WILLIAM AND JOSIE [ELIS] RUZICKA
William Ruzicka, the son of John and Barbara Ruzicka, was born May
22, 1877, at Pischelville, Nebraska, ten years after his parents
came to America from the old country.
William was only four years old when his father died after being
thrown from a horse. His mother was left with five children:
Barbara, Frank, Emil, Joe, William, and she was expecting the sixth,
Anna. Two of William’s brothers, Frank, who was 21 years old, and
Emil, who was 18, were able to carry on with the farm work.
William attended school at Pischelville and grew to manhood on the
homestead. His mother Barbara later married Joseph Brtek and they
had two children: Bessie and Amalie. Barbara passed away in 1942 at
the age of 100.
[pg 382 PHOTO William and Josie Ruzicka]
On September 20, 1899, at the age of 22 years, he was united in
marriage to Josie Elis, who was born March 14, 1880. Josie
immigrated to this country from Moravia in 1884. Her family
homesteaded near Steele Creek.
William and Josie continued to live and farm the homestead and often
told of having Indian visitors and being able to hear the beating of
their drums from across the nearby Niobrara River.
In 1902 William started operating a blacksmith shop on his farm and
continued to do so for almost 50 years.
William’s father built the log house of cedar trees in which they
and later William and his family lived until 1913 when a new house
was built nearby. Cottonwood lumber, which was cut on the place, was
used to build the new home.
Two children were born to them, Elsie on July 9, 1900, and Emil on
April 14, 1906. Elsie lived with her parents and helped with the
farm work until she married Lad Krejsa on October 28, 1961. She then
moved to Clarkson, Nebraska, where she lived until the time of her
death on December 11, 1972.
Emil farmed with his father and married Jarmila Dvoracek on
September 19, 1936. Together they farmed the homestead until his
death September 27, 1984.
There are a number of the old buildings still standing on the
homestead: the old log barn, the log house to which siding was
added, and William’s blacksmith shop.
William spent his entire life on the farm where he was born and
passed away on May 22, 1956. Josie lived with her daughter in
Clarkson for a number of years and later at Alpine Village in
Verdigre where she passed away May 7, 1975.
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