FRANTISEK VESELY FAMILY FROM 1841-1986
The beginning of our branch of the Vesely family, as we know it, was
rooted in Bohemia of what is now Czechoslovakia. On February 2,
1841, Frantisek Vesely was born in Kolin, Bohemia. At least that was
his place of residence according to his passport to “Amerika” dated
July 9, 1878. He had married Barbora Hercik in about 1867, who had
been born in 1835 in Kolin, Bohemia, and still resided there.
On February 24, 1868, in Valorno County in Kolin, Bohemia, a son,
Matej, was born to them. On September 14, 1872, their first
daughter, Anna, was born at the same place. Frantisek and Barbora’s
second daughter was born in Bohemia on July 21, 1876, and was named
Bessie. On July 9, 1879, Frantisek obtained a passport to come to
America and his wife, Matej, Anna, and Bessie accompanied him on the
voyage . In 1879 a third daughter, Marie, was born to them near
Pischelville, Nebraska.
A dream came true on April 8, 1884, for this ambitious native of
Bohemia when he became a citizen of the United States of America!
The next record we have is that of a Homestead Certificate Number
2510 indicating he obtained 160 acres of land (Southwest Quarter of
Section 27, Township 32, Range 8) in Knox County near Pischelville,
Nebraska, on June 25, 1885, and on which he planted 12 acres of
trees. In August of that
[pg 449 photo Matej and Katie Vesely married December 30, 1911]
In August of that same year he bought from Katherine Hercik 40 more
acres (Northeast Quarter of Southeast Quarter of Section 28) for
$200.00. It would have been about 1879 that the log house, which
stills stands today on its original location, was built for the
Vesely home. In 1887 Frantisek generously donated 3.4 acres of land
just west of the original homestead which became a Bohemian National
Cemetery.
By November 1893 Frantisek had prospered enough to be able to
purchase, for $2400.00, 320 acres adjoining his on the southeast
known as the Lundak land. But the family, except possibly daughter
Anna, still lived in the log home. Sister Anna had married John
Kounovsky at Verdel, Nebraska. Then following several more years of
hard work and battling weather and grasshoppers, Frantisek passed
away on April 12, 1899, and was buried in the land that he had
donated and which is now known as Pischelville Cemetery.
By this time his son, Matej, who was about ten years old when he
came to ‘Amerika’ but was now 32 years old, took over the management
of the homestead. Matej’s mother and sister Marie were now, too, his
responsibility. Sister Anna had married John Kounovsky at Verdel,
Nebraska, in 1891. Sister Bessie had married Albert Kounovsky in
about 1897 at Pischelville, Nebraska. In just a few months Matej had
the opportunity to add 160 acres for $1,000.00, to the west of the
land that he inherited, making a total of 677 acres in the farm. In
1907 his sister Marie was married to Thomas Kovanda at Butte,
Nebraska.
In July 1911 a fair young lady by the name of Katerine (Katie Lanc)
Lancova left Kolin, Bohemia, and came to America to live with an
uncle, Louis Pilar, of Lynch, Nebraska. We have no record of how the
two became acquainted but on December 30, 1911, she and Matej were
married by a Justice of the Peace in Bristow, Nebraska. On living their first of five sons was born in the log house and was
named Otto. In 1913 or 1914 Matej realized a need for better living
quarters and a new frame house was built just a short distance to
the north of the log home. Then on living, a second son,
Arthur John, was born in the new home. The same year, on October
8th, Matej’s mother died and was buried beside her beloved
Frantisek.
Time moved on and three more sons joined the Vesely household: Frank
Anton on living; Leo on living, and Roy on
living.
The five boys obtained their elementary education at a nearby rural
school in Knox County District Number 7. They survived the rigors of
the dirty ‘30s and Frank and Roy served in World War II. Four of
them were married in the years between 1941 and 1944 with Roy being
married in 1951. Otto married Leona Elis of Verdel and took up
farming not far from the home place. Arthur married Florence Hale of
Tabor, South Dakota, and then farmed in that area. Frank married
Barbara Suchy of Tabor, South Dakota, and, after her death, was
married to Hazel Hirsch of Scotland, South Dakota. He lived in Tabor
and Scotland while working with the County Highway Department. Leo
married Carrie Ann Pavlik of Verdigre and started farming near
there. Roy married Lena Tonner of Verdel, and after the death of
Matej on April 14, 1958, took over the operation of the family farm.
After the death of Katie on January 23, 1975, Roy’s son, Leslie,
bought the 677 acres where he now lives with Roy and Lena.
Matej and Katie are buried in the Pischelville Cemetery alongside
his parents.
Pages 449, 450
