JAN SCHREIER
Jan (John) Schreier was born at Cista near Kralovice in the Plsen
District of Bohemia on April 22, 1827. He married a woman whose
first name was Jana (Bohemian) or Johanna (German) - in the United
States she was called Jennie -- and whose last name is vaguely, and
perhaps, inaccurately, written as Scheinor or Shiner. She was born
in 1830 or 1831. The couple must have lived in the Prague District,
for the three older sons were born at Senomaty, near Rakovnik. The
family immigrated to the United States in the late 1860s.
[pg 388 PHOTO Photo taken at the Vincent Schreier home. Seated on
chairs are Mr. and Mrs. Emil Schreier. Vincent Schreier is on the
stoop and Raymond Schreier is standing.]
The Schreiers were part of a group sent out by the Ceska Osada to
then L’Eau Qui Court County of Nebraska in late March of 1870. It is
not certain whether Mrs. Schreier was in the group because their
son, John, born in May, believed that he saw the light of day in
Chicago. It may be that Mrs. Schreier remained behind, probably
along with Vac (Wencil, Jim). The three older boys, Vincent, Raimund,
and Emil, certainly accompanied their father.
Mr. Schreier took up a homestead in Western Township. The Schreiers
were the only family other than the Hrbeks, the Brabenecs, and the
Praseks to do so in April of 1870, though others came into that part
of the Niobrara Valley later that year. (The Schreiers were surely
called upon for aid and comfort after the tragedy of the Brabenec
family, and it must have taken a great deal of courage to remain
after that.) Jan and family stayed on the homestead and became
American citizens.
Mr. Schreier died May 12, 1892, and Mrs. Schreier on April 23, 1901.
They were buried at the Bohemian National Cemetery at Pischelville.
His death notice in the May 13, 1892, issue of the Niobrara Pioneer
read: “John Schreier, one of the fathers of the Bohemian settlement
on the Running Water, died at home of stomach trouble.” The article
went on to say, “Mr. Schreier was a man whom his people loved for
his honestly and independent spirit, being very earnest in his
convictions and manly in his positions.” He was characterized as
being generous to a fault.
There were five sons. The eldest, Vincent, was born April 6, 1851,
and died July 12, 1919. Besides farming, he operated the Knoxville
Store from about 1905 until he died. On September 11, 1880, he
married Marie, a sister of the musical Marshall brothers. She was
born September 18, 1857, and died March 27, 1934. Vincent and Marie
had six children. Ladislav Victor, who preferred his middle name,
was born June 28, 1881, and died May 12, 1960. On January 2, 1907,
he married Rose Kurka (February 28, 1888-May 27, 1970). There were
no children born to Victor and Rose. Ottokar (Otto) was born March
3, 1884, and died February 2, 1894. Albina was born November 27,
1885, and died April 19, 1975. On January 2, 1907, she married
Ernest Kurka (December 26, 1882-October 9, 1971). There were two
daughters, Esther McElhose Pittack and Martha, Mrs. Willis Boelter.
Hilda was born April 11, 1887, and died September 17, 1964. On June
2, 1926, Hilda married Denzil Dungan (June 22, 1890 or 91-August 27,
1974). Louise’s birth occurred on October 18, 1889, and her death on
March 21, 1978. In 1920 she married August Treinies (November 8,
1891-October 18, 1949), Louise and August had two daughters, Vera
Meyer and Elma Novotny.
Elsie was born in 1900. Her first husband was Mitchell Pugh (June
23, 1898-December 1, 1941). The couple adopted a daughter, LaVonne
(Stewart). Elsie’s second husband was Ralph Yager (November 6,
1896-December 2, 1973), whom she married July 27, 1944.
Raimund (Raymond) Schreier was born November 15, 1859, and died
September 22, 1942. On April 28, 1885, he married Mary Nedorost
(October 20, 1865-July 7, 1917). There were three children. Marta
was born on February 11, 1887, and died May 1, 1887. Irene was born
May 3, 1896, and died June 22, 1915. Alexander R. a physician, died
in Texas in 1947. He was younger than Irene. He and his first wife,
Lena, were divorced in 1938. She died March 9, 1981, at the age of
97. There were two children, Celsius, who died in infancy, and
Galen, who died in 1974. After the divorce, Alexander married Rowena
Metz, who also is no longer living. On January 1, 1924, Raimund
married Anna Souhrada Sucha (November 26, 1871-April 2, 1949).
Emil was born April 25, 1862, and died March 13, 1925.
Vaclav or Wencil Schreier was born September 20, 1867, and died June
13, 1893. On October 19, 1891, he married Elizabeth Von Rentzell. He
is said not to have lived much in Western Township, though he is
listed as owning 160 acres of land there in 1892. Someone recalls
that a V. E. Schreier had a photography studio in the Pischelville
area. That was, at any rate, his occupation in Chicago where he died
of typhoid fever. There was one child, Minnie. Mrs. Schreier was
also stricken with typhoid fever but she recovered. She lived with
the child and her parents in Florida for a time. After Elizabeth’s
death, Minnie lived with her grandmother and also with the Emil
Schreiers in Verdigre, Knox County, before marrying Charles Hammond.
There were two children, a boy and a girl. Later she married a man
names Williams, who is now deceased. At the time of this writing,
Minnie is still living in Missouri at a very advanced age.
John A. Schreier was born, probably in Chicago, May 20, 1870, and
died February 20, 1936. He owned properties in Verdigre and was for
a time in partnership with some of these. In 1920 he purchased the
Knoxville Store and operated it for some years. Then he moved back
to Verdigre and traveled for Gurney Seed Co. for several years.
On September 13, 1892, John married Rose Souhrada (October 1,
1874-June 24, 1947), a sister of his brother Raimund’s second wife.
There was one daughter, Nora, born October 4, 1898, who married
Jerry Vakoc. Nora died August 4, 1982. Nora and Jerry had three
sons, Robert, Russell, and Wayne. Robert and Russell are deceased.
-Submitted by Leatrice (Pavlik) Vakoc
Pages 388, 389
