Christian Schick, the immigrant ancestor of this family, arrived in Philadelphia on 10 September 1753 aboard the ship Beulah, which sailed from Rotterdam, Holland. His country of origin is believed to have been Germany. (On the same ship list were Erhard Schick and Ludwig Schick. Their relationship to Christian is not known.)

On 10 December 1753, a land warrant for 75 acres was issued in Northampton County, Pennsylvania for a Christian Shick. By 1761, he had married to Rosina ----- and was living in Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The baptisms of five of their eight children were recorded at the Moselem Lutheran Church in Richmond Township (from 1761 to 1772). Christian Schick appeared in the tax lists of that township in 1767 and 1768, owning (in 1768) 100 acres of land, three horses, two cattle, and four sheep.

Christian Schick and his family moved from Berks County, Pennsylvania to Rowan County, North Carolina by around 1774. (The part of Rowan County in which they lived became Davie County in 1836.) Christian appeared in the 1778 tax list of Rowan County in Capt. Berger's district. A deed recorded in 1784 shows that Christian purchased 150 acres of land on Sugar Creek. In 1787, he purchased 349 acres along Buffalo Creek. (Both plots of land were located near the Heidelberg settlement close to the present-day town of Smith Grove in northeastern Davie County.)

The baptismal records of the Heidelberg Evangelical Lutheran Church listed the names of several of Christian and Rosina's grandchildren from 1792 to 1795. Christian and Rosina were sponsors in a 1792 baptism, and Rosina (by herself) sponsored a 1794 baptism. In 1793, Christian and Rosina bought a lot in Huntsville (in present-day Yadkin County) which they kept as a tavern. They sold the lot in 1797, after which no record of Christian has been found. Rosina's date and place of death are not known, either (although she may have been living as late as 1824 in Wayne County, Kentucky).

Of the eight known children of Christian and Rosina, there were five sons (Christian, Adam, David, Friedrich, and George) and three daughters (Magdalena, Mary, and Catherine). The surnames of the sons and their descendants became modified (Anglicized) to Shick, Sheek, and Sheeks.

Christian (Jr.) remained in (or returned to) Pennsylvania. Many of his descendants (with the surname Shick) now live in Armstrong and Clarion Counties, Pennsylvania. Adam stayed in North Carolina, leaving many descendants (Sheek) in Davie, Yadkin, and Forsyth Counties, North Carolina. David (Sheeks) settled in Obion County, Tennessee. George (Sheeks) settled in Lawrence County, Indiana. Nothing further is known about Friedrich. Mary Schick married to Martin Bridgefarmer and they moved to Wayne County, Kentucky. Catherine Schick married to Henry Butler and then to John Turner, and lived in Wayne County, Kentucky and (perhaps) Williamson County, Tennessee. Nothing further is known about Magdalena.
 

A lot has been published on this family in various historical books, family histories, and the Internet, much of it accurate, some not so accurate. As is often the case with family histories, once something is in print, it often is considered to be "gospel". It is my hope that this web site will facilitate a critical examination and discussion of the facts, legends, and myths surrounding this family and to allow us Schick/Shick/Sheek/Sheeks researchers and descendants to learn more about our origins and our relatives' contributions to early America. The best way to separate fact from fiction and to resolve conflicting information is to go back to the primary sources (see Understanding Sources, Citations, Documentation and Evaluating Evidence In Genealogy, by Richard A. Pence ). These include records of marriages, births, deaths, and burials, census listings, Bible records, tax lists, probate and land records, etc. The information in the descendant listings on this web site will include documentation of the primary sources as much as possible, and transcriptions of many of those sources will be presented in links below. This is a working document and not necessarily definitive, since much of it is based upon information found on the Internet or in published secondary sources. It will be modified and (hopefully) improved as more researchers provide input and, most importantly, evidence. (One final note: Genealogy is a hobby of mine - one that I do in my spare time, balancing the demands of a family and a full-time career. I will do my best to respond to correspondence promptly and keep this web site current.)

Here are listings of descendants (through five generations):

[Note: To view the Adobe Acrobat files, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. This can be downloaded free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. You can download the files to your disk to view them, or use your web browser with the appropriate plug-ins.]

Children of Christian Schick & Rosina ----- (Adobe Acrobat document; 117 KB; 26 May 2003) 
    Descendants of Christian Shick (#1) & Mary Bachman (Adobe Acrobat document; 237 KB; 31 May 2003) 
    Descendants of Adam Sheek (#2) & Susanna Moulder (Adobe Acrobat document; 261 KB; 26 May 2003) 
    Descendants of Mary Schick (#4) & Martin Bridgefarmer (Adobe Acrobat document; 116 KB; 26 May 2003) 
    Descendants of David Sheeks (#5) & Elizabeth Howard (Adobe Acrobat document; 153 KB; 26 May 2003) 
    Descendants of George Sheeks (#7) & Elizabeth Canote (Adobe Acrobat document; 177 KB; 26 May 2003) 
    Index of Names (Adobe Acrobat document; 140 KB; 31 May 2003) 

Explanation of Format of Descendant Listings [See here for explanation of numbering system for descendants.]
 

1790 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 84 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1800 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 88 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1810 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 89 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1820 US Census Adobe Acrobat document; 93 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1830 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 113 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1840 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 107 KB; 25 May 2003) 
1850 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 141 KB; 31 Oct 2004) 
1860 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 157 KB; 31 Oct 2004) 
1870 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 150 KB; 31 Oct 2004) 
1880 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 153 KB; 31 Oct 2004) 
1900 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 174 KB; 1 Jun 2003) 
1910 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 162 KB; 1 Jun 2003) 
1920 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 215 KB; 29 Jan 2006) 
1930 US Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 192 KB; 29 Jan 2006) 

1856 Iowa Census (Adobe Acrobat document; 96 KB; 25 May 2003) 

California Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 109 KB; 29 Jan 2006) 
Florida Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 94 KB; 31 May 2003) 
Indiana Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 162 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Iowa Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 114 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Kansas Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 107 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Kentucky Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 106 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Minnesota Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 96 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Missouri Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 114 KB; 25 May 2003) 
North Carolina Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 235 KB; 31 Oct 2004) 
Pennsylvania Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 228 KB; 31 May 2003) 
Tennessee Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 92 KB; 25 May 2003) 
Texas Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 135 KB; 29 Jan 2006) 
Washington Notes (Adobe Acrobat document; 91 KB; 25 May 2003) 
 
World War 1 Draft Registrations (Adobe Acrobat document; 116 KB; 29 Jan 2006) 
Bible of Daniel Sheek [#221] (Adobe Acrobat document; 917 KB; 29 Jul 2005) 

See my library of digital images (photos, newspaper clippings, etc.) related to this family.

There are genealogy forums on the Internet devoted to genealogical research of this and other Schick/Shick/Sheek/Sheeks families: Schick Family Genealogy Forum, Shick Family Genealogy Forum, and Sheeks Family Genealogy Forum.

Other web sites relating to this family:
 Shick/Schick/Sheek(s) Web Page of the Descendants of Christian Schick, Sr. of PA & NC (by Amanda Foringer)
 Sheek Family of Davie County [NC] (by Faye Jarvis Moran)
 Genealogy of the Sheek/Schick Family of Rowan and Davie Counties, North Carolina (by Frederic Z. Saunders)

Other genealogy links:
 Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
 Search the Social Security Death Index
 North Carolina GenWeb Project
 Township/Census Division Maps
 Ancestry.com
 

My wife Alisa is a 5th-great-granddaughter of Adam Sheek (#2) through his 2nd-great-grandson John Daniel Sheek (#22144), who lived his life in Davie County, North Carolina.

This web page is a result of my own research on this family and includes the collective works of many, many others to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude (see "Other web sites relating to this family", above). In particular, Ann Ellis Sheek's book The History of the Sheek Family 1753-1973 was extremely helpful in getting me started on researching the Schick/Shick/Sheek/Sheeks family.

DNA Research

A new tool in genealogical research is the use of genetic markers in DNA to establish family relationships. See Genetics, DNA and Health History. The y-chromosome is passed down from father to son to grandson to great-grandson, etc. along the male line (as are surnames in many modern western societies). Occasionally, due to random mutations, one or more of the genetic markers may change in an individual and be passed down to his son that way (similar to a surname changing from Sheek to Sheeks). Standard tests are available (based on a cheek swab) to identify 12, 37, or 67 markers on the y-chromosome. (The more the markers, the more precise the idenfication; I strongly suggest 37 or more markers, in order to be useful for genealogical purposes.) All direct male descendants of Christian Schick would have a very similar, if not identical, set of markers (or haplotype). Someone with a surname of Sheek (or some variation), whether or not they had done in-depth genealogical research, could compare their haplotype to known Christian Schick direct male descendants to see if they were likely to be a direct male descendant of Christian Schick. Likewise, the Christian Schick haplotype could be compared to haplotypes of other families to see if these families were closely related in Germany. I would like to establish a confidential database of haplotypes of Christian Schick's direct male descendants to give us a tool to identify Christian Schick descendants and to find closely related Sheek families from Germany. Ideally, we would need several samples from direct male descendants of each of Christian's grandsons (who carry the Sheek y-chromosome). The Family Tree DNA testing service is one of the most well-known. If anyone is interested, please contact me by e-mail. The tests range in price from $99-$248, depending upon the number of markers, when ordered from Family Tree DNA as a part of the Sheeks DNA Project.

To help defray the cost of the testing, a Sheeks DNA Project fund that will allow those of us without the Sheek y-chromosome (such as females born with the maiden name of Sheek) to jointly share in the cost of this project. If everyone interested in this avenue of research can contribute a little from time to time, it will greatly help to increase the level of participation by direct male descendants with the "right" DNA. If you would like to take advantage of the fund for your test, let me know. Those of us not fortunate enough to have the Sheek y-DNA chromosome may help others out by contributing.

If you would like to comment on any information contained within, or wish to correspond with me about this family, please send me an e-mail message at: marslan@nc.rr.com. Additions and corrections are greatly appreciated. I am especially interested in receiving information obtained from primary sources (census listings, Bibles, cemeteries, vital records, probate and land records, etc.) and photographs and digital images relating to the Schick/Shick/Sheek/Sheeks family so that I can incorporate them into this page. Also, I would like to provide links to other pages on the Internet that deal with Schick/Shick/Sheek/Sheeks genealogy.

Mark B. Arslan