Things I am Curious About

 The weekly prompt from @AmyJohnsonCrow and #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks is "Curious".  I don't think you get into family history research without being curious!  

I want to know so much about my Czech Moravian ancestors - what was their life like?  

Why did they decide to come across an ocean to America?  

What did they hope to find, do, experience here?  

What were their dreams, hopes, and goals?  

Did they make their dreams come true? 

I'd love to see where they lived one day, as it is likely that the area is not changed very much due to communism.  I would love to see the cemeteries, churches, schools they went to. I would especially love to find distant cousins who may still live there!  

I wonder if they ever thought of their descendants - what we would be like?  

If we would forget the language (we have)?

If we would continue traditions (we have not)?

I wonder what they would tell us to do, things that would help us, continue our Czech-ness, our Moravian-ness?  

Curiosity keeps me digging for more roots. 

"Foundations"

There is a yearly challenge by Amy Johnson Crowe to write about something related to family history each week.  I have signed up to do it every year for 3-4 years and I have never written anything.  I do enjoy reading what others have written.  I decided to give it a try this year! 

The first prompt is "Foundations".  Other than a few hymns that pop up in my mind when I think of that word, I think of foundation as the earliest ancestor I know.  I have written a post about that ancestor, John (Jon) Frantisek Holy, as well as some of the Marek ancestors that go much farther back. 

I want to go back to Jiri, or George as he was called after coming to America.  He really is my foundation person that I know with solid evidence he was my great-great grandfather.  It is one thing to see things on paper about him, but when I look at him in this photo, one of the only ones we have, he really seems to come alive to me. He was so tall for a Czech-Moravian! and his sweet wife Francis Drgac Holy was so cute and little!  I just love them so much even though I have never met them.  

This is a photo of them on their porch in Crosby, Texas where they lived much of their married life.  I still live in Crosby as well as my parents, and my grandparents and great grandparents did as well.  Our town has changed, but this foundation ancestor was a big part of it's up and coming as a community.  He had a farm, was a founder and trustee of the Crosby State Bank, and was part of the community's business dealings.  With 11 children, they have hundreds of decedents who still remain in the Crosby area. Most of whom I do not even know.  So this is my "Foundation" as an American, as a pillar of our community, and as a wonderful looking man that I hope to meet and talk to in Heaven one day. 

 

Where do the Marek's fit in with the Holy Family?

Our Marek Ancestors

Before Francis Drgac married into the Holy family, Her mother, Rosalie Marek was born to Vincent and Theresa Rypl Marek.  

Vincent and Theresia Marek arrived in the United States  via the Port of Galveston, Texas on the ship called the Texas, on December 14, 1867.  They brought with them their children, Anna age 17, Rosalie age 13, Theresia age 26, and Emilie age 2.  Vincent was listed as a weaver; however, a distant Marek relation, Martha Daniels, has discovered that the Mareks were blacksmiths.  A news article from the "Galveston Daily News" the following day had an article called "New Immigrants".

     "The Bark Texas, from Bremen, entered our port on yesterday with some 200 Germans (51 were 

      actually Czech), who intend settling in our state.  We are pleased to learn that these immigrants 

      are in good health.  We like to see the population of Texas being increased by such thrifty and 

      industrious people. There is abundance of room yet in the state for a few more of the same sort. 

      We presume these people will soon start for the interior, where they will find the best of farming 

      facilities."

Vince and family did move farther in and established their home in the Six Mile community south of Victoria, Texas near Port LaVaca. They remained in the community and were successful in farming. 

The family was further extended by the immigration of Theresia's mother, and Vincent's brothers.  The family are buried in the cemetery at Six Mile.  

Research shared from Martha Daniels provides quite an extensive line:

 - Benes Marek b. 1520

   - Vondra Marek (Markee) b. 1561

     - Jira Markee b. 1626 (in registry records)

      ( - Jirik Marek )

        - Vaclav Marek b 1660

          - Joseph Marek b. 1703

            - Joseph Marek b. 1748

              - Joseph Marek b. 1772

                - Vincec Marek (Vincent) b. 1819 - our immigrating ancestor!  

Vincent Marek b. October 1819 in Cermne, Czech; d. 6 Nov 1902 in Marekville, Texas

Married to 

Theresa Rypl(ova) b. 1819, Nepomuky, East Bohemia; d. unknown

    - Teresie b. 1840 in Cermne

    - Anna b. 1850 in Cermne

    - Rosalie b. 1855 in Cermne

    - Emilie b. 1863 in Cermne

Rosalie Marek married John Drgac, whose family also settled in Six Mile.  They had 8 children, including Francis b. 1879, who married George Holy in 1896.  

And that is our Holy-Marek family connection via the Drgac family!  

  

This post was made 2 years ago when I decided to make Kolache for the first time in at least 10 years!  I have since started a perpetual Bake Sale to raise money for my daughter's dance expenses called - Holy Rolls!  Named for the Holy family of course (ours - not The Holy family! )  Here is the blog I thought it was pretty good... 

I'm typing this as I wait for my dough to rise, the 1st time. It will have to rise 2 more times before baking. I know this because, contrary to my family's skepticism, I do know what I am doing! It has been a very long time since I have baked this yummy Czech speciality, but, as a good cook/baker does, I gave myself all the tips and hints from my past blunders, so I would not make the same mistakes as I did when I was a novice.

Kolache are near and dear to my heart, not just because they are one of the best things you could ever eat (and no...they are not what is being sold at donut shops!), but because they are what my great grandma would make. Grandma Holy (yes..that's my mom's family name on her dad's side, and they have heard probably every joke there is) would have a kitchen full of all kinds of kolaches for Christmas, and sometimes on other occasions. There would mot be a counter or other kitchen surface that would not have a boxlid full of kolache. She knew everyone's favorite and we had more than enough to take home with us. They were like edible treasures, all the gift we needed from her.

I know I will always be a "novice" no matter how many times I make these ancestral treats, and that's ok. As long as I can show that I can make them, and they are yummy, that's all the affirmation I need. :)

So now, I have 44 apricot kolaches rising for the last time! In my hour wait, I'm making dough for prune (yuck) and poppyseed, then I'll make my last batch of dough for the cheese kolaches (yum!).

I have about 136 altogether! It's a good thing Aunt Kathy, Lanette, Jake and Jim came by. They got a care package for the road as well as some with coffee that were hot put of the oven.

I need to find space for all these buns!!

Marriage Certificate of George and Francis Holy

The earliest, verified, Holy ancestor is George, or Jiri, Holy who married Francis Drgac on 14 Nov 1896, in Merle, Burleson Co., Texas.  Francis was born in Texas and the Drgac family was well established in Calhoun Co. Texas. 

This photocopy is from the Holy family Bible that my Aunt Betty gave me.  

In the beginning...

Couldn't help myself with the title. Our family has been teased often regarding the Holy surname. Of course, this is my mother's name, so I did not suffer.

Our Holy family history begins in Zadverice, Moravia where Jiri Viktor (George Victor) Holy was born in 1873. I am not certain, but I believe his parents were named Frank and Marie. George came to the USA in 1888 when he was 15 years old. His initial entry point may have been different, but he made his way into Galveston, Texas. In 1896, George married Frances (Frantiska) Drgac in Caldwell, Texas. This area was inhabited by many Czech families who would immigrate from the same town and settle in the same place when they arrived in America. George petitioned the court for Naturalization in 1900 in Calhoun County. he either did not complete the naturalization process (that took between 3-5 years) or he did so in another county in Texas. I have a copy of the origional petition and a copy of the 1910 census showing the family in Calhoun Co.

The Holy's moved to Six Mile, Texas, just north of Port Lavaca. Frances' family lived in that same area, as did the Mareks (who would marry into the family later). George bought land from the Drgac's and that is where their children were born: Bennie (Henry Benjamin), Adolf Cornelius (A.C. - my great grandfather), Matilda, Vlasta, Millie, Albina, Sidonia (Sidie), George Jr, John, Arthur, and Frances. I have land records regarding the purchase.

George probably had at least two brothers that I believe were named Joseph and Jan.

The Holy's later moved to Crosby, Harris County (east of Houston), Texas. My family continues to live in Crosby today and I am the 4th generation to attend and graduate from Crosby High School. George died in 1956 after retiring. He had cancer and committed suicide to prevent his illness from burdening the family. Frances died ten years later in 1966. They are buried in the SPJST (Czech) cemetary on FM 1942.