VACLAV AND KATHERINE [STOURAL] PAVLIK
Vaclav Pavlik was born December 22, 1856, in the village of Bozetice,
county of Milevska kraj Tabor, Czechoslovakia. Here he grew to
boyhood and attended the catholic school where he excelled in
drawing and writing. In 1868 at the age of eleven, he and his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Pavlik, four brothers, and one sister
Marie departed for America. While waiting for their ship at Bremen,
Germany, Vaclav and brother John played for a dance and were praised
for their music. Coming to America, they moved to Chicago and Vaclav
attended school there. Then in 1870 at the age of 13 years, Vaclav
with his parents and family homesteaded near where Verdigre now
stands. Vaclav helped herd cattle and with farm work. In 1874 the
grasshoppers devastated all the crops, and so Vaclav and John Beran,
Sr., with only 10 cents in their pockets, found work in the harvest
fields near St. James, Cedar County, and returned home in the fall
with a few dollars. Vaclav also worked on the railroad that was
being built to Verdigre.
[pg 370 PHOTO Wedding picture of Vaclav Pavlik and Katherine
Stoural on July 9, 1881]
In the year of 1875 Vaclav’s brother John organized the first band
in northeast Nebraska. There were the five brothers: John, Vaclav,
Albert, Charles, Matej, and a friend Vaclav Tomek. The band was
recognized as one of the best bands in Nebraska, and in 1886 they
played for the first G. A. R. reunion held in Norfolk, Nebraska,
where Vaclav was requested to play solos and received a floral gift.
On July 9, 1881, at the age of 24, he was united in marriage in
Niobrara, Nebraska, to Katherine Stoural, daughter of Albert and
Katherine (Zahorka) Stoural, who came to America from Prachatice,
Bohemia, and settled in Chicago, Illinois, on December 1871 with
their six children, namely: Thomas Stoural, Mrs. F. Marcan, Mrs.
Vaclav Pavlik, Mrs. Joseph Holan, Mrs. Frank Jelinek, and Frank
Stoural, and later came to Nebraska to settle northeast of what is
Verdigre now. There were few settlers here and they endured many
hardships, the nearest trading posts were at Yankton, South Dakota,
Neligh, and Norfolk, Nebraska. There were no roads, just trails.
Here were born Albert Stoural, Mrs. John Forester of Niobrara,
Barbara Schmidt, and Felix Stoural.
Albert Stoural died on August 11, 1909, and his wife Katherine died
March 25, 1919; both are buried in the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Vaclav Pavlik moved to their homestead eight miles west
of Verdigre. They built a log home, and in the wilderness of the
prairies, they tilled the virgin soil and went through the true
hardships of pioneer life. To this union were born nine children.
Three died in infancy. Those who lived were: Eleonora Rose, April
29, 1882-January 15, 1973, buried in St. Wenceslaus Cemetery; Milada
Avonie, September 29, 1883-March 21, 1935, buried at Jelen Cemetery;
Charles V. Pavlik, July 16, 1885-November 17, 1964, buried at Jelen
Cemetery; George Paul, January 26, 1887-November 8, 1972, buried at
Jelen; Eldiva Armenie, June 29, 1888-February 2, 1984, burial at
Riverside Cemetery; Albert was born November 21 and died November
26, 1889, and is buried at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery; Albert Alfred,
December 13, 1891-November 22, 1974, buried at Jelen Cemetery.
The father Vaclav Pavlik died April 30, 1936. Mother Katherine
Pavlik died August 30, 1939. Both are buried at the Jelen Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Vaclav Pavlik’s oldest daughter Eleonora Rose was
united in marriage in the St. Wenceslaus Church on October 30, 1900,
to Emil J. Jedlicka, son of Vaclav and Marie Jedlicka, who lived
southeast of Verdigre. To this union were born a daughter (Mary)
Eldiva Milada on October 31, 1901, and a son, Vacie, born September
27, 1902, who died at the age of two weeks.
Emil and Eleonora Jedlicka lived for one year with his father,
Vaclav Jedlicka, and then built a new home and farm buildings on a
farm 2 ½ miles southeast of Verdigre. There they endured the
hardships and also joys of farming with drought, grasshoppers, bank
failures, etc. Eleonora loved art work as well as fancy writing,
painting, music, fancy work, and flowers. Emil was a hard-working
farmer raising grain crops and livestock up to the date of the 1948
and 1949 snow storms when they decided to move to Verdigre in the
fall of 1949.
They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on October 30, 1950,
with a recital given in their honor by their daughter Eldiva and
then a free dance in the ZCBJ Hall. The famous Pavlik band played
for the dance. They again observed with an open house their 60th
wedding anniversary in 1960. After that Emil’s health began to fail
and he was very ill during Verdigre’s Diamond Jubilee. He died
September 6, 1962, and is buried at the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery.
Eleonora then lived alone in her home near her daughter until
January 15, 1973, when she suffered a massive stroke and died the
same evening at the age of almost 91 years. She is buried at the St.
Wenceslaus Cemetery next to her husband Emil.
Daughter Eldiva Jedlicka attended the Verdigre school, graduating in
1920 as valedictorian and then attended a summer session at the
University. In the fall of 1920 she attended the University School
of Music at Lincoln, Nebraska, receiving her degrees of Bachelor of
Music in both piano and voice - receiving the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor
award. She then taught music for two years at the St. Ursula’s
Academy and College at York, Nebraska. After that she went to the
Chicago Musical College to take a summer course in voice under the
famous teacher, Serger Klimbonsky from Russia, who came to Chicago
to teach a summer course in 1926.
Eldiva’s first teaching began in the fall of 1919 with three
students - Edmond Sedivy (now of Bozeman, Montana), Eleanor Janacek
(Mrs. John Lapesh), and her mother Eleonora Jedlicka of Verdigre.
The year 1986 marks Eldiva’s 67th year of teaching piano and voice
and 60 years as St. Wenceslaus Parish organist in Verdigre. She has
taught over 500 private students and has taught classes in harmony
and theory. She has played and sung for several hundred funerals and
weddings.
On May 1, 1928, Eldiva was married to Edward S. Pavlik at the St.
Wenceslaus Church in Verdigre.
Pages
370, 371
