meat, smoked and canned it for future use.  A lot of vegetables were canned to keep the family well fed for many months.

Over the next few years five more children, all girls, were born to this family, Walburga, Viola, Rita, Dula, and one baby who died shortly after birth.  They were a family of deep faith, their Catholic religion meant a great deal to them, the daily rosary, Sunday Mass and many devotions.  The children went to Catholic school in Madison.

To be continued later.