ANTON AND MARIE [SLECHTA] SOKOL
Atnon Sokol, born May 24, 1847 and Marie Slechta, born February 1,
1852, in the village of Sadska, Bohemia, where they were married and
where their daughter Mary was also born September 28, 1873, decided
they would like to make America their home. In 1875 they emigrated
with daughter Mary and Marie’s one brother Vac Slechta.
[pg 398 photo Albina [ Sokol] Tichy and Anton Tichy, Marie Sokol
[mother], Anton Sokol [father] seated. [1926 photo]
The Sokols came to Verdigre and Vac Slechta settled near Lynch. The
way of life was so different and became a true struggle. Their first
home was a sod house (built of pieces of plowed ground).
[pg 399 photo Joseph and Emma Sokol and daughters, Lillian and Rose
[ 1919 photo]
Marie Sokol had a great fear of the Indians. On one occasion Indian
braves and their squaws appeared at the sod house. Marie had just
taken a pan of kolaches from the oven and began to pass them around.
The first squaw took the pan and dumped all the kolaches in her
apron and they left in a hurry. She related another story of the
time a group of braves came and sat by the house. She began to cry
as she was so afraid. They mumbled among themselves and soon left.
Grandma Sokol was a good soul, always ready to help where she could.
She was a very good seamstress and made most of their clothes.
Grandpa Sokol would buy a whole bolt of material at one time for her
to sew. Daughter Mary had admired curtains at their neighbor’s
windows so she made curtains for their windows. It was much to the
shock of her mother since she had made them from her mother’s best
dress skirt!
While they were living in the sod house, two sons were born: Frank
on January 10, 1877, and Joseph (father of Mrs. Rose Brookhouser) on
May 30, 1879. Their other children were: Anna, born February 7,
1881; Albina, born January 1, 1883, Julia, born February 13, 1885;
Antonette, January 28, 1888; Fred, March 5, 1890; Jennie, May 6,
1892; Louis, June 23, 1895; Emil, April 5, 1897; and Agnes on
January 4, 1899.
After becoming citizens of the United States, they took up a timber
claim about two miles east of where the sod house stood, which was
located about ½ mile north of the ZCBJ (Hillcrest) Cemetery on
Highway 14. On the tree-claim farms many trees were planted -
something like our shelterbelts of today, however, the family did
their own planting and cultivating.
Anton, who had learned masonry, built a two-story log house with a
cistern and a two-story granary. About 1905 Anton and Marie moved
into Verdigre with the younger children where they built a new home.
A couple of the older sons took over the farm.
Frank married Josephine Skalicky of Verdel. They were the parents of
daughters: Helen (Mrs. Rudolph Pospisil), Martha (Mrs. Henry Kliment),
Elsie (Mrs. Walter Fowlkes), and sons, Charles and Otto.
Joseph married Emma Belohlavy of Gross, Nebraska, in 1906. They were
the parents of two daughters, Rose (Mrs. Ralph Brookhouser) and
Lillian (Mrs. Louis Small). Emma died during a flu epidemic in 1920
and is buried in the Jelen Cemetery.
In 1922 Joseph married Marie Zaruba, who had come from Bohemia to
visit the Joe Pospisil family at Verdigre. They became the parents
of one son, Lumir, who passed away in 1978, and one daughter,
Beatrice (Mrs. Charles Curtis). Joseph and Marie are buried in the
Riverside Cemetery.
Mary, the oldest daughter, married Anton Vavak. They had three
daughters and nine sons.
Anna, born in 1887, married Frank Juracek. Four daughters and two
sons were born to them. Still living are Rose Hirsh of Bloomfield
and Christina Bourn of Ewing.
Albina married Anton Tichy. On son, Bennie, was born to them. They
lived to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Antonette, Fred, and Emil never married. Julia and Louis died very
young. They are buried in the ZCBJ (Hillcrest) Cemetery.
Agnes married Fred W. Hanneman of Brunswick, Nebraska, on March 29,
1922. They had two daughters, Alice (Mrs. Hugh Brookhouser) and
Leatrice (Mrs. Merle Christiansen). Mr. Hanneman died January 2,
1970, and is buried in the Brunswick cemetery. Mrs. Hanneman now
lives in Plainview, Nebraska, and is the only living child of Anton
and Marie Sokol.
In later years Anton spent time cutting willows along the Verdigre
Creek, and with Marie’s help, they carried them to their home where
Anton wove the willows into baskets.
Anton died February 4, 1930, and Marie on April 21, 1934. They are
buried in ZCBJ (Hillcrest) Cemetery north of Verdigre near the land
they settled in 1875 when they came to America from Bohemia 112
years ago.
-Submitted by Rose Brookhouser and Elsie Fowlkes
Pages
398, 399
