Notizen zu dieser Person
Alter bei Ehe nach Traueintrag 1835: 36 Jahre: 1799 Alter bei Tod nach Toteneintrag 1861: 63 Jahre: 1798 TO AMERICA Emigration from the Village of Bernartice and vicinity. By Jirí Souhrada and Frantiek Mikoláek HISTORY I am sorry that I did not write down from memory the experiences of my father, who lived in America both before and during the First World War. He was alive when I was a child, but no child could write down all that his parents told him! I have these memories of those thirty years. At the beginning in 1930, my father and one other man stopped in the village of Bernartice during their travel from Bechyne. There was nothing special, just a countryman coming back from America to visit his native country. This guest of my father was known by all good people as the "Vsesokolsky Slet". He was older than my father, small and he wore a dark suit. I ran to get coffee for them which cost five krone. They drank coffee from a yellow cup that I think was porcelain, and decorated with pictures of a shepherd and a goose herd. Between talking and drinking coffee, I still remember that one would ask a question and one would reply. "You, Vojta, I ask you. Why was your voice shaky when you spoke?" The man smiled. "It is so, Frank, I had to find a lot of money for the revolution, and for the Czech president Masaryk and this voice helped me." Our guest was Vojta Benes, a school inspector, a deputy and the brother of a Foreign Minister. The Second memory I have is from the end of the 30 years. This was the second war that my parents lived through. A Mr. Parson visited my father, perhaps because my father wrote one story about emigrations to America, and he wanted some information. Or perhaps because my father was very ill, and he knew that my father would live for only a few more days. Mr. Parson said that he asked my father what was your first memory at the beginning in America, and what do you often remember? "It was one big drudgery", spoke father. We still have those coffee cups, as they are full of memories, and we use them now only for exceptional times. I remember that every freedom is expensive. It cost a lot of money, and the Czechs who emigrated had a very hard life. They lived in a hard time but they still managed to present a lot of dollars that they earned from work, to our Czech president T.G.Masaryk. About these Czech countrymen, I have prepared this information. EMIGRATION - A FEVER After the memorable year of 1848, life changed for the Czech people. There was the beginning of more freedom and slowly life was better. This was true also for the people in Bernartice. Emigration fever hit about halfway through the 19th century in the Czech country. It also did not pass South Bohemia. At this time County Milevsko was a nice county with small hills, but it did not have good ground for farming, so the county was filled with poor farmers and craftsmen. This county became a county of emigration. People left to look for food in Prague, in Vienna or in Germany, and by even traveling over the ocean. The best emigration was that which went to America. The emigrations from county Milevsko Bernartice Bechyne shared some characteristics, which included definite social and economic reasons. The emigration took place over all the second half of the19th century. The first emigrants traveled to America with a dream for what their next life would be like. They did not know what was waiting for them, but they were prepared for hard work and prepared to make a better living for their families. It was very brave decision of these people, as before their travel over the ocean, they had only traveled to Church, to school, to a fair in the village of Sepekov, to the market, to Milevsko and only rarely, a long way from home to perhaps service in the army. Later in time, these people applied in large numbers for passports to use for emigration to America. It was an extraordinary number people with a lot of babies, who emigrated and the most were coming from Bohemia. The pattern of the emigration curve in Milevskos district followed approximately this course: Up to the year 1855 - a growth 1856 - 1860 - a decline After 1861 - a growth 1869 -1872 - intense growth 1873 -1879 - a decline 1880 - 1882 - a growth After 1883 - a decline It is estimated that in the years from 1855 and until the beginning of the first World War, in the region of Milevsko - Bernartice - Bechyne, there were given 3000 applications for passports, and apparently the most were from South Bohemia. The applications were for anywhere from 2 - 8 persons listed on any one particular application, and so this would mean that there were approximately 8,000 emigrants. A detailed search on the number of applications from Bernartice and surrounding areas leads to the conclusion that for every one application for a passport, there were listed an average of three persons. That means that before the First World War almost every family in the area had some members of the family, or close friends and neighbors who left for America. The applications for emigration passports addressed to the C.K. District Administration in Milevsko in the years 1876 -1886 are recorded in a full number set in the Pisek district archives, and are found in a smaller number for the next years of emigration. This number of applications enables us to attempt a probe into what life was like in South Bohemia at the time they were submitted, and offers an answer to two basic questions: who left, and why they left this country and sought a new life over the ocean. We find a marked amount of émigrés in the little towns, and the first was Borovany, and then later Sepekov and Oparany. In Bernartice alone, one emigration wave directly affected 40 families. An interesting fact for the extent of emigration is witnessed by the fact that while in Bohemia for the years 1880 -1910 the population density for a square kilometer increased from 113-130 people. In that same period of time from South Bohemia, there emigrated more people than were born, and the population density around Milevsko, Bernartice and Bechyne fell from 65 to 62 people per square kilometer. THE DREAM OF A BETTER LIFE The emigration of people from Bernatice to America, was similar to that of other regions in the South Bohemia area, and was greatly influenced by several elements. There was the poverty of the people; invitations to move made by former earlier emigrants already settled in America; the oppressive treatment of the ruling authorities in the home country. Other causes, to a lesser degree, which affected the act of emigration were, the recruitment effort of agents of the sailing ship companies; an aversion to mandatory service in the army; fear of punishment at home for some actions and for immoral behavior, and lastly, the hope for a better way of life. Many fathers of families realized their inability to sustain their often very numerous families in this non-industrial region. The home cottages were not very big and they were lived in by many people which lead to family pressures. In the first half of the 19th century the amount of people living in a one room structure was very high. In the village of Podoli the average was ten in a cottage; in the village of Borovany the average home housed 9 persons, and in the village of Bernatice there were 31 cottages with at least seven occupants. In that time Jan Pisecky a teacher from Srlin complained, "Children cannot attend the Lords Church because of the poor clothing they have, and it would be good for their education, but because of poverty and lack they must stay behind." Josef Knizek in the late 1860's established a factory that manufactured pipe stems. This brought employment for tens of people in the area, but this was almost too late, occurring in the last quarter of the century. The lives of people were influenced by two very frequent calamities: a poor to bad harvest, and building fires. In 1853 there was a very bad harvest season for both corn and potatoes. Four years later, the harvest was destroyed by hail shortly before it was gathered. The year 1893 was also marked by a poor harvest, and in the latter years there were only 27 houses that brought in whole harvests. The building fires did not avoid even the surrounding towns. Imagine the dream, that those emigrants who were thrifty, could save to get a piece of land which they would be able to cultivate and which would give them a good living, or that craftsmen would be better paid for their work, all over the ocean, in America. This dream eventually prevailed over those who found it hard to decide. Many people, especially the young, were able to say goodbye to their homes, relatives, friends and the graves of their ancestors. These émigrés overcame the fear of a long and dangerous journey and they left for a great hope. Occasionally the wave of emigration hit more strongly one or more neighboring villages. During those times more families set out on the journey together. For example, in the spring of 1877 there was the five member family of Vaclav Jedlicka and the six member family of Frantisek Machovsky, both were families from the village of Skrychov. In the year 1882 we find in the village of Bernatice the emigrant family of Frantisek Kambersky numbering six members and one of them a daughter just nine months old and then there was the family of Jiri Pechota, which had five members and the youngest son was but one year old, who made the journey. Very often whole families from Oparany went to America together: in the year 1881 there was a six member family of Jan Bartunek and a six member family of Josef Petrik, and with them was the 63 year old mother of Mr. Petrik. In 1883 a seven member family of a former town gamekeeper, Vaclav Bartunek, with a baby son; a six member family of Josef Kodada, with a baby daughter, and an eight member family of Tus who also emigrated with a baby daughter. In 1886 it was the family of Josef Kubka. The number of applications for passports is a witness for the hard situation that faced many South Bohemian families. The 45 year old laborer Vaclav Blazek from the village of Bernartice writes in the March 1886 application for a passport for he, his wife and their two daughters, "I have no property here and so I don't lose anything here if I move and if it is not better there. I don't think it can be worse than here." There is another such sentence in one other passport application, "I am quite a poor father of five children and in my poverty I am not able to nourish them any more." Frantisek Kotrba from Lisnice justified his application in 1871 saying, "In all respect, below signed has the intention to emigrate to North America with his family and hopes that for his future he will have a better livelihood and can better provide for my under age children. I have eight small children, and as a laborer I am not able to nourish them. And so I think that as my friends write to me, that there I will have more easily earned and better wages than I have here." Frantisek Strejcek from Branice writes in his application for himself, his wife and three sons that his earnings as a laborer, "is only 20-25 krejcars for a day". In that time of 1888 it was about the price of a half kilogram of sugar. For two illiterate sisters named Josefa and Marie Dusek, who were simple laborers or servant girls from the village of Preborov, somebody wrote in their application, "We, sisters signing here, have wanted to emigrate for some time to North America and to try if we can to better our life there because we know several examples of emigrants in America, who by their first year, reached a splendid post." The sixty year old cottager, Michael Mika from Sepekov, justified this in his 1871 application, "Because I can see that my farming (effort) is going down and it is not possible anymore to have any prosperity dependent on this livelihood, I bought an estate in America and when I will be able to take care of it properly, it can then provide a future for me, my daughter and her husband." The most number of emigrations seem to come from those people who received invitations from their relatives. We have the story of 52 year old Tomas Slivka from Vusi who decided to emigrate in the spring of 1871. "I decided to emigrate with my family to the United States of America because I already have a son who has settled there and who is able to provide for me a carefree future, as he should." This is found in the application, that was written for Vaclav Svanda, and that he signed with three crosses. We find that even brothers and sisters of émigrés were being invited to America. "My son, Frantisek Turek, born in 1862, decided to emigrate to America because his sister, my daughter, lives there and has for some years and she prospers well." On the 14th of September, Jan Turek from Jestrebice writes in the passport application for his 35 year old son, the cottager Josef Novotny, that he is the father of four children and has been invited by his brothers. "My brothers, who have lived in America for more than a year, have written to me to bring my family and there have a better future than we have here, and that is why I decided to immigrate to North America, in fact to Chicago, state of Illinois, because of the following reasons. The below signed has a true friend, namely his brother-in-law Jan Valse, who has promised in many letters that if he would show love by coming to visit him, that he would pay all of the travel expenses plus present him with a rich amount of money. That is why the below signed decided, together with his wife, to visit the friend and to go on this journey as soon as possible." Frantisek Buchtelik from Veselicko wrote in his application on March 28, 1871 that the authorities did not give much care to his family name. One time they wrote it as Buchtelik, and the next time Buchtele or Buchtela. Josef Rybak decided to send his 19 year old son to America and he stated, "My close relatives who are settled in America, have written to me to send them my son Josef Rybak, who has a birth certificate to show that was born in 1852. He can stay there for some time and gain experience. In such a journey he can gain also in knowledge about the world, he will know the value of land, without which no peasant can become a success. He also will learn personally how hard it is to provide a livelihood and in the future he can avoid weakness which in Europe has destroyed the wealth of individuals and whole classes of people as well. Because I agree with this all, and believe that it will be very useful for my son, I am not against his emigration, but I approve it
Okrouhla, February 2, 1871." Not only relatives but also friends invited others to emigrate over the ocean. Vaclav Krizek from Male Zbesicky wrote on June 12, 1876, "To have a better livelihood, I decided together with my wife to go to North America. Our friends, who live in North Dakota, have made sure for us that we will have a better life there, and so we are resolved to take this journey. We need to have an important permission for it, and that is why we ask a reputable C. K. district administrator for it, and I am sending the necessary enclosures." The 30 year old independent innkeeper and former baker, Jan Vejdovec from Veselicko wrote in his application for a passport on the 6th of April, 1870, "I have an intention to move with my entire family to North America, because I have wealthy friends there, who will help me and my family with our livelihood." Another innkeeper by the name of Josef Panoch, who was from the village of Pisek which was a Budejovice suburb, and who resided at No. 82 Tabor Street, decided for emigration, saying in his application, "I, respectfully as signed below, have friends in America, who as farmers have very good futures and they prosper. They have invited me and my family to go to their place, and that they will help provide for me a more splendid future and for my children a better livelihood. That is why I sold my pub in Pisek and now I and my ten other family members have to live from a coach, as I thought that for emigration to America we did not need an application or any other thing. We have also recently bought ship tickets and have to be ready to board a ship named the Helena in Hamburg on the 3rd of September, 1877. I am a citizen of Radetice, but for more than five years following the time when I sold my farm in Radetice, I have lived as an innkeeper in Pisek. THOSE WHO SET OUT ON A JOURNEY ACROSS THE OCEAN Applications for a passport were given to single men and women, but also those who left for America were numerous whole families. Jan Petrik from Borovany asked for a permit to emigrate for him, his wife and eight children. Josef Bares from Bernartice emigrated along with his six children in 1882, following the time when his little house was burned down in a great fire of 1875. Jan Vacha, left from Kolisov, along with his wife and their six children, ranging in age from nine months to 23 years of age. Several families emigrated with four or five children. For example: Frantisek Papac from Rataje in 1876; Josef Kalal from Krizanof in 1881, and Josef Kolar from the village of Borovany in 1884. Families often set out on long and uncomfortable journey with children, the youngest still being of a nursing age. For example we find the family of Matej Dvorak from Bernartice who emigrated in 1883. A numerical ration found between adults and children during the whole wave of emigration, approximates 3:2. Among the older emigrants we find a 65 year old widower by the name of Jan Kral from Sepekov, who emigrated in 1881 and in the same age category was also the father of Josef Svoboda from Bilina who left for the journey with his son and the son's family in 1884. During the years of 1880-1882 especially, we find many under-aged persons traveling alone. Sometimes the parents set out first on the journey across the ocean, and then two children followed traveling together. We have the example of Antonin and Jan Sajbrt from Bernartice, and Jan and Marie Komarek from Zbesice. Oftentimes the families traveled in successive waves, one group after another. From the family of Antonin Mikolasek from residence No. 88 in Bernartice, we have the daughter Marie traveling first, then another daughter named Terezie, and finally the son Frantisek. This gentleman, after a few years in America, returned to Bohemia and in 1950 he again immigrated to Chicago. There were also widows who asked for a permit for emigration. On the 6th of May 1881, Katerina Han requested a passport for herself, her four daughters ranging in age from six to twelve years, and for her 20 year old son Frantisek. She also requested that this son to be relieved from his required army registration, saying, I, the below signed Katerina Han, a widow from Bilina, Krizanov, have decided along with my family, to immigrate to America. I am a widow with many children that I can not provide for, and these children are still too young yet to earn a living. I can not continue to live well here in Bohemia, and not as well as my children who live in America. My single daughter named Marie is living in Cleveland and my bother Jan has persuaded me to emigrate. Both have offered to pay all of the travel expenses. I will not only have a better livelihood in my old age in America, but the children I have mentioned will also have a better future than here in Bohemia." A week later, a widow by the name of Anna Chvatalova from Bernartice asked for a passport for her, a son and two daughters, and these children were in the ages of five to 12 years. When Veronika Nemcova, the widow of cottager Matej Nemec from Okrouhla No.19, asked for a passport for emigration, Jan Macha and gave her, on behalf of authorities, and dated the 15th of June, 1885 which said, "This is a certificate to acknowledge that the executive of the town of Lisnice confirms that Veronika Nemcova has not only the money needed for emigration but also a sufficient amount of money for her living in America, with a mention that she will move to where her two sons Jan and Matej live in Cleveland, and that they have promised to support her till her death. The executive then has no objection to her emigration. Almost entirely the majority of men leaving the country were common laborers. There were other various skilled professions represented by the male émigré population. For example, Josef Simak , who emigrated in 1883 from Rataje, was a communal blacksmith; Frantisek Kral an emigrant of 1881 from Male Zbesicky was a stonecutter; Frantisek Koutnik, who in 1879 emigrated from Lisnice was a shoemaker; Jan Vejdovec an innkeeper in Veselicko, prior to his emigration in 1870; Frantisek Jelinek an emigree of 1881 from the village of Borovany was a bricklayer; Antonin Sajbrt who emigrated in1882 from Bernartice and Frantisek Mlady who emigrated in 1881 from Kolisov, were lathe turners, Josef Cap who in 1884 was a slate roofer, Vaclav Krizek in 1876 an emigrant from Zbesicky, who was a the assistant to a grain miller; Vaclav Herink who was a skilled furrier, and Josef Kalal who emigrated in 1880 and was a recognized wheel maker. There were not many farmers who sold their farms but we do have the examples of Jan Kodad from Zbesice who emigrated in 1883, and later Jan Vacha from Kolisov. There were also army veterans among the emigrants from Oparany. The women who left were usually maid-servants, for example Antonie Vachutova an émigré of 1870, and Barbora Spitzova in 1871, both of whom emigrated from the village of Bernartice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESPECTFUL AND HUMBLE APPLICATIONS Persons interested in leaving the country from the Milevsko district sent their applications for emigration passports to the C.K. executive office in Milevsko. To this famous executive office they wrote, in respect, the below signed" or even "in the greatest humility. The applicants tried to phrase humble appeals and on the application they even place a 50 greicar stamp. Along with the application they also submitted a birth certificate, a domicile card (a certificate that you have a home right, in a certain town), a workbook (a record of your work history), a groombook (also a record of work), a statement from the executive office of the town or village where the applicant had a right of domicile. Another part of the mens application, was often also an application for a release from a branch of the Austrian Army. A person not considered to be an adult who wished to emigrate still needed to apply. This even after the father had expressed his desire to leave, and had already asked for a passport for his child. The child had also to report to the C.K. executive office to apply. Such was the case of Antonie Vachutova from Bernartice. "One of my relatives, who settled six years ago in America in the city of Cleveland and runs a profitable business there", writes Vachutova,has already twice invited me to set out for a journey and to accept a stable employment with him, and so I am sure to have a secure livelihood forever." She writes further, that she is 22 years old, born in Bernartice, of the Catholic religion, single, "in politics and moral regard, blameless" and that her parents not only agreed with her leaving, but they even " gave me an amount of money totaling 180 goldens for my emigration, and I can show this amount." She finished her application, written in Bernartice 7th April 1870, So I hope that there is no hindrance for a permit for my emigration to America, and that it can be given to me." By an action done in Milevsko, on the 9th day of April, 1870, a permit was done and that was recorded at the C.K. executive office. This record stated that the father Vaclav Vachuta agrees to the emigration of his underage daughter Antonie, who wishes to travel to America, and that the father promises to pay for her all municipal and C.K. tax." Only rarely did interested persons write their applications in their own hand. Neighbors, teachers, and sometimes even members of a town executive office helped them. Some of the applicants had difficulties even with their own signature. There were even some illiterate persons who signed their papers for instance with the marking of three crosses. From the texts of applications it is possible to see that there were not many counselors available to these applicants. The regional administration in Ceské Budejovice was anxious about the great ebb in the population, and so they changed their procedures in 1852 and the next year, in what they required the district offices to do. They had each applicant come in to speak with someone who would notify them about problems connected with emigration, especially the loss of a right of domicile and an Austrian citizenship. They also talked about the difficulties to be expected on the journey and also problems upon their arrival in America. In researching these bureaucratic records, we see a high number of positively executed applications, a quickness of official action, and detailed records of clerks on these applications. We can assume then that district offices didnt try too often to limit emigrations, or if they did, they were not successful. Sometimes they were satisfied with only being partially successful in their attempt to slow the course of emigration. For example, in 1871, on the 12th of May, Barbora Spitzova, a 19 year old from Bernartice requested in her application for a passport to, a very famous C.K. district executive office in Milevsko." She stated, "One of my relatives, who six years ago came and settled in America in Cleveland, and has there a prosperous business. He has invited me already twice to go there and to accept a stable employment with him, and so I will have a sure livelihood for ever. I have decided to obey the voice of my relative in America and go to America forever. In Bernartice, 12th May 1871, Barbora Spitz." Her application was also signed by her father Mojzis Spitz. Four days later at the district office in Milevsko, there was a written record made from the questioning of Mojzis Spitz about the emigration of his daughter Barbora to North America. The official recorded, "in this sense, I ask for a passport for her for a time of 6 months only, for a visit with her relatives." After the reading and approval, this record was finally completed and signed. Rarely did district executive office refuse to permit emigration; rather they chose to detain the applicants. Such was the case where an application might be missing certain important documents, especially the recommendation of the applicant's municipality office. As example, in 1878 this letter came to Milevsko, "To the famous district executive office in Milevsko. The board of the municipality Bojenice asks the famous executive office to not grant a permit for emigration to America for Katerina and Martin Prasek, until they settle up with us and until they bring a permit from our board to the district executive board. In Bojenice, 12th April 1878, signed Josef Spejla, chief magistrate. This application of the 48 year old laborer Martin Prasek and his wife who was three years his senior, was finally affirmed and executed, but not until the 11th of May, 1885. The board of Krizanov did not recommend in 1878 to give a passport to Frantisek Kubes. A message was sent to, "The famous district office, concerning the applicant Frantisek Kubes from Bilina, who owes a contribution to the grain credit bank of Veselicko 49, and he has asked for a deferment on the payment of this debt. Frantisek Kubes, with his wife and whole family, want to immigrate to America, and so he has a liability to pay a certain amount of money to the Contributed Grain Credit Bank. That is why the signed board requests and asks the famous district office, to not grant a passport for emigration to Frantisek Kubes, until he brings from a board member a signed certificate stating that he has paid that amount of money. The board of municipality Krizanov, Bilina 5th May 1878, signed Josef Polodna, chief. We also have the case of the farmer-miller Jan Petrik from Borovany who also had complications with his emigration. On the first of July, 1885, he asked the office for a permit for his son Jiri, who was a confectionery apprentice in Tabor, to leave to see relatives in America. This was then followed by the father Jan's decision to request to emigrate with his whole family. The family was quite numerous, with wife Marie, daughters Marie, age 19, Anna age 17, Karolina age10, Anastazie age 6, and sons Vaclav age 13, Rudolf age 7 and Eduard age 3. The father Jan writes further, "Besides these children, I have also another," he writes in his application, but he did not ask for them to be issued a permit. The owner of the confection store, who apprenticed the son, wrote to the district office against the giving of a passport to Jiri. In his letter he writes that, "Mr. Petrik has sold off all his immovable property, but for the training of his son, his accommodation, food and clothing, the father has not paid anything for a year, although he should have paid 150 golden for three year of training. That is why he, the owner of the confectionary store, must bring an action against the father Petrik. If the Petrik's obtain their passports, then it would be an idle legal action, because they will leave immediately to America with all their property. ....
Michael
Reichle
