Jozef BERAN [Parents] was born about 1746 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika. Jozef married Marie SLADKOVÁ about 1771 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika. This relationship has been challenged.

The years are way off, so link comes into question.  SRE 26 Nov 2008

Marie SLADKOVÁ was born about 1750 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika. Marie married Jozef BERAN about 1771 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika.

Matek KŘIŽ was born about 1768 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika. Matek married Anna BERANOVÁ about 1793 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika.

Anna BERANOVÁ [Parents] was born about 1772 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika. Anna married Matek KŘIŽ about 1793 in of, Zborovy (Plánice parish), Klatovy, Čechy, Česká republika.

Matěj KŘÍŽ was born on 21 Feb 1820 in Cepinec, Plzen jih, Česká republika. He died on 21 May 1906 in Neurazy, Plzen jih, Česká republika. He was buried on 23 May 1906 in Neurazy cemetery, Česká republika. Matěj married Anna BERAN about 1870 in of, Neurazy, Plzen jih, Česká republika.

Matěj worked as Cottager and Tailor. He was a member of Roman Catholic.

DEATH: 86 years 3 months, High age

Cepinec #2, Plzen jih, Czech Republic is birth res.  Neurazy #36, Plzen jih, Czech Republic is death res.

Matej Krz was the son of Blazej Kriz and Katerina Spala. Matej married Anna Beran.

He was born in Cepinec house #2 on 21 February 1820 and baptized the same day by Antonn Popp from the parish church in Zinkovy. His father was listed as Blazej Kr’z, son of Pavel Kr’z a farm hand in Cepinec and mother Anna Proch‡ska from Kokorov house #11.  Both Cepinec and Kokorov are within a couple of kilometers of Zinkovy. Matej's mother was Katerina, daughter of deceased Jiri Spol, a wheel maker in Krhanice in the domain of Konopiste, and of mother Ludmila Schmukert from Chvojanov house 1 also in the Konopiste domain. The midwife was Ludmila Cyzl from Petrovice.

Matej became a cottager and tailor living in Neurazy house #36. Neurazy is a small village of about 400 people located about 45 km south southeast of Pilsen and 5 km south west of Nepomuk. Cepinec is a smaller village 5 km northwest of Neurazy close to Zinkovy. It contains a few dozen homes and sits on a damned stream feeding a mill. He died on 21 May 1906 of "high age" of 86 years 3 months. Last rights were administered on April 27 by priest Jan Blaha. At the time of his death he was a tailor and was buried two days later in the cemetery in Neurazy.

Anna BERAN [Parents] was born on 17 Jan 1829 in Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika. She died on 19 Oct 1917 in Neurazy, Plzen jih, Česká republika. She was buried on 21 Oct 1917 in Neurazy cemetery, Česká republika. Anna married Matěj KŘÍŽ about 1870 in of, Neurazy, Plzen jih, Česká republika.

Anna was a member of Roman Catholic.

Klikarov #24, Plzen jih, Èeská republika is birth res.  Neurazy #36, Plzen jih, Èeská republika is death res.

Anna Beran was the daughter of Josef Beran and Marie Sladek.  She married Matej Kriz. They had two known children.

Klikarov is the first small village on the northwest road leading from Neurazy toward Cepinec. Both Cepinec and Klikarov have less than 100 people. Lovcice is 3 km south of Neurazy. She died on 19 October 1917 in Neurazy house #36 due to the high age of 88 years, 9 months, and 2 days. Father Josef Vales performed last rights on October 16 and she was buried on 21 October in the Neurazy cemetery.

Josef BERAN [Parents] was born about 1803 in of, Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika. He died before 1868 in Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika. Josef married Marie SLÁDKOVÁ about 1828 in of, Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika.

Josef worked as Cottager living in Klikarov house #24. He was a member of Roman Catholic.

DEATH: Y

Josef Beran was the son of Matej Beran and Katerina Potuznik. He married Marie Sl�dek.  

He was a cottager living in Klikarov house #24. Klikarov is the first small village, 1-2 km distant, on the north west road leaving the village of Neurazy. His death record could not be found in the Register of Deaths SM 1489, Catholic Parish of Neurazy 1839-1878 or the Register of Deaths no. 24 Catholic Parish Neurazy 1879-1920.

Marie SLÁDKOVÁ was born about 1807 in Lovcice, Plzen jih, Česká republika. She died before 1868 in Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika. Marie married Josef BERAN about 1828 in of, Klikarov, Plzen jih, Česká republika.

Marie was a member of Roman Catholic.

DEATH: Y

Marie Sladkova was the daughter of Matek Sl�dek and Katerina. She married Josef Beran and had one known child. The female form of Sl�dek is Sl�dkov�.

She was a cottager's daughter from the village of Lovcice.  Lovcice is the first village 3 km down the southern road out of Neurazy. Her death record was looked for but not found in the Register of Deaths SM 1489 Catholic Parish Neurazy 1839-1878 and the Register of Deaths no 24 Catholic Parish Neurazy 1879-1920. Perhaps she died in Klikarov between 1829-1839.

James SVEC [Parents] was born on 23 Jul 1898 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA. He died on 09 Nov 1988 in Cicero, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA. He was buried in Queen of Heaven, Hillside, Illinois, United States of America, USA. James married Cecilia KOSTAZRAK on 02 Nov 1932 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA.

James worked as Worked for Al Capone and Diamond T trucks. He was educated at Grammar school. He was a member of Roman Catholic.

James Svec was the son of Vaclav Svec and Anna Marie Kriz. On 2 November 1932 when James was 32, he married Cecilia Kostazrak, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

James Svec was born V�clav Svec according to his birth certificate and the 1900 census. He was baptized at St. Vitus in Chicago and his godparents were Joseph and Marie Svec. He had attended school through 3rd grade. In 1920, he was 20 and was a clerk at the railroad office. At the time of the WW I draft registration, he worked as a clerk for the Chicago Wabash railroad at Grand Avenue. He lived at 1510 W 19th Street, his nearest relative was Mary at 1500 W 19th Street. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair.  In 1930, he lived with his parents at 2729 Crawford Avenue and worked as a office clerk at a truck factory.

James held various blue collar jobs including bare fisted boxer, and worked in the parts division for Diamond T making trucks. Diamond T produced ÒThe Cadillac of TrucksÓ and was one of the major truck manufacturers from 1911 through 1966. The White Motor company bought the company in 1958 and moved production to Lansing Michigan. James quit before the plant closed and after that he worked part time as a night security guard at Marshall Fields. He only owned one car, a Cadillac in the 1930s that he used to run alcohol for Al Capone with his brother Joseph. Typically he used public transportation or just walked to work. Thomas Svec remembers his family getting together on Sundays at Aunt MaeÕs house with Joseph and Eddie joining in. He does not remember much from the visits because the adults would talk in Bohemian. James and Cecilia lived for a number of years at 5212 W 30th street in Cicero starting in 1960. The two-flat apartment was located behind the Hawthorn Fire Department. The second apartment was always occupied by famiy, first Jim and his wife, then Rich and his first wife, followed by Tom and finally Dorothy and her family.  He died at the age of 90.

Cecilia KOSTAZRAK was born on 15 Aug 1905 in Wolluski, Russia, Polska. She died on 20 Dec 1985 in Cicero, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA. She was buried on 23 Dec 1985 in Queen of Heaven, Hillside, Illinois, United States of America, USA. Cecilia married James SVEC on 02 Nov 1932 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA.

Cecilia worked. She immigrated on 23 Jan 1910 to New York, New York. She worked as Cleaning woman. She was a member of Roman Catholic.

OCCUPATION: Orphaned as a child1  _MDC Alzheizer, heart troubles

Cecilia Kostazrak was the daughter of Jacob Kostazrak and Gedveda Bobuiski. Cecilia married James Svec on 2 November 1932 and they had five children.

After her father abandoned the family and her mother died, she and her sister were in foster homes. According to her naturalization papers and a copy of church records, she received Holy Communion at St. Ann's (Chicago - on Cermak Road) in 1916 and Confirmation in 1918. According to records she was born in Russia but she always considered herself and spoke Polish. Poland as a separate country did not exist in 1905 and was considered part of Russia.

She was naturalized on October 14, 1943 in Chicago. The certificate of arrival from the US Department of Justice lists her port of entry as New York, New York, on January 23, 1910, on board the ÒSS unknownÓ (Certificate of Arrival no. 11 R 355157, July 29 1943, from National Archives, Great Lakes Region, Chicago). The SS. Napolitan Prince arrived that day from Rotterdam with Russian immigrants. Her and both parents place of birth and native tongue listed as Polish. In 1920 she was working on the farm of Robert and Mary Oburn as a servant. The farm was located in section 29, Wilton Township, Will County. At this time her last name was listed as Higgins, a last name she shared with her sister. In 1930, she was a resident at the House of the Good Shepherd in Chicago.  Her age was listed as 26 and her birth and that of her parentÕs was Poland. The House was located at 1240 Grace Street and was operated by an order of nuns as a shelter for delinquent and dependent women.

The spelling of her last name and the town are not certain.  Possible spellings of her last name include Kosturak, Kostazrak, Kostazarek, Koziarek, Koszarek, Kosarek. First name in Polish would be Cecylia or Cecylja. Willuski or Wolluski does not appear on any web searches but there is a Wolski forest near Krakow. Other possibilities from http://data.jewishgen.org/wconnect/wc.dll?jg~jgsys~shtetlexp5 include
Waliska =52¡¡04' 21¡¡48' =58.2 kilometers ESE of Warszawa
Waliska =51¡¡36' 20¡¡38' = 76.5 kilometers SSW of Warszawa
Wollisko, Wolisko Wielkie =53¡¡29' 21¡¡52' =148.9 kilometers NNE of Warszawa
Wol?oszki =51¡¡58' 23¡¡31' =174.6 kilometers E of Warszawa
Wolskie =52¡¡13' 20¡¡43' =19.6 kilometers W of Warszawa
Wolsko =53¡¡06' 17¡¡03' =282.4 kilometers WNW of Warszawa
To place on a map: http://mapa.szukacz.pl/. Since she was from the Russian port of Poland, it is roughly the northeast part of the current Poland.

She worked for a number of years as a cleaning woman at Western Electric  until she could retire at age 65. She died in 1985 at the age of 80 after a long battle with Alzheimer and is buried in Queen of Heaven in Hillside Illinois.

Certificate of Naturalization, no 5851772, petition no 292293
"Personal description on date of naturalization: Age 38 years; sex female; color white; complexion fair; color of eyes brown; color of hair; brown; height 5 feet 2 inches; weight 118 pounds; visible distinctive marks pock marks on face; marital status married; former nationality Russian... District Court of Law ... Chicago ... October 14, 1943, residing at 2235 South Avers Avenue Chicago Illinois."

Václav SVEC was born on 06 Sep 1870 in Radnice, Rokycany, Česká republika. He died on 04 Jul 1943 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA. He was buried on 07 Jul 1943 in Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, USA. Václav married Anna Marie KŘÍŽ in 1894 in Illinois, United States of America, USA.

Václav immigrated in 1888. He worked as Talley man for lumberyard. He was a member of Roman Catholic.

BIRTH: Radnice 117  _MDC Generalized Arteriosclerosis

Vclav Svec was the son of Vaclav Svec and Marie Filip. In 1894 Vaclav married Anna Marie Kriz in Illinois.

He was born in the Bohemia town of Radnice located in the district of Rokycany, several miles to the north and east of Plzen (Pilsen). Radnice had about 3000 people at that time. The family lived for several generations in house number 117. V‡clav immigrated to the United States in 1888 when he was 18-years old for unknown reasons. We do not have information about which ship he traveled on, which ports he traveled through, if any of his family accompanied him, or how he made it to Chicago. There is a record of a V‡clav Svec immigrating through Baltimore in 1889 at the age of 18 (Czech Immigration Passenger Lists volume IX, p. 174.) He did have an older brother Josef and a sister Mary. Josef appears to have immigrated in 1882 and probably helped V‡clav immigrate. During this time, large numbers of Bohemians were settling in Chicago. In 1894, Zeman noted ÒIt is now estimated that there are from sixty to seventy thousand Bohemians in the city; and Chicago has the distiction of containing within itself the third largest city of Bohemians in the world.Ó

We know from census records he married Bohemian immigrant, Mary Kr’z, in 1894 when he was 23 and she 24 year old. They had their first child in the summer of 1895. By the turn of the century, the family had grown to include two boys and one girl. They rented a house at 1001 West 18th Place in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. He was working as a laborer in a lumberyard. The Pilsen neighborhood had numerous lumberyards.

The family attended St. Vitus Catholic Church located at 1818 S. Paulina Street in Chicago. The children's names were Czech but eventually became Americanized.  Mary Anna was the first to be born in 1895. Josef (Joseph) was born next. V‡clav (James) was born in 1898 followed by Rosalie (Rose) in 1902. Bozena (Bessie) was born in1905 followed by Edward in 1910 and Vilem (William) in 1912. Bozena and Vilem shared the same godmother, Marie Slunecho, who was probably V‡clav's sister. Josef, Rosalie, Bozena and Vilem baptismal records have been found at St. Vitus (E-mail from Ezeebones@aol.com to mlsvec@aol.com, February 2, 2001 concerning her search of the St. Vitus church records). St. Vitus closed but the building is still standing.

In 1905 the family lived at 965 19th Street in a 3 story flat built in 1888 and by 1920, the family rented a home at 1500 West 19th Street in Chicago. V‡clav had not been naturalized as a citizen and was still working as a laborer for a lumberyard.

By 1920, he was also going by James instead of V‡clav. Capek (p. 117) notes ÒNo name has causes its bearer greater discomfiture than V‡clav. V‡clav, be it remembered, is one of the patron saints of Bohemia. An ancient hymn which is still sung in the Catholic churches involves  ÔHoly V‡clav, Duke of Bohemian Land,Õ to save his countrymen from extermination. Somehow or other the American V‡clavs - St. V‡clav has a host of namesakes on both sides of the ocean - are not content with the name. A number of milder malcontents have given it a German or Latin form: Wenzel, Venceslas, Venceslaus; the majority, though figuratively speaking, have thrown V‡clav overboard, assuming in lieu of it William, Wesley, Wendel, James, according to the fancy of the bearer.Ò  According to the census, we has able to speak English but not able to read or write.

Their son William died in 1928 at the age of 15 year, 11 months after a short illness. After he was buried in Bohemian National Cemetery, V‡clav bought the surrounding lots. The 1930 census showed James and Marie Svee (sic) living at 2729 S. Crawford, renting for $27 a month from John Cermak. Crawford was renamed Pulaski in 1952. He was 60, she 61, and were not working. Both were not working and still aliens. Living with them were their sons James, Edward, and his sister Marie. Both James and Edward worked at a truck factor. Marie was 64, married at 22, naturalized, immigrated in 1895, and working as a tailor. James died in 1943 after 4 months stay at the Chicago State Hospital because of a coronary thrombosis or blockage of the coronary artery.  He had still been working as a talley man at a lumberyard. The family lived at 2727 South Avers Street in Chicago. He was buried in the family lot next to his son William in Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. Obituary was printed in Denni Hlasatel, one of ChicagoÕs Czech newspapers.

Anna Marie KŘÍŽ [Parents] was born on 25 Dec 1871 in Neurazy, Plzen jih, Česká republika. She died on 07 Nov 1962 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, USA. She was buried on 10 Nov 1962 in Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago Illinois, USA. Anna married Václav SVEC in 1894 in Illinois, United States of America, USA.

Anna immigrated on 15 Jul 1890 to New York arriving on the ship Werra. She was a member of Roman Catholic.

Neurazy #36 is birth res

Anna Marie Krz was the daughter of Matej Krz and Anna Beran. She married Vaclav Svec in 1894 in Illinois. She had seven children.

Mary Krz was born on Christmas day 1871 in the small Bohemian village of Neurazy. She was born Anna Kr’z, but her godmother was Marie Vladar which entitled her to use the name Marie. She was born in house #36 and had at least one younger sister also named Marie. It is not know why she chose to go by her godmother's name instead of her given name.  

Kr’z in Czech means cross. The Czech female form of her last name is Kr’zova.  Neurazy is in the district of South Plzen (Plzen jih), 35 km or about 1 hour by train south and east of the city of Plzen (Pilsen). Nepomuk is the nearest town about 6 km north. Neurazy is a small village of about 400 people and contains a church and cemetery.

She immigrated to the United States on July 15, 1890 at the age of 20 (Marie Kr’z, rol #551 Ship Werra Ship # 1020 NY arrival 1890 0715 line #543, NY Immigrants Austria, Galicia, Poland, 1890).  Ellis Island was not yet opened so she would have been received at Castle Gardens. She arrived on board the steamship Werra. The ship was of iron construction with 2 funnels and 4 masts and capable of 17 knots. It sailed from Bremen Germany with an additional stop at Southampton England. She was one of 581 passengers and like most of the passengers, was in steerage. The passenger list shows she was from Austria, and had one piece of luggage. Bohemia was part of the Austrian Empire. No other family traveled with her.

On her daughter Mae's birth certificate, Mary's last name was changed to Marik. There was a V‡clav Svec and a Mary Marikova that were married in Cook County on November 25, 1894. All other references to Mary's name were Kr’z, so it is unknown why the birth certificate was changed.

Mary was very short and never really mastered English. After V‡clav died in 1943, she moved in with her daughter Mae Hrodey who lived at 4130 W 25th Place. She remained with her until her death at age 93 (Ollie Holmberg, Letter to Michael Svec, 29 June 1995 [Letter and enclosed photographs are in possession of the author.]). ÒThe family life, like that of all Slavonic peoples, is very affectionate. . . The Bohemian women are clean and thrifty, economical housekeepers, and very good cooks. They know the art of making a little go far; and this enables them to feed large families with comparatively meager sums.Ó Page 121.

"Svec
Mary Svec, nee Kr’z, beloved wife of the late James; dear mother of Mae Hrodey, Rose Straka, Bessie Luther, Joseph, James, and Edward Svec; mother in law of Arthur Luther, Anna, Cecila and Mary Svec; grandmother of 13, great grandmother of 23. Funeral Saturday November 10 at 8:45 am from H Marik Sons Chapel, 2534 S. Pulaski Road to Epiphany Church for 9:30 mass. Internment family lot."  Mary Svec obituary, Chicago Daily Tribune, Friday November 9, 1962, sec 4, D-10.