VINCENT AND FRANTISKA [BEM] ELIS
Vincent Elis was born in the year of 1853 at Jimramov, Moravia,
where he grew to manhood. Then he served in the army, which was
under Austrian rule, so he learned to speak some German. After the
service, he returned home and there he married Frantiska Bem. She
was born in 1855 at Vitocoy, Moravia, now part of Czechoslovakia.
This union was blessed with four children; Josie, Adolph, Vinc, and
Frank. After Vincent was married, he started to work for his uncle,
Vincent Jilek, in a flour mill where he learned the miller trade.
After some time, Vincent Jilek and his wife Josefa decided to go to
America. They came to the U. S. A. and settled on Steele Creek in
Knox County, Nebraska (on the place now owned by Glen Ruzicka).
Jilek built a flour mill on Steele Creek and part of the mill is now
at Verdigre, Nebraska. The mill drew so much business that Jilek
could not take care of all the work himself, so he got in touch with
a nephew, Vincent Elis, and asked him to come and help run the mill.
In 1884, Vincent Elis, his wife Frantiska, and their four children
left their homeland and came to America. They sailed to New York,
and from there they came by train to Running Water, Dakota
Territory. There they crossed the Missouri River by ferryboat to the
south side where a man with a team and wagon, hired by Jilek, was
waiting to pick them up. They had trouble understanding him because
they couldn’t speak English, but they started out and got to Jilek’s
place late at night and spent the night in a granary. The granary is
still standing on the Glen Ruzicka farm. They lived in that granary
for one year. Vincent Elis filed a claim on a homestead about a mile
west of Steele Creek. That land is now owned by Edward Minarik.
Vincent built a small house on the homestead and walked to work at
the mill every morning.
[pg 243 PHOTO Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Elis]
First they farmed with oxen, but then Vincent bought a team of hoses
at Amelia, Nebraska. The horses got loose during the night and were
gone the next morning. Vincent started out on foot to look for them;
luckily, a farmer had shut them in a yard, so Vincent was able to
get them home.
In the blizzard of 1888, Vincent picked up Josie, Frank, and Vinc at
school, and they walked home. They could not see where they were,
but they hit a small building near the house and made it home
safely.
Vincent Jilek sold the mill to Frank Tuch, left here, and never came
back. Vincent Elis stayed on the homestead and helped Frank Tuch run
the mill. In 1893 Vincent sold the homestead to Vac Minarik and
bought a farm from his brother-in-law John Rohrer. (This is the
place where Glen Elis now lives). He farmed with his boys for
several years, and then Vincent and Frantiska retired and turned the
farm over to their son Adolph. Vincent passed away in 1938 and his
wife in 1942. Their children are Josie, Frank, Vinc, and Adoph.
Josie married William Ruzicka, and they had two children, Elsie and
Emil. All are deceased.
Frank married Antonia Skalicky and they had two sons, Ernest and
Orrie, all deceased.
Vinc married Mary Slama and four children were born to them and are
still living: Helen, Ludmilla, Ludvick, and Rudolph.
Adolph married Theresa Dobrichovsky and they have five children.
Clarence passed away at the age of seven, but the others are still
living: Wilma, twins Glen and Grace, and Leona.
In the early 18790s, an army fort and post office were on the Elis
place. The post office was named the Riverside Post Office. There is
still a log house standing on the Glen Elis farm which was there
when the Elis family arrived.
-Submitted by Glen Elis
Pages
243, 244
