family connections and the roots of the … connections and the roots of ... many families moved to...

S8 9:30 - 10:45 A.M. ROOM: FRIO SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

FAMILY CONNECTIONS AND THE ROOTS OF THE UNITY OF THE BRETHREN IN TEXAS Dr. Kathy Horak Smith

Between 1870 and 1910, many immigrants of Czech descent made their way from the small villages of Moravia, Austria to Central Texas. From the small village of Hodslavice, Moravia (best known as the home of Frantigek Palack9, famous Czech historian) many families moved to Central Texas to improve their living conditions. Some of the families that moved from this small village were Barton, Hegar, Horak, Hromadka, Janek, Krizan, Kudelka, Merenda, Rydl, and Svgek. Not only did these families bring what little possessions they could, they also brought their faith in God. From a country that was predominately Catholic, these families sought religious freedom in the new land. They were staunch Protestants and early leaders in the Unity of the Brethren Church in Texas.

It was also from these families that several early Unity of the Brethren ministers in Texas came. Rev. Joseph Barton and Rev. Joseph Hegar were born in the Czech Republic and grew up in the village of Hodslavice and were the first two ministers trained by the new Brethren church body in Texas in 1910. Rev. Frank Henry Horak, Sr. and Rev. Henry Earnest Beseda, Sr. were born around West, TX and served many Brethren Churches. Other Protestant minis-ters from these families include Rev. V. J. Janek, Rev. Joseph A. Barton, Rev. Lawrence Junek, Rev. Henry Beseda, Jr., Rev. Frank H. Horak, Jr., and Rev. Robert Janek. This presentation will include summaries of the ministries of Rev. Joseph Barton, Rev. Joseph Hegar, Rev. Frank Horak, Sr., and Rev. Henry Beseda, Sr. along with a photographic slide show of early leaders and activities within the Unity of the Brethren Church.

Rev. Joseph Barton was born in Hodslavice, Moravia on September 26, 1886 to Jan and Anna (Hegar) Barton. Joseph was a student in the Evangelical school in Hodslavice and a technical school in Lipnik. "At the age of 15, he confirmed his Christian faith together with 24 other teenagers of which six became ministers" (Marek, 1999). He immigrated to the United States in 1904 settling in West, TX to live with some of his cousins. His family later joined him in the community. After attending Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois and Eden Seminary in St. Louis, Mis-souri, Joseph Barton was ordained July 6, 1910 at the 1910 church convention in West, TX by Rev. Adolf Chlumsky and Rev. Bohumil Kubricht. He served in Granger, Taylor, Buckholts, Dime Box, Holland, Elgin, Smithville, Robstown, Harlingen, Temple, Houston, Dansbury, Midfield, Austin, Smithville, and Nelsonville. Early in Rev. Barton's ministry, he lost his eye sight but this did not stop his ministry. "In addition to his widespread pastoral ministry, he assisted in the publication of the Brethren Journal, served as a member of the Synodical Committee beginning in 1910, first as vice-president of the National Union of Czechoslovak Protestants in America during its convention at Chicago" (Marek, 1999). Rev. Barton passed away August 27, 1945 and is buried in the Czech Brethren Cemetery in Granger, TX.

Rev. Joseph Hegar was born in Hodslavice, Moravia on August 5, 1887 to Josef and Josephina (Bartek) Hegar [Josef Hegar and Anna (Hegar) Barton were brother and sister.]. He grew up in the childhood home of Anna (Janek) Horak with Grandmother Janek [Julianna (Adam) Janek] reading the Bible to him. Joseph Barton knew by the age of 14 that he would be a servant of the Lord. He was confirmed in Hodslavice the same time that Rev. Joseph Barton was. Immigrated to the United States knowing no English and very little German was a traumatic experience. He followed Joseph Barton (his cousin) to Elmhurst College and Eden Seminary and was ordained with Rev. Barton on July 6, 1910 in West, TX. During the summer of 1907 on a trip to Texas he contracted Typhoid Fever. This illness affected his voice and "his teachers strongly recommended he give up his plans for the pastoral ministry" (Marek, 1999). In his heart he knew that he was meant to be a servant of the Lord. He served congregations in West, Ennis, Mt. Calm, Tioga, Crockett, Dime Box, Buckholts, Cooks Point and Temple. He is mostly known for his work through the Hus School and the Unity of the Brethren youth ministry. He served as principal and teacher of Hus School for many years. He died May 2, 1948 and is buried in the West Brethren Cemetery.

Rev. Frank Horak, Sr. was "the first native son of the Unity of the Brethren in Texas to be ordained as its pastor" (Marek, 2000). Born May 26, 1892 to Frank and Anna (Janek) Horak in McLennan County, Texas. [Anna (Hegar) Barton, Josef Hegar, and Anna (Janek) Horak were first cousins.] Rev. Horak was baptized and confirmed by Rev. Adolf Chlumsky. He attended the grammar school at Gerald and the Robinson Academy at Robinson before traveling to Elmhurst, Illinois to attend Elmhurst College from 1912-1915. From 1915-1918 he attended Eden Theological Seminary. On July 6, 1918, during the 16th Church Convention of the Unity of the Brethren, he was ordained into the Christian ministry at the Czech Moravian Brethren Church in West, Texas by Dr. Samuel D. Press (Eden Seminary),

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Rev. Henry Juren (Czech Brethren minister) and Rev. Josef Barton, Sr. and Rev. Joseph Hegar (Czech Brethren ministers and his cousins). Rev. Horak served the Czech Brethren Church for many years. Eighteen years he served the churches around Caldwell, TX. Besides the Caldwell church he served Brethren Churches in Snook, Cooks Point, Dime Box, Buckholtz, Rosebud, Shiner, Blessing, Rosenberg, Alief, Danbury, Houston, Wesley, Fayetteville, Indus-try, and Crosby. While serving as minister at these various churches, he also served as president of the Sunday School Union, financial secretary of the synodical committee (1927), member of the Board of Directors of the Mutual Aid Society and Hus School Union and helped establish the Christian Sister Union (1926). Due to a personal problem, he resigned from the ministry in the Unity of the Brethren on February 14, 1936. He later returned to the ministry serving in the Evangelical and Reformed Churches (German) until his death on April 29, 1953. Rev. Horak is buried at the Brethren Church Cemetery in West, TX.

Rev. Henry Beseda, Sr. was born January 7, 1888 on a farm near West, TX to Frank Will and Anna (Barton) Beseda. Anna (Barton) Beseda and Anna (Janek) Horak were first cousins from Hodslavice, Moravia. Rev. Beseda was baptized by Rev. Henry Juren in West, TX. It has been said that upon his baptism his mother was dedicating her son to the Lord in His work. He was also confirmed in the same church. Rev. Beseda attended public school in Penelope, TX and later Douglas-Schuler Prepatory School in Waco, TX. He enrolled in Baylor University for one year and then Trinity University in Waxahachie,.TX (now in San Antonio, TX). During his senior year he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh, where he received his degree. While Henry was attending college his father made a complete break from the Catholic Church and the family became members of the Czech Presbyterian Church in Penelope. This move influenced Henry to "seek association with the Presbyterian Church" (Beseda, 2000). Henry attended Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh from 1908-1910. He was ordained on June 18, 1911 in the Penelope Presbyterian Church. He served the Presbyterian Church until 1937 when he was invited to become a minister in the Brethren Church. He began his ministry in Caldwell, TX replacing Rev. Frank Horak, Sr. (his cousin). Rev. Beseda "retired" in 1957. He passed away on May 8, 1959 and is buried at the Brethren Church Cemetery at Cooks Point, TX.

Resources (include, but are not limited to): Barton, F. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Joseph Barton. Beseda, E. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Henry Beseda, Sr. Beseda, H. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Henry Beseda, Sr. Beseda, J. M. (2000, July-August). Rev. Henry Earnest Beseda, Sr. (1888-1959). Brethren Journal. Unity of the

Brethren. Cameron, D. K. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Frank H. Horak, Sr. Christian Sisters Union Study Committee (1970). Unity of the Brethren in Texas (1855-1966). Unity of the Brethren. Hegar, D. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Joseph Hegar. Hegar, J. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Joseph Hegar. Janak, R. (ed.). (1998). Rev. Frank Horak's funeral records. Beaumont, TX: Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Janak. R. (ed.). (2000). Rev. Frank Horak's marriage records. Beaumont, TX: Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Janak, R. (ed.). (2000). Rev. Josef Hegar's funeral records. Houston, TX: Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Marek, J. (1999, October). Rev. Joseph Barton: A tested faithful servant of the Lord. Brethren Journal. Unity of the

Brethren. Marek, J. (1999, November). Rev. Josef Hegar: A Special Friend of the Youth. Brethren Journal. Unity of the Breth-

ren. Marek, J. (2000, January-February) The Rev. Frank H. Horak: The first home-grown Brethren pastor. Brethren

Journal. Unity of the Brethren. Schovajsa, R. (2003). Interview concerning memories of Rev. Frank H. Horak, Sr. Skrabanek, R. L. (1988). We're Czechs. Texas A & M University. Joseph Barton Records found at the University of Texas, Austin, TX. Horak family photos and archives [These include, but are not limited to, Rev. Horak's diary while attending Elmhurst

College, Family stories, Rev. Hegar's reflections of growing up in Hodslavice given at Anna (Janek) Horak's funeral, and family genealogical research conducted by Eloise Horak, Rev. Frank Horak, Jr., Katherine Horak Smith, and Martin Pytr.]

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Rev. Joseph Hegar (front row, far left) and Rev. Joseph Barton (front row, far right) in West, TX on the day of their ordinations, July 6, 1910.

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Rev. Frank Horak, Sr. (front row, third from right) in West, TX on the day of his ordination, July 6, 1918. Also included in the photo are Rev. Joseph Hegar (front row, third from left), Rev. Joseph Barton, (front row, fourth from left), and Frank Horak, Rev. Horak's father, (front row, 2"d from left).

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S9 9:30 - 10:45 A.M. ROOM: BALLROOM Ill

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

MORAVIA'S ANCIENT RIDE OF KINGS & OTHER FOLKLORE Helene Cincebeaux

Mora-via: k A vtax.nt Ri,ae, 000% n Er Other Folklore.

Visit Moravian Festivals to view the ancient customs still maintained to this day. The oldest and most mysterious is the Ride of Kings, still per-formed in Vlcnov, Hluk and Kyjov annually.

Feetivals take place in all regions and many are an annual tradition. We will visit festivals through slides taken over the past 34 years in Moravia and discuss the old customs and the basis for them.

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S9 9:30 - 10:45 A.M. ROOM: BALLROOM III

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

S10 9:30 - 10:45 A.M. ROOM: BALLROOM I-II SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE MORAVIAN POPULATION IN TEXAS Karel Kysilka

There still remains one crucial fully unanswered question: How many Czechs (Moravians) ever lived in Texas? From the available data and statistics, it is very hard to specify it. There are official Austrian statistics, census results in the USA, statistics of forwarding and shipping companies, personal listings or estimates issued by HAPAG Agent Josef Pastor in 1880s. Czech-American historians, beginning with Cada, Capek and Habenicht, and ending with Kutnar or Poligensk5f, alleged other figures. Whereas Hudson and Maresh did not dare to state any immigration statistics, Machann and Mendl sided with Poligensk$T. Janak during his research of immigrants' tombstones estimated the percentages of individual regions of Bohemia and Moravia on total Czech emigration to Texas. Baca in his monumen-tal Czech Passenger Lists enumerates the real numbers of immigrants for periods 1852 to 1867 and then at the turn of the century from notable reasons. Hejl and Blaha tried to replace missing passenger lists by studying the petitions for naturalisation and by deed records. SimiZek, Strnadel and Mikegla elaborated partial inventory on the Czech side for instance.

But none of these are fully reliable. I do not want to hesitate about their figures, but they were reconsidered from various, in many cases even opposite points of view, and for an inexperienced reader they may even be misleading.

Austrian statistics only registered official emigration — and unofficial emigration was in most periods several times higher.

Census results, available on the Internet, state the Czech nationality only since 1870, with interruptions in 1880 and 1910. The Moravians are mostly quoted under the headings Austrians, Germans, or even Hungarians. And we know that in the first two decades of mass emigration to the USA, 80 to 90 percent of immigrants from Austria were from Bohemian Lands.

Josef Pastor says, that there were 2,633 Czech families in Texas, in total 13,165 souls. But which souls, what had he considered a Czech family?

Poligensk5T quoted: "Texas has never been among the five states with the highest number of Czech immigrants!" Mendl and Machann distinguished, when defining the Czech population, in accordance with official US statistics,

between foreign born Czechs and people of Czech parentage, in total they were people of Czech foreign stock. They asserted that - in Texas 1880 - there were 3,200 Czechs born abroad, and in 1920 14,900 foreign born Czechs and 49,900 inhabitants of foreign stock in total.

Baca lists about 15,000 immigrants disembarked in Galveston (data for period 1872 to 1895 were destroyed) and 4,800 who came through New Orleans. They are amongst the more reliable data, though I found that for some periods up to 30 percent of immigrants were not included here. And moreover — not all immigrants were destined to Texas through the Gulf ports and not all immigrants from New Orleans went solely to Texas, but they used the Mississippi River to get to the Midwest.

Mikegka estimated the number of Moravians at the beginning of 20th century at up to 50 thousand persons. Hejl managed to collect information about roughly 3,000 immigrants to Texas, where he was able to prove their place of origin.

Relatively reliable data have been collected by SimiZek and Strnadel. But these reflect only certain areas of origin. Sime6ek has 4,000 immigrants from the southeastern part of the Nov/i Jiein district and Strnadel added to this list by another 1,000 names from former Mistek political county. Baletka studied presentation registers of county authorities in Valagske Mezifiel and Vsetin and documented 500 individual requests for emigration permits for the period 1856 to 1880. Mikegka calculated that 700 emigrants left Zadvefice Protestant congregation between 1852 and 1906.

I tried to calculate a simple empiric demographic model of Czech Texans for decades between 1850 and 1940. As a base, I used the number of Czech ethnicity from Machann and Mendel for years 1920 — 1940. Then I concentrated on the number of emigrants from Bohemian Lands. I followed Baca's statistics for 1850 — 1914, took into consider-ation the missing figures for Galveston between 1871 and 1895, did an estimation of immigrants through other ports and made an interpolation.

Demographic indices were taken from relations in Bohemia (40 — 30 p.m. for natality and 30 — 20 p.m. in average for mortality index), since early American data were not available to me. I took into consideration the changes in age

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2nd Generation

25 - 30 years

1st Generation

S10 9:30 - 10:45 A.M. ROOM: BALLROOM I-II SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

distribution of Czech immigrants and based on all these data I was able to construct a demographic model of the Czech ethnics of the first generation (Foreign born) for individual years of census in the USA.

Further step was more complicated. This procedure dealt with the Czechs of second generation. The following

factors had to be taken into consideration: declining national consciousness increasing share of inter-national marriages (marriage rate 8 p.m. and share of inter-national marriages up to 50% of all marriages where at least either groom or bride were first or second generation Czechs)

substantially decreasing natality and mortality rates (down to 25 or 15 p.m.) migration to and from other states of the Union, which was influenced mainly by depression, war and common

movement to the cities.

The results of my model are presented on the following page. In conformity with above quoted data, some 30,000 Czechs emigrated to Texas between 1850 and 1940. There were around 38 thousand births of Czechs in the second generation, where both parents were foreign born Czechs, and about 29 thousand births from inter-national marriages. The number of deaths in-the same period was about 31,000 people and migrational loss was about 4,000 people.

I would like to state one more fact: When several years ago the Congress of the State of Texas declared October as Czech Heritage Month, there was a note in this Proclamation, that some one million people declared their Czech

ancestry. Similar results were shown in the 1990 census — 700 thousand inhabitants. That means, that each of 30,000 original Czech immigrants to Texas has today 20 — 30 descendants.

Years (Decade) Arrivals Deaths of Foreign Born Czechs

Migration Census (Foreign Born Czechs

Births in 2nd Generation Deaths of Czechs of foreign parentage

Census (Foreign Parentage)

Census (Foreign Stock total)

Both Parents One Parent Foreign Born Foreign Born

Czechs Czechs

bef. 1850 50 50 50 1851 — 1860 1750 200 1600 400 50 350 1950 1861 — 1870 1400 700 2300 1300 300 50 1900 4200 1871 — 1880 1700 700 3300 2000 800 200 4500 7800 1881 — 1890 4800 1600 6500 3000 1500 300 8700 15200 1891 — 1900 6400 1700 11200 5000 3000 500 16200 27400 1901 — 1910 8800 3000 17000 5500 4000 1500 24200 41200 1911 — 1920 3500 3200 17300 6400 5000 3000 32600 49900 1921 — 1930 700 3000 -1000 14000 8000 6000 4000 42600 56600 1931 — 1940 500 2500 -2500 9500 6100 8500 4000 53200 62700

Total 1850-1940 29600 16600 -3500 9500 37700 29100 13600 53200 62700

70000

60000

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

0

bef. . 1850 1851 - 1860 1861 - 1870

1871 - 1880 1881 - 1890

1891 - 1900 1901 - 1910 1911 - 1920 1921 - 1930 1931 - 1940

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Si! 11:00 — 12:15 P.M. ROOM: BALLROOM III

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

THE RHYTHM OF LIFE IN SLOVAK VILLAGES 100 YEARS AGO Helene Cincebeaux

The/ Rhythm/ of Life/ vw Sicrwth V Wage's/ 100 Yeairs- Ago-

Slides and discussion will bring Slovak villages and their traditions to life for many regions of the country.

Village life had a rhythm and revolved around the daily work demands, punctuated with festivals and celebra-tions and enlivened with customs.

We'll look at a year in the life of your ancestors as they lived it 100 years ago.

We'll discuss villages and how they evolved and the traditions and celebrations that brightened our ancestors' lives.

The church will play a role as will strong family ties, and of course, TRADITION!

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Si! 11:00 - 12:15 P.M. ROOM: BALLROOM HI

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

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Si! 11:00 - 12:15 P.M. ROOM: BALLROOM III

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

The Rhythm of Life in Slovak Villages 100 Years Ago (continued)

"Folk Art of Czechoslovakia" by Hasalova and Vajdis, Arco - New York...in English Wonderful book with many illustrations of folk crafts and folk art

" Textile Folk Art" by Antonin Vaclavik and Jaroslav Orel, Spring Books, London Many photos of embroidery, lace, weaving, with a discussion of customs, colors and symbols

"Slovak National Dress Through the Ages" by Josef Markov, Artia Excellent book on Slovak folk dress - archaic Slovak folk dress and modern

"Slovakia in Photographs" or "Slovensko" by Karel Plicka Wonderful photos taken years ago of villages, crafts, people and folk dress

"North of the Danube", Margaret Bourke White and Erskine Caldwell This fascinating book records their travels in Slovakia over 50 years ago; you will enjoy it!

"Painted Dreams - Slovak Folk Painting on Glass in the 20th Century" by Irene Pisutova, Tatran Press, Bratislava, 1983.

"Icons in Czechoslovakia" by Heinz Skroubucha, London: Hamlyn 1971; many illustrations

"Wooden Churches of Eastern Europe" by

David Buxton, New York: Cambridge U. Press Many illustrations of these treasures

"Rusyn Easter Eggs from Eastern Slovakia" by Pavlo Markovyc, Vienna, 1987

. "Wooden Churches in the Carpathians - the Photographs of Florian Zapletal"

"Seven Slovak Stories" by Martin Kukucin - edited by Norma Rudinsky -Slovak village life

"Slovakia - Spirit of Survival" an article in National Geographic -January 1987

"The Road Through Czechoslovakia" by Dorothy Giles, travels in 1926.

"Treasures of Slovakia" by Helene Cincebeaux and Helen Baine - 100 large color photos of the country - scenery, villages, cathedrals, icons, shrines, folk customs and folk dress-all regions of Slovakia

18. "Slovakia: A Slovak Heritage Newsletter" published 4 times a year by the Slovak Heritage & Folklore Society International; membership $15 a year; $27 for 2 years. Articles on history, culture, customs, traditions, genealogy & travel, sharing & helping. Free sample on request.

19. " A History of Slovakia - the Struggle for Survival" by Stanley Kirschbaum, New York, St. Martin's Griffin publishers, 1995.

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S12 11:00 - 12:15 P.M. ROOM: BALLROOM I SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

LDS RECORDS ON FILM FOR CZECHOSLOVAKIA Karen Hobbs

This session will focus on finding the Czech, German and Hungarian words that will make searching the LDS catalog efficient and rewarding. The FHC library catalog does not always have the correct information in every title. A slide show will include sample pages from the catalog and discussion of what is important about each page.

PART ONE: USING THE LIBRARY CATALOG CD The LDS on-line library catalog is difficult to search unless an author or title is known or there is a place name associ-ated with a subject. It is a good idea to purchase the library catalog CD for $5 by calling 1-800-537-5971 and asking for item number 50081. Use your personal CD at home or at a local FHC where supplies of the 2002 updated version are in short supply.

Using the catalog efficiently is best learned by carefully exploring each page of interest and the links (any item in blue) on the page. Take notes of foreign words and phrases to use in follow-up Keyword searches.

Begin research with a surname search for all-family surnames. Someone may already have researched those names and the results may be in the LDS catalog.

Next do a place search. The films in the catalog are not cataloged consistently and it is best to search all place categories to find all titles of interest. Place searches should include:

A: Bohemia or Bohmen, Moravia or Mahren (for Bohemia and Moravia) B: Czechoslovakia C: Slovakia Czechoslovakia, Slovakia D: The name of an ancestral village or district center. Try all known spellings.

Some of the pre-1918 Gazetteers (a dictionary of place names) of Bohemia, Moravia and Hungary in the LDS catalogs will help find correct spellings of ancestral place names. Older Gazetteers are the best. Look for Gazetteers in the index of categories with each place name.

Some records that had to do with Imperial institutions like the Austrian army do not come up except on a place search on: Austria. Explore the categories that display with Austria as well as with the above place searches.

When the index for any of the above places displays there will be a "button" on the top right of the page named: View Related Places. Click on that button before exploring the index. An alphabetical list of place names appears. Explore the names for any that sound like an ancestral place name. The list may provide a correct spelling.

Not all place names for Czechoslovakia display on the Czechoslovakia "related places" page. To find others it is necessary to look at the related places for Bohemia (Biihmen) — many Bohemian places will be in German — and for Slovakia or Hungary.

Film titles will be in German, Czech or Hungarian. Study title details by clicking on each category and then on each title associated with that category. Look for keywords that repeat themselves. Make a note of those words and their proper foreign spelling. Ignore diacritical marks - the catalog search engine does not need them.

The most important categories on the Country or large city (Prague, Vienna) place name index pages include:

Church Records: There are very few church records available for Bohemia and Moravia. There are over 100 titles for church records for Hungary including Slovakian areas.

Explore one or two of them to study the title details in English. Title details include names of villages included in larger parishes, sometimes with changes in spelling over time.

Taxation: This is one of the best resources for Czech research. They include the Berni Ruli - the tax rolls of 1654. Although these resources are based on very old records the lists of surnames in them will have a phonetic relationship to a modern spelling. Sometimes tax rolls are the only resource that will indicate where a surname first appeared.

Nobility, Manors or Manorial Records: Explore these topics looking for links to old noble estate marriage

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contracts, land records, last wills and testaments and court (judicial) proceedings. Surnames in these records should be easy to identify no matter what language they are in. Keep a notebook listing all surname spelling variations.

Emigration and Immigration: This category will refer to helpful books on the subject and in rare cases to passport records. Some Sudeten Heimat books are cataloged in this category.

Civil Registration: Very old Hungarian civil records include civil muster lists for many Megye found easily with a keyword search using: Katonai (soldier). Bohemian civil muster lists called Militiir-Stammtabellen dated after 1859 were not filmed and may be available from county archives in the Czech Republic.

Census: Another good category for very old records.

For German-Bohemian records search Czechoslovakia and Slovakia index categories above for the various records available. Many Sudeten Heimat books appear in categories that seem unrelated. Some will be under Emigra-tion, some are under history, and some are not listed under Czech and Slovak titles. Find them with a Keyword search: Germans Czechoslovakia. Others will come up with a Keyword search using: Cechy. Look for titles in German, then look for the name of a place within the title to learn if it is of interest. Know the German spelling of ancestral place names to fmd related Heimat literature.

PART TWO: COMPUTER TIPS The session will not cover computer tips unless there is time at the end. This information is provided to help those who have not learned to use the RIGHT mouse click. The 2002 FHC library CD relies on right clicks for many functions.

Start the CD and begin a search. When a screen is of interest, print it by putting the mouse cursor anywhere on the screen, click the RIGHT mouse button and then click on "Print" in the drop down menu that appears.

To save a part of a screen "highlight" the text first. Put the cursor at the beginning of the text to save, hold down the LEFT mouse button and drag the cursor down to the end of the text to save. All the text should have a dark blue outline over it. Next place the cursor on any part of the highlighted text, click the RIGHT mouse button and click "Copy" in the drop down menu that appears.

If using the CD at home, start an Email program but do not go on line. Click on "Write mail". When a blank letter window appears put the cursor in the window, RIGHT click the mouse, and click on "paste" in the dropdown menu. The copied text should appear in the Email window. Print, save or Email the window as desired or leave the window open to add more text to it as research progresses.

When the Email program started the Family History Library catalog window became an "Icon" at the bottom of the main Windows screen. To return to the catalog do not close the Email program, just click on the Family History Library Icon. Now the Email program will be an icon on the bottom of the screen to which it is easy to return with a click when there is something to add to the Email window or to put in a new "Email".

The Email program is used for saving text copied from the catalog because some other programs will not show the copied text correctly or will include a lot of unwanted computer language in the copy.

One other program that will accept the catalog data in a "clean" copy without computer language is MS Notepad. Use Notepad to save copied data when using an FHC computer. Find Notepad by clicking on "Start" at the lower left of the windows screen, then click on Programs and then on Accessories. Finally click on Notepad in the accessories menu. A blank Notepad window appears. To paste copied data to that window just RIGHT click anywhere in the window and click on paste in the dropdown menu that appears. Do not close the Notepad window. Just bring up the FHC catalog (click on the icon on the bar at the bottom of the screen) and Notepad will also appear on the bottom of the screen as an icon. Notepad woiks well at the FHC to collect snippets of text from multiple windows in one file and then to print the entire file on one or two pages. Always place the cursor at the bottom of existing text in the Notepad window before making a right click to paste new text.

To print a Notepad window click on FILE in the upper left of the Notepad window and choose "Print" in the dropdown menu that appears.

When a home computer is available a Notepad or Email window with collected research data from several catalog

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pages can be saved to a floppy disk to review and study at home. Clicking on a catalog title displays a title details page. There is an explanation of the film contents in English on

each such page. There are also links — text written in blue — to related material. Explore all of the links to learn how the catalog functions. Some links are dead ends. Others lead research in a rewarding direction that would have been overlooked otherwise. When the entire title details are worth keeping either print that page (instructions above) or highlight and save the entire page to an Email window or to MS Notepad.

Always make a note of the author of any title of interest. Authors are needed to search the on-line catalog. The CD at FHCs and available for home use is the 2002 version. The Internet is updated about every six months and may have additional films listed for any title. After copying what is of interest at an FHC or on a home computer, check the on-line catalog to learn if there are additional films under that title. Use an Author Search on line to find the correct title.

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S13 11:00 - 12:15 P.M. ROOM: GULF COAST SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

ETHNIC IDENTITY AMONG THE CZECHS AND MORAVIANS OF TEXAS Written by Kevin Hannan (Presentation by Dr. Clinton Machann)

This presentation is based upon the article "Ethnic Identity Among the Czechs and Moravians of Texas" which appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of Journal of American Ethnic History. That article examines the dual influences of Texas and the European homeland that defined ethnic identity among the Texas Czechs and Moravians. The earliest immigrants, including Czechs from northeastern Bohemia, arrived in Texas in the 1830s and 1840s. Almost ten percent of the combined Slav immigration to Texas from Bohemia, Moravia, and Austrian Silesia originated in the area surrounding the towns of ennria. and Langkroun in northeastern Bohemia. Numerically, the Czech immigrants were overwhelmed by Moravians, who began arriving in Texas in mid-century and continued immigrating until the First World War. Some eighty percent of the Slav immigration from the Czech Lands originated in Moravia, specifi-cally in the neighboring ethnographic/linguistic regions of Lasko and Valagsko in northeastern Moravia and neigh-boring Silesia. The Moravian immigrants were responsible for stamping the Texas community with a distinctive character which still today distinguishes it from Czech communities in other states.

The immigration to Texas took place before the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Prior to the period in which English became the dominant language of that community, the designations of ethnicity encountered among Czech and Moravian immigrants and their descendants were those which had predominated in the European homeland. Most Czech immigrants described their identity and language in Czech as Czech, even though their descendants in Texas often grew up speaking a Moravian dialect and some even came to identify themselves as Moravians. Most Moravian immigrants described their identity (and often their language) as Moravian. The definition of ethnic identity shifted as English became the dominant language of the community in the latter half of the twentieth century. Ethnic identity is defined today according to the vocabulary and concepts of English, which does not render very well the subtleties of Slavic culture and ethnography. Today most descendants of Slav immigrants from the Czechs lands, whether from Bohemia, Moravia, or Austrian Silesia, describe their ethnic background as Czech (though the names Bohemian and Czech-Moravian are also sometimes encountered).

The following characteristics, which demonstrate the influence of the Moravian homeland of the majority of the immigrants, were instrumental in defming ethnic identity in Texas and distinguish the Texas community from some other communities of Czech descent in America: (1) regions of origin - Some eighty percent of the Texas immigrants were natives of northeastern Moravia and the territory of the Beskyd Mountains; (2) language - The dialects spoken in Texas, which differ from standard spoken Czech and from literary Czech, contributed significantly towards the preservation of a distinct ethnic identity; (3) religion - For most Czechs and Moravians in Texas, whether the Catholic majority or the Protestant minority, the church played an influential role in the community. Influential in other states, the Free Thought movement had little lasting impact in Texas. Another significant characteristic, which distinguishes the Texas group from Czechs and Moravians in Illinois and the Northeast, namely the predominate rural character of the population, reflects the influence of the new homeland. Most of the Texas immigrants settled in rural areas and took up farming. Their descendants still work some of the most productive farmland in Texas.

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LET US PREVENT YOU FROM THE "CULTURAL SHOCK" Dr. Miroslav Koudelka

A. Some Tricks (Tips?) for Newcomers to the Czech Republic (Czechia) - Will the language be a barrier? - What are the prices and the standard of living there? - How can I travel around Czechia? Public transportation, taxi, car rentals? - Should I bring cash, checks or credit cards? Where to exchange? - Stores: What are the opening hours? Should I bargain? Can I get tips for souvenirs? - Food: What is the Czech cuisine like? Aspects of bread, kolge, beer, water, ice, coffee. - What to prepare for at a restaurant? - Will I get overcastled? - Can I use my electrical appliances? - How about hygiene? - Will I be able to maintain contact with home? Telephone, e-mail, TV news in English. - Can I avoid crime and cheating? Pickpockets, cab drivers, waiters;

B. Tidbits for Those Searching for Genealogy Data - Should I turn to the parish office, town hall, archive or local history enthusiast? - Are publications on local history available? - Is the house in my picture the correct one? - Can I locate the burial place? - Can I get into the church? - Can I look up an obituary? - Will my possible relatives be listed in the telephone directory?

C. Visiting with (Possible) Relatives - Will they be interested at all? - Will they understand me? - When can they be available? - Can I simply ring the bell? - "Jak se mas?" or another way of greeting? - How should I address them; by first names or Mr., Mrs. Novak? - Should I take off my shoes? - What kind of souvenirs would be appropriate to bring? - Is it appropriate to take pictures? - How should I describe myself or what should I say? - What can I ask them about? - Will any food be served? Should I eat it or can I say No? - How much "slivovice" (plum brandy) can I survive? - What will they think if I invite them for a visit? - Have I left my address with them? - What time should I leave?

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S15 11:00 - 12:15 P.M. ROOM: FRIO SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

GENETICS AND GENEALOGY Leo Baca

INTRODUCTION What do genealogists do after they've traced their ancestors as far as written records will take them? Well, recent and continuing advances in molecular genetics hold out some very interesting possibilities for further research.

BACKGROUND Genetics research during the past ten years has shown that an incredible amount of information about our ancestry is encoded in our genetic material (DNA). We learned in school that we received half of our genetic material from each of our parents. What we didn't learn was that there are two kinds of DNA that are passed down from each parent that are not mixed. This makes it possible to trace both our maternal and paternal lines since no mixing of DNA occurs for these kinds of DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Testing The method for tracing your maternal line is called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from a mother to her children. While all children receive mtDNA from their mother, only females can pass on mtDNA. From these seemingly simple facts, an incredible amount of genetics research has resulted. The clearest expression of this research is in the book entitled The Seven Daughters of Eve by Dr. Bryan Sykes of Oxford Univer-sity. Mitochondrial DNA research has led to the finding of a mitochondrial Eve and an assertion that 95% of all Europeans are descended from seven different women who lived 10,000-45,000 years ago. If you are interested in taking an mtDNA test, one good place to start is: (http://www.oxfordancestors.com). Their mailing address is: Oxford Ancestors Ltd., Oxford BioBusiness Centre, Littlemore Park, Oxford OX4 4SS, United Kingdom. The method for gathering a DNA sample does not involve any blood. You are sent a small brush to scrape some cells from the inside of your cheeks. You seal the brush in small plastic package and return it to Oxford Ancestors. I got my results in seven weeks. They will send you a very nice chart that has your mitochondrial control region sequence on it as well as your relationship to one of the seven women that Europeans are descended from.

Y Chromosome Testing The method for tracing your paternal line is called Y chromosome testing. The Y chromosome is passed from father to son. Y chromosome research has lagged mtDNA research by a few years, but tremendous strides are being made. If you are interested in taking a Y chromosome test, a good place to start is: (http://www.familytreedna.com). Their mailing address is: Family Tree DNA, 1919 North Loop West, Suite 110, Houston, Texas 77008. For Y chromosome testing, you will need to decide whether you want a 12 or 25 marker test. The method for gathering a DNA sample is the same as described above for mtDNA. Some of the practical results of this DNA research are commercially avail-able tests for Native American, Viking, and Jewish priest ancestry. There are also commercially available family reconstructions for individuals who want to determine if they have a common ancestor or for surname based family tree projects. As more data becomes available, then more tests for various ancestries will be possible.

Preliminary Test Results Some early results for Czech American mtDNA and Y chromosome tests will be presented and discussed.

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CZECH AND SLOVAK IMMIGRATION TRENDS IN AMERICA Dr. Joan McGuire Mohr

THE NEW WORLD Czech and Slovak immigration trends in America can be traced back to the very beginning of our war for indepen-dence. With roots in the 1620 debacle at Bila Hora (the Battle of White Mountain), church and imperial repression ushured in a period of execution and expulsion for both Czech political and religious reformers. This was accom-plished under the auspices of the Pope in Rome who had grown tired of the defiant and unruly Czechs and their nobility. Czech resistance ended under the heal of a unified foreign occupation that subsumed Czech language and culture while assuming control of both the land and its people for decades to come.

Many Czech reformers fled to Saxony where they were once again forced to flee from religious persecution. In time, Czech immigration led to the New World as organised communities of strong religious and political reformers established roots. The Moravian Brethren, for example, prospered in a settlement later known as Bethlehem, Pennsyl-vania. It was here that evangelical Czechs, known for holding humanist beliefs, acted as peacemakers between local settlers and American Indians. Perhaps the most influential of the early Czech pioneers was Augustin Haman, friend of William Penn, who became known during the colonial period for his large land holdings. Though Czech influence existed in the New World before 1830, it never rivaled the extent of western and northern European immigrant numbers.

In addition, Czech and Slovak migration patterns developed in very different ways from one another. As ethnic minorities within the Habsburg Empire, Czech and Slovak provincial histories and economic capacity became re-flected in their separate immigration experiences. As the Industrial Revolution, which began in England in the late 1700s, moved eastward it altered both societal and economic institutions that lay in its path. Yet, the further across Hungary industry reached, the more backward in development the region remained.

Though the loss at Mid Hora resulted in the Czech people being denied their language and culture, by the middle of the eighteenth century Empress Maria Theresa charged provincial leaders with educating Czechs for positions within her growing imperial civil service. Austrian schools taught artisan work skills even as higher education became available to the sons of a burgeoning middle class. Even so, learning remained confined to the German language, and the highest levels of government continued to be reserved for the sons of German and Austrian elite. In time, however, Czech craftsmen and merchants rivaled Germans and Austrians in industrial know-how. Czech wealth and social mobility resulted in a renewal in Czech culture and further demands for political autonomy - a familiar cycle growing throughout Western Europe as well.

Unlike the Austrians and their Czech minority, Hungary kept the Slovaks on the farm and out of their industrializ-ing centers. After 1800, a rise in population and a growing reliance upon the potato crop increased the vulnerable position of Slovaks at the bottom of the Magyar social ladder. Like the Irish under British rule, famine encroached upon Slovak farming communities where lives had been poverty bound for centuries. As a result by 1850, Slovaks had the lowest food consumption of all ethnic minorities living under Hungarian rule. To forestall grinding poverty and crop failure, many Slovak household heads hired themselves out as itinerant workers, traveling in wider and wider circles away from home in order to earn additional wages to feed their families. Once the American Civil War ended, young Slovak laborers headed across the Atlantic to work in the industrializing northeast and mid-west where factory representatives advertised the availability of employment.

TRANSPORTATION Not to be overlooked are the revolutionary changes occurring at mid-century in transportation. Shipping conditions before the 1850's had been highly precarious. At times over one-half of the immigrants on any single vessel could be lost to decease or accident while in transit. Conditions below deck were not unlike that of livestock also being shipped at the same time. Travelers in steerage seldom had fresh air or water for weeks on end, and food required for subsis-tence while in steerage rotted quickly. Travel under such conditions took months — months in which death became a constant companion.

At mid-century, transport changed. Rail and coach travel overland brought people to the docks from Central Europe quickly while canal construction, especially throughout the United States, made travel into the interior rela-tively safe. No longer did immigrants fear the noted Indians that homeland newspapers warned about. Most impor-

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tantly, however, conditions on the high seas became transformed. Steamship travel grew in popularity as the most common mode for transporting large numbers of individuals in the quickest and safest manner possible.

For both Czechs and Slovaks, Bremen and Hamburg became the most popular exit ports. Large numbers of families, especially from southern and eastern Europe, continued to migrate in search of farmland until the Civil War era began. Once fearing induction into the Imperial military, young Czechs and Slovaks now began to hear stories of immigrants forced to serve in either Union or Confederate armies. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that immigration numbers dropped drastically throughout the 1860s. But this was just the beginning of a mass exit which included Czechs and Slovaks and many millions of immigrant workers who flocked to America looking for work and ended up transforming this country into the world's first industrial giant.

LECTURE This lecture will compare and contrast the migrations of Czechs and Slovaks from their villages of origin to the United States. Important to this study are the reasons immigrants became attracted, "pulled", toward the United States or repelled "pushed", to leave the homeland. The majority of Czech immigrants arrived in two waves. The first wave settled into agricultural areas of the prairie states and the mid-west during the mid-1800s while the second Czech immigration wave headed toward the industrializing urban centers of the northeast and mid-Atlantic states during the last quarter of the 1800's. The character of these migration waves differed from one another and from the Slovak immigration wave that occurred near the turn-of-the twentieth century. Even so, characteristics integral to Czech and Slovak community building and the establishment of ethnic institutions had many aspects in common with one another and with other Slavic immigrant enclaves. In order to research genealogy and immigration patterns from the homeland to the host community, the scope and character of ethnic settlement must be taken into account. This lecture will facilitate all aspects involved in the process known as Czech and Slovak immigration and assimilation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, June Granatir. The Immigrant Church and Community: Pittsburgh Slovak Catholics and Lutherans,

1880-1915. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. 1987. Barton, Joseph J. Peasants and Strangers: Italians, Rumanians, and Slovaks in an American City, 1880-1950.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1975. Bodnar, John. The Transplanted: A History of Immigrants in Urban America. Bloomington: Indiana University

Press. 1985. Dubovic14, Ivan. "Czech-Americans: An Ethnic Dilemma." Nebraska History Journal (Fall/Winter, 1993): 196-

207. Good, David F. The Economic Rise of the Habsburg Empire, 1750-1914. Berkeley: University of California Press.

1984. Morawska, Ewa, "The Sociology and Historiography of Immigration," ed. Virginia Yans-McLaughlin in Immi-

gration Reconsidered: History, Sociology, and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press. 1990. Poligensk, J.V. "Archives in Czechoslovakia and the Study of World History." Historica 1 (1960): Vydala

Bohemia International nakladatelstvi.

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DOCUMENTING CZECH IMMIGRANT ARRIVALS Leo Baca

INTRODUCTION Invariably, Czech-American genealogists and family historians reach the point of asking how their ancestors came to America. Many questions come to mind. What was the name of the ship? When did they immigrate? How long was the voyage? What did the ship look like? What was the port of entry? In answering these questions, a significant amount of research needs to be done.

When Did They Immigrate? The sources for immigration dates include oral history, census records, and naturalization records.

Passenger Lists There are two kinds of passenger lists. They are the customs passenger lists and the immigration passenger lists. The important thing to remember about passenger lists is the fact that the captain was required to turn in a list at each port of call in the United States. The customs passenger lists gave the passenger's name, age, occupation, and country of origin. The heading gave the date and port of departure as well as the embarkation port and date. Microfilm copies of those passenger lists and abstracts can be purchased from the National Archives. In addition, microfilm copies can be rented from a number of sources. There will also be a discussion on the availability of passenger lists on the internet.

What About the Ship? If you are interested in learning about the physical details of your immigrant ancestor's ship, the best overall source is Lloyd's Universal Register. This was a grand attempt at cataloging all the world's ships over 100 tons. As a note of caution, Lloyd's has published registers of ships that it insures since the early 1800s but the Lloyd's Universal Regis-ter is totally different because it also includes ships not insured by Lloyd's. Other good sources are Passenger Ships of the World Past and Present by Eugene W. Smith and Ships of our Ancestors by Michael J. Anuta.

Publications To date, nine books entitled Czech Immigration Passenger Lists, Volumes I-IX have been published. Anyone wishing to obtain copies of these publications should either check my web site( http://home.attbi.com/lbaca) or write to me for information concerning price and availability. My address is: 1707 Woodcreek, Richardson, Texas 75082-4524.

Current Research I am currently researching material for Volume X which will cover Czech arrivals in Baltimore between 1900-1914.

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EMIGRATION FROM THE AREA OF CZECH SILESIA IN THE 19TH

CENTURY Martin Pytr

1. A Short historical and geographical overview 2. Reasons for emigration 3. Statistics on Silesian emigration 4. Kind of information and quality of data contained in passport applications

A SHORT HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW Most of the Silesian area today is located in Poland, with a small part in the Czech Republic. Its history is interesting and complicated. Silesia was always a crossroad of the Polish, Czech and German influences, as well as the witness of the struggles and coexistence of the Catholics and Protestants. Silesia consisted of two parts, Lower Silesia with its capital of Wroclaw (Vratislav in Czech, Breslau in German) and Upper Silesia with its capital of Opole (Oppeln).

In the 10th century Silesia belonged to the Kingdom of Poland, during the period 1335-1742 the Duchy of Silesia was part of the Czech state, as well as the Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia. Major geopolitical changes occurred in Silesia during the 1740s. The Habsburg Empire, ruled by the Empress Maria Theresia had to defend itself against invasions from Prussia under the rule of Friedrich II. The first of the three so-called Silesan Wars (1740-1742) was won by Friedrich II. A majority of Silesia was annexed by Prussia. The following two wars contin-

- ued (1744-1745) and (1756-1763) but the results from the first Silesian War did not change. On the maps of Europe appeared both Prussian Silesia and Austrian Silesia.

Austrian Silesia consisted of only three principiates (principalities): Cieszyn (resin, Teschen), Opava (Troppau) and Krnov (Jagerndorf). The remaining Silesian principiates were annexed by Prussia. In the beginning of the 20th century there were 680,422 inhabitants in Austrian Silesia. In percentage terms, 85% were Catholic and 13.5% Protestant. The ethnic makeup was as follows: 45% German, 32% Polish and 22% Czech.

Industrialization in the Ostrava region (coal mines, steel works) attracted a large number of workers from outside of Silesia. The Poles from Galicia and Czechs from Moravia relocated there to fmd work in the coal mines and steel works.

Another major geopolitical change created two World Wars in the 20th century. In 1918, after WWI and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, new countries were established in Central Europe, including Czechoslova-kia and Poland. Austrian Silesia was divided between Czechoslovakia and Poland following a short border conflict. Most of Prussian Silesia remained the property of Germany, only the smaller eastern parts became the property of Poland (Raciborz region) and of Czechoslovakia (H1u6in region).

During WWII Silesia, as well as most of Europe belonged under the control of Nazi Germany. Following WWII Poland acquired the rest of Prussian Silesia. The German population of Silesia (in Poland as

well as in Czechoslovakia) were removed to Germany. Czech Silesia today lies in the northern part of Morayskoslersky kraj (Moravian-Silesian Region). It is important

to mention the industrial town of Ostrava and its suroundings, the historical towns of Opava, Frlek-Mistek and the natural beauty of the Jeseniky and Beskydy Mountains.

For the presentation I will prepare maps of Austrian Silesia, including the districts

REASONS FOR EMIGRATION Almost all of the Silesian emigrants came from the hilly regions of the Jeseniky and Beskydy Mountains and they were mostly farmers, cottagers and farm laborers by occupation.

Though the mentioned areas are known for their natural beauty, it traditionally has been difficult to earn a living from the rocky mountain soil. This difficult social situation of the people living there, started them to think about emigration. It is also important to say that overpopulation of the regions played a role.

For the presentation I will prepare a few photos presenting the Jeseniky and Beskydy Mountains.

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STATISTICS ON SILESIAN EMIGRATION The information presented is from materials housed at the Zemsky Archiv at Opava, where passport applications are held from the period 1850 until 1909. However, not all of the passports were made for emigration to America but also to Germany and other European countries. Emigration from Czech Silesia started very early, the first 3 families are recorded in 1850. They came from villages in the mountainous district of Freiwaldau today JesenIk. It was a German speaking area. Emigration from Polish speaking districts is initially recorded in 1852. Emigration from the primarily Czech speaking district of Frjklek began in 1857 and continued in the 1860s. The first boom of the Czech emigration is the year 1860 when 15 families from villages in the Frydek district left the country and settled in Texas. Emigration from the German speaking areas was high during the entire recorded time, although during the American Civil War the numbers were smaller in all districts of Silesia. Emigration from Czech districts was lower, and from Polish districts only marginal. But it is possible that the missing data from the Polish districts are stored in Poland.

The reasons for the different numbers are mainly geographical. Overpopulation from the poor hilly area of the JesenIky Mountains, inhabitated by a German population, was solved by emigration during the entire recorded period. The passport applications tell not only about emigration to the U.S.A but also to southern Africa, Brazil and mainly to Germany.

The Czech and Polish districts of the Beskydy Mountains, following the boom in 1860s, found another solution for its overpopulation in the town of Ostrava and surrounding industrialized areas. The people found jobs in the coal mines and steel works, there. Unlike in Jeseniky Mountains which were located too far from the industrial sites.

For the presentation I have prepared graphs showing number of emigrants divided by the years, and another graph showing number of emigrants divided by the Silesian districts

Population in Austrian Silesia in 1903 Districts Population (webs NO Germans Wagstadt Bilovec (Czech rep.)

40 333 25 940 340 14 053

Bielitz Bialsko (Poland) ;',

74 627 406 60 434 13 777

Freudenthal Bruntal (Czech rep.)

49 351 19 10 49 322

Freistadt Frystat (Czech rep.) MEM

130 878 35 647 83 731 11 243

Freiwaldau Jesenik (Czech rep.)

67 122 50 40 67 022

Jaegerndorf Krnov (Czech rep.)

57 827 188 40 57 597

Troppau 62 726 31 911 575 30 222 Opava (Czech rep.) Teschen Cesky Tesin (Czech re . Cieszyn (Poland)

130 559 44 518 71 633 14 327

Major cities with autonomy Population Czechs Poles Germans Bielitz Bialsko (Poland) _....,

16 065 94 2 420 13 540

Friedek Frydek (Czech rep.)

8 886 4 981 543 3 362

Troppau Opava (Czech rep.)

25 366 2 604 598 22 113

SUMMARY 663 740 146 358 220 364 296 578

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KIND OF INFORMATION AND QUALITY OF DATA RECORDED IN THE PASSPORT APPLI- CATIONS Political and economical situations, both, in the old country as well as in the U.S.A., influenced not only the number of emigrants but also the face of the documents, and kind and quality of the data recorded.

Passport requests in the1860s included sheets with printed columns (Name, Occupation, Homeplace, Birth, Religion, Physical description...) but since the 1870s there were only handwritten documents where Name, Birth and Homeplace, were droven in another text. Unfortunately for us, since the 1870s the data written on passport requests are poorer and harder to decipher than data from the 1860s. The reason is due to the political liberalization in the Austro-Hungarian Empire after 1866, when the conservative politicians lost their influence with the police and the army. These largely positive changes, also lowered the accuracy for the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, the passport applications are still very important and interesting resources about emigration from Silesia. They tell the number of emigrants, year by year, about their social, ethnic, and age structure. From the chang-ing number of passport applications in the succession of years we can infer important historical changes. We can see that during the period of the American Civil War the emigration was interrupted. In the older passport applications the passport holders' physical descriptions are recorded which are very interesting, especially for their descendents. For genealogists, the most important information are the names and birthplaces of the passport holders, plus the other useful information mentioned above. All of these reasons led me and my American partners toward one decision; to publish the list of emigrants as a book in the U.S.A.

For the presentation I have prepared a few copies of the passport applications from the 1860s and from later dates.

There will also be available a sample page of the publication in process.

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WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT CZECH AND SLOVAK FOLK MUSIC? Sister Anita Smisek, OP for Joel Blahnik

This session will provide an overview of Czech and Slovak musical characteristics and what has made the musical culture of these two nations so unique to the world. An historical approach, supplemented by recorded musical ex-amples and handouts will embrace their music from the Middle Ages to present times, embodying symphonic, dance, and folk music of these distinctive Slavic cultures.

Bohemia: Generally straight-forward in design, more 'westernized' (Germanized) with melody harmonized in 3rds and with straight vertical chord structure. Music for dance, i.e. polka and waltz, influenced by Hapsburg and Viennese culture. Bohemian dudy-bagpipes especially in the southwestern region around Domailice. Great prominence of brass bands with slower tempos, perhaps akin to the Bohemian national beverage - pivo!

Moravia: Moravian folk music definitely flows as Moravian wines and flavored with passion. A much more relaxed, open style with "operatic aria" type singing contrasted to the fast swirling tempos which all provide soul and drama. Most common folk ensembles use the cimbalom (Hammered dulcimer) with clarinet and strings.

Slovakia: A great majority of Slovak music seems to be folk music. Its music mirrors the terrain with open pastures and mountain peaks featuring the shepherd's `fujara' and mountain echoes. Pitch placement is not as exact as with Moravian or Bohemian music. It seems as it is natural to slide in and out of pitches being sung. More modal scales are employed here with special sharps and flats to create a unique sound-post. Tempos are also widely varied mostly on the quick side, greatly affected by their folk dance. Overtones of Hungarian folk music is natural because of the 1000 year association with Hungarion domination.

Because of the Slovak connection to Hungary, and the Bohemian connection to Austria (Italy and Germany), perhaps one could claim that Moravian folk music is the purest of the 5 cultures compacted in the three provinces. Many people feel that this is so. However, Moravian hymnody of the Moravian Church is very straight forward except for the oldest hymns of the Bohemian Brethren, since they were led out of their native land in the 17th c to settle in Saxony where their church music became based on the German chorale (cf. J S Bach).

RESOURCES: Joel Blahnik, Alliance Publications, Inc. 9171 Spring Road, 54212-9619 Telephone (920) 868-3100 Fax (608) 748-4491 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.apimusic.org

SONG COLLECTIONS AND RECORDINGS AVAILABLE FROM API: • Ceske a Slovenske lidove 'Arne I Czech and Slovak Folk Songs, Trojan, Vklav - 1969 Panton, Praha • Contemporary Czech Symphonic Band Music, Music by Zdenek Lukag, Evien Zameenfk, Vklav Nelhybel &

Joel Blahnik. AP-0051 Cd $15.00 • Czech & Slovak National Anthems, arr. Smisek-Blahnik (Cz-Engl) Unison, 2-pt or 4-pt mixed a cappella, op-

tional or with piano Czech Pronunciation Tape $3.00 • Czech Trombone Treasures, St. Olaf Trombone Choir & Friends, directed by Paul Niemisto perform music fom 3

collections edited by Joel Blahnik: Prague Trombones, New Prague Trombones and Encore! Prague Trombones plus more AP-0060 CD $15.00

• Inventions for Winds and Percussion: Music by Joel Blahnik composer and conductor of The Friends Wind Ensemble AP-0049 CD $15.00

• Sinfonia Resurrectionis, Music of Vklav Nelhybel for Symphonic Band conducted by Frederick Fennell (Tokyo Kosel Wind Orchestra) AP-0040 CD $22.00

• Slava! A Celebration for Symphony Orchestra composed and directed by Joel Blahnik, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra AP-0059 CD $15.00

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THE EARLY GERMAN SETTLEMENTS OF NORTH EASTERN MORAVIA AND WHAT THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN HAD TO DO WITH IT Frank Soural

Long ago, primordial forests, dark and impenetrable, surrounded the mountainous vistas, which today straddle the frontier of northeastern Bohemia and northern Moravia in the Czech Republic. The stillness of the forests remained largely undisturbed by man.

More than a thousand years ago, early settlements were established by I !,

the Celts arriving from the southwest and other tribes arriving from the northeast. These nomadic German tribes built their longhouses in the ,

mt,„ valleys. Most, however, moved on leaving little evidence except a few umuS141, shards and burial urns and perhaps a few other remnants of life in the settlement.

During this period, the ancient "Amber Road" was the primary trade route linking the eastern Baltic Sea with the Danube in Vienna and the port of Trieste in Italy. This road (a trail would be a more apt description) wound its way through the Moravian heartland near where the cities of Olomouc and Morayska. Tfebova stand today. Except for the sparse trading traffic and a few way stations between the odd monastery and baronial estate, the land remained essentially pristine and silent.

The first attempts at colonization may have been orchestrated during the late middle ages by Heinrich Zdik (1126-1150). Zdik was the seventh in a long line of bishops in the Diocese of Olomouc. Surviving documents indicate that, around Olomouc several villages were established. Nimlau, Meedl, Bladowitz, Habicht and Miiglitz (Mohelnice) were among them. It is possible that Miiglitz may be much older than that. The name appears to originate from the Celtic word "mogul" meaning burial mound. This is reflected in the German name Milglitz as well as the Czech version Mohelnice.

In the middle of the thirteenth century the royal line of Przemyslid Kings in Prague, closely allied with their Bavarian neighbors, hoped to populate the vacant land in the outlying areas of the kingdom. Their aim was to supple-ment the royal coffers by exacting sums of cash through lease and rental income from the colonized land.

Although the settlements were sporadic at first, the crown soon discovered their value. Colonization was sup-ported by every possible means, simply because it provided increased land defense along with providing economic benefits. By allowing the land to be developed, a permanent tax base, the so-called perpetual land tax, was assured.

Besides the crown, other landowners held vast tracts of unoccupied Moravian land. Among them were the secular landed gentry who received land as a royal stipend for military services rendered or special favors performed. The Holy See in Rome, represented by the Diocese of Olomouc, also owned large tracts. Each owner, for his own purpose, was interested in populating his fiefdom with young tenant fanners from the west, particularly Germany.

The local landowners soon followed the example set by their royal masters. After all, the virgin forests, aside from the occasional booty extracted from a successful hunt, provided no tangible income.

UPHEAVAL AND A NEW BEGINNING The year 1241 brought total devastation to many of the remaining villages whose inhabitants had managed to cling to the soil and eke out a living. Some historians blame the destruction on the Tartar hordes that swept in from the eastern plain. Others maintain it was the result of a power struggle between the feuding brothers Wenzel (Va.clav) and Pfemygl, sons of King Ottokar I, in their battle for dominance.

Meanwhile, the gently rolling hills of the local Schoenhengst, Adler and Alvater mountain ranges provided excellent watershed that drained into the Zohse, Tess and the mighty Morava rivers and kept the plains fertile, ready and waiting for human habitation.

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Btscbof Bruno v minsrg


This fact was not lost on Wenzel's brother Pfemygl, the Bohemian King Ottokar II. In an effort to enhance western influence and culture in his kingdom, the King charged Bruno von Schaumburg and Holstein with the responsibility of colonizing the vacant vistas in northeastern Moravia with German settlers. Bruno was appointed Bishop of Olomouc in 1247. Ottokar soon developed a fondness for him and Bruno became a favored churchman at Ottokar's court. In 1253, the King appointed him Chancellor. In this capacity Bruno acted as the king's ambassador abroad and colonizer of the Moravian Markgrafschaft (Margrave). Bruno maintained this position until his death in 1281.

It is evident that Bruno played a key role in opening Moravia to western settlers. He was the most prolific and successful bishop in Moravia. Not only do we know much about his origins, a wealth of information is known of his accomplishments. He has been given credit for creating a new and vigorous culture in Moravia.

Steger Bisdiefs Bruno was credited with founding over 200

Bruno vim Schaumburg villages and 12 cities under German city laws. Among these are Kremsier, Miiglitz and Zwittau (in Czech Svitavy, the latter known more recently as the hometown of Oskar Schindler). Each of these cities spawned dependent villages accountable to the city

clergy, who in turn was accountable to Bruno's Diocese of Ohniitz (Olomouc). Zwittau was settled around 1250 and furnished with a parish. The first villages founded were Hermersdorf in 1266 and Heinzendorf four years later in 1270. The founding documents for both Hermersdorf and Heinzendorf have survived to this day.

SETTLING OF THE SCHOENHENGST DISTRICT Bruno's German birth, possibly in 1205, in the area of today's Weserland, put him in an excellent position to convince his own countrymen and vassals to follow him to the Moravian Promised Land. He brought with him tradesmen, farmers and laborers, their wives, children and animals. Judging by his accomplishments, Bruno von Schaumburg was no slouch. He was an ambitious organizer who learned his métier well during his 12 years as Governor of Luebek and Hamburg. Documents discovered during the 1920's state that he sometimes "rolled up his sleeves" and accompanied these settlers on their treks to the intended villages.

THE LOKATOR AND HIS RESPONSIBILITIES Bruno would charge an agent, known as a "Lokator" (usually some trustworthy acquaintance from his German Weser homeland) on his own behalf with the responsibility of recruiting people for colonization. The Lokator sought those of good and young farming stock, who were suited for the hard work that lay before them, as well as assorted tradesmen to support a thriving farming community. He also prepared them for their journey. Once they reached their farm allotments, the land had to be cleared and prepared for the new agricultural pursuits, stables and barns constructed and houses (shacks) built for the families. The Lokator oversaw all this backbreaking activity.

The founding of a village would be documented in a brief issued by Bruno himself. The founding document for the village of Hermersdorf, one of the most noteworthy surviving documents of the German settlements in Moravia, exists today and remains in the hands of the family of the Erbrichters who had been the village judges for many centuries.

In this document Bruno proclaimed the name of the appointed individual, the benefits that came with the job and

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