MARIA SUKUP

As many as 70,000 immigrants came to Nebraska between 1860 and 1900. Among them was Maria Sukup, the daughter of Martin Lehanka and Barbara (Tuch) Lehanka. She was born May 20, 1820, in Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, and was married to George Sukup in Bohemia. They had five children: Wenzel, Johann, Margareth, Andrew, and Barbara.

On March 26, 1870, she with her four children, Wenzel, Margareth, Andrew, and Barbara, left their small village of Hosslau near the town of Rompsberg, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. Her husband Georg, who was unable to make the trip, stayed there in Bohemia with one of the sons, Johann, to tend their little acreage.

Maria and her four children boarded the steamship “Mein” to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. After a voyage of two weeks, they reached their port, New York, U. S. A.

Traveling day and night they first came to Chicago and then Minnesota. Their money was nearly gone. Andrew found work in Des Moines, Iowa, and Maria and her two daughters worked in a restaurant there. Wenzel worked on the railroad.

Hearing of fine homesteads in Nebraska, they started for that state. They got as far as Norfolk, Nebraska, in 1872. This was the first time they saw grasshoppers thick enough to destroy all crops.

As the homesteads were all gone there in the spring of 1874, Maria and her children came to the Walnut community and settled near the Verdigris Bridge which was a country post office located on the middle branch of the Verdigris Creek in Jefferson Township, Knox County.

Maria was truly a pioneer woman. She homesteaded a mile south of her son, Wenzel, in Section 32. The final papers were signed by President Chester A. Arthur.

Maria lived on the south edge in a little sod house with her daughter, Margareth, who claimed her homestead of 160 acres just south in Section 32. Later Margareth married Jan Burkhardt and they lived there with their eight children.

Maria’s son, Wenzel Sukup, homesteaded north in Section 29, Jefferson Township. He married Barbara Dusek. They had seven children: Andrew W. Sukup, Frank W. Sukup, Anna (Sukup) Kolar, Joseph W. Sukup, his twin sister who died at birth, Marie Sukup single, and Tracy (Sukup) Wagner.

Maria acquired 80 acres by pre-emption just north of her homestead in Section 32 next to Section 29 where Wenzel Sukup homesteaded. She deeded this tract of land later to the youngest son, Andrew Sukup.

Marie deeded her homestead to her son, Wenzel, but he already had his tract of land so he deeded it to his son, Frank W. Sukup. Frank married Magdalena Svoboda and they had no children. After they moved to Creighton, Nebraska, he sold Maria’s homestead to his nephew, Leonard M. Sukup, in the spring of 1945.

Leonard M. Sukup was born November 21, 1913, to Joseph W. Sukup. He married Martha Holan (born November 15, 1910) on June 14, 1938. They had three children. (See separate history.)

Maria’s son, Andrew, homesteaded in Section 27 about a couple of miles east on the middle branch of the Verdigre Creek on May 1, 1884.

Maria Sukup later made her home with her son, Andrew. While there, she acquired a timber claim near them in Section 21, Jefferson Township. She deeded this timber claim to her son Andrew, also. Her great-grandson, Dale Sukup, lives there now. The claim was deeded to Andrew on February 1, 1901. Andrew Sukup had 14 children, two died in infancy.

The pre-emption, 80 acres, Andrew deeded to his daughter Emma (Sukup) Jelinek. Maria’s great-grandson Ernest Jelinek owns it now.

Maria Sukup passed away February 9, 1901, in the Walnut community at the home of her son, Andrew. She was 80 years old. She is buried in the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery in Verdigre, Nebraska, near the grave of her son, Andrew, and wife Mary (Sedivy) Sukup.

Maria’s other daughter, Barbara, married Theodore Raubach of Pierce, Nebraska. They made their home on his homestead there. They had eight children. Barbara (Sukup) Raubach was born March 1, 1858, in Bohemia, and died March 5, 1914, in Pierce, Nebraska. Her husband, Theodore Raubach, was born November 20, 1837, and died September 12, 1914. Both are buried in the Catholic Cemetery, Pierce, Nebraska.

-Submitted by Mrs. Leonard (Martha Holan) Sukup, granddaughter

Page 416