Our Family - Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International

Naše rodina
“Our Famil y”
Quarterly of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
June 2009
Volume 21 Number 2
“…this place…” Spillville, Iowa
Přicházeli Zdaleka©
“They Came to this Place." The
Bohemian settlers would, within
fifty or so years of their first arrival,
come to dominate the southwest
four townships of Winneshiek
county and adjacent townships in
Howard and Chickasaw Counties
to the west and would have a very
noticeable presence in the adjacent
townships of Fayette County to the
south. Some historic background
will be useful to understanding the
progression of events.
Continued on page 43
Theme of This Issue:
Immigration of South Bohemians to the Midwest
A South Bohemia
Connection
© Michael F. Klimesh
Spillville, Iowa, is the oldest
Bohemian community north of St.
Louis and west of the Mississippi
River. Spillville is the most historic
Czech village in America. Spillville
is located in west-central Calmar
township, in southwest Winneshiek
County, in northeast Iowa – on the
Minnesota border, second county
west of the Mississippi River.
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church was
founded in 1860 in Spillville, Iowa. The
church will celebrate its 150th anniversary
over Labor Day weekend in 2010. Photo by
Paul Makousky, 1993.
“Spillville, Iowa (plat filed May
7, 1860) was founded by a German
(who arrived in 1849), its principal
merchant was Swiss (northern Swiss
started arriving in the Spillville area
in 1854 and would soon exceed 140
foreign born souls), but the overwhelming majority of it’s settlers
was Czech.” is how Cyril Klimesh
says it on the back cover of his book
41–“. . . this place . . . “ Spillville
42–President’s Message
51–Stories from the dusky hour:
When Czech Villagers talked
about those who left
58–Chicago Settlers from Třeboň
area Villages
64–Library Donations / Sponsors
65–Beckoned to a New Land
71–Lending Library Special July
Promotion
72–Queries
72–CGSI 2010 Lincoln Symposium
73–Cleveland Conference Update
74–The Founding of the Group
Libuše
76–Czech and Slovak Symposium
Sponsored by Center for Great
Plains Studies
77–The Librarian’s Shelf
82–Sales Order Form
83–Calendar of Events
Naše rodina
Quarterly Newsletter for the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) members
CGSI Board of Directors (at large)
Frank Soural
(Ottawa, CAN)
Rosie Bodien
(Washington)
Carolyn Janka
(Virginia)
Mary Jane Scherdin
(Wisconsin)
Chris Miksanek
(Minnesota)
Mike Prohaska
(Iowa)
Margie Sobotka
(Nebraska)
Gene Aksamit
(Minnesota)
Lisa Alzo
(New York)
CGSI Officers
President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary
Ginger Simek
Dottie Speidel
Al Kranz
Beth Baumeister
Barb Vermeer
Kathy Jorgenson
CGSI Committee Chairs
Education
Hospitality
Library and Archives
Membership
Newsletter
Product Sales
Publicity
Volunteer Coordinator
Internet (Webmaster)
Ruth Chovancek
Pam Peltier
Suzette Steppe
Joyce Fagerness
Paul Makousky
Jerry Parupsky
Chuck Romportl
Mark Bigaouette
Bob Bina
Naše rodina promotes genealogy of the ethnic
groups that comprise Czechoslovakia as it was
formed in 1918. We accept articles of historical
and cultural information, but they must have
genealogical significance and all are subject to
editing. The deadlines for submitting articles to
Naše rodina are:
January 1
March issue
April 1
June issue
July 1
September issue
October 1
December issue
Naše rodina (Our Family) (ISSN 1045-8190) is
published quarterly by the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, P.O. Box 16225, St.
Paul, MN 55116-0225, a non-profit organization.
Copyright 2009 by Czechoslovak Genealogical
Society International. The publication is not
responsible for the return of lost or unsolicited
manuscripts, photographs or any other material
not submitted with a self-addressed, stamped
envelope. Advertisements, manuscripts, articles,
and photographs for the Naše rodina may be
submitted to Czechoslovak Genealogical Society
International, Attn: Paul Makousky, P.O. Box
16225, St. Paul, MN 55116-0225.
Permission to copy, without fee, all or part of the
material is granted, provided that the copies are
not made or distributed for direct commercial
advantage. The CGSI copyright notice and the
title of the publication must appear together with
the date of the publication. Also, indicate that the
copying is with permission by CGSI. Abstracting
with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise or to
republish, requires a fee and/or permission from
CGSI.
The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International does not endorse the products that we sell
nor the items or services, including translators
that are advertised in this publication. Neither
does CGSI guarantee the quality or results of any
services provided by advertisers.
Page 42
President’s Message
by Ginger Simek
Peter Burian, the new Slovak Ambassador to the U.S., was in Minneapolis
in early April. I had the honor of meeting him and an opportunity to talk
with him. He is a very well-educated man and has an impressive diplomatic
background and experience. In one of his many posts he served as the
Czechoslovak Ambassador to the U.S. prior to the division of the country in
1993. Ambassador Burian expressed his belief in the value and importance
of people-to-people connections. That is basically what CGSI is about; connecting people with re-discovered family members whether in the present
or in the past. I also told him about the recent appointment of Michal Razus
from Prešov as CGSI’s Regional Representative in the Slovak Republic.
CGSI will soon have on its library shelves an Interpretative Guide to assist members in using the seven volumes of the Jewish Census in Bohemia
dated 1793 (Soupis židovských rodín v Čechách z roku 1793). These seven
volumes were obtained from the Czech National Archives in Prague and
cover the sixteen kraj or regions of Bohemia and Prague. The information
is in Czech and German. Our thanks go to Frank Soural for his time and
translating skills in putting this Guide together. It provides translations for
key words, phrases, occupations, and other useful information. Frank lists
two online translation websites (a German to English and a Czech to English) to use where a translation is not included. This will certainly make
these volumes more useful to members. Frank Soural lives in Canada and is
a member of the CGSI Board of Directors.
A thank you also goes to Dave Hanush, our CA Regional Representative.
Dave will be representing CGSI at the Southern California Genealogical
Jamboree which will be held at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, June 26-28, 2009. This is a big event and draws thousands of
people. Lisa Alzo, genealogist, author, and CGSI Board of Director member, will be presenting two sessions at the Jamboree in addition to providing some one-on-one help to a limited number of people who sign up at
the CGSI booth. Stop by, say “hi” to Dave, or volunteer to fill in and staff
the booth for a short time. It is a great way to meet lots of nice people with
similar interests.
Long-awaited improvements are getting closer for the CGSI website. There
has been, and still is a tremendous investment of volunteer time and effort
by the Website Committee to make this happen. A new web design, added
information, and technical changes will offer more benefits to our members
which is our goal. Once this is in place we will be encouraging more members to sign in to the “Members Only” section to check it out. For those of
you who currently log in to “Members Only” the change may require you
to initially have a new password. Information will be posted on the website
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
regarding the process. We are excited and looking forward to the website’s new look and new content.
Look for CGSI at festivals and events this summer.
Take a look at the Calendar of Events in Naše
rodina or see the website www.cgsi.org
“...this place...” continued from front cover
In 1825 a line – the “Neutral Line” was drawn south-southwesterly from just
south of the northeast corner of Iowa to
the Des Moines River, about sixty percent
of the way across Iowa, to about ten miles
north of present Fort Dodge. The idea was
that the Sioux Indians would stay north
of that line and the Sac and Fox Indian
Federation would stay south of that line
and that they would cease warring with
each other. Fort Atkinson would be built
almost exactly on that line in 1840. Spillville would be established in 1854 five
miles north of Fort Atkinson. In 1830
land was appropriated 20 miles on either
side of the Neutral Line and the “Neutral
Ground” was established as a buffer zone
between the natives. In 1837 Winnebago
Indians (Ho Chunk) were moved from
their lands in Wisconsin to the eastern
part of the Neutral Ground. A mission
was built there on the lower Yellow River
and operated by a Presbyterian Minister.
In 1840 the relocation of Ho Chunk from
Wisconsin was essentially complete. They
were then re-located 40 miles west of the
Mississippi River to along the Turkey
River. Fort Atkinson was established,
with a new Indian agency and mission
five miles south of the Fort. The situation
pretty much stayed this way until the Ho
Chunk were relocated to Long Lake, Minnesota, during the Summer of 1848. The
Fort was abandoned February 24, 1849.
Part of what is significant about this is
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
that this 40 mile wide and roughly 175 mile long strip of
land was totally off limits except to the natives, military,
and authorized missionaries and traders. It did present
a barrier to movement of settlers north and northwest
through Iowa (established as a state December 28,
1846) Territory. The Neutral Ground was kept settlerfree, as is attested by the story of Dragoons from the
Fort going to two miles inside the boundary southeast
of the Fort, near Elgin, to escort two settlers out of the
Neutral Ground and to burn the mill they had constructed. The Neutral Ground was closed to settlement even
though to the south, starting in 1832 with the Black
Hawk Purchase and by more Indian Land Cessions in
1836, 1837, 1842 and 1846, virtually all Indian land
1886 Plat Map of Spillville, Calmar Township, Iowa by Warner and Foote
Publishers, Minneapolis, MN.
Naše rodina
Page 43
Monument dedicated to the memory of Jan Hus, Czech Reformer in the Bohemian National Cemetery in Spillville, Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Mike Klimesh.
was acquired from the natives and open to settlement. A
point of this is that this land in northeast Iowa became
available for settlement relatively late.
In the fall of 1848 news of the good land in the Fort
Atkinson area brought several scouts, already established German settlers, from Oldenburg, Indiana. They
liked what they saw, went home, reported, packed and
by about early May 1849 six Oldenburg families were
living in the barracks of the recently abandoned Fort
Atkinson. It was the frontier. In 1850 the Winneshiek
County census showed only 100 dwellings and 546
men, women and children. Joseph Spielmann, one of the
Oldenburgers, and his family were the only people in
the Spillville area in the summer of 1850, noted Judge
Burdick of Decorah, Iowa, when he passed through.
Spielmann had few neighbors for several years. In fall
of 1851 the only assessed property in three of the four
southwest townships of Winneshiek County belonged to
Joseph Spielmann and his some John, near Spillville. In
1852 and 1853 a small number of land sales in the area
were recorded, some to speculators (land sharks).
Page 44
The South Bohemia Connection story really starts
in spring of 1854. Starting in April Joseph Linhart,
Ignatz Benda, Frank Bouska, Martin Bouska, Wenzil
Kopet and Joseph Zahasky all filed land claims. By the
end of the year fourteen more Bohemians filed land
claims. In 1855 nineteen more filed land claims. By
the end of 1855 a total of 39 Bohemians filed for land
around what would become, but was not yet, Spillville.
Most of the earliest settlers took land easterly a mile or
two of what would be a filed plat, on May 7, 1860, of
Spielville (named apparently after Joseph Spielmann)–
later Spillville. Why most of the earliest were clustered
east of Spillville is not specifically documented. One
likely reason is that eastern Winneshiek County land
was already largely filed for (much of it by Norwegians
coming further west in the early 1850s from Norwegian
settlements in south central Wisconsin) and the land
office was likely just filling in the spaces on the map
from east to west. With a cluster of 39 Czech families
by the end of 1855 Spillville, while not yet platted was
the largest, and earliest, Czech community north of St.
Louis and west of the Mississippi River.
Why the Bohemians came to this place, Spillville,
is not specifically documented. Why those Oldenburgers (or Germans or Swiss or Norwegians) came to the
Spillville area is also not specifically documented. In the
case of the Oldenburgers (and the early Norwegians) we
know they had been in America for some time and likely kept track of the news. (The Frenchman, Elexis De
Tocqueville, famous for the book “Democracy in America”, during his time in America, 1831/32, observed that
one thing he saw in every log cabin was a newspaper.)
It was the Czech serf rebellions of 1848/49 that
loosened the bond of the serfs to the land and made
it more possible to move elsewhere. And land was
not much available in Bohemia and the economy was
generally bad. America presented an option – even, or
especially, for those with nothing or next to nothing but
meager resources. (Interestingly, the Swiss had a Civil
War in 1847, and new Constitution in 1848, that may
have influenced Swiss to come to America or to leave
Switzerland.) It was the south half of Bohemia and the
Czech-Moravian Highlands that supplied the bulk of
the Czech immigrants. The bulk of the Spillville area
settlers originated in the west part of that area from a
bulged out triangle roughly České Budĕjovice, Písek,
Tábor (toward Pacov) and back to Budĕjovice. Týn nad
Vltavou is roughly in the middle of that triangle.
How it is that the (earliest) Bohemians came to
Spillville is at least a two part question. First is: Why
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June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Spillville? Next is: How was the journey made?
As to why Spillville? There is no known specific
documentation. What we do know is that in Cleveland,
Ohio, since the late 1840s lived Leopold Levy, who was
originally from Smetanova Lhota, about 10 miles north
of Písek, South Bohemia. In 1852 levy was joined by
sixteen families from Smetanova Lhota and the area.
He provided them with shelter. Enthusiastic about what
they saw in America these people wrote home encouraging more to come. Most of the early Spillville Czechs
are believed to have had Cleveland as a first destination. After five or six years in America Levy surely had
a handle on where (like northeast Iowa, and see above
relating to the prime northern Iowa land that was just
opening for settlement) there were opportunities. Also
in Cleveland lived, since 1852, Martin Krejci (Taylor).
Krejci had a partner in Písek, South Bohemia, who
sold tickets to immigrants. Martin Krejci became “the
man” for Czech immigrants. Likely Krejci and Levy
knew or at least knew of each other (1850 population
of Cleveland was only 17,000). The likely scenario for
many is that Krejci cut the immigrants a package deal
to his Cleveland destination. In Cleveland he could help
and the immigrants would be more business for him –
housing, work, other essentials, and, for large numbers,
arrangements to continue to other destinations. Many
of the first Czechs spent the overlap of 1853/1854 in
Cleveland before going further west. The short statement regarding the networking connections is that it
was broadly operational and highly effective.
As to coming to a specific destination in America,
like Spillville, Iowa, it is likely that many of those decisions did not get made by the earliest Bohemians until
contact was made in places like Cleveland with the likes
Present day panoramic view of Spillville, highlighting St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. Photo courtesy of Steven Klimesh.
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 45
of a Levy or Krejci. By the late 1860s, after the United
States Civil War and the Austro-Prussian War, 15 years
after the earliest immigrants, there was an established
base of settlers sending information to the old country
and preparing the way for those wanting to come.
Physically getting to America involved a sea voyage, possibly some transfer of vessels, and arriving in
America, as we think was the case of the Mikotas and
Klimeshs and for others, at some east coast port like
Baltimore. Ellis Island in the New York harbor was not
established as an immigration entry point until 1892
(closing in 1954). Canada was a first stop for some and
Gulf of Mexico ports for some others. Some Spillville
settlers came reasonably directly. Some wandered for
several years. Some eventually moved west as land
opened up. Some left and came back. Most early Spillvillians came via the east coast. Spending a first winter
in America in Cleveland seems common. Davenport or
Dubuque were other options for finding direction and
earning some money.
From Cleveland rail service continued on to Chicago. By 1854 the railroad connected Chicago to Galena, Illinois, just east of Dubuque, Iowa. (There was
not yet any rail service in Wisconsin or west of the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. Winneshiek County,
Iowa, did not have rail service - and it would be the
end of the line, via Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin - until
1864.) Dubuque was a good connection for those heading northwest to Spillville because the land office was
in Dubuque and the old Territorial Road (Old Mission
Road) went from Dubuque northwestward to Fort Atkinson. Those first settlers did take advantage of the
abandoned fort buildings for shelter during their first
days near their land. Anna Bouska, daughter of Martin
and Katerina (Brail) Bouska, is known to have been
born at the abandoned barracks at Fort Atkinson on May
4, 1854. Martin’s land was recorded in Dubuque on
April 29, only 5 days before.
Starting a new life in their new country was not
easy, but they overcame the obstacles and still maintained many connections to their ancestry. Within five
to six years of arriving the Spillville Bohemians had
their own church, 1860, Saint Wenceslaus. Today it
is the oldest extant Czech Catholic church building in
America. In 1856 some of the Czechs had joined with
the Germans to build the brick St. Clement church
just south of Spillville. It had been established as a log
chapel after the two old mission chapels to the south
and southeast burned in 1853. With a capacity of about
80 persons it soon became too small for the quickly
Page 46
growing population. The St. Wenceslaus church was
designed and built by the parishioners, and in 1888 a
special memorial was erected just south of the church,
inscribed: “Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” In the
next forty years St. Wenceslaus is associated with the
establishment and maintenance of at least ten churches
in Iowa. (But be aware that Spillville-Protivin were/
are solidly Catholic with some “Freethinkers.” In many
places the situation was just the opposite.) The extent of
the Spillville influence on, and the movement of Czech
priests among, Čechy communities in general, in Iowa,
and beyond Iowa is being researched. But, for example,
a reading of the Pisek, ND, 100 Year History (1982)
reveals that roughly 70 people claim Spillville as their
home before Pisek. And just one more example of the
network in America is the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery at
Geranium (Netolice) Nebraska where there are names
with Spillville roots and Charles Andera decorative Iron
grave markers that were made in Spillville. “Spreading
the Word” included the Word and word of new living
opportunities.
In 1870, 15 years after arrival, the Spillville Czechs
had their own parochial school. Standing and restored
today, it is the oldest Czech parochial school in America. From 1854 to 1866 Martin Bouska held classes in
his 1854 log cabin school. It is the oldest Czech log
cabin school in America, preserved and standing today
on the grounds on the Bily Clocks museum in Spillville.
Between 1866 and 1870 school was in session in the
Thomas Dvorak dance hall and the parish rectory. In
1862 a public school was established in Spillville and
progressed through several buildings over a hundred
years. The early settlers valued education and they took
the initiative.
The Bohemian settlement that began east of Spillville over time solidly filled in at least the equivalent of
6 townships (6 x 6 miles = 36 x 6 =216 square miles)
and significantly contributes to the populations of the
various towns beyond those boundaries. The progression of the Bohemian settler saturation can be traced
within the Spillville-Protivin area by roughly following the establishment of the Czech and heavily Czech
Catholic parishes – 1860, Spillville; 1875, Calmar;
1876, Fort Atkinson; 1878, Protivin; 1903, Little Tukey;
1875, Lourdes; 1928, Schley. Significant numbers of
Bohemians were also mixed in beyond these dominant
locations. One interesting side light is that 35 miles east
of Spillville, north of Beulah Falls, about 6 miles west
of McGregor, there was a community of around 400 Bo-
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
hemians, about 220 of which were foreign
born. Mostly they came from around České
Budějovice eastward to Třeboň. This overlaps the south part of the Spillville-Protivin
origins. And those souls had from 1883 to
1902 their own St. Wenceslaus chapel. The
cemetery is there to this day. Research is
in process regarding this community. Spillville’s St. Wenceslaus is also closely linked
to parishes at at least Duncan and Garner,
Iowa.
While the early people are gone (some
Noteworthy Spillvillians are summarized
in a separate exhibit), today, Spillville still
retains essentially it’s feel of the rolling
countryside of South Bohemia and all of
those structures mentioned above - and
more. And today in the area there are two
active associations with heritage mission
statements. The Saint Wenceslaus Heritage Society (SWHS) has the purpose of
preserving the 1870 St. Wenceslaus (Old)
Family History and Documents Center in Protivin, Iowa. This is a project
School. Much progress has been made,
of the Czech Heritage Partnership. Photo courtesy of Mike Klimesh.
such that events are held there. The Czech
Heritage Partnership (CHP) has a broader
mission of heritage in general and outreach and neters guard their secret patches; beer drinkers maintain a
working physically and virtually. The core population
strong devotion to the homeland; music regularly fills
area for the CHP is the seven northeast counties of
the air; and The Inwood, a vintage 89 year old ballroom,
Iowa, with outreach to those places and persons who are is open seasonally. Christmas Carp are prepared by the
significantly linked to the core area. CHP is involved
devoted.
in heritage and history in general, music events with a
In 2010 St. Wenceslaus Church, oldest extant Czech
Czech connection, Masopust and similar festive events,
Catholic Church building in America will celebrate 150
and family history and genealogy. The Family History
years. The days of the grand celebration will be over the
and Document Center is a project of CHP with a buildLabor Day weekend in 2010, September 3, 4, 5.
ing and facilities in Protivin, 8 miles west of Spillville.
The title of this article “…this place…” is associDoors opened during Protivin Czech Days in August
ated with the book by Cyril Klimesh “They Came To
2008. Hours Starting March 1, 2009 are Thursdays
This Place – A History of Spillville, Iowa and Its Czech
10:00-4:00 and Saturdays 12:00-4:00. Contact JoAnn
Settlers." “They came to this place” is lifted out of a letDostal for information - <[email protected]> or
ter the Great Czech Composer Antonín Dvořák wrote in
<[email protected]>.
Spillville in 1893 – “These people came to this place...
CHP has a developing web site: www.CzechHeritagemostly from the neighborhood of Písek, Tábor and
Partnership.org
Budějovice. All the poorest of the poor, and after great
Additional activities, heritage activities and tradihardship and struggle, they are very well off here.” The
tions in the area include: Czech Days in Protivin on the
book has been translated into the Czech language, and
weekend of the third Saturday in August; Assumption
was released at a conference in Brno, Czech Republic,
Parish in Little Turkey on the 15th of August every year, in April 2008 under the title Přicházeli Zdaleka©. A
virtually uninterrupted for a hundred years since it was
very common thread relating to Bohemians coming to
established, has a fund-raiser chicken dinner; kolačé
America was Spillville and a very common thread relatbakers bake the best anywhere; noodle makers help
ing to Bohemians settling the western United States was
keep the chicken soup pots cooking; mushroom huntSpillville. “All Roads Lead To Spillville.”
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 47
About the Author
****************
Michael Klimesh resides in Spillville, Iowa, the Most
Historic Czech Village In America; the earliest Czech
community north of St. Louis, Missouri, and west of
the Mississippi River; and the 1893 home of Antonín
Dvořák. The Klimesh ancestors, Jan and Anna, immigrated to the Spillville, Iowa area from Zvěrkovice and
Purkarec, south of Týn nad Vltavou, in 1854/55. They
were among the first Czechs to settle in the Spillville
area.
Michael is active in Czech-American immigration
research and in promoting history and culture. The following are some of the roles he has served:
President of the “Remembering Dvorak – 100 Years” in
1993
President of the “Bily Brothers - Master Woodcarvers”
Festival in 1994
Founder and President of the Czech Heritage Partnership – Concerts, Masopust, Big Stone Mills preservation project, Historic Documents and Family
History Center
Coordinator of the Czech language version of “They
Came To This Place – A History of Spillville, Iowa,
and Its Czech Settlers”
Saint Wenceslaus Heritage Society board of directors,
including preservation of the oldest Czech parochial
school in America
Preservation of the 1864 Martin Bouska log cabin
school, oldest Czech log cabin school in America
Antonin Dvorak museum exhibit
Karel Andera, pioneer Czech entrepreneur, “Cemetery
Art” grave markers, museum exhibit
Miss Czech-Slovak pageant judge at state and national
levels
150 years (in 2010) anniversary committee of St.
Wenceslaus church, oldest Czech Catholic church in
America
Numerous papers and presentations relating to Spillville
Czech-American heritage
His is also a longtime member of the Czechoslovak
Genealogical Society International and the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences.
Michael was awarded the “Artis Bohemiae Amicis” by
the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in
June 2006.
On ma rad houby a pivo.
Michael F. Klimesh – [email protected]
Page 48
Appendix
“Some Noteworthy Early Spillvillians”
Spillville-Protivin (that label is used here for the larger
community that came to be) can lay claim to association
with some notable Czechs/Czech-Americans.
Jan Joseph (J. J.) Kovarik (Born in Všeteč, 9
miles southeast of Písek (again that Písek proximity))
came to Spillville with his parents in 1868, soon after
the US Civil War and soon after the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. Father Mikota employed him as school teacher, organist and choir master. John and Elizabeth Riha
Kovarik had 7 children. Most recognized of their children was Joseph who brought Antonín Dvořák to Spillville and went on to be “first chair” for 42 years with
the New York Symphony. In 1898 J. J. moved to New
Prague, Minnesota to attend to musical needs there.
From 1875 to 1925, besides being a skilled furniture
maker (including making altars for Spillville, Fort Atkinson and Protivin churches) and photographer (snapping many of the old pictures we cherish today) Karel
(Charles) Andera was a pioneer entrepreneur, manufacturing and selling thousands of ornate cast iron grave
markers still found today in at least 14 states from the
Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. Loren Horton,
retired Chief Historian of the State Historical Society of
Iowa, who researched the crosses for 25 years, calls the
iron crosses “Cemetery Art.” Everyone who sees them
agrees.
Antonín Dvořák, famous Czech Composer sojourned in Spillville in 1893. He wrote the American
Quartet and American Quintet and the trombone section
of the New World Symphony in Spillville. Dvořák said
of Spillville, “I grew very fond of the people there and
they seemed to like me. There was a little Bohemian
school and my pupil’s father was the schoolmaster. Here
I played the organ for them every day and on Sunday
I played the organ (historic 1876 Pfeffer Organ, now
restored) in church. It was a lovely place, miles away
from the railroad and all the time I was there I fancied
myself in Bohemia.” (This writer thinks it has not
changed much.) Dvořák also said: “ I know that my new
Symphony, and also the string Quartet and Quintet (both
composed in Spillville) would never have been written
in the manner I have written them, had I not seen America (including Spillville, where Dvořák quickly and
totally composed the Quartet and the Quintet and wrote
the trombone section for the New World Symphony).”
Dr. Hynek Dostal came to Spillville in 1898 at the
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
request of his Brother Father Joseph Dostal (Spillville
1898-1903) to teach school, which he did for two years
until the Bishop decreed that school teaching must be by
nuns. Dostal was married to Anna Brzorad of Prague,
Bohemia, by his brother, in Spillville, in St. Wenceslaus
church, on September 12, 1899. Dr. Dostal went on to
be editor of Hlas (“Voice”) in St. Louis starting in 1901.
He was a primary participant in efforts to form Czechoslovakia and he was much honored and decorated,
including being awarded the Knight of the Order of St.
Gregory the Great, instituted by Pope Gregory XVI, on
September 1, 1831. It is the highest honor that a layman
in the Catholic church can attain. It represents recognition by the Holy Father of special virtue and unusual labors for the Church of God and country. “Hlas” (Voice)
was founded by Father Joseph Hessoun, who arrived in
St. Louis October 4, 1865 (until 1906). He was one of
two priests sent to America by the Bishop of Budweis
(České Budějovice), who feared the Czechs would lose
their Catholic belief without Czech-speaking priests. In
his 41 years in America Hessoun had a big impact on
networking. For example, on July 5, 1887, less than 2
months after the church was built, Hessoun said Mass
at St. John Nepomucene at Pisek, ND. The first Mass at
Pisek was in May 1884 by Fr. Sulak, SJ. (Incidentally,
Fr. Sulak also had contact with the Beulah Falls, IA,
Czech community and it was his suggestion in 1883
that resulted in the Chapel being built there.) And Sulak
had contact with Fort Atkinson, Iowa in the early days
of that church after it was established in 1874. What a
network – connections everywhere.
Charles Neuzil was born in 1861 in Bechyně, Bohemia, 13.5 miles east of Písek. When he was 13 he
came to Spillville with his parents. He was ordained at
the Benedictine St. Vincent Abbey in Chicago July 11,
1885, with the name Procopius Neuzil, OSB. Those
Benedictines are the Bohemian Benedictine Order.
He wrote articles and editorials for Hlas. He founded
“Katolik” a bi-weekly Czech-language newspaper, considered the best in the Bohemian language in America.
The daily “Národ” (Nation) and the semi-monthly
“Hospodárské Listy” (Agricultural News) were established in 1898. All of these papers were published by
the Bohemian Benedictine Order of Chicago. In 1899 he
became Prior. He moved the Abbey to Lisle, Illinois in
1914. …there is too much more to include here.
Dr. Alois Kovarik was born March 8, 1880 in
Spillville. His early schooling was in Spillville. He went
on to be Professor of Physics at Yale University. He
worked with Hans Geiger (Geiger Counter for radiation)
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
and Madame Curie. He worked on the project to develop the atomic bomb. In 1917 Milan Rastislav Štefánik,
one of the three main architects of forming Czechoslovakia visited Alois Kovarik in Spillville. It is not likely
Štefánik was at a loss for things to do – serving in the
WWI French air corps and working to establish Czechoslovakia. What did they talk about – Štefánik, Kovarik,..
and.. Pergler?
Karel Pergler, born 1882 in Liblín, about 13.5
miles northeast of Plzeň lived and practiced law west of
Protivin-Spillville from 1908 to 1917. He was a signer
of the 1918 Pittsburgh Pact along with Hynek Dostal
and Bohumil Shimek, a famous Iowa botanist. (That
Štefánik did not sign was due to his being in Italy. Why
Alois Kovarik was not a signer is not known.) Pergler
went on to be a diplomat for the new Czechoslovakia.
Pergler, in 1910, was an incorporator of the Bohemian
Savings Bank in Protivin. An interesting side note supporting inter-ethnic cooperation is that the first Vice
President of the Bohemian Savings Bank in Protivin,
Iowa, was Ole Natvig.
Joseph C. and Frank L. Bily were born in 1880, d.
1964, and 1884, d. 1965, on the family farm four miles
northeast of Spillville. Their father John was born in
1855 in Sepekov, about 13.5 miles northeast of Písek
and he came to Spillville with his parents in 1869. The
brothers were bachelor farmers and carpenters but their
hobby was wood carving. They were self-taught and
their work is recognized as world-class. They carved
pieces as tall as 10 feet. Many of their pieces had clock
works and/or other mechanical works installed. In 1928
Henry Ford offered them $1,000,000 for the Pioneer
Clock. They turned him down. In 1947 they made arrangements to make their entire collection the property
of the village of Spillville forever. The collection is
housed in the Museum in the house that Jacob Schmitt
built in 1857. That is the house that Antonín Dvořák and
family lived in during 1893. Also housed at the Museum are the Antonín Dvořák Exhibit, the 1854 Martin
Bouska Log Cabin School, and the Andera cast iron
grave markers display and exhibit. And…Less than 10
years of coming to America 23 Spillville young men
fought in the Civil War. Three never returned. These are
Spillville people with Czech roots who served Spillville,
the greater Czech community in America, Czech, and
beyond.
Bibliographic Resources
Dubovický, Ivan. “Why They Came.” Naše rodina 6-1
(May 1994): pp. 1, 4-6.
Naše rodina
Page 49
Habenicht, Jan. History of Czechs in America. Translated by Miroslav Koudelka. St. Louis: Hlas, 1910:
English Translation – St. Paul: Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, 1996.
Hoffmann, M. M. Centennial History of the Archdiocese
Of Dubuque. Dubuque: Columbia College Press,
1938.
Hutchinson, Duane. Bily Brothers. Lincoln: Foundation
Book, 1993.
Klimesh, Cyril M. They Came To This Place. Sebastopol: Methodius Press, 1983, 1992.
Klimesh, Cyril M. PŘICHÁZELI ZDALEKA. Praha:
Epocha, 2008.
Klimesh, Michael F. Spillville.
Korytová-Magstadt, Štěpánka. To Reap a Bountiful
Harvest. Iowa City: Rudi Publishing, 1993.
Pisek – The First Century. Grafton: Associated Printers,
1982.
The Quasquicentennial History Book 1860-1985 (St.
Wenceslaus Parish). Spillville, IA, 1985.
The Protivin Community – Past & Present. Protivin
Historical Preservation Group, 2005.
St. Wenceslaus’ 150th Anniversary
The city of Spillville and the entire Czech
community will help celebrate St. Wenceslaus
Catholic Church’s 150th Anniversary. Various
historical and cultural events will be planned
for Labor Day Weekend, September 3-6, 2010.
Stay tuned to future issues of Naše rodina and
the CGSI website (www.cgsi.org) for further
information. The CGSI expects to participate
to some extent to help fulfill our mission of
educating the public on genealogical research.
Future Themes for Naše rodina:
September 2009...Slovak Personalities in America
December 2009...Earliest Slovak and Czech Fraternals in the USA
March 2010...Czech and Slovak Surnames
June 2010...Glass Production Industry
Your articles are welcome, although not all can be published
E-Mail articles or inquiries to Paul Makousky at [email protected]
or send by U.S. Mail: 8582 Timberwood Rd., Woodbury, MN 55125-7620
Page 50
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Stories from the dusky
hour1; when Czech
villagers talked about
those who left
By Olga Černá and Robert Dulfer
Our work on emigration
I was born and raised as Olga Vochozka in the village
of Kojákovice, South Bohemia. Now, I am 49 years old,
and living in the nearby town of Třeboň. My mother has
moved to a retirement house and I now own our cottage
in Kojákovice. Together with my partner Robert Dulfer,
we also run a small museum on village life and emigration to America in the old school in Kojákovice.
As part of our work, we did a joint European project
on comparing letters of emigrants from several countries
who had emigrated to America. Many Czechs who had
emigrated wrote back letters to those who had stayed
behind. These letters were kept as treasures and taken to
the pub or market and read aloud to all interested in the
village. It is unknown how many of these letters survived to the present day. There are not many public emi1
The literal Czech translation is “dark hour." We
changed this to dusky hour to avoid the initial negative association with “dark hours” as being a very
negative time or emotion.
grant letter collections in the Czech Republic, certainly
no large collections from our region.
We also found that, at least in our region, the old
people know about this historic emigration to America.
Most of their children and grandchildren, however, do
not. We had asked teachers of a primary school to let
children ask their parents about emigration to America.
The general response, including from the teachers, was
that “none of their family had emigrated." We knew this
was not correct. From our research and my personal
knowledge, we know that almost all families in our
region had relatives that had emigrated. The problem
was clearly that the stories about those emigrants were
no longer passed on to the next generations; the children
had asked the wrong generation!
When talking with elder people, we learned the
reason for this. Under communism, it was better not to
talk about any relatives in the West. Being in contact
with them could, and in several cases did actually cause
severe problems for the family. As result, a lot of material was destroyed or lost over the years. Stories about
emigrating relatives were no longer passed on to the
next generations.
With our work, we hope to return the history of the
emigrants back to its rightful place in the stories about
village history. For us, the history of the emigrants is
not pure statistics but part of our local rural heritage. We
try to preserve this as it is remembered in stories and
as it shows from the emigrant letters and other memories. Our stories and explanations can and will differ
from those found in mainstream history books. Neither
Drawing of a typical last-generation hybrid sailing ship of the 1870s and 1880s.
Copyright Společnost Rozmberk.
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 51
Emigration to America was remembered and idealized in several popular songs.
Page 52
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
source is by definition more accurate or inaccurate, it is
just a different perspective.
Knowing my history
As the years passed, my interest in my village was getting stronger and stronger. When I was a small girl, the
“dusky hour” was a nice and typical village tradition.
Family and neighbors from the village occasionally
gathered in our house at the end of the afternoon, when
it was getting dark. They were sitting around the table
talking. The lights were not switched on to save money;
hence the name “dusky hour." These talks often repeated the same stories, but in my memory, there was some
magic in it. My father in particular knew many stories.
He was always interested in the village history and had
talked with many people. He told us about them, often
long after their death. His knowledge about family lines
from each of the farms was really impressive. He also
often talked about the people who left for America, and
since childrenhood I have known that some of our family went as well.
Others had gone there and back several times. At
home, we had a very nice wooden clock from the USA,
with ornamental carvings. Through these stories, I
learned that a Mr. Korbel had lived and worked in the
USA for some years and had taken it back with him.
He then decided that he would emigrate permanently,
and sold all his belongings he had here. My grandfather
bought this clock, which, after more than a century, still
works.
How genealogy came into this: the
Vochozka family
After finishing secondary school, I worked in the
Třeboň State Archive for 5 years. There I worked with
the birth, marriage, and death registers, and learned how
to make family trees. This work was fascinating, and I
still find it more interesting to read these registers and
figure out what happened then read fiction.
When I was employed in the Archive, I tried to
make a family tree of my father’s family for his birthday. During that time, I only went back to 1772, when
Urban Vochozka married a woman from Kojákovice
and became a farmer here. The register mentioned that
Vochozka was not from Kojákovice, and at that time,
I did not know it was possible to trace it further back.
Much later, my colleague helped me and taught me how
to read land record books and combine them with the
church registers. From the remarks of the land records,
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
we found that Urban Vochozka came from Hrdlořezy, a
village close to Suchdol nad Lužnicí. Together we were
able to trace his line back to 1600.
Little did we know that 20 odd years later the Vochozka link would bring us into contact with many new
friends and unknown relatives in America. In the year
2000, thanks to our museum activities and a short note
in Naše rodina, we made contact with Judy Nelson from
Oxford Junction, Iowa. Thanks to her, I found that now
I probably have more living relatives in Oxford Junction
than in Kojákovice! In 2000 and 2001, we organized
exchanges between our towns. The highlight was when
eight people from Oxford Junction were present at the
opening of our museum.
Until recently, the Vochozkas had lived in
Hrdlořezy #6 for generations. In the late 1800s,
František Vochozka, his wife Anna, and their nine children lived there. The eldest son Jan Vochozka was the
first to emigrate. He sailed to America on the ship “Oder”, a small sailing ship with a steam engine for support.
According to the passenger manifest, Johann Wochoska,
age 19, arrived in New York on December 1, 1875. Given his age, it is likely that he emigrated to avoid being
drafted for military service. That was a common reason;
compulsory military service could take anywhere between 10 - 14 years.
His sister Alzbeta and brother Josef left in 1879. After the death of František, his widow and the rest of the
children emigrated as well. They arrived in New York
on 27 September 1884 on the SS Elbe (Nord German
Lloyd Line). The passenger manifest lists them as Anna
(age 54), then an unclear name (age 18), Franziska (17),
Franz (14), Adalbert (11), and Rosalie (4).
Their travels are a good example of how quick the
times were changing. The Oder was of a dying breed of
small wooden sailing ships used for transporting goods.
It had a small support engine, but the main means of
propulsion were its sails. Travel could take several
weeks, the longest we have read about was five months.
The Elbe was of a new breed, a large steel ship purely
running on steam. Crossing only took 12-16 days.
Since then, the concept and layout of such ships has not
changed fundamentally anymore up to the present day.
One of the younger children was Albert. He came
to Oxford Junction as a child and remained there for
the rest of his life. His life story is displayed in our museum, from his birth record to pictures of the ship the
Elbe he traveled on, his naturalization document, the
announcement of his retirement and sale of livestock
and farm equipment, and finally his condolence booklet
Naše rodina
Page 53
from 1953 showing many Czech names.
Frank Lilak, another frontier child.
Sometimes, Czech settlers had their stories published
in one of the many Czech-American periodicals, which
were sent to the homeland to demonstrate the way of
life in the USA. Frank Josef Lilak was born in Jílovice
on July 15, 1874, to Frank and Therese (nee Cap) Lilak.
He remembered many things about his life as a settler’s
child and later as a farmer. His children and friends
asked him often about his life, and on their urging he
published a letter about his childhood in the Czech paper Hlasatel, excerpts of which are given below.
When I was 18 months old, my father, who had
served out his time in the Austrian Armed Forces, decided to go to America. Later from my parents I learned
that we set out from the city of Bremen on a ship with
sails. The journey, I think, lasted six weeks…
After a few years, the family finally settled in Kansas, close to Wilson.
…at this time I was about five years old, and my responsibility was to herd the two head of cattle and a few
pigs that we owned. There were a great many poisonous
snakes at that time, so I had to wear high boots……In
the morning, these would get thoroughly soaked in the
heavy dew and later in the day when they dried, they
would pinch most horribly. The grass grew lush and
tall, and as I herded our livestock, only my head could
be seen…
The dry and rocky landscape around Wilson has
not changed much since the settler days, and one can
still see the structure of homestead sections and the
dust roads in the area where the Lilaks took their homestead claim. Although empty and abandoned, several
of the first original stone buildings built by the Lilaks
still exist. Close by, the little old school building is still
present as well. It is in this area that we would like to
restore one of the old settler’s houses and make this into
a “homestead experience place." This should not be a
static museum but a place where Czech and American
A letter from Cleveland to relatives in the Czech lands dated 10 February 1893. Copyright Společnost Rozmberk and
partners.
Page 54
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
youths can spend a few days and “live and work like a
settler.
Today, Wilson is known as the Czech Capital of
Kansas and celebrates its many Czech immigrants with
the annual Czech Festival on the last weekend of July.
Not all that is gold glitters
Although it was a tough life of hard work, most the
Czech settlers seemed happy about their choice. To be
honest, there probably were enough that ended in failure and bitterness but not mentioned as such in letters.
Among the letters we did find was one from a Karel
Hrubý from Oxford, Ohio. The letter was written in
1855 but Karel had emigrated in the 1830s. He provides
a bitterly negative view of his experiences in America,
advising all to stay home for their own good sake.
...From your letter I understand that you would like
to follow after me to America, but I can’t recommend
it to you. Undoubtedly you are persuaded by many of
your local newspapers, but to advise you briefly: Stay
home and brush aside every similar thought or it will be
too late to regret your decision ......... In the first place,
you will suffer great embarrassment and anxiety before
you sail across the huge ocean. Second, if you escape
drowning or serious illnesses, you will travel through
our free land and will meet many evildoers who will
cheat you or you will break your limbs on our dangerous railroads or even lose your life. Third and last, even
if you settle successfully, what good can you expect
here? My answer is swift: many dangerous diseases,
high cost of living, an obstinate american heart, hatred,
anger and tough persecution of foreigners, especially
roman catholics (because we are not far away from civil
religious war). ….. I have been here for over twenty
years but I would be lying if I said I had spent one happy year here, and I always long for Bohemia......
.....Talking about our freedom, there is not such happiness as you undoubtedly think because of newspapers;
not all that’s gold glitters. You submit to one king, but
we feed many of our kings, and each of them not only
squeezes their own belly but also their pockets and they
get plump from the community dish: although we don’t
have dukes and counts, every rich person walks proud
as a turkey and looks down on the poor, humble man
like a slave – that’s the way this world wants it to be......
His is not the only negative letter we found. Those
we found mostly are from well before 1860 and mostly
from east of the Mississippi. Our hunch is that this is a
borderline in both time and place. The Czechs arriving
before the 1860s probably still stayed in the states east
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
of the Mississippi River. In that place and period, they
were latecomers and probably looked down upon by
the already long-settled English, Dutch, and French. In
addition, in those east-coast states the remnants of the
old European hierarchies and the new rich probably had
many similarities to the old European feudal estates.
On the other hand, many of the Czechs arriving in the
late 1850s and later mostly continued toward the Great
Plains, where there was more free land to be had. This
became the true melting pot where the Czechs were accepted more as equals, all being in the same position. It
would be interesting to study more letters and histories
and see if this holds true.
Mlnařík of Kojákovice
Years later, when I started to do professional genealogical research, I also made a family tree for my mother,
born Zdeňka Mlnařík. Her brother, Vladimír Mlnařík,
already had some data, and based on that we started to
trace this line back. We were quite excited to find that
we were able to take the history of the family and of the
Mlnařík’s farm in Kojákovice back to 1557! There are
still lots of documents unstudied. New data about marriage contracts, last wills, property transfers and much
more can help transform this tree from a simple list of
names and dates into a real living family history.
The Mlnařík family is a typical example of a village family. In tracing its history, I found many of those
strange, nice, interesting, and frustrating puzzles and
stories that make genealogy so fascinating all in one
family. This family tree is now used by us in our museum as one of the examples of how far a family history
can be traced back. It shows how family names can
stick to a particular house (i.e. House Names) resulting
in full-blood siblings having different surnames and
unrelated persons ending up carrying the same name.
Editor’s Note: For further information about House
Names see “House Name or Surname” prepared by
staff of The Czech-American Historical Documentation
Center, Spillville, Iowa, Naše rodina, Vol 4 No. 3 Summer 1992. Also to learn more about Czech research in
South Bohemia read, “Doing Genealogical Research at
the State Regional Archive in Třeboň” in Naše rodina,
Vol 6 No 1, March 1994.
Some of the Mlnaříks left for America as well.
When Vavřinec Mlnařík died in the 1870s, his oldest
son Jakub inherited the farm. However, with the exception of the oldest sister who married here, the other
five children and Vavřinec’s widow Marie Cinatl emigrated to America in 1878. Marie was 46 at that time.
Naše rodina
Page 55
Vavřinec’s last will specified that his widow should get
a life-long pension from Jakub because he had inherited
the farm. This money was duly sent to the USA regularly. Family history has it that, after some years, Jakub’s
wife started to complain bitterly that they should stop
sending the money because the widow should be long
dead already. However, much later, in the 1930s, an
official letter came from America, saying that they did
not have to send the pension any longer; the widow had
passed away at the age of 103!
My mother remembers that, when she was a child
in the 1930s, some of the villagers who had emigrated
visited the village, including one of the Mlnaříks. That
evening, all villagers gathered in the pub to hear the
stories about the emigrants. I am still interested in these
stories. These emigrants, who lived for generations in
the same village and never had seen the sea, embarked
upon such an uncertain journey to an unknown country,
to find a better life for them and their children.
Unfortunately, as far as we know, nobody wrote
down these stories and at least in our region not many
of their letters survived. We are now also trying to make
oral records of these stories from the persons who still
remember. In America, we are trying to find the descendants of those who emigrated, to hear their stories as
well.
When we were in Chicago in 2006, we tried to find
some traces of my Mlnaříks relatives as well. We were
not very lucky in the beginning. Finally, on one of our
last days, we arrived at one of the cemeteries, but unfortunately after the office had closed. Feeling quite disappointed and with a horrible headache from the coming
storm, I exited the car and wandered a few yards over
the cemetery grounds, just mindlessly looking at some
gravestones. Great was my surprise when the name on
one of the attention grabbing stones was Mlnařík. With
rising enthusiasm I read the particulars of that stone and
those around it, not being able to believe I really had
found my relatives.
About the Authors
Olga Černa was born in 1959 as Olga Vochozka in Kojákovice, South Bohemia. She has lived in Kojákovice
and later in nearby Třeboň all her life. Her family has
lived in the Kojákovice region for many generations.
Olga started her professional career in 1978 at the
Třeboň State Archive, where she worked for five years.
Since 1998, she has been working as co-founder and
vice-director for the Rozmberk Society.
Robert Dulfer (*1955) is a Dutch biologist who
came to the Czech Republic in 1992. He has been living
as a permanent resident
in Třeboň since 1994.
His family is no stranger
to moving and working
around the world. His maternal grandparents used
to work in the former
Dutch Indies, where his
mother and her siblings
were born and his father
also worked. His parents
married in Singapore. In
the Czech Republic, Robert first worked as project
manager on a joint CzechDutch river otter project.
Since 1998, he is working
full-time as co-founder
and director of the Rozmberk Society.
Emigration was much advertised in Czech and German language. Copyright Hamburg State Archive.
Page 56
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
The Rozmberk Society and Friends of the
Rozmberk Society.
The Rozmberk Society is a Czech tax-exempt charity
for regional development and heritage preservation. The
Society also operates the Kojákovice Peasant and Emigration Museum and the historic blacksmith workshop
in Nové Hrady.
The Friends of the Rozmberk Society is an Iowabased tax-exempt charity. Its mission is to help provide
financial support for the Rozmberk Society, to help
preserve the Czech settlers’ heritage, and to facilitate
exchanges and joint US-Czech projects.
For further information visit the respective websites at:
www.czechfriends.org
www.czechemigrationmuseum.com
Genealogy and emigration history
Olga and Robert have worked as a team on professional
genealogical research and emigration history since
1998. Olga does most of the research and has the local
historic knowledge of the region. Robert helps organize
the data and makes it into an easily-readable story. The
research is part of their work for both charities to help
preserve the Czech emigration and settler’s heritage. In
addition, under the name Czech Ancestry they also provide professional genealogical services for clients looking for their roots in South Bohemia.
Advertising Rates
We will accept limited advertising. We
generally do not accept ads for products,
only services. The rates for the following
approximate ad sizes are: full page (7” x
9”) - $150; one-half page (7” x 4½”) - $90;
one-half column (3a” x 4½”) - $50; and
column width (3a” x 2”) - $35. Prices are
per issue. All submitted advertisements
must be camera-ready. Queries are free
to members.
Ads must be approved by newsletter committee
Drawing of a covered wagon. Copyright Společnost Rozmberk.
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 57
Chicago’s Settlers from
Třeboň area Villages
By Diane K. McClure
business district in the West Division, between Harrison
and 12th Street and east of Halsted to Canal Street. Most
of these new arrivals were Catholic but there were no
Bohemian Catholic churches before 1863. They attended the German churches of St. Peter at Polk and Clark
streets, and St. Francis of Assissi at Mather and Clinton
streets. The first Bohemian parish was St. Wenceslaus
Church, founded in 1863 on DeKoven and DesPlaines.
Bohemian Protestant churches were not founded until
1884.
Immigration was often in family groups. On 18
May 1867, the Johanna arrived in New York with families who settled in Praha: Joseph and Anna (Benda)
Kotil from Bor; Anna’s brother Bartolomej with his
wife Marie (Hadac) Benda and four-year-old daughter,
Catharina; Marie’s sister Anna (Hadac) and husband
Josef Mladek, her mother Barbora Hadac, and brother
Tomas Hadac, age 20, who died at sea on May 5, from
Hrdlořezy. Other passengers on the Johanna were Frantisek and Teresa (Florian) Cap, Josef and Rosina Chadt,
Catharina Kandera, and Wenzl and Catharina Mikl from
Suchdol; Anton and Anna Herda from Branná; Wenzl
and Marie Hammernik, and Mathias Tykalsky from
Cep; and Bart. Bina. Although many of them had other
skills, they worked as laborers to gain a foothold in their
new country. The first Sokol was established in 1868 at
Canal and Taylor streets. The first Czech daily newspaper published in America was Svornost on 8 October
1875 on Canal Street. Soon Praha extended south to 18th
Street, which became a major Czech thoroughfare hav-
Many families from Třeboň area villages in Southern
Bohemia began to immigrate to America in large numbers in the 1850s and 1860s and headed to Chicago. Already a growing metropolis, Chicago was linked to New
York by rail and by 1857 was a network of railroads. It
became the last stop on the way west where land was
open to settlement and could be bought cheaply. Most
were farmers who wanted to own land. Others, however, came to escape political unrest and find economic
freedom. Immigrants came from the villages of Suchdol
nad Lužnicí, Hrdlořezy, Bor, Kramolín, Cep, Hamr,
Branná, Majdalena, Břilice, Domanín and other villages.
They brought with them their skills and national identity
as Bohemians.
The Chicago River divided the city into three districts known as the North, South, and West Divisions. In
1860, there were ten public schools and a high school;
population 110,000. The Chicago Horsecar Railroad
Company ran omnibuses; hacks traversed the city. Grain
elevators and lumber yards had been built along the
south branch of the Chicago River. By 1873, fourteen
channels were dug north from the river to provide access
for ships to unload and transfer their cargo to railroad
cars adjacent to the channels. Laborers
were in great demand.
The first immigrants were said to
have briefly inhabited the area north of
the Chicago River near Clark and Dearborn streets at North Avenue, and at a
place called “The Sands.” Another area
was near a railroad depot at Van Buren
and LaSalle streets south of the river.
On 16 November 1857, several families
from Suchdol nad Lužnicí arrived on the
Tuisko, then continued on to Chicago.
Among the passengers were Albert and
Marie Cotel, Veit and Amalia Cap, John
and Anna Joch, Jacob and Anna Kandera, Albert and Marie Holy, and Wenzl
and Anna (Kandera) Trochlil, with their
families.
The first major colony before 1860
Source: History of Czechs in America by Jan Habenicht
was “Praha,” southwest of Chicago’s
Page 58
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
further south to
find living quarters. They named
the area “Pilsen.”
It was located
along the south
branch of the
Chicago River
and extended
as far west as
Ashland Avenue.
Along the river,
men could find
work as laborers
in the railroad
yards, grain elevators, lumber
yards, saw mills,
foundries, and
factories. St. Procopius Church at
18th and Allport
Street was organized in 1875,
and St. Vitus
Church at Van
Horn (18th Place)
and Paulina in
West Pilsen in
1888. In 1891,
the daily newspaper, Denni
Hlasatel, was
established at
1545 West 18th
Street. Thalia
Hall, built in
1892 across from
St. Procopius
Church, became
the community
center comprising a theater for
concerts and
theatrical performances, and
1993 Map of Třebŏn area showing immigrants’ villages. (Source: Czech Tourist Map No. 28,
Českobudějovicko). Trebon is in the upper left.
offices of Czech
organizations.
Running diagonally through Pilsen from Harrison Street
ing a horse car line and shopping area.
to 22nd Street was Blue Island Avenue, a busy thorPraha expanded so rapidly that many had to move
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 59
oughfare where many Bohemians had their homes and
businesses. Proprietors of saloons in Pilsen were John
Dusek at 719 Allport and Frank Dusek at 1019 Blue
Island.
About this time, real estate developers began building wooden structures of two, three and four-story
dwellings in the South Division along the south branch
of the Chicago River. As new subdivisions were opened,
families moved to the community of “Bridgeport.”
Workers who provided the labor for the Illinois and
Michigan Canal, mostly Irish and German, lived in
Bridgeport. Bridgeport continued to expand to the east
and was incorporated into the City of Chicago in 1863.
When St. Wenceslaus Church became too far away
for families in Bridgeport to travel, St. John Nepomucene was established south of the river. By the fall of
1871, a wooden church was built at 25th and Portland
(now Princeton). In 1914, a new brick church was built
at 30th and Lowe. The first marriage at St. John’s was
that of Frantisek Benda of Hamr and Rosalie Pichova of
Podhoří on 14 January 1872. Other marriages were of
Jan Vones of Sobětína and Marie Jirak from Drahotěšice
on 22 January 1872 and, that same day, Matej Divoky
of Suchdol and Barbora Uhlir of Zmisko (Smíska)
were married. Tomas Ouska and Rosalie Kojan of
Šalmanovice were married at St. John’s on 21 September 1873.
(Editor’s note: The villages listed as Sobětína and
Zmisko (Smíska) were not found in the Czech Republic
auto atlas or gazetteer. These two spellings were from
the marriage records of St. John Nepomucene Church,
FHL #1711276, Item 5, page 1).
Although Bridgeport was predominantly an Irish
and German community, the area attracted many Bohemians. Adalbert Dedina from Hrdlořezy and Rosalie
Benhart from Bor were married shortly before they
arrived in New York on 20 July 1872 on the Freihandel, along with Rosalie Harazim from Bor. Mathias
Florian and his wife family arrived from Suchdol in
1879. Families became related through marriage with
spouses from their village or neighboring village in
Bohemia. Saloon keepers were Matthias Florian at 3145
Butler (now Normal), Albert Ptachek at 2901 Dashiel
(now Union), and Frank Styx at 2351 Wentworth. Undertakers were Frank Jana at 460 W. 29th Street who
established his service about 1872, Jacob Dusak at
3007 S. Union, and John Havel at 2617 Fifth Avenue
(now Wells). Ignatius Cap, born in Chicago in 1862,
whose family was from Suchdol, was the proprietor of
a real estate business and a notary for many residents in
Bridgeport.
Page 60
On 25 December 1865, the Union Stock Yards
(Packingtown) was founded at Halsted and Exchange,
adjacent to Bridgeport, as a consolidation of smaller
stockyards located throughout the city. The area west
of the Union Stock Yards was known as “Back of the
Yards.” This area is called “Town of Lake” on early
census records. Many Bohemians who worked in the
packing houses of Armour & Co., Cudahy, and Swift
settled here. SS. Cyril and Methodius Church at 50th and
Page (Hermitage) was founded in 1891. Bart Fiala from
Cep began his undertaking establishment at 4954 S.
Hermitage before 1897.
Other large Bohemian settlements were “Ceske
California,” and “Lawndale.” These overlapping communities were settled by Czechs who moved west from
Pilsen in the 1890s. Lawndale extended along 22nd
Street and 26th Street, main shopping streets from Western Avenue on the east and the South Branch of the
Chicago River. The McCormick Works at Blue Island
and Western Avenues, built in 1873, provided jobs for
the residents. St. Ludmilla at 24th and Albany in Lawndale was established in 1891, then Our Lady of Lourdes
in 1892 at 15th and Keeler in the Merigold area of
Lawndale. To provide for the rapid growth of this area,
Blessed Agnes Church (now St. Agnes of Bohemia) was
founded in 1904 at 27th and Central Park.
In 1872, St. Adalbert Cemetery was organized as
the Bohemian Polish Catholic Cemetery Society of Chicago at 6800 Milwaukee Avenue. Sections 2, 3, 4 and 7
hold many graves of Bohemian citizens. Lots were usually purchased from the parish church. Sections west of
Newark Avenue had Bohemian parish names of St. Procopius, St. Vitus, and St. John. Death certificates usually
state the place of interment as “Bohemian Catholic,”
“Bohemian Polish,” or “Bohemian.” Some parishioners,
unhappy with the way the church was responding to
their needs became Protestant or Freethinkers and wanted a national cemetery. Bohemian National Cemetery
was incorporated 11 April 1877 at 5255 North Pulaski
Road.
Even as they assimilated into their new lives as
Chicagoans, they retained the old customs. Sokols,
Fraternal lodges and choral societies were established.
Dues-paying benevolent societies such as the Womens
Catholic Order of Foresters, Bohemian American Foresters (Lodge Jan Hus No. 8.), and Silver Crown were
created to pay benefits to families in sickness or death.
Savings and Loan companies were established. Faithful
to their political ideals they entered Chicago politics but
kept aware of the situation in Bohemia. They served as
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Cottage in Bridgeport built in 1885. Orginally on ground level, the
streets and sidewalks were raised due to muddy streets beginning in
1854 but not accomplished in Bridgeport until 1888. Owners who
couldn’t afford to raise their house to street level built stairways to
the second floor. Photo courtesy of Diane McClure.
aldermen, became doctors and lawyers and owned their
own businesses.
Chicago City Directories provide a pattern of their
migration, giving name, occupation and address. The
Polk City Directory (Householders Guide), published
in 1928, gives the name of the resident, address, other
residents in the house, and often occupation. Surnames,
however, were frequently misspelled and street names
and numbers were constantly changing. The American
Czech and Slovak Telephone and Business Directory
for Chicago and Suburbs was published for the years
1940-41 by the Czech Publishing Co. Continually moving west, families moved to Bohemian communities in
Berwyn, Cicero and Riverside.
Families who settled in Chicago given by villages:
Bor – Benhart, Blizek, Burda, Cisar, Dedina, Dusek,
Fric, Harazim, Koranda, Kotil, Popelar, Simousek; Borovany – Parizek; Břilice – Vrchota; Branná – Jana,
Jiracek, Kahoun, Kojan, Mejdrech, Mojzis, Popelar,
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Smolek, Jiracek; Cep – Fiala, Harazim, Koranda, Mares, Nemec, Tikalsky, Vavra, Vojta;
Chlum – Pelikan; Domanín – Drabek, Hanus,
Ouska, Sterba, Vyhanek; Drahotěšice – Blaha,
Jirak; Hamr – Benda; Hrachoviště – Prochaska; Hrdlořezy – Bedlan, Benda, Bicek,
Cisar, Dedina, Divoky, Joch, Kopriva, Koranda, Korbel, Kuchar, Rudolf, Ruska, Sazma,
Stanek, Tikalsky; Hurda – Kahoun; Kojákovice – Mlnarik; Kramolín – Hana, Kotil; Lhota
– Uhlir; Lipnice – Nemec, Vrchota, Zakostelsky; Majdalena – Kuzel, Tikalsky, Vojta;
Mladošovice – Drabek, Florian; Německé
Ohranžení (Dvory nad Lužnicí) – Cisar,
Kubes, Novak; Neplachov – Havel; Nepomuk – Kojan, Smolka; Nové Hrady – Tampir;
Petrovice – Fischer; Rapsach – Kotrba, Styx;
Šalmanovice – Blizek, Kojan; Schwarzbach
(Tušť) – Kopriva , Koranda, Kropik; Ševětín –
Jindra, Sebesta, Sejk, Sery; Staňkov – Franta,
Urbanek; Stará Hlína – Koranda; Suchdol nad
Lužnicí – Benda, Bily, Brezina, Brychl, Bumba,
Cadek, Candra, Cap, Chad, Florian, Hadac,
Hamernik, Havel, Herman, Jindra, Joch, Kandera, Kasander, Kotil, Mikl, Smetana, Smolek,
Stanek, Tikalsky, Vrchota, Zaruba, Zemanek;
Třeboň – David, Polanka; Vitín – Crhan, Havel,
Koranda, Kovarik, Vancura.
About the Author
Diane K. McClure is a native Chicagoan currently
living in St. Petersburg, Florida and has researched
families for over 20 years. She is a former board member and past president of the Chicago Genealogical
Society. Diane organized the first Czech Interest Group
of CGS and initiated abstraction of burial registers of
the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. She has
compiled two volumes of Probate Court Records, Cook
County, Illinois: Docket Book A, 1871-1872 and Docket
Book B, 1872-1873. Diane is author of The Kotil Family
of Southern Bohemia. She has participated on a number
of Chicago area cemetery projects and written articles
on the cemetery deed books of Bohemian National
Cemetery and The Bohemian Polish Catholic Cemetery.
She made two research trips to southern Bohemia. Diane is currently a member of CGSI, Czech & Slovak
American Genealogy Society of Illinois, National Genealogical Society, Illinois State Genealogical Society,
Federation of Genealogical Societies, and Delaware
Genealogical Society.
Naše rodina
Page 61
Map of Chicago showing the Chicago River dividing the North, South and West Divisions. Roman numerals indicate wards in
1870. Czech settlements in wards VI, VII, VIII, and IX. The Sands was located in Ward XX. (Source: Gray’s Map of Chicago,
1873)
Page 62
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June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
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Page 63
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Our special thanks to the following people whose cash donations
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Gerick, James A
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Hanson, Linda E Herman, Becky Jilek, George Jones, Jerry Kasik, Phillip M Kluskens, Michael and Claire Kohl, Darinka Mojko Kovalcin, Irene B Krejci, Robert H Leach, Wanda J Lovaas, Judith R Luzum, Bill and Jan Marhoul, Barb Mitchell, Ann Siroky Modracek, Leo Morgan, Rosemary Murdock, Richard Nichelson, Norma J Noel, Rachel Pavelko, Agnes Sembach, Leon Svec, Anne B Szabo, Lorraine Swatik Tegen, Mary Ann Tichy, Brianna
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ARTICLES
CGSI Board Member Lisa A. Alzo has been
invited to be the NY East European Genealogy
Examiner for Examiner.com. Lisa will write
short, informative articles on a weekly basis on
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email: [email protected]
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Beckoned to a New Land
By Marlene Flory
Township as it is mentioned in several elaborately written turn of the century obituaries.
During this time of unrest in Bohemia, other reasons
for emigration are hinted at in future obituaries. Large
land holdings where serfs worked had come to an end.
Land would not be available to a second or third son of
a family. Famine conditions in Bohemia are not as wide
known as the potato famine of Ireland, but crop failures
were certainly a reason to seek a new life.
These living conditions, plus the idealistic promises
of steamboat company representatives painting a picture
of untold opportunities in America led to immigration
from villages. The representatives did not have to apply
too much pressure as steamships provided ocean crossings of much shorter length than the previous sail ships.
This brings us to another “Why." Why Oxford
Township? The usual answer by descendants is that
their great, great grandparents came here because a relative or friend had earlier settled here. But, there had to
be the first one. Why did they come?
History of Czechs in America, written by Dr. Jan
Habenicht in 1910, after three decades of research, mentions Oxford Junction several times. He writes, “the first
All intelligently written newspaper articles answer
several “W” questions – where, why, when, what. But,
this article concentrates on one “W." Why? Why did
our ancestors decide to leave their homeland? Why did
they leave at that time? Why did they come to Oxford
Township in Jones County in the state of Iowa? And,
Why, Why, Why, did we not talk to our grandparents
about their family’s experiences to find out the answers
to these questions.
Even not knowing the reason why our ancestors
traveled from Bohemia to the United States, we can fill
in the missing information by reading obituaries, early
county histories and newspaper articles.
Vaclav Jilek was 20 years old when he was conscripted into the Emperor’s army and served the necessary 12 years of active service. According to his history,
“I shed the hated uniform and hurried to my native
homestead." He married and when the rough times of
1848 passed, he and his wife and
three children, left their native
land and “went to live in a land
across the ocean seeking freedom
for my soul.” The family sailed
to Quebec, traveled to the United
States and finally settled in Oxford
Township. He had learned brick
laying in Bohemia and supported
his family with this profession and
with farming.
Jilek contributed to an article on the political causes of
emigration in an 1876 issue of
the Amerikán Národní Kalendář.
Many of those who took part in
the 1848-1849 revolution were
students, intellectuals and tradesmen and so settled in American
cities, when they left Bohemia.
Jilek explained, “political orientation and the influence of a new,
The front of OJ Heritage Museum contributes to the history of the community by admore open and liberal America led
vertising the first business, G.A.Kettlesen above the door and windows and the last
many to abandon Catholicism, and
business, Benhart Produce on a front window. It stands next to Wregie Memorial
join the free-thought movement."
Library. Both provide genealogists the opportunity for family research. The museum
This free thought movement was the houses items of farm, home, church, family, school, railroad, music, military, businesses and much more that tell of the local area. Photo by Marlene Flory.
reason for many to settle in Oxford
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 65
genealogy and historical research.
We do know that the first settlers encouraged relatives to join them, often financially
making it possible for entire families to
follow them to Oxford Township. Some arrived in the new land by way of Canada, then
down the St. Lawrence, to Lake Michigan,
to Chicago. Others came to the Port of New
Orleans, up the Mississippi to Iowa.
Vincenc Luk extensively recalls the
hardships immigrants had to endure in his
story written for the 1886 issue of Amerikán
Národní Kalendář. They arrived in Iowa City
in vehicles, thought to be a stage coach. The
coachman deposited them under an oak tree
where they stayed for three months without
help and without shelter during a time of
heavy rains and storms. They had no horses
Oxford Hayloader, displayed at OJ Heritage Museum, was built at the
or oxen, so he had to carry flour on his back
Lasack Bros. & Co. Hayloader Factory. Patent rights were granted to
for nine miles from a mill. His wife wet
Adolph Lasack in 1891. The factory was soon opened and production
nurse a baby for 21 weeks and was paid nine
began. Photo by Marlene Flory.
hens and five pounds of smoked meat. He
described how he was hired to sew seed for
Czechs arrived in 1855 to the country side where the
farmers. He was paid 50 cents per day and was able to
present day little town of Oxford Junction is located.”
purchase five oxen and one cow. With the oxen he broke
He goes on to name immigrates and the Bohemian
the prairie sod for hire. Finally he was able to purchase
villages they traveled from, Frantisek Beranek from
his own land, but cold weather often damaged crops.
Džbánov, Frantisek and M.B. Vosoba from Kluky, VaHe concludes his article by saying, “I and Frantisek
clav Jilek born in Džbánov and Vaclav Vilimek born in
Kadidlo
work together planting the prairie and we do
Kostelec nad Orlicí. Earlier in the book, Habenicht lists
not remember how many hundreds of acres we cultivatAntonin Chaloupka, who came from Častolovice,
who arrived at Oxford Mills, Jones County, Iowa
in 1855.
A short mention of the fertile land in Oxford
Township gives us a clue as to why they came to
this area. This, in addition, is the often repeated
description of the gently rolling hills and river
bottoms in Oxford Township as being reminiscent
of the lands of Bohemia.
Tallgrass Prairie written by Judy Nelson describes how Iowa had been part of the Louisiana
Purchase, then part of the Michigan Territory, then
Missouri Territory, then Wisconsin Territory before it became Iowa Territory. Jones County was
established in 1837 from Dubuque County and
“Oxford Township was carved from Hale Township in 1855." It was described as “well watered,
had rich soil waiting under the prairie grass, and
had sufficient timber for the ordinary use of the
inhabitants." Nelson, now a Florida resident, is formerly of Oxford Junction and is deeply involved in
Page 66
This colorful restored gate welcomed travelers to Oxford Junction
for many years, with the Czech greeting, Vitáme Vás. It is now on
exhibit at OJ Heritage Museum. Photo by Marlene Flory.
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
ed. The money at that time was hard to keep. The
whole year we had to save for taxes. Now we all
are doing better and our future is safeguarded."
The Vincenc Luk story and that of his fellow immigrants is related in A New Land, A New
Life, a book telling of the pioneers of Oxford
Township compiled by the Oxford Junction Genealogy Club. Much of the information in the
book was researched by Rita Balichek, a local
genealogy researcher.
Many of the first pioneers traveled to Chicago and east to the Mississippi by rail. The
history of the Sabula, Ackley and Dakota Railroad, which ran east and west through Oxford
Junction was researched several years ago. This
railroad company was later known as the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway. Richard
The inscription, ZČBJ Lodge Building, designates the largest
Petersen of Sabula, an engineer with the railroad,
building in Oxford Junction. The top tier of windows open onto
explained that track was built on the east side of
the large dance floor area, which was for many years, the placethe river and was continued on the west side of
to-go for weekly dances and anniversary dinners. The second
the river. But, there was no bridge over the river.
floor windows show were meeting rooms were located. A marquee
When the river was flowing, the train was carried
designates where a movie theater was located. The ground floor
across on a ferry and set on the tracks to continue
now houses a craft shop, meeting room and a tavern.
west. When the river was frozen, tracks were laid
on the ice and the train slowly steamed across to the
western bank and continued on west. Of course, this
From personal family histories, stories have been
process was reversed on return trips.
passed down through generations to enrich the lives of
When conducting student tours of OJ Heritage Mudescendants. The Martin Nowachek family lived in the
seum or speaking to school classes, I ask why their town village of Kojákovice before moving to Prague. The
was named Oxford Junction, Lost Nation, Wyoming or
party of eight arrived in the port of New Orleans on the
Lowden. The easiest name to explain is Oxford Junction last day of 1859. From a historical sketch written by
or Oxford Mills or Oxford Township. Oxford, where
Agnes McAndrews, a great granddaughter of Martin,
oxen forded the Wapsipincon River. Oxford Mills,
“The first night on American soil was spent in a depot
where a mill was built on the river. Oxford Junction,
for which privilege the generous Southerners charged
where a east-west railroad track crossed with a norththem two dollars each, babies half price. The next day
south track, with the town growing around this junction. they proceeded by boat up the Mississippi River as far
The two railroads traveling through Oxford Townas Cairo, Illinois where the river had to be abandoned
ship after 1971, made travel for Bohemian settlers to
because of ice.” The journey was continued by rail to
the area much easier. Often travel for immigrants beSt. Louis, later Iowa City and finally Oxford Township.
gan with a railroad ride, “we drove a one-horse lumber
Another story is that while in New Orleans, the famwagon to Pilsen, which was the nearest railway station.
ily witnessed a slave auction. The mother’s reaction to
At Pilsen we took the train for a seaport”, from the auwatching men, women and children being treated like
tobiography of Vit Hanzlicek. And, their journey ended
animals was to wring her hands and ask, “Is this what
with railroad travel to Oxford Township, sometimes
we have come to.” She never recovered from leaving
with stops along the way. Frank Nesper writes that his
her homeland and eventually died of a “broken heart.”
father traveled from Bohemia for two weeks and lived
Martin was a tailor in Prague, but learned to be a farmer
on garlic soup and rye bread. When he arrived at his sis- in America.
ter’s home in Savanna he had 25 cents. He worked there
The family of Joseph Burda came from the villages
in the railroad car shops for a short time and eventually
of Cep and Bor and traveled by sailboat to Canada.
settled on a farm north of Oxford Junction.
They came down the St. Lawrence River and continued
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 67
down Lake Michigan to Chicago. The party of nine had
pinned to their clothes tags reading, Lejsek, Iowa. The
Lejsek (Lasack) and Burda families were neighbors in
Bor. In Chicago the Burdas were sent to Iowa City and
finally to Oxford Township. Here they lived with the
Frank Lasack family, who had five children. Imagine
this many people living together in a one room log cabin during long winter days.
Stories upon stories can be recalled as to the hardships our ancestors endured to come to a new life in
Oxford Township. And, the hardships they endured for
years after their arrival. But, we must go on.
So now, farmers have arrived in Oxford Township.
They have growing families, they are breaking the sod,
planting seeds and raising livestock. What else is needed? Of course, support businesses.
Alois Stratilek was born in Vysoké Mýto and came
to Oxford Junction in 1873. He saw the need of a merchandise store, and soon opened a small store. He had
learned the trade of a cabinet maker in Bohemia and he
added a small stock of furniture. At one time he also
made caskets. He died in 1923 and his obituary in the
Oxford Mirror relates, “His thorough knowledge of the
necessities and requirements of the people in those early
days, combined with his good judgment, gave him courage even in the face of seeming failure, and won him
victory over those early and trying circumstances.” The
business provided for many needs of the growing community. His son, Otto, took over the business. He did
not marry and the business was eventually purchased by
a nephew, Stanley and Marguerite Coon. The business,
Coon’s Corner, remains in the family at this time, with
Larry and Bob Coon as the owners.
Bohemian farmers and their wives traded eggs and
cream for groceries, shoes, clothes and household goods
at Stratileks on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Czech names often show up under former businesses and enterprises in the Oxford Junction Centennial Book of 1971. Many of these businesses had floats
and displays in the popular street fairs held in the early
1900s.
Fresh meat was available at markets owned by
Mizaur Brothers, Besak, Snopek and Vodicka Dry
goods were handled at the “Big Store” owned by James
Bracha. Mrs. Ed Zak had a variety store. There was a
Buresh Bros. Hardware Store and a Mizaur Hardware,
both dealing in hardware, farm machinery and harness.
Frank Kolarik, learned blacksmithing in Bohemia
and continued this profession in Oxford Junction.
Vit Blizek and a group of businessmen and farmers
Page 68
formed a partnership to manufacture cement tiles and
blocks. A red brick factory was set up on the Mizaur
farm north of town and provided bricks for many local
buildings.
Adolph Lasack conceived the idea of a hay loading machine, that would be capable of picking up hay
from swaths laying in the field. He obtained a patent
in 1891 and the Lasack Bros. and Co. Hayloader Factory was built. Adolph’s brothers Mike and Albert and
George Wosoba were partners. More than 5,000 Oxford
hay loaders were manufactured. During the off season,
the company built Oxford wagon boxes, church pews,
washing machines, wheel barrows, hay racks and scoop
boards. An original Oxford Hay Loader and Oxford
Wagon are on display at OJ Heritage Museum.
An example of the tradition of passing a name down
through generations is the current Lasack Bros. Repair
business. A descendant continues the tradition of serving farmers through his repair business specializing in
farm equipment and semi trucks.
Worship, entertainment and leisure activities were
important for the Bohemian settlers.
When the first Bohemian settlers came to Oxford
Township, only the English Lutheran Church was organized. Bohemian Catholics traveled to Baldwin,
where services were held once a month. Because of this,
family ancestors are buried at this church’s cemetery.
Others, including Irish immigrates who worked in the
local railroad shops, attended Mass at Toronto. The two
groups built a local church, St. Mary’s, in 1881. The Bohemian Catholics, felt the need to be served by priests
who spoke their native language, so they built Sacred
Heart Church in 1897. The rectory of St. Mary’s burned
in 1920, and the two churches joined together after that
time.
The ZČBJ Lodge was founded on January 1, 1884,
with 17 charter members. A lodge building was constructed that same year. Lodge meetings were held on
the second floor, with primary school classes held on
the first floor. A permanent building was erected in 1916
and housed an upstairs dance hall. A movie theater and
stores were located on the first floor. Meeting rooms for
several local fraternal associations were available in the
building. The dance hall hosted anniversary parties and
wedding receptions; in addition to the weekly dances.
Anniversary parties were usually held to observe
25th anniversaries, as most couples did not live to celebrate a 50th anniversary. The parties were a surprise
for the couple. Invitations were sent out to 200 or more
guests, with a line on the invitation asking for five doz-
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
en kolače, three fried chickens, a gallon
of potato salad or other items for the
menu. The next week a glowing report
was printed in the Oxford Mirror telling of the party with details of the father
who “greatly provides for the family and
the mother who is a magnificent homemaker.”
Lodge Budoucnost No. 22 grew to
almost 300 members, making it third
largest in the state. Only lodges located
at Cedar Rapids and Dubuque were
larger.
Sokol, an athletic club, had more
than 20 young men as members at one
time. Gymnastics was important to
young Czechs, but they soon became
involved in the American Pastime
as members of several local baseball
The Oxford Junction City Hall is unique in that it served as a gas station
teams.
for decades. The last owner was Otto Koranda. The building is described in
The first musical group in Oxford
Buildings of Iowa as “The do-it-your-self design is classical, dignified, and
Junction was the Brass Band, this was
followed by the Hungry Five Band, Louis domestic in scale.” Undoubtedly, it is the smallest and most historic City
Hall in the state. Photo by Marlene Flory.
Buresh Concertina Orchestra, the Fisher
Band, and many other bands and orchesdumplings, sauerkraut, kolače, bublania and other side
tras, such as, the Frank and Katherine
dishes.
Nowachek family orchestra. All of these groups had
It is important that our Czech heritage continues to
Bohemians listed as members. In photos of wedding
be a vital part of the Oxford Junction community. The
parties, these bands are prominently shown in the front
town is a sister city of Jílovice. In 2001, a group of eight
row.
traveled to the Czech Republic to take part in the grand
Many of these bands and orchestras played at the
opening of the Peasant Museum at Kojákovice and the
ZČBJ Lodge dance hall, or Srp Hall or the Nowachek
signing of the Sister City Agreement. A weekend celOpera House. An outdoor bowery was built south of
ebration
included a church service, dancing, music and
town; it was followed by a cement floored dance pavildemonstrations
of crafts.
ion, which has evolved into the Legionnaire Ballroom,
Exhibits at the Peasant Museum highlight families
a building that houses a wooden dance floor. It has rewho
traveled from the Kojákovice area to settle in Oxplaced the ZČBJ dance hall and provides a location for
ford
Township.
Pictures of local farms, families and
wedding and anniversary receptions and Sunday night
information about these immigrants are shared with
dances.
visitors to the museum.
The Oxford Polka Band was organized in 1957 and
The Sister City Agreement was signed by the mayor
was sponsored by the American Legion, Wapsie Post.
The band represented the Post at national and state con- of Oxford Junction and the mayor of Jílovice. A youth
from each community also signed the agreement. Adults
ventions. It continues to this day and entertains at area
and teenagers from Kojákovice and Jílovice, returned
and local festivals and dinners.
our visit in early September, 2001. They joined us in
One of the dinners where it performs is the annual
mourning the disaster of 9/11 creating even deeper
Czech Goulash Dinner, which is held on the fourth
bonds.
Sunday of September at the Legionnaire Ballroom. The
Ancestors were honored on our trip to the Czech
dinner is hosted by OJ Community Betterment and OJ
Republic. Family homes were visited and a very perHeritage Museum to keep our Czech heritage alive and
sonal
tour was given of the Archives at Třeboň. Local
visible. The menu features a meaty, seasoned goulash,
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Page 69
names were discovered in Czech cemeteries.
Family ties are strengthened by reunions of families
who settled and grew up in Oxford Township and Oxford Junction. The Lasack family has gathered on Labor
Day weekend for several generations, with descendants
attending from midwest states and many Iowa towns.
The descendants of Bert and Anna Nowachek have
united for scores of years. These descendents had been
told that they were not related to the other Nowacheks
in Oxford Junction or to those up the road at Wyoming,
IA. Not true. Bert’s father, Martin and his two brothers,
Mathias and Matouš, came to America in the 1860s.
Martin stayed in Oxford Township, but the other two
scattered and children lost contact with their uncles and
cousins. The descendants of these three brothers gathered together in July, 2008. Almost 200 traveled from
ten states and thirty Iowa communities to meet and visit
with cousins. Much of the research for this reunion was
completed by Jo Johnson, a descendant of Martin and
Pat Burda, a local Nowachek family genealogist.
Our Czech heritage is exhibited at OJ Heritage Museum. The museum houses original Oxford Township
records and poll records, along with original certificates
of baptism, marriage and citizenship. Czech items are
shown in the farm, kitchen, church, business, school and
other areas.
Oxford Mirror newspaper issues from 1870 to 1952
and census records from the mid 1800s were microfilmed more than 30 years ago. Two dedicated volunteers recorded data from the microfilmed newspaper
issues; such as date of issue, page, column in which
local residents are mentioned. These microfilms were
recently transferred to computer disks for more convenient research.
Written works available for research are the town’s
Centennial and Quasquicentennial books, Oxford Township Schools and A New Land, A New Life.
The commitment to genealogy led to a Heritage
Weekend hosted by the Oxford Junction Genealogy
Group, library and museum. Descendants of Oxford
Junction pioneers visited the community from several
states. A cemetery tour was conducted, with descendants
standing by their ancestor’s tombstone to recall family
stories for visitors.
Because of the success of this event, another Genealogy Day is planned for Saturday July 25, 2009. This
time there will be no seminars planned or other events.
It is simply an invitation to come to Oxford Junction for
assisted research at the library and museum. And, perhaps the opportunity to meet a cousin who is also inter-
Page 70
ested in the same family history.
Our ancestors displayed outstanding courage and
foresight when they chose to travel from Bohemia and
settle in Oxford Township, Jones County, Iowa. They
are to be honored by recording and passing on their
stories to future generations.
About the Author
Marlene was born on the farm north of Oxford Junction
where her husband, Dave, and she currently live. They
are retired farmers, but continue to be very active. They
have three children, six grandchildren and four great
grandchildren who all live in Iowa. They are her greatest joy. She has been a newspaper correspondent for
more than thirty years. Marlene’s mother was Czech and
she (Marlene) is deeply interested in the stories of her
ancestors. Because of this she is very involved with the
OJ Heritage Museum and OJ Genealogy Club. Her volunteer interests include church, care center residence advocacy, school, community and county groups. Marlene
appreciates being given this opportunity to tell others of
her unique Czech community.
H ANCESTRY
C
E
Z
C
Genealogical research - Heritage tours
Finding
your
roots
in
south Bohemia’s history
Over 20 years experience, including five years as staff of the
Trebon State Archive. Intimate knowledge of the history of South
Bohemia and its inhabitants.
We also work on preserving the Czech emigration and settler’s
heritage. Of every payment you make for research or travel, 3%
is donated to the Friends of the Rozmberk Society Inc, IA.
For more information on historic Czech emigration, see also
www.CzechFriends.org or www.CzechEmigrationMuseum.com
Olga Cerna & Robert Dulfer
Address: P.O. Box 41, 37901 Trebon, Czech Republic
Phone + 420 724 132 180
emAil: [email protected]
www.CzechAncestry.com
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Lending Library Special
July Promotion
included are listings of Czech-American organizations, surname and geographical indexes.
By Suzette Steppe, Library Chair
CGSI members in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area have
the distinct advantage to visit the CGSI library and
utilize many of the resources that are not available elsewhere. Here is your opportunity to take advantage of
many of the same resources without leaving the comfort
of your living room.
The CGSI Lending Library is offering a special promotion, for any book/cassette tape that is ordered in the
month of July. The borrower will only have to pay the
return shipping when the books or tapes are due.
This is a wonderful opportunity to utilize books
such as:
● Berni Rula Index – The Berni Rula was a census
taken in Bohemia in 1654. Data that was recorded
include: all farmsteads, town homes, furnishings,
land under crops, farm animals and occupations
of those who maintained them. This information
was recorded by region, sovereignty and locality.
The index books will assist in determining which
regional book to do further research through the
CGSI Library.
● Czech Immigration Passenger Lists – The nine
volumes were compiled by Leo Baca. The Czech
surnames in these volumes were extracted from
National Archive microfilms for various ports
and dates. Each volume is arranged alphabetically, by surname, first names and ages of family
members, name of ship and arrival date. Some
volumes also include destination of immigrants.
● Města a Městecka v Čechach na Moravě a v
Slezku (Towns and villages in Bohemia, Moravia
and Silesia) – A brief description of each town includes origin of town’s names, number of homes
in various years, population from various years,
town’s of fortifications, castles, government,
churches, railroads, outstanding historical events
and catastrophes. Only the first six volumes are
available at this time. These books are in Czech
and translation will be needed.
● History of Czech in America – This book describes the historical development of Czech
settlements on a state-by-state basis and includes
numerous photographs and illustrations. Also
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
● History of Slovaks in America – This book details
the Slovak-American historical development in
America. This book is an indispensable resource
for understanding the foundations of Slovak life
in America. It includes fully-indexed surnames
and place names.
● Ortslexikon Sudetenland – This book lists the
political, judicial and administrative districts
for each town. Also included are the number of
inhabitants and ethnic background, German or
Hungarian names of the town, postal code information and the names of other villages and hamlets are listed that may have been incorporated
into this town. The book is a reprint of the 1931
original authored by Prof. Ernst Pfohl.
Also included in the Lending Library are cassette
tapes from past CGSI Conferences. Topics covered on
these tapes include Writing and Publishing Your Family
History, Vienna Military Archives, The Meaning and
Origin of Czech and Slovak Surnames, just to name a
few.
The complete listing of books and cassette tapes are
available online at <www.cgsi.org>. Just login to the
Member’s Only section for further information. If you
don’t have internet access, a lengthy list of the Conference cassette tapes is included in the Librarian’s Shelf
column of the September 2008 Naše rodina. Also a
complete list of the books available for lending is available in the March 2007 Naše rodina along with a copy
of the Request Form.
Don’t miss out on this special promotion, any books
or tapes ordered in July will be shipped to your home
free. You will only be responsible for paying the return
shipping charges at the end of three weeks.
Visiting the Minneapolis/St. Paul area?
If you are planning to visit the area and want to stop
by the CGSI library please let us know so that we can
get your name entered into the library users database.
We might also be able to arrange for special help if you
come at a time other then our regular staffing times. See
page 81 for library hours, etc.
Contact: [email protected]
Naše rodina
Page 71
Queries
Abbreviations Used in Queries
aft
aka
anc
arr
bap
bef
btwn
bro
bur
cem
ca
ch
Co
corres
after
also known as
ancestor(s)
arrived
baptized
before
between
brother
buried
cemetery
circa
child/children
County
correspond
d
dau
desc
div
d/o
emigr
exch
fa
fam
g
gg
ggg
immigr
info
died, death
daughter
descendant(s)
divorced
daughter of
emigrate from
exchange
father
family
grand
great/grand
great/great/gd
immigrate to
information
m
m1
m2
mo
par
poss
prob
res
set
sis
s/o
twp
unk
married
married 1
married 2
mother
parents
possibly
probably
resided
settled
sister(s)
son of
township
unknown
J.V. Sladek and Robert Jungmann
Does your family have any relation to either the Czech
poet, J.V. Sladek who has a museum in Zbiroh or
Robert Jungmann who was active in the Czech revival
movement and has a street named for him in Prague? My families are distantly related to both men. Contact: Marge Sladek Stueckemann, 611 Harvard
Ln, Libertyville, IL 60048 or [email protected].
REBEC family descendants
I own a photo of Mr. J.W. Rebec from November
6, 1907 taken by the Wales Photography Studio in
Davenport, IA. He is a young man, probably in his
20s. Looking to get this to his descendants.
Contact: Marge Sladek Stueckemann, 611 Harvard
Ln, Libertyville, IL 60048 or [email protected]
SIKA (SICKA, SIKKA)
Seek birth dates, birth places and date of marr of my
gggpar’s Martin Sika b. 1812 and Dorota (Dorothy)
Rihanka b. 1812 who emigr from Bohemia w their 5
ch in the fall of 1851, landing in New Orleans on 5
January 1852. Religion: Catholic. Ch Mary b 1836;
Blazius b 1840; Anna b 1843; Barbara b 1845; Wensel
b 1850. They stated they were from “near” Prague.
The fam first set in St. Clair Co., IL near Millstadt and
then in Clinton Co., IL near Germantown. In 1880
Wensel w his fam and Martin relocated to Woodson
Co. near Piqua, KS where they both died. Only 2 not
located in USA were: Blazius, who lived at home
until 1875, then never heard from again. Anna, who
m Henry Albers and had 9 ch but only one, Albert,
survived to adulthood. Anna and Albert were living in
se MO on 1910 census. Willing to pay reasonable fee
for info or research.
Contact: William Orrell, 235 N Hickory, Centralia, IL
62801
Page 72
CGSI 2010 Lincoln
Symposium
CGSI is planning a two-day mini-conference in
Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, April 30 and Saturday,
May 1, 2010. The first day will be research-oriented,
involving the CGSI traveling library and the Nebraska State Historical Society library, with an informal
mixer on Friday evening. Ten speaker sessions (2
tracks in five time slots) are envisioned for the second day, with a banquet on Saturday evening. The
event will be held at the Nebraska Union on University of Nebraska Lincoln’s City Campus, with hotel
accommodations at the Holiday Inn in downtown
Lincoln.
More information will be available in the September issue.
―Gene Aksamit and Wayne Sisel, Co-chairs
Genealogical Research
Search in Archives
Creating Family Trees
Contacting Living Relatives
Rev. Jan Dus
nabrezi svobody 561, Policka
572 01, Czech Republic
[email protected]
US toll-free: (800) 807-1562
www.revjan.com
Personal Escort
Naše rodina
Visits of Ancestral Villages
Guiding; Interpreting; Driving
English; Czech; German; French
Anything You Need While Traveling
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
“Slovak American
Touches”
By Toni Brendel
The book began as a simple immigrant story by third
generation Czech-Slovak author, Toni Brendel.
After arriving in the United States through Ellis
Island, the author’s Slovak grandparents wended their
way from the Pennsylvania coal mines, through Ohio
and Illinois, and finally settled in Price County, Wisconsin, where they were able to purchase farm land. At a
time when the great white pine were being logged out
in northern Wisconsin, work was available to the Mraz
family men in the West Lumber Company in Lugerville,
Wisconsin, a few miles from their home.
In addition to family stories handed down from
generation to generation, the book is expanded to include information on Slovak American dance groups,
artists, national folk dress (kroje), fraternal benefit organizations, learning institutions, social clubs, museums,
libraries, and finally, recipes handed down through the
years by the Brosko-Mraz family. What makes the book
unique is a large section on The Centre for Folk Art
Production (Ústredie Ľudovej Umeleckej Výroby) in
Bratislava, Slovakia. Amidst the struggle to keep their
heritage alive, a plan was devised in 1945 to preserve
traditional crafts and folk art at the centre. Today, the
expanded centre flourishes as a thriving resource for
young artists and craftsmen who are carefully taught by
the old masters. Their story is brought to you in appealing pages of photography as well as the written word
and meshes the Slovak culture from both sides of the
ocean.
Published by Penfield Books, Iowa City, Iowa,
the book may be purchased through the Czechoslovak
Genealogical Society International or from the author.
Refer to item #16 on the Sales Order Form on page 82.
About the Author:
Toni Brendel was the co-founder and serves on the
Board of Directors of the Phillips Wisconsin Czech and
Slovak Community Festival. She is serving in her 11th
year as Director of the Czech/Slovak Wisconsin State
Queen Pageant. She authored the pamphlet, Lidice Shall
Live, in Phillips, WI for the local Chamber of Commerce in 1984-85. Toni is also the co-author of Volumes
I and II of the Phillips Czechoslovakian Community
Festival History books. She recently finished co-authoring a small stocking-stuffer cookbook with Sidonka
Wadina Lee, entitled “Slovak Recipes.”
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
DON’T FORGET THE
2009 CLEVELAND
CONFERENCE!
If you are planning to attend the Conference and want
to take part in the tours please be sure to register early.
Tours are all filled on a first come – first serve basis.
According to Co-Chair Joseph Hornack of Independence, OH the ethnic community in Cleveland is rapidly changing. Based on a recent announcement by the
Cleveland Roman Catholic Diocese, if all holds true
the Slovaks will have no parish to call their own for the
first time since 1889 (120 years). The Czechs will only
have St. John Nepomucene, in Slavic Village, on Fleet
Avenue.
If you had immigrant ancestors who settled in
Cleveland, even if only briefly, this event is a great opportunity to network. Cleveland was one of the early
stopping points for Czechs and Slovaks in other communities. For instance Czechs relocated from Cleveland
to Spillville, Iowa, while some Slovaks relocated to
Minneapolis, Minnesota. You will take away information not only from the 21 speakers who will give 39
presentations, but from fellow genealogists from across
the country.
Settle in during the Thursday evening Social Hour
and Mixer and meet authors Lisa Alzo, John Sabol and
Steve Sebesta who by the time of our conference will
have authored three books on the Slovaks and Czechs
of Cleveland. Renew acquaintances with old friends and
make new ones on the first day of our on-site activities.
This is not only a Conference of lectures, but provides many sounds and sights known by our ethnic
ancestors through the music, folk arts and entertainment
offered by people with a passion for keeping their heritage alive. Don’t miss out!!!
For further information visit our website: www.cgsi.
org or write to Paul Makousky, Conference Co-Chair at
[email protected].
Bohemian National Hall
1897 - 1997
Naše rodina
Page 73
The Founding of the
Group Libuše
[This chapter about Lodge #1 Libuše of Cleveland,
OH is extracted from the book Jednota Českých
Dam JČD ve Spojených Státech Severní Ameriky,
zalozena roku 1870 (History of the Unity of Czech
Women in the United States, North America established in the year 1870), by Anna Machovská, 1895]
Translated to English by Karleen Chott Sheppard
On September 25, 1870, at the request of Františka
Franke and Karolina Rychlíková, several patriots in
Cleveland gathered to discuss whether it would be possible, in connection with the proposed construction
of a national hall, Slovanská Lípa [Slavonic Linden]
in Cleveland, to in some way financially contribute.
These patriots took the name of the Slavic leader and
Czech princess, Libuše. The names of the founders are:
Františka Franke, Karolina Rychlíková, Matilda Karásková, Marie Chaloupková, Karolina Wirtová, Antonie
Bůzková, Anna Macourková, Petronilla Freundová,
Marie Jedličková, Marie Rážová, Marie Pívalová, and
Františka Šindelářová.
[Editor’s Note: On May 29, 1871, the Slovanská
Lípa opened their hall, a spacious brick building on
the corner of Croton and Case Avenue, which cost over
$12,000. However, this oldest association in Cleveland
did not enjoy a long life – in the beginning of 1877, it
became extinct. The hall was left to the creditor who
then sold it to a Czech, František Šícha. Information
from History of Czechs in America by Jan Habenicht.]
This laudable undertaking found considerable support among Cleveland Czechs, so in a short time the
members of this group numbered fifty-eight. It was
decided to hold a banquet with various prizes to raise
more money. The undertaking met with great success,
resulting in a gift totaling $475.00 being given toward
the building of the Czech national hall, Slovanská Lípa.
With the success of its first undertaking, the group
did not cease activity, so in a short time they sponsored
entertainments which yielded an additional $177.12.
During that time the group Libuše joined with the amateur actors of Slovanská Lípa in establishing a green
room and actively participated in all national endeavors.
Later, some members were of the opinion that the
Page 74
group Libuše should also think about its own treasury
and consider its own well-being. This was followed by
many debates which resulted in a rupture due to some
members of Slovanská Lípa accusing Libuše of various
wrongs arising from Slovanská Lípa denying Libuše
the use of its venue for meetings and entertainments. At
that time, some women who were members of Slovanská Lípa founded a new group, Libuše Slovanské Lípy
(Libuše of Slovanská Lípa), and, after two years, the
founding group Libuše became Number 1.
Together with Václav Rychlík, establishment of Jednota Českých Dam was contemplated, patterned after
the men’s organization Česko-Slovanská Podporující
Společnost [Czech-Slavonic Protective Society]. Even
though the membership of the group had decreased to
fifteen, it persevered in its purpose to make various
improvements such as promoting the mother tongue
among youth, supporting national undertakings, as
well as their own sick members and escorting deceased
members to their final resting place.
This occurred on February 2, 1873, and the names
of the remaining members are: Františka Franke, Karolina Rychlíková, Matilda Karásková, Marie Vaňková,
Kateřina Havlíčková, Johanna Křemelová, Kateřina
Hofmanová, Josefa Janke, Frant. Šimková, Josefa
Kolářová, Marie Brožová, Marie Hájková, Anna
Žikešová, Anna Červenková, Antonie Malá. Seated on
the board were: chairman Františka Franke, past chairman Karolina Rychlíková, vice chairman Františka
Šimková, secretary Marie Hájková, treasurer Josefa
Janke. This small group moved to Václav Rychlík’s
place, which was loaned to Libuše without charge for
their meetings.
In the March meeting it was decided to give the
group official validation, that is, to incorporate. Their
holdings at the time amounted to $97.87. The board
voted to set up bylaws, which in the meeting of the following May were presented and approved. Respectable,
healthy, Slavic speaking women between the ages of 18
and 45 were to be admitted for the sum of $0.50.
It was also decided that for the next meeting, each
member will bring ten cents for the society’s treasury,
and in the future, each sick member would receive one
dollar a week support. In the event of death the family
of the deceased member would receive $30 from the
society’s treasury to cover funeral expenses. The funeral
of the deceased member should be attended by all members in carriages, at their own expense, and the chairman and vice chairman should speak both at the home
and at the cemetery.
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
At the June meeting in 1873, members Františka
Franke and Matilda Karásková donated sashes and
badges for the society officials, and Marie Hájková donated an officer’s sound block and gavel. On November
28, 1873, it was decided to have gold pins made in the
shape of a star with the letters J.Č.D. These were to be
worn to meetings and national observances. It was also
decided that sick members were to receive, up to six
months, $2 weekly support and from six months to a
year, $1 weekly.
On March 29, 1874 it was decided that each member place 50 cents into the treasury following the death
of a member.
Attempts to found additional women’s lodges within Jednota Českých Dam were, up to this time, unsuccessful.
At the meeting of June 27, 1875, Lodge Libuše
Number 1 decided to have a photograph made of all the
members, which was to be hung in the Lodge’s meeting
place. In a preserved letter dated May 26, 1878, in the
patriots’ eastern part of Cleveland, the club expressed
the wish to come to an agreement with Libuše Number 1. As a result, a three member board was elected,
consisting of Karolina Rychlíková, Antonie Malá and
Františka Franke. This club became Lodge Ladislava
Number 2, and was ushered into Jednota Českých Dam
on August 4 of that year.
From these two lodges there emerged a central committee, which took over ushering additional clubs into
the society.
The names of the first members of the central committee are: Karolina Rychlíková, chairman; Josefa
Kolářová, vice chairman; Antonie Malá, secretary;
Kateřina Urbánková, treasurer. The audit committee:
Antonie Váchová and Marie Vaňková.
On January 26, 1879, admission of new members
according to age was raised to two dollars. On November 9, 1879, the amateur actors Budivoj of Lodge
Libuše Number 1 gave Lodge Number 50, Č.S.P.S. a
silk American flag, valued at $50. It was presented by
chairman Mat. Škalová.
In June of 1880, a conference with representatives of all J.Č.D. lodges took place in Cleveland. The
elected representative of Lodge Libuše was Karolina
Rychlíková, and she was also the speaker at the outing
in the Haltnort Garden, including a long procession,
which was arranged by various Czech women’s and
men’s societies, in which the named speaker in a long
poetic speech told of the aim of the lodge, its growth
and charitable work.
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
At the second convention of Jednota Českých Dam,
two years later, in 1882 in Chicago, Illinois, the elected
representative was sister Antonie Malá.
At the third convention in 1886 in St. Louis, Missouri, the elected representative was sister Karolina
Rychlíková.
The fourth convention in 1890 took place in New
York and the representative elected was sister Marie
Hájková.
Grand Lodge Jednota Českých Dam
[Unity of Czech Women], State of Ohio
With headquarters in the City of Cleveland as of January 14, 1890, the lodges of Jednota Českých Dam [Unity of Czech Women] are:
Libuše, Number 1
Ladislava, Number 2
Vratislava, Number 6
Vlastimila, Number 9
Blahomila, Number 16
Lidumila, Number 21
Eliška Pešková, Number 30
Frantiska Stránecká, Number 31
Renata Tyršová, Number 37
Vlastenka, Number 42
Dobromila, Number 46
Pravda, Number 59
Anna Sázavská, Number 61
--------Antonie Malá, chairman, Marie Hájková, secretary,
Arnošta Bubáková, treasurer
Editor’s Note:
A list of the members who joined Libuše Lodge #1 between 1873-1893 will be posted on the CGSI website as
a link from the June 2009 issue sometime this summer.
For information on the above listed Ohio lodges and
those organized in other states please locate the book
Jednota Českých Dam at a library near you. Or, you
may make a Library Research Request following the
instructions on pages 80-81.
Naše rodina
Page 75
Czech and Slovak Americans: International Perspectives from the Great Plains
Symposium sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies
Call for Speakers / Papers
When: April 7-10, 2010
Where: University of Nebraska – Lincoln
The 2010 Symposium will address all aspects of the experience of Czech and Slovak immigrants and
their descendents in the Great Plains region, as well as the relationships of these citizens with other Czech
– and Slovak-Americans and with Czechs and Slovaks in Europe and in other parts of the world.
One of the goals of the 2010 Symposium will be to understand how Americans of Czech and Slovak
ancestry have helped to build the economy and culture of the Great Plains region from Texas to Canada,
from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains, and of the nearby states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota,
Missouri, and Wisconsin. Of particular interest to colleagues abroad wil be the 2010 Symposium’s
emphasis on ongoing contact and mutual interests between Czech – and Slovak-Americans and their
relatives and friends in Europe and adopted homelands on other continents.
All interested scholars, including advanced graduate students, are encouraged to participate in the
2010 Symposium and are asked to send abstracts of proposed papers with a short vitae in English, the
symposium language, by November 1, 2009, to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Please, title
your e-mail “2010 Symposium” in the subject line.
We especially welcome proposals for panels of two to three closely related scholarly papers. We also
solicit the presentation of short critical commentaries on any unpublished documents, correspondence
or artifacts related to the theme of this symposium. Such primary sources may include materials held
privately as well as those from the collections of archives and libraries. These presentations will be
organized thematically according to such topics as music, art, handicrafts, politics, religion, and popular
culture. During the 2010 Symposium, a secure, but limited, space will be made available for public
display of those items whose short-term loan is approved by their owners.
The Center for Great Plains Studies reserves the right to publish selected symposium papers and
presentations in its peer-reviewed academic journals whose purpose and scope are discussed at http://
www.unl.edu/plains/publications.shtml. The Center annually presents a symposium on a theme related
to the Great Plains. Information about these symposia may be obtained at http://www.unl.edu/plains/
seminars/seminars.shtml.
If you have any questions about the 2010 Symposium, please contact us at the Center for Great Plains
Studies: [email protected]
Bruce Garver, Professor of History, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Mila Šašková-Pierce, Professor of Languages, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Co-chairs of the 2010 Symposium Organizing Committee
Page 76
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
The Librarian’s
Shelf
Z Českého Jihu (From
Southern Bohemia) by Fr. Ad. Šubert. Published
by J. Otto, Praha. Drawings of buildings in southern
Bohemia, some no longer standing, are described town
by town. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 382 Sub
By Suzette Steppe
Theme of This Issue: Immigration
of South Bohemians to the Midwest
m Frgn Cze 156 V. 1 & 2 Thi Stare Domy a Rodiny
Táborské II Dil na Památku Zálozeni Měštra Před Pět
Šty Lety (Old Homes and Families of Tábor Part II in
Memory of the Founding of the Town 500 Years Ago).
1920. This book was converted to microfiche by CGSI
in the early 1990s. It contains the house histories and
names of former inhabitants by house number in Tábor,
Bohemia.
Budweis: Budweiser und
Stritschitzer Sprachinsel (Budweis, České Budějovice:
Budweis residents who speak an isolated dialect)
by Karl Adalbert Sedlmeyer. Published by Verlag
Bergemann & Mayr, Miesback, 1979. This book is
the history of Budweis (České Budějovice) and its
German speaking inhabitants. Also included is a table
with names of several hundred residents in the brewery
district in 1795 and 1895. In German.
m Frgn Cze 201 Sed
Dějiny Čechů v Chicagů
(History of the Czechs in Chicago). By Rudolf
Bubeniček. Published by Nákladem Vlástnim, Chicago,
1939. This history of Chicago Czechs has a great variety
of information and numerous names, which are indexed.
In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 283 Bub
History of Czechs in
America by Jan Habenicht, translated by Miroslav
Koudelka. Czechoslovak Genealogical Society,
International, 1996. The author describes the historical
development of Czech settlements on a state-bystate basis and includes numerous photographs and
illustrations. The towns or villages of origin of many
early settlers are listed. Maps of states settled by Czech
immigrants showing counties are included in the
appendix. Also included are surname and geographical
indexes.
m Frgn Cze 350 Hab 1.2
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
m Frgn Cze 377 Bel Vlastivědní Sborník
(Homeland Studies) by Josef Bělohlav. This book
consists of ten periodicals bound together of tourist
information about various towns in Bohemia and
Moravia from 1912-1913. There are detailed area maps
and photographs. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 485 Sed Hrady Zámky a Tvrze
Království Českého (Castles, Chateaux and Fortresses
of the Kingdom of Bohemia), by August Sedlaček.
Published by Šolc and Simaček, Praha, 1927-1936, 2nd
unchanged edition from the original 1882 edition. Each
volume describes the castles, chateaux and fortresses of
the nobility from about the mid 13th century to the time
of their ruin or to the time when the nobility abandoned
their castles in favor of large houses. Each volume
contains drawings, maps, genealogical charts of nobility,
plats, list of articles, list of illustrations, index of places
and families, and index of subjects. The illustrations
are meant to show also the ordinary life outside the
castle. At the back of each volume is a map of the area
included in the text. Vol III - Region of Český Krumlov,
Vol IV - Region of Tábor highlands, Vol VII - Region of
Písek, Vol XI - Region of Prachatice. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 769 She Pioneer Stories as Related by
Minnesota Czech Residents (1906-1930). Abstracted
by Margie Sobotka and translated by Karleen Chott
Sheppard. These stories originate from the February
issues of Hospodář (Farmer), published in Omaha,
NE. In addition, there are maps of the Czech lands
and Minnesota, background information on Czech
settlements in Minnesota, and an all name index.
Published by CGSI, St. Paul, MN, 2003.
m Frgn Cze 821 Sto Sto Let Jihočeského
Národopisu: Výstava národopisných sbirek
Jihočeského Muzea v Českých Budějovicich k výročí
Národopisné Výstavy Českoslovanské. By F. Krejča.
Published by Jihočeské Muzeum České Budějovice,
České Budějovice, 1995. This book covers a hundred
years of Southern Bohemian ethnography in conjunction
with the Southern Czech Museum in České Budějovice.
It contains photographs and maps. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 874 She
Naše rodina
Early Czech Settlers in
Page 77
Minnesota - Biographies Translated from Amerikán
Národní Kalendář. Translated by Karleen Chott
Sheppard, St. Paul, MN and abstracted by Margie
Sobotka, Elkhorn NE, 1999. Published by Karleen Chott
Sheppard, St. Paul, MN, 2002. Thirty-eight biographies
and autobiographies are included in this work.
Husitská tradice a
československé legie 1914-1920 (The Hussite Tradition
and the Czechoslovak Legion 1914-1920) by Petr
Bratka. Published by Husitské Muzeum Tabor, 1999.
A brief history of the Czechoslovak Legion, followed
by a register by towns of the Legionnaires from the
region of Tábor. Also included is an alphabetical list of
Legionnaires by name. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 882 Bra
České Budějovice by Jakub
Pavel. Published by Statní nakladatelství krásne
literatury a umění, Praha, 1965. This is the history
of České Budějovice with many photographs. The
summary is in Russian, French, German and Czech.
m Frgn Cze 1001 Pav
m Frgn Cze 1051 Jir Legionari (občane a rodaci)
okresu Klatovy (Legionnaires (citizens and native
born) of the region of Klatovy) by Jan Jirak. Published
by TYPOS, Klatovy, 2001. This book provides the
Legion history through diary excerpts. Names of the
Legionnaires are given according to the town along
with date and town of birth, date of enlistment, date of
discharge, rank and country of service. In Czech
Legionari na
Czeckokrumlovsko 1914-1918 (Legionnaires of
Český Krumlov 1914-1928) by Věra Mašková and
Petr Jelínek. Published by Tiskárna Vyšehrad, Český
Krumlov, 2001. This book includes the alphabetical
listing of Legionnaires, fallen Legionnaires,
Legionnaires according to towns in the region of Český
Krumlov. Also included is an alphabetical listing of
soldiers other than Legionnaires, the history of the
Legion following 1918, chronologies and photographs.
In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 1052 Mas
m Frgn Cze 1091 Kol Bošilecko: Bošilec, Dynín,
Lhota, Ponědrážka (Bošilec region and the adjacent
towns of Bošilec, Dynín, Lhota and Ponědrážka) by
Vlastimil Kolda. Published by Okresní uřad, České
Budějovice, 1998. This book contains photographs from
the Bošilecko region. Summaries in Czech, English and
German.
m Frgn Cze 1144 Cir
Page 78
Šest set let Královských prav
města Třeboň (Six hundred years of royal rule in
the city of Třeboň) by Eva Cironisová. Published by
Městský národní výbor, Třeboň, 1975. This book details
the history of Třeboň, including biographies of artists
and musicians born in Třeboň, and includes a list of its
mayors. Photographs, drawings, tables, and a picture
and general index are included. In Czech.
m Frgn Cze 1271 Mil The Czecho-Slovaks in
America, by Kenneth D. Miller. Published by George H.
Doran Co., 1922. This book briefly examines the social,
economic and religious conditions of the CzechoSlovaks and their emigration to America and reviews
the same conditions after they arrived in America.
Chapters include Migration within the U.S., the Return
Movement to Europe, Occupations, Family Life,
Relations to the Old Country, Social Organizations,
Political Relations and Religious Conditions.
Budweisers into Czechs
and Germans: A Local History of Bohemian Politics,
1848-1948, by Jeremy King. Published by Princeton
University Press, 2002. This book looks at the history
of nationalism in České Budějovice between 1848
and 1948 and how it’s Czech and German-speaking
inhabitants gradually became Czechs or Germans. The
author looks at who became Czech or German and what
did it mean to be one or the other.
m Frgn Cze 1273 Kin
m Frgn Cze 1283 Ste Czechs of Chicagoland by
Malynne Sternstein. Published by Arcadia Publishing,
2008. This book covers the desolation of the 1915
Eastland disaster, in which hundreds of victims were
of Czech descent, to the triumphant Depressionera election of Czech-born mayor Antonín Čermák.
It depicts how the Czech community and its great
leaders, benevolent societies, and charitable and social
organizations have shaped and continue to shape the
course of Chicago’s history. Includes photographs.
m Frgn Cze 1289 Syn Frajárka z Kyjovska: Portrét
kraje mých snu (Fashions of Kyjovsko: A Portrait
of the Region of my Dreams) by František Synek.
Published by TG Tisk, Lanškroun, 2003. The history
of Kyjovsko and its customs as told through pictures.
Summaries, including the translation of picture captions
in English, German, French and Russian. Includes
photographs and index. In Czech.
m MN Gen 032 Chr They Chose Minnesota
(Chapter 17 on The Czechs by C. Winston Chrislock.).
This chapter discusses settlement patterns and contains
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
a demographic county-by-county table showing the
number of Bohemians and Czechoslovakians for the
years 1860, 1880, 1895, 1905, 1930, 1970. An extensive
list of reference footnotes is also included.
m MN H-1 016 Wor The Bohemian Flats. Compiled
by the Workers of the Writers’ Program of the Work
Projects Administration in the State of Minnesota,
with an introduction by Thaddeus Radzilowski. This
book was first published by the University of Minnesota
Press in 1941 and reprinted by the Minnesota Historical
Society, 1986. Many photos help tell the story of
immigrants living under the Washington Avenue bridge
on the west bank of the Mississippi River flats during
the 1880’s to the 1940’s. A 1904 map of the settlement
is included, as well as an ethnic (Slovaks, Czechs, Irish,
Swedes) immigration table for the pre-1880 to 1899
years.
Montgomery - From the
Big Woods to the Kolacky Capital. Second Edition
Published by the Montgomery Arts & Heritage Center,
Montgomery, MN. 2000. This book is about the
immigrants who settled in the village of Montgomery,
Minnesota. Of particular interest to genealogists are
extensive details of families, names, census lists,
and Czech villages of origin. This book offers many
personal biographies of settlers and photographs.
m MN L-4 009 Zel
m MN L-4 011 Kaj They Ate From One Bowl. The
New Prague Area Its First Forty-Four Years. By Dr.
Thomas O. Kajer. 2006. This book covers the early
history of New Prague, MN from ca. 1856-1900.
St. Wenceslaus Cemetery and
Czech National Cemetery Inventory, New Prague,
Minnesota. Co-produced by New Prague Area
Historical Society, Germanic Genealogy Society and
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International.
Published by CGSI, St. Paul, MN, 2002. Cemetery
burial records listed alphabetically by surname and
by lot and block number for the St. Wenceslaus
Catholic Cemetery and the Czech (Bohemian) National
Cemetery, both of New Prague, MN.
m MN Cem L-4 001
m MN Gen 114 Pru Průvodce Po Českých
Katolických Osadách v Arcidiecesi St. Paul, Minn. ve
Spojených Státech Sev. Amerických. (Guide to Czech
Catholic Parishes of the Archdiocese of St. Paul,
Minnesota in the United States of North America).
Compiled by the League of Czech Priests of the
Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1910. Published by the Czech
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Benedictines, Chicago, IL. A history of the Czech
Catholic Parishes of the St. Paul Archdiocese includes
information on the St. Paul Seminary, St. Thomas
College, St. Wenceslaus in New Prague, St. Scholastica
in Heidelberg, St. Stanislaus in St. Paul, Holy Trinity
in Veseli, St. Margaret’s in Hopkins, Holy Redeemer
in Montgomery, Immaculate Conception in Třeboň,
St. Mary’s in Bechyň, St. Alois in Olivia, Our Lady of
Perpetual Help in Minneapolis, St. Joseph’s in Silver
Lake, Our Lady of Victory in Lucan, and Immaculate
Conception in Lonsdale. Includes photos of the Pastors
and church buildings. It also lists the early parishioners
in each parish. In Czech.
m US IA 002 Neu The Quasquicentennial History
Book 1860-1985 Spillville, Iowa. By Becky Neuzil
and Beatrice Sbiral, editors. Community history of
Spillville, Iowa
They Came to this Place: A History
of Spillville, Iowa and its Czech Settlers. By Cyril M.
Klimesh. Published by Methodius Press, CA, 1983.
Community history of Spillville, Iowa.
m US IA 006 Kli
m US IA 025 Tra Those Were the Days 18731973. By the Traer Centennial History Committee,
1973. Community history of Traer, Iowa including
organizations, businesses, agriculture, churches,
schools, family histories and photographs are included.
m US IA 031 Pec Protivin: A Czech Settlement.
By Gerald C. Pecinovsky. 1978. Community history
of Protivin, Iowa including organizations, businesses,
agriculture, churches, schools, family histories and
photographs are included.
m US IA 089 Slo Small But Ours: Images and
Stories from a Nineteenth Century Bohemian
Neighborhood. By Marybeth Slonneger. Published by
Hand Press, Iowa City, IA, 1999.
Pisek: The First Century.
A History of Pisek, ND and Its People. By Ludger
Kadlec. Published by Associated Printers, Grafton,
ND, 1982. This book provides the history of Pisek ND,
including photos and plat maps.
m US ND 006 Kad
Memorial Book: History of
The Czechs in the State of South Dakota. Compiled
by Joseph A. Dvorak (1920). Published by The Czech
Heritage Preservation Society, Tabor, SD, 1980.
The book contains a detailed history of the Czech
immigration to South Dakota.
m US SD 013 Dvo
Naše rodina
Page 79
History of Yankton County, South
Dakota by the Yankton County Historical Society.
m US SD 014 Yan
Phillips Czechoslovakia
Community. Volume 1 & 2. (Price County) F. A. Weber
& Sons, Inc, Park Falls, Wisconsin, 1991& 1995. In
addition to the local, church, family, business, fraternal/
social organization histories, these two volumes include
stories and letters of its inhabitants and their families,
stories about its music, festivals, traditions, and
cooking.
m US WI 054 V.1 & V.2
100th Anniversary of St. John
Nepomuc Parish, Prairie du Chien, WI, 1891-1991.
m US WI 077 Che
m Uncatalogued Gateway to a new world: building
Cech and Slovak communities in the West End. By
Josef Dvorak Landsberger. St. Paul, MN: West 7th/Fort
Road Federation, 2003. This calendar style booklet
describes the history of St. Paul’s West 7th Street Czech
immigrant history, including that of the historic CSPS
organization, the Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota,
and St. Stanislaus Church, among other things. The
booklet consists of 38 pages, including photographs and
illustrations.
Are You a Weekend Genealogist?
Are you only able to work on your family history on
the weekends? Are you frustrated that you are unable
to visit the CGSI Library nights on the 2nd Thursday?
Good news, CGSI has added a Saturday afternoon library shift for those who are unable to visit the library
during the week. Now on the 1st Saturday afternoon of
each month, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., there will be members of CGSI available at the MGS (Minnesota Genealogical Society) Library to assist you. This gives you
the opportunity to check out all of the resources of the
Library, ask questions, and get help with your research.
Remember the 1st Saturday afternoon of each month –
we hope to see you at the library!
CGSI Lending Library
A list of the available books along with a printable
Patron Request / Agreement Form is available on the
CGSI website (www.cgsi.org), and in the March 2007
issue of Naše rodina. The list and form will be mailed,
upon request to members, who may not have internet
access. Patrons may borrow a maximum of 4 books at
one time for a period of 3 weeks and will pay all post-
Page 80
age, handling and return charges. The lending library is
staffed by volunteer, Linda Berney of Grand Island, NE.
Lending instructions, policies and other information is
posted on the website, or will be mailed to members
upon request.
Library Volunteers Needed
There are many opportunities to volunteer and no experience is required, library training will be provided. This
is a great opportunity to become familiar with all of
the resources available in the library and to assist other
members with their research. There are many great
programs that the CGSI and MGS volunteers are responsible for putting together for their members and the
Genealogical Library is the largest of these programs.
As such it requires a number of people who can donate
their time to keep the library maintained and open to its
members. You can volunteer as often as you like, once a
week or once a month, day or evening shifts. For further
information please contact MNGSVolunteers@comcast.
net or [email protected]
Periodicals
We have issues of various periodicals that have been donated but are not on the shelves due to space limitations.
These are stored in the CGSI office and if you have
an interest in examining them, please contact Suzette
Steppe. The periodicals include Hospodář, Ženské Listy,
Jednota, Hlás Národa, Česká Žena and Přítel.
Library Collection Research Policy
CGSI will do research on selected books and reference
material in our library collection. Mostly, these are
books with name indexes or are indexes themselves,
such as Leo Baca’s Czech Passenger Arrival Lists, the
ZČBJ (Fraternal Herald) Death Index, the Nebraska/
Kansas Czech Settlers book, and the telephone directories of the Czech and Slovak Republics. A complete
list of our library holdings as of April 15, 2000 is now
available to members at the cost of $7.00 which includes copying and postage charges. The books that we
can research for you are identified by a special notation
in the listing. The library holdings are also listed on our
Home Page for those with access to the internet.
We cannot accept open-ended research requests
such as “tell me what you have on the Jan Dvořák family of Minnetonka, Minnesota." When making a research request you must specify which book you want
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
researched and what family, castle, town, etc, for which
you want information.
The fees for various research are as follows: Telephone Directories of Czech and Slovak Republics $5.00 for each surname provided (per directory), plus
25 cents for each address we find and extract from the
book.
Other Sources/Books - $5.00 per half hour of research for members or $10.00 per half hour of research
for non-members. Expenses for photocopies and additional postage will be billed. The minimum charge of
$5.00/member or $10.00/non-member must accompany
the request for information.
Research is conducted by CGSI volunteers. They
will not be able to interpret any information for you that
is found in a foreign language.
CGSI Library
The CGSI Library holdings are housed within the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Library which is located at 1185 Concord St N, Suite 218 in South St. Paul,
MN* (Across the Street from the Marathon Gas Station). Parking is available in lots on the north or south
end of the building and on the east side of Concord St.
MGS Library telephone number:
(651) 455-9057
MGS Library hours:
Wed, Thurs, Sat 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Tue, Thurs 6:30 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
The second Thursday night of each month is Czech and
Slovak night. The first Saturday of the month has been
recently added as
Czech and Slovak
day. During these
hours, the library
is staffed by CGSI
volunteers who are
there to assist you in
locating the resources
you need in your
research.
*Please do not
send mail to this
address, instead
continue to send it
to the P.O. Box.
Remember to visit us the 1st
Saturday of each month at our
new location! 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Membership Form
On the back page of this issue, your membership number and expiration date is printed on the top of the address label.
If your membership is due within the next three months, fill out the following form and return to CGSI.
 Renewal  New Membership No. (on top of mailing label)_________________________
Circle Choice:
Name_____________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________
City/State_________________________________________________ Zip Code*_ ___________ Telephone (
)___________________ Email_ ___________________________________________________ *Please add your nine-digit zip code. If you don’t know it, look for it on a piece of junk mail.
Make checks payable to and mail to: CGSI, P.O. Box 16225
St. Paul, MN 55116-0225
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
Naše rodina
Term Individual
1 Year
$25.00
2 Year
$45.00
3 Year
$65.00
Membership Fee
First Class Postage
Library Donation
Total Payment
Family Sponsor
$30.00 $45.00
$55.00 $85.00
$75.00 $110.00
$ ______________
$ ______________
$ ______________
$ ______________
USA Funds Only
Foreign and 1st Class Add $10 for 1 year;
Add $20 for 2 years; Add $30 for 3 years
Except for Canada
- Copy this form as necessary -
Page 81
Sales Order Form
(All Items Include Shipping Costs)
NEW!
22
To Reap a Bountiful Harvest (Czech Immigration Beyond the Mississippi, 1850
to 1900) by Stepanka Korytova-Magstadt
$ 16.00
23
Czechoslovakia: A Short Chronicle of 27,094 Days by Miroslav Koudelka, 20 pgs
$ 4.00
24
Brief History of the Czech Lands
in English
$ 15.00
25
Tales of the Czechs – History and Legends of Czech people
$ 8.00
26
Gateway to a New World – Czech/Slovak community in St. Paul, Minnesota’s
West End district
$ 11.50
$ 18.50
Map of Czech Grammar, 8 pages showing
nouns, verbs, cases, etc
$ 5.00
27
New Prague, Minnesota Cemetery inventory, over 200 pgs
$ 12.00
8
Children’s Illustrated Czech Dictionary, 94 pages
$ 17.00
28
Pioneer Stories of Minnesota Czech Residents (1906-1930)
$ 23.00
9
Beginners Slovak by Elena Letnanova, 207 pgs
$ 16.00
29
Czech Heritage Coloring Book
by NE Czechs of Wilber
$ 6.00
10
Slovak-English & English/Slovak Dictionary and
Phrasebook by S. & J. Lorinc, 155 pgs
$ 15.00
30
History of Slovakia – A Struggle for Survival by Kirschbaum
$ 20.00
11
Slovak/Eng & Eng/Slovak Dictionary by Nina Trnka, 359 pgs
$ 14.50
31
History of the Slovaks of Cleveland and Lakewood, OH, 301 pgs
$ 25.00
12
Česká Republika Auto map,
1:500000 scale
$ 7.00
32
Slovakia in Pictures, Lerner Publications, 64 pgs
$ 23.00
13
Czech Republic Hiking maps
(97 maps in series) 1:50000 scale
$ 7.00
33
Slovakia – The Heart of Europe, 55 pgs hardcover
$ 24.75
14
Czech Republic Tourist maps
(46 maps in series) 1:100000 scale
$ 7.00
34
Visiting Slovakia – Tatras by Jan Lacika, 136 pgs
$ 14.00
35
36 Slovak Student Essays Summaries of What They Wrote
$ 3.50
36
Bohemian-American Cookbook by Marie Rosicky in 1906
$ 14.00
37
Cherished Czech Recipes by Pat Martin, 143 pgs
$ 7.25
Czech and Slovak Touches by Pat Martin
$ 14.50
1
Czech Dictionary and Phrasebook by M. Burilkova, 223 pages
$ 15.00
2
Beginners Czech by Iva Cerna & Johann Machalek, 167 pgs
$ 12.00
3
Czech/Eng & Eng/Czech Dictionary
by Nina Trnka, 594 pgs
$ 14.50
4
Czech/English & English/Czech Dictionary
by FIN, Olomouc, CR 1102 pp, hardcover
$ 34.50
5
Czech Phrasze Book by Nina Trnka,
ideal for tourists, 149 pgs
$ 12.00
6
My Slovakia: An American’s View
by Lil Junas, hardcover, 56 pages
7
Czech Republic Auto Atlas, 1:100000 scale
$ 29.50
16
15
Slovak-American Touches by Toni Brendel
150 Slovak recipes, dance groups, etc. 192 pgs.
$ 19.50
Album of Bohemian Songs
$ 7.00
18
Slovak Republic Hiking maps
(58 in series) 1:50000 scale
$ 7.00
19
Slovak Republic Tourist maps
(29 in series) 1:100000 scale
$ 7.00
20
Slovak Republic Auto Atlas, 1:100000 scale w/postal codes, 176 pp.
$ 29.50 21
History of Czechs in America
by Jan Habenicht, 595 pgs
$ 49.50
17
38
39
Czech and Slovak Folk Costumes by Jitka Stan-
$ 39.50
kova and Ludvik Baran. In Czech with English
summary. 152 pgs w/ color photos.
40
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 1, May 1989 (946 surnames)
$ 6.00
41
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 2 Feb 1990 (1250 surnames)
$ 6.00
42
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 3 June 1992 (1719 surnames)
$ 6.00
43
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 4 Feb 1993 (1700 surnames)
$ 6.00
44
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 5 May 1994 (1509 surnames)
$ 6.00
45
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 6 March 1995 (1745 surnames)
$ 6.00
46
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 7 Jan 1999 (1520 surnames)
$ 6.00
47
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 8 $ 6.00
Sept 2002 (1423 surnames)
6/09
48
Czechoslovak Surname Index Vol 9
March 2006 (1451 surnames)
$ 6.00
Name_____________________________________________________________
49
Finding Your Slovak Ancestors
by Lisa Alzo, 385 pgs.
$ 22.50
50
Czechs in Chicagoland by Malynne Sternstein,
128 pages
$ 21.00
51
History of Slovaks in America
by Konstantin Culen, 411 pgs.
$ 49.50
Item No.
Qty.
Each Price
Totals
Total Amount Paid
Address___________________________________________________________
City________________________ St _____________ Zip___________________
Make check payable to CGSI, and mail to Czechoslovak Genealogical Society Int’l.,
P.O. Box 16225, St. Paul, MN 55116-0225. Prices subject to change without notice. Items
may not always be available on demand. Refunds will be made for items which are
not available. Note: Depending on weight, postage outside of the U.S. will generally be
higher. We will bill for any difference in costs.
Page 82
To see photos of these items and
some additional information please
visit our website: <www.cgsi.org>
Naše rodina
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
NEW!
NEW!
Calendar of Events -Mark Yours
If you have a question write the webmaster at [email protected] or call our number (651) 450-2322 to leave a voice
mail message. Your call will be returned.
June 18-20, 2009 (Thursday – Saturday)
61st Annual Czech Days Celebration
Tabor, South Dakota
CGSI will have a sales table!
Info: (605) 463-2476 or
www.taborczechdays.com
July 24-25, 2009 (Friday, Saturday)
Super Conference 2009 – A Journey of Discovery
Sponsored by FEEFHS and the Society for German
Genealogy in Eastern Europe
Radisson Milwaukee North Shore, Milwaukee, WI
Further info: www.feefhs.org
June 19-21, 2009 (Friday – Sunday)
Phillips, Wisconsin 26th Annual Czechoslovakian
Community Festival
Miss Czech/Slovak Wisconsin Queen Pageant
Phillips Senior High School, 990 Flambeau Ave
CGSI will have a sales table!
Further info: [email protected]
July 26, 2009 (Sunday) 1-5 pm
79th Annual Slovak-American Day Picnic
Croatian Park on S 76th St, Franklin, WI
Sponsored by Federated Slovak Societies
CGSI will have a sales table here!
Contact: Ralph Hass at [email protected]
June 19-21, 2009 (Friday – Sunday)
Clarkson Nebraska Czech Festival
NE Czech/Slovak Queen Pageant
Polka Street Dance (Sat. 9 pm – midnight)
Further info: www.ci.clarkson.ne.us
June 26-28, 2009 (Friday – Sunday)
Southern California Genealogical Jamboree
Hosted by Southern CA Genealogical Society
Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel
Lisa Alzo will speak on “Writing Your Family
History Step by Step” and “Demystifying
Eastern European Research”
CGSI will have an informational table here!
Further info: www.scgsgenealogy.com
July 18-19, 2009 (Saturday, Sunday)
Sokol Detroit Czech and Slovak Festival
Theme: Christmas Traditions
Hours: Sat. 1-10:30 pm; Sun Noon – 7 pm
Sokol Cultural Center, 23600 W Warren
Dearborn Heights, MI (1/4 mile E of Telegraph Rd)
Info: call James Mack (248) 539-5117
July 25, 2009 (Saturday)
Genealogical Research Day at Oxford Jct. IA
Hours 9 am to 5 pm at the library and museum
Oxford Junction Genealogical Club will assist,
and host lunch.
Further info: [email protected]
June 2009 Vol. 21 No. 2
July 31, August 1-2, 2009 (Friday – Sunday)
Wilber, Nebraska Czech Festival
Miss Czech/Slovak US Queen Pageant
National Historic Pageant (Fri & Sat @ 9 pm)
CGSI will have a Sales booth here!
Further info: Donna (308) 384-7355
August 14-16, 2009 (Friday – Sunday)
31st Annual Protivin, Iowa Czech Days
Kickoff dance held on Friday evening.
Polka bands all day Saturday, games, and food.
Serving Thousands of Kolache like those made
by the immigrants of the area.
Info: JoAnn: [email protected]
September 6, 2009 (Sunday)
Annual Slovak Festival
Padua Franciscan Hall in Parma, OH
Johnny Pastirik Slovak band will perform
Further info: (440) 886-4828
e-mail: [email protected]
October 14-17, 2009 (Wednesday – Saturday)
12th CGSI Genealogical/Cultural Conference
Holiday Inn Cleveland South – Independence
Reservations: (216) 524-8050, ext 298 and
identify yourself as with CGSI for group rate.
Plan ahead to include time for our Tours
Further info: www.cgsi.org or
e-mail: [email protected]
Naše rodina
Page 83
Coming In The September 2009 Issue Super Slovaks and Remarkable Rusyns
Jan Pankuch’s book and life events’ role in documenting high impact people for Slovak Institute files
 Albert Mamatey, the Forgotten Slovak Activist and a Creator of Czechoslovakia
 Jozef Murgaš: The Slovak Edison
 Peter Rovnianek, the Tenacious Slovak-American Nationalist
 For God and Nation: The Reverend Štefan Furdek, 1855-1915


Father Štefan Furdek, the pastor of the parish of
Our Lady of Lourdes in Cleveland, OH, writer
and leader of the Slovak Catholics.
Albert Mamatey, former President of the National
Slovak Society, founding member of the Slovak League
of America and signator of the 1918 Pittsburgh Pact.
Both photos courtesy of the Slovak Institute and Research Library.
CGSI website: www.cgsi.org
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
P.O. Box 16225
St. Paul, MN 55116-0225
Address Service Requested
ISSN 1045-8190
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 7985
ST. PAUL, MN