Rose Rosicky et al.

“ The yards are filled with all necessary farm implements, tractors, trucks and autos. If there is more than one son in the family, each has his automobile. All about are evidences of prosperity.
Rich yields of wheat, oats and corn enable the farmers to raise cattle and hogs for market and to do dairying, thus engaging in mixed farming. Prairie hay has made way for cultivated alfalfa, timothy, hay and other forage grasses. Indeed, the visitor who has no knowledge of the history of our county must feel amazed to think it is but fifty-eight years since settlement here began. ”

“ JOHN, the youngest son, born in 1887 in Colfax county, is managing president of the Colfax County Bank in Howells.
From the foregoing, in connection with data about Frank Folda, it is evident that the Foldas, as a pioneer banking family, occupy a prominent position among Nebraska Bohemians. Bohemians, as a rule, at least the immigrants are content with modest though steady gains, enough to help their children and insure old age. As a whole, they do not have the qualities that enable them to grasp financial opportunities, especially when it means a risk. ”

“ For poor immigrants in a strange country, where they did not know the language or customs, especially in the hard pioneer days, it was not only agreeable but necessary to meet with their own kind and to do what they could in the way of entertainments, to gather courage and cheer. The fraternal orders are a great boon to them, for the officials do not have anywhere near the large salaries the officials of the large American insuring fraternal orders have, and so they can sell life insurance at a lower rate. ”

“ It happened that on that day there was a wedding at Tom Sindelar’s place and Tom at once filled a sack of wheat, saying: “Here, I donate that to you”, and the other present followed suit, each one there giving us a sackfull. Never was anyone happier than my father, and I myself can never forget their kindness and am grateful for it. The Bohemian settlement known as Tabor was established in 1870, for at the time we located in Colfax county, they had already raised crops and had horses, something not known in our locality. Later they built a church there and dance hall. ”

“ It is not fair to have prejudice against anyone of another faith, there are good and bad people everywhere.
In May 1920 I was the owner of 2400 acres of improved land. All these farms but one (in Saunders county) are in Colfax county. I kept 500 acres and divided the rest among my children. Besides that I am keeping 220 acres for a member of the family still under age, and then I have some cash on hand too. I gave my son in Idaho 160 acres and water rights costing me in all over $3,000.00 and several thousand in cash. ”

“ It cut across my land and the town of Howell was laid out a mile and a half east of my farm. By this time father owned a 320 acre farm and I had one of 160 acres. Compared to others, we were quite well off and living on a much different scale than in our homestead days, although not flying sky-high as many have done during the recent war (1914–1918) period and then falling flat. We learned by hard work and striving to preserve what we had, we can now ride in an automobile that is not plastered up with a mortgage. ”

“ Joseph W. Zerzan founded in 1876 a reading society in Schuyler which was the nucleus of the present lodge Zapadni Jednota of the Bohemian Slavonian Benevolent Society. Bohemians brought to this country their love for music, dramatics, song and dance—all so much more common on the Continent than in this country, where Puritanism has left its traces. ”

“ My father, who had always longed for a farm and was more courageous than Kovarik, came to Nebraska with two friends in 1868. These were a Mr. Pinter (from Cleveland) and a Mr. Pesek. The first had a family, Pesek was single. Both were carpenters and all went to Omaha, where they found work at their trade. At the suggestion of Mr. Vaclav L. Vodicka they took homesteads near Richland, Colfax county, but of course there was no town of Richland then, Kovarik and the rest followed them to Omaha. Our fathers built frame buildings on the homesteads, the first frame edifices in the vicinity. ”

“ Bohemian Protestants in Nebraska affiliate with the Presbyterian Church and are proud of the fact that, nationally, they are the descendants of the Bohemian Brethern, the first Protestants in Bohemia and probably in the world, for they began to organize, that is the Bohemian Brethern, as to congeniality of principle, soon after the burning of Jan Hus (1415) and by 1456 numbered many members. ”

“ My father Moural was born in the village of Hluboka, County Budejovice, in Bohemia, in 1822. My mother was born Elizabeth Kovar. Frank Kovarik was born in Trebon, Bohemia, in 1814 and his wife’s name was Anna. They and my parents lived in an unusual harmony and friendship, during their whole lives. Both men were carpenters and good at their trade. In their birthplace they had helped to build a beautiful castle in Hluboka, belonging to Prince Schwarzenburg. But they wished to improve their condition and having heard much about America, they decided to emigrate. ”

“ Food for humans was not much better in comparison. There was plenty of meat, for game was abundant, but flour was scarce and seldom to be had—there were no mills, no stores, no supplies. The only mill in Columbus had just burned and the damaged flour was cheap. Our countrymen got some and were supplied at least for the winter. Luckily it was a mild season.
JOHN FOLDA, the oldest son of Martin Folda, and brother Frank, came to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1860. The day his parents left for America, John was detained in the old country and, had to serve in the army for a period of three years. ”

“ Joseph Smatlan, the father, lives with his son Edward. He gave all his children a good education and enjoys a calm old age, after many hardships suffered in youth. He is respected by all the citizens, regardless of nationaliiy or religion and is beloved by his children. He is a good patriot, a member of several lodges, in which he was active while younger, and has raised all his children to be proud of their Bohemian origin. ”

“ My brother Frank died in Chicago, Ill., in 1915, where he was cattle buyer in the stock yards for seventeen years. My brother Vaclav lives in Wilber, Nebraska. His first wife was a sister of my wife, after her death he married Mrs. Katherine Semilsky Bartos, in 1913. My brother Edward lives on a farm once owned by Matous Papousek, whose daughter Josephine he married. William and Vincenc live in Oklahoma, with their families and the families of brother Vaclav’s children by his first wife. All live in the vicinity of oil fields, let, us hope they will become millionaires some day. ”

“ Knipping is a good Bohemian patriot, an amateur actress and during the war (1914–1918) was active in the Schuyler branch of the Bohemian National Alliance, the purpose of which was to aid Bohemian in freeing herself from the yoke of Austria, and helped to found a branch of the “Bees”, an organization of Bohemian women in the United States, who sewed and knitted from Bohemian legionnaires in France and Siberia. ”

“ FRANK E. DUDEK, proprietor of a large general merchandise and clothing store, owns several farms. Born in Moravia in 1872. His parents, Frank and Antonia, came to this country in 1882. They bought a farm on Dry creek, two years later sold it and bought on Shell Creek. Young Frank when through school, began to work for his uncle John Dudek and has, in his own business, become prosperous.
VACLAV PROKUPEK, partner in a shoe store since 1917. Came to this country in 1913. He worked in Omaha, then in Clarkson, then moved to Schuyler. Is a good Bohemian patriot and amateur actor. ”

“ We had hard times for the next several years, for the grasshoppers ate up our profits and other troubles pursued us. But we kept up our courage and were rewarded. Five years later we bought 80 acres from Felix Sevcik and a finer team, and in other ways began to prosper. With the neighbors collectively we owned a thresher, rented more land, and began to see much better times.
In 1888 my father rented his farm to a tenant and sold the stock, etc. We moved to David City, Butler county, Nebraska, with three younger brothers, so they could attend school. ”

“ Bohemian Liberals are organized mainly through their reading matter, lodges and schools. In two different periods they had branches of a Liberal Thinkers’ League (Svobodna Obec) , but these are not now in existence in our state. This League had its beginning in 1870, being founded by Fr. B. Zdrubek, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1871 Bohemians in Niobrara, Knox County, West Point, Cuming County, and in Saline County, belonged to branches of it, but did not flourish long. ”

“ We used to meet to worship in our faith, before we built the church called Sion, near Clarkson, I being one of the founders. March 4, 1889 I married Josephine Rousar and we had eight children, seven are living. Julia was drowned while bathing, July 19, 1924. Our children are: Miloslav, Adela Olga, Lumir, Joseph, Frank and Elsie. My father died in 1908, my mother in 1912, both are buried in Zion cemetery. We worked and saved and were able to buy more land, thus insuring a better future for our loved ones. I owned 680 acres and gave my oldest son Miloslav 160 acres. In 1921 we moved to Schuyler. ”

“ HARDSHIPS OF PIONEER LIFE.
MR. FRANK CEJDA, now living in West Point, Cuming County, Nebraska, writes thus of pioneer days in Colfax county:
“In 1867 I came with my parents to Wisconsin from Bohemia and from Wisconsin we came to West Point in 1870, by wagon from Fremont. During the two years we lived there, father managed to make a living by working for the homesteaders and sawing wood for fuel in the town. In May 1872 he took a homestead in Colfax county, one and a half miles from the present town site of Howell. ”

“ We broke ten acres and planted them to corn and potatoes. Our nearest neighbor was Joseph Kovar, two miles southeast and the next nearest Peter Shad, three miles in the same direction. To the north we had no neighbors for fifteen miles or more until the Elkhorn river was reached. Thus we were the last of the first homesteaders in northern Colfax county. As the eldest of three children, I farmed during the next three years, as father was away earning enough to supply us with groceries and flour. Work was scarce and wages low. ”

“ I think that my brother Joseph Papez, my cousin John Stibal and I were the first Bohemians to take homesteads in Colfax county, for those Bohemians who had preceded us, Thomas Molacek, John Novotny, Jacob Moural and Frank Kovarik, were recorded in Platte county, before Colfax county was established. I may mention here that Moural, through error, built his first home on land belonging to another. Both parties were to have a hearing in Grand Island, but the owner of the land did not appear and Moural was adjudged the rightful proprietor. ”

“ It was not until 1877 or 1878 that we bought our first team of horses by trading them for a yoke of oxen and giving a mortgage of $150.00 on the team. The neighbors told us if we did not pay the mortgage when it fell due, we would lose our horses, and we believed them. We had just finished threshing grain, so father began to haul it to market, to be able to pay the mortgage within a week. For six consecutive days he hauled wheat to market twenty-four miles each day, starting with a load at four in the morning and returning at ten at night. ”

“ Our farmstead being only about 200 yards from the creek afforded us an opportunity to acquaint ourselves, quite well with our feathered riends, Our intrusions into their havens, never seemed to disconcert them greatly, if we came too close they either swam away or flew up, circled a bit and back to the water they came. ”

“ Mr. Odvarka was a public-spirited man and was the first teacher of Bohemian school in Clarkson. He also was an ardent lodge worker and organized, a number of local societies. He was one of the founders of the national Z. C. B. J. society and became its first traveling organizer. He also served as secretary of the two first national conventions held by the association. He advocated what he believed was right and of best interest to the common classes. He believed that all people were created alike and always lived up to these convictions.
LODGES
SCHUYLER: Tel. Jednota Sokol (gymnastic) ”

“ You know, a Bohemian would rather dance than eat, especially if there were any liquid refreshments to stimulate one. As soon as the accordion player struck the first note, the festivities were on and kept on until daybreak. ”

“ He understood politics und was a good speaker, so later, largely with the help of his son-in-law Cap, a lawyer in Lincoln, be obtained the position of superintendent of the reform school for boys in Kearney, Nebraska, in the eighteen-nineties, under president Cleveland. He taught the young fellows his trade and used to relate many a story of their ways and tricks, when trying to get out of honest work. When Cleveland’s successor was elected, Jonas lost his position and settled in Lincoln, on account of his children, all of whom he gave a good education. ”