JOSEPH M. AND ROSE [STOURAL] HOLAN
Joseph Matthew Holan, son of Frank Holan and Katherina Chadimova,
was born in Novy Prerov, Bohemia in 1861. He, his parents, a brother
Frank, Jr., and sister Frances emigrated to America when Joseph was
a young man. The family settled in Chicago and lived there for a few
years.
It was here that Joseph’s mother, Katharina, died and his father was
remarried - to Clara Pavelka. Several more children were born to
this union.
The family then came to Verdigre and settled a homestead where
Joseph helped with farming and doing carpentry.
In 1884 he acquired his own 160 acres (his first tax assessment was
$12.12). Joseph was also the recipient of some land across the
Verdigre Creek from his property when a Mr. Jira, originally from
Chicago, was gored by oxen and drowned in the swollen waters of the
flooded Verdigre Creek as he attempted to lead the team pulling a
wagon across. When this happened, Mrs. Jira was so saddened and
discouraged, she returned to her family in Chicago, and since she
had no relatives in Verdigre she gave their land to Joseph.
In 1885, Joe married Rose Mary Stoural, daughter of another pioneer
couple, Albert Stoural and Katherine Zahorka Stoural.
Rose was born in Stare Prahatice, Bohemia, in 1867 and came to
America with her family on a “wind-jammer” (sailboat) in about 1870,
when she was a small girl. It was told that this ship hit calm seas
and for two weeks there was not enough wind to sail. By the time the
winds blew again, the food supply was nearly depleted, and since
many of the early immigrants traveled in steerage, it must have been
a very trying situation for the passengers.
[pg 268 PHOTO Seated: Joseph M. Holan and Rose [Stoural] Holan.
Left to right: Gertrude [Holan] Jirousek, Joseph A. Holan, James C.
Holan, Edward F. Holan, Paul T. Holan, and Mamie [Holan] Vondracek.]
Rose attended a school situated near where the first Verdigre Post
Office was located. Later, as a teen, she was employed by the
Jackson family, who operated a ranch near Verdigre.
Joe and Rose were married in October, 1885, in the original St.
Wenceslaus Church. They lived in a log cabin on Joe’s acreage, 1 ½
miles southwest of Verdigre and farmed the land for a few years.
They had been married less than three years when the infamous
“Blizzard of ‘88” hit the Midlands. As they told the story, they
were preparing to visit Rose’s parents who lived northeast of
Verdigre. Rose felt that the weather looked strange that morning so
she suggested they wait until later, but Joe disagreed, got the
horses, and hitched them to the cart. He had just finished when the
blizzard hit with a sudden, terrific force. Immediately, the house
was invisible and Joe barely got the horses back to the barn. Before
he left the barn, though, he anchored one end of a ball of twine by
tying it to a brace. Taking the other end with him, he set out to
find the house, knowing the twine would lead him back to the barn if
he got lost.
With the many hardships of the early days, Joe and Rose had to
struggle to make a decent living after their first three children,
Gertrude, Edward, and Paul, were born, so when he heard that jobs
for farm workers were plentiful in California, Joe boarded a train
for the West.
He first stopped in Denver, Colorado, where he worked on the Narrow
Gauge Railroad, then went on to Utah, - to Salt Lake City and Ogden
- where he did farm work for $2 a day and carpentry for $3 to $4 a
day.
He wanted to go on to California, but was advised against it. There
was not even enough work for the natives of the state; money was
being collected for the poor in San Francisco. Instead, Joe went to
Oregon and worked in a dairy, sending what money he could to his
wife and three children who had stayed on the farm at Verdigre. He
was ready to settle here and have his family join him, but the
foggy, rainy weather was not what he really wanted. He returned to
the farm for awhile until conditions again grew bad, and then the
family moved to Omaha where Joe was employed in a meat-packing
plant. It was here their fourth child, Joe, Jr., was born.
Again, they were disillusioned by big city life and returned to
Verdigre - this time to good crops and success!
Soon the log cabin was replaced with a roomy, comfortable farm
house, an equally important building to a successful farm - a
large barn - was built also. Two more children, James and Mamie,
were born in Verdigre and as they all grew to adulthood, the entire
family worked together. Besides the field crops, they raised ducks,
chickens, cattle, vegetables and fruit. The farm was near the
Verdigre Creek, which at this time was responsible for much of their
recreation of boating, fishing, swimming, and in the winter, ice
skating.
Joe and Rose had six children: Gertrude (1866-1965) married Jerry
Jirousek in 1911. They had twins, Jerry and Marguerite, who both
died in infancy.
Edward (1888-1977) married Carrie Stevens in 1924. They had two
children, Dale and Delores. Dale, who with his wife Vivian resides
on a farm between Verdigre and Winnetoon, has three sons: Jerry,
Paul, and Wray.
Delores and her husband Larry Cantrall have three children, Dan,
Lois, and Barton, and live in Springfield, Illinois.
Paul was born September 30, 1889, and resides in Verdigre at the
present. He married Marie Franek in 1925. (See separate history.)
Joseph, Jr., (1891-1971) married Mamie Kocina in 1920. Their son,
Felix and his wife, Florence, reside on his parents’ “home place,” a
farm near the site settled by his grandfather. They have three sons:
Stan, Charles, and Willard, and two daughters, Linda and Lynette.
James (1893-1944) married Louise Dittrick in 1926. They lived on the
Joseph Holan homestead until James’ death in 1944.
Mamie (1895-1971) married George J. Vondracek in 1920. Their
children are Rosemary, George, Jr., Marguerite, John, and Joseph.
(See Vondracek family history.)
Joe and Rose retired in 1926. Because of their success in operating
the farm, they had been able to give each son farmland, and the
daughters a sum of money equivalent in value to build homes.
They moved to a new home they had built in Verdigre and resided
there until their deaths, Rose in 1947 and Joe in 1955.
They spent their retiremnet years traveling with their children,
particularly Paul and Marie, and enjoying their home. Mrs. Holan
loved gardening and growing flowers and was an excellent seamstress.
Mr. Holan helped his family whenever carpentry was needed.
Theirs was a typical immigrant pioneer’s story. Although they never
accumulated a great wealth - in their eyes, they were successful.
Starting with very little, they had made a new life for themselves
in a new country. They lived to celebrated 62 years of married life.
Pages
268, 269
