Thanks for visiting my blog dedicated to the Kristufek surname and South Bohemian ancestry.
The Kristufek surname is a Czech variation of the name Christopher. As such, the surname is likely to have spontaneously come into use in different parts of Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary and therefore not everyone with the surname Kristufek is related.
This blog is primarily dedicated to the Kristufek surname and its origins in South Bohemia. In particular the towns of Talin, Smrkovice and Maletice. However, there were other locations where the surname Kristufek was common including Humpolec in Central Bohemia and Jablonica/Osuske in Western Slovakia.
If you are currently in the US and you have Kristufek in your family history, the part of the US you live in will help you in your genealogy search as different Kristufek families settled in different parts of the US.
If your Kristufek family can be traced to Illinois (especially Chicago), Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska, you are likely descended from Kristufeks of South Bohemia.
If your Kristufek family can be traced to New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, you are likely descended from Kristufeks of Western Slovakia, especially Jablonica and Osuske.
For more information, please join our Kristufek Genealogy Group on Facebook or email me and I will be happy to share whatever information I have. This blog also includes many pages with detailed information on many of the Kristufek family lines. Use the search box in the upper left hand corner to find additional information about your ancestors.
Friday, October 5, 2018
Saturday, June 4, 2016
South Bohemia Kristufek Surname Origins
The earliest known and confirmed direct ancestral line in South Bohemia of the surname Kristufek begins with the 1717 Protivin Census. In this digitized record, we see the arrival of Vit and Katarina Krystufek and their infant daughter Anna to the town of Talin, South Bohemia.
All subsequent Kristufek descendants documented through Talin and Smrkovice in South Bohemia as well as the Chicago Kristufeks who arrived in the US in the mid 1800s can trace their lineage directly back to Vit and Katarina Krystufek and their arrival in Talin, South Bohemia around 1717.
However, records indicate that the origin of the Kristufek/Krystufek line can be traced to the neighboring town of Selibov. In the 1687 Protivin Estate Record, the record lists children from "Haus dem Gottfried Christoff" or the "House of Bohumil Christoff. This is likely the earliest known Kristufek ancestor.
The 1687 Record lists Mattes and Eva Christoff and their daughter Veronika a few pages earlier and seem to indicate, based on how these estate records were laid out, that Mattes Christoff is the eldest son of Gottfried and Eva Christoff and the inheritor of his land. Later records indicate that Mattes was born around 1662 which would make him slightly older than the other children of Gottfried listed including Alzbeta (1663), Marianna (1668), Catharine (1671), Anna (1675) and Vit (1676).
The Selibov records for the Christoff family are consistent there from the 1693 record through the 1702 record and then don't recur in the next available record, the 1708 census when the Krystufeks appear for the first time in the Talin record. However, the Vit Krystufek, who arrives in Talin in 1717 and would have been a child during this time period, is not listed in the Selibov census records.
Beginning in 1708, a Mattes and Eva Krystufek and their daughters had been the only people with the Krystufek surname in Talin and the 1717 record shows Mattes and his family crossed out and replaced by Vit Krystufek and his family.
Records this old are often incomplete and occasionally inconsistent, and there is another example of someone (Jan Kristufek 1824-1913) from this family line who had birth and marriage records that clearly put them in the family line while never making an appearance in the census records as a child. However, the inability to make a direct connection in the record is troubling. So for the purposes of this work, the South Bohemian Kristufek line begins definitively with Vit and Katarina Krystufek though all indications are that Vit Krystufek is the son of Mattes Christoff/Krystufek and the grandon of Gottfried Christoff of Selibov.
The next earliest record before 1687 is 1652 and no Christoff or Krystufek names seem to appear. The Kristoff/Krystufek surname most likely had his origin in some locality not far from Selibov. Close by in the Strakonice area there are several Kristof families in Steken, Slanik and Rovna, all about 19 km away (roughly 12 miles). There are also other contemporary Kristoff families in the Podhradi area of Ceske Budejovice, about 41 km away (roughly 25 miles), which was a thriving central hub. However, subsequent marriages within the Krystufek family that involved neighboring towns tended to be in the area between Strakonice and Selibov in places like Putim, Kloub, Stetice and Skaly, which makes the area around Strakonice the most likely source of the family before 1700.
All subsequent Kristufek descendants documented through Talin and Smrkovice in South Bohemia as well as the Chicago Kristufeks who arrived in the US in the mid 1800s can trace their lineage directly back to Vit and Katarina Krystufek and their arrival in Talin, South Bohemia around 1717.
However, records indicate that the origin of the Kristufek/Krystufek line can be traced to the neighboring town of Selibov. In the 1687 Protivin Estate Record, the record lists children from "Haus dem Gottfried Christoff" or the "House of Bohumil Christoff. This is likely the earliest known Kristufek ancestor.
The 1687 Record lists Mattes and Eva Christoff and their daughter Veronika a few pages earlier and seem to indicate, based on how these estate records were laid out, that Mattes Christoff is the eldest son of Gottfried and Eva Christoff and the inheritor of his land. Later records indicate that Mattes was born around 1662 which would make him slightly older than the other children of Gottfried listed including Alzbeta (1663), Marianna (1668), Catharine (1671), Anna (1675) and Vit (1676).
The Selibov records for the Christoff family are consistent there from the 1693 record through the 1702 record and then don't recur in the next available record, the 1708 census when the Krystufeks appear for the first time in the Talin record. However, the Vit Krystufek, who arrives in Talin in 1717 and would have been a child during this time period, is not listed in the Selibov census records.
Beginning in 1708, a Mattes and Eva Krystufek and their daughters had been the only people with the Krystufek surname in Talin and the 1717 record shows Mattes and his family crossed out and replaced by Vit Krystufek and his family.
Records this old are often incomplete and occasionally inconsistent, and there is another example of someone (Jan Kristufek 1824-1913) from this family line who had birth and marriage records that clearly put them in the family line while never making an appearance in the census records as a child. However, the inability to make a direct connection in the record is troubling. So for the purposes of this work, the South Bohemian Kristufek line begins definitively with Vit and Katarina Krystufek though all indications are that Vit Krystufek is the son of Mattes Christoff/Krystufek and the grandon of Gottfried Christoff of Selibov.
The next earliest record before 1687 is 1652 and no Christoff or Krystufek names seem to appear. The Kristoff/Krystufek surname most likely had his origin in some locality not far from Selibov. Close by in the Strakonice area there are several Kristof families in Steken, Slanik and Rovna, all about 19 km away (roughly 12 miles). There are also other contemporary Kristoff families in the Podhradi area of Ceske Budejovice, about 41 km away (roughly 25 miles), which was a thriving central hub. However, subsequent marriages within the Krystufek family that involved neighboring towns tended to be in the area between Strakonice and Selibov in places like Putim, Kloub, Stetice and Skaly, which makes the area around Strakonice the most likely source of the family before 1700.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Kystufek Families of South Bohemia
Gottfried (Bohumil) Kristof and his wife Eva are the earliest known beginning to what we now know as the Kristufek surname of South Bohemia.
The earliest found record in the area is a death record for an Anna Kristofkova on Jan 20, 1672 in the town of Selibov, South Bohemia. Her relationship to Gottfried and Eva Kristof is unknown as the earliest census record for Selibov which records members of this family is in 1687. That 1687 census record lists members of the "House of Gottfried Kristof" which include wife Eva, daughters Alzbeta (24), Marianna (19), Catharina (16), Anna (12) and son Vit (11). It also lists earlier in the same census a likely son for Gottfried and Eva Kristof: Mattes Kristof, his wife Eva and their daughter Veronika (7).
The Kristof family members continue to appear in the Selibov census records through the 1702 record. Then, in the 1708 record, Mattes and Eva Kristof appear as Mattes and Eva Krystufek in the 1708 Census in Talin and in the 1713 Census, Mattes' brother Vit appears as Vit Krystufek with his wife Katarina Kahovec in her hometown of Maletice, where he had been listed as working in previous Selibov census entries.
Maletice Krystufek Surname
There is some surname confusion for the first forty years of the Krystufek family in Maletice. However this seems to have started with the arrival of Vit Krystufek in the 1713 Protivin Census, Vit on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine/Katarina Kahovec of Maletice. This Vit Krystufek would seem to Vit Christoff, born around 1676 to Gottfried and Eva Christoff in Selibov.
Vit Krystufek and Katarina Kahovec and their offspring are listed as Kahovec in subsequent census records for decades even though the birth index of the period record Krystufek births, starting with a Tomas Krystufek as early as 1714, which corresponds with their marriage. Then in the 1752 Protivin Census, the last name is crossed out and replaced with Krystufek, and it remains that way through the end of the Protivin Census in the 1828-1830 Census. In earlier records, the address is listed as the "House of Kahovec" which may be why they continued to be listed as Kahovec during this period until house numbering became common in the mid to late 1700s.
Talin Krystufek Surname
The appearance of Mattes and Eva Krystufek in 1708 is the first appearance of the surname in Talin, however, the arrival of Vit and Katarina Krystufek in 1717 is the true beginning of the Krystufek surname in Talin. That a different Vit and Katarina Krystufek was living in Maletice just three miles away is a bit confusing. It is most likely that the Vit Krystufek of Maletice is the younger brother of Mattes Krystufek and Vit Krystufek of Talin is Mattes' son.
Vit Krystufek of Talin was born around 1685 and had five children with his wife Katarina: Marianna (1718-1772), Vojtech (1725), Pavel (1728-1763), Georg (1729-1776) and Veronika (1732-1839). His son Vojtech continued the family line in Talin Bohemia. Vojtech's son Tomas Krystufek (1751-1809) wed Veronika Koza and had six children including Matej Krystufek in 1788 who is the father of four sons (Matej, Jan, Jakub and Frank) who came to Chicago in the mid 1800s. After Matej Krystufek Sr.'s death in 1837, and the remarriage of his second wife, Talin 18 became the primary residence of the descendants of Matej's sister Anna Krystufek Koza (1785).
For more details on the Krystufek family in Talin, see Earliest Krystufek Records: Talin 1708-1755.
Smrkovice Krystufek Family
Vit Krystufek of Talin's younger son Jiri/Georg Krystufek (1729-1776) moved to nearby Smrkovice at the time of his marriage to Dorota Keczlikova of Smrkovice. It was there that Georg spawned generations of Krystufek and Kristufek descendants through his son Jan Krystufek (1767-1833). His daughter Jana Krystufek also married Jacob Kadlecz there in a double wedding with her brother Jan on January 28, 1787.
There is a line of Georg Krystufek descendants in the US through Georg Krystufek's granddaughter Anna Krystufek (b. Aug 24, 1800) and the town of Hradiste, South Bohemia. Anna Krystufek and Josef Martinec of Hradiste, South Bohemia were married on January 11, 1825. Their grandsons through their son Tomas Martinec, Frank Joseph Martinec (Apr 1, 1876-1954) and John Joseph Martinec (1873-1945) settled in Charles Mix South Dakota in the late 1800s.
A second Hradiste Krystufek connection is with Josef Krystufek's 1845 marriage to Anna Martinec and the five children they had there. Josef Krystufek of Smrkovice is the son of Vaclav Krystufek and a great grandson of Georg Krytufek of Smrkovice. Anna Martinec is the niece of Josef Martinec, the husband of Anna Krystufek and Josef Krystufek is Anna Krystufek's nephew.
The earliest found record in the area is a death record for an Anna Kristofkova on Jan 20, 1672 in the town of Selibov, South Bohemia. Her relationship to Gottfried and Eva Kristof is unknown as the earliest census record for Selibov which records members of this family is in 1687. That 1687 census record lists members of the "House of Gottfried Kristof" which include wife Eva, daughters Alzbeta (24), Marianna (19), Catharina (16), Anna (12) and son Vit (11). It also lists earlier in the same census a likely son for Gottfried and Eva Kristof: Mattes Kristof, his wife Eva and their daughter Veronika (7).
The Kristof family members continue to appear in the Selibov census records through the 1702 record. Then, in the 1708 record, Mattes and Eva Kristof appear as Mattes and Eva Krystufek in the 1708 Census in Talin and in the 1713 Census, Mattes' brother Vit appears as Vit Krystufek with his wife Katarina Kahovec in her hometown of Maletice, where he had been listed as working in previous Selibov census entries.
Maletice Krystufek Surname
There is some surname confusion for the first forty years of the Krystufek family in Maletice. However this seems to have started with the arrival of Vit Krystufek in the 1713 Protivin Census, Vit on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine/Katarina Kahovec of Maletice. This Vit Krystufek would seem to Vit Christoff, born around 1676 to Gottfried and Eva Christoff in Selibov.
Vit Krystufek and Katarina Kahovec and their offspring are listed as Kahovec in subsequent census records for decades even though the birth index of the period record Krystufek births, starting with a Tomas Krystufek as early as 1714, which corresponds with their marriage. Then in the 1752 Protivin Census, the last name is crossed out and replaced with Krystufek, and it remains that way through the end of the Protivin Census in the 1828-1830 Census. In earlier records, the address is listed as the "House of Kahovec" which may be why they continued to be listed as Kahovec during this period until house numbering became common in the mid to late 1700s.
Talin Krystufek Surname
The appearance of Mattes and Eva Krystufek in 1708 is the first appearance of the surname in Talin, however, the arrival of Vit and Katarina Krystufek in 1717 is the true beginning of the Krystufek surname in Talin. That a different Vit and Katarina Krystufek was living in Maletice just three miles away is a bit confusing. It is most likely that the Vit Krystufek of Maletice is the younger brother of Mattes Krystufek and Vit Krystufek of Talin is Mattes' son.
Vit Krystufek of Talin was born around 1685 and had five children with his wife Katarina: Marianna (1718-1772), Vojtech (1725), Pavel (1728-1763), Georg (1729-1776) and Veronika (1732-1839). His son Vojtech continued the family line in Talin Bohemia. Vojtech's son Tomas Krystufek (1751-1809) wed Veronika Koza and had six children including Matej Krystufek in 1788 who is the father of four sons (Matej, Jan, Jakub and Frank) who came to Chicago in the mid 1800s. After Matej Krystufek Sr.'s death in 1837, and the remarriage of his second wife, Talin 18 became the primary residence of the descendants of Matej's sister Anna Krystufek Koza (1785).
For more details on the Krystufek family in Talin, see Earliest Krystufek Records: Talin 1708-1755.
Smrkovice Krystufek Family
Vit Krystufek of Talin's younger son Jiri/Georg Krystufek (1729-1776) moved to nearby Smrkovice at the time of his marriage to Dorota Keczlikova of Smrkovice. It was there that Georg spawned generations of Krystufek and Kristufek descendants through his son Jan Krystufek (1767-1833). His daughter Jana Krystufek also married Jacob Kadlecz there in a double wedding with her brother Jan on January 28, 1787.
There is a line of Georg Krystufek descendants in the US through Georg Krystufek's granddaughter Anna Krystufek (b. Aug 24, 1800) and the town of Hradiste, South Bohemia. Anna Krystufek and Josef Martinec of Hradiste, South Bohemia were married on January 11, 1825. Their grandsons through their son Tomas Martinec, Frank Joseph Martinec (Apr 1, 1876-1954) and John Joseph Martinec (1873-1945) settled in Charles Mix South Dakota in the late 1800s.
A second Hradiste Krystufek connection is with Josef Krystufek's 1845 marriage to Anna Martinec and the five children they had there. Josef Krystufek of Smrkovice is the son of Vaclav Krystufek and a great grandson of Georg Krytufek of Smrkovice. Anna Martinec is the niece of Josef Martinec, the husband of Anna Krystufek and Josef Krystufek is Anna Krystufek's nephew.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Earliest Krystufek Records: Talin 1708 - 1755
The earliest Chicago Kristufek family lines and the South Dakota Martinec family lines both trace their roots to the early 18th Century in a small town in Pisek district of South Bohemia called Talin. According to Wikipedia, Talin had a population of 165 in 2011 although in 1869, the population was as high as 349, with a modern peak of 366 in 1900.
The village of Talin was part of the Protivin Estate in the 18th century, which conducted an annual census. It is through these records, currently available in the Czech Digital Archives, that we find the earliest mention of this Krystufek family tree. Address numbers were not listed routinely in records until later in the 18th century, but it seems likely they were consistently living at Talin 18, the stated address the family occupied for decades there.
Before 1708, there are no mentions of the surname Krystufek in Talin or any of the other towns in the immediate area. Another Krystufek family line has a nearly simultaneous beginning in Maletice, a town about three miles away. This would seem to indicate that they might be related and also that they came from some other location, yet to be determined. The closest other contemporary Krystufek surname appearance is in Humpolec, south of Prague about 70 miles away. That is close by modern standards, but a lifetime away in the early 1700s, and outside the Protivin estates. And while numerous birth and marriage records have been found in Humpolec, none is a match for early Krystufek settlers in Talin.
1708 - Mattes Krystufek and family
This is the first record in Talin of a Krystufek family. Mattes, wife Eva and teenaged daughters Lidmilla (19) and Katarina (14) are listed as living together, while a Veronika Krystufek is also listed as living in Talin, although she is on a separate page ("Sirren") of the record. It is possible that The Krystufek family came to Talin specifically because they had a pregnant, unmarried daughter, but without more information, it is difficult to say.
1710 - Veronika Krystufek has a son, Jakub
In this annual census, Veronika is listed as having a son Jakub (3), no doubt out of wedlock, since no husband is listed at any point. Although she may be a widowed daughter-in-law who gave birth posthumously, it is more likely given the numerous other out of wedlock births in this family line that this is not the case. Mattes Krystufek is listed again separately with wife Eva and daughters Lidmilla and Katarina.
1717 - Vit Krystufek with wife Katarina and infant daughter Anna
Mattes Krystufek and his family are listed in other census records in between including the 1713 Census, the 1715 Census, and the 1716 Census. However in 1717, Mattes Krystufek and his family are crossed out and Vit Krystufek and his family are listed immediately below. This would seem to indicate Vit has taken over the farm. Age-wise, Vit would seem to be the son of Mattes Krystufek, but as yet no direct connection has been made and he hasn't been seen in other census data of the period before 1717. One assumes the Krystufeks came from somewhere else in Bohemia before this point, but as of now, there is no way to figure out the details. Vit Krystufek is the father of Vojtech Krystufek (the direct ancestor of the Chicago Kristufeks) and Georg/Jiri Krystufek (the direct ancestor of the South Dakota Martinecs) and this census record is the earliest known record directly linking to modern desendants.
1726 - Veronika's son Jakub dies at 19
Vit Krystufek (41) and his wife Katarina (35) are listed along with their growing family: Maryanna (8) and son Vojtech 1 1/12 who made his first appearance in the 1725 Census are still listed in Talin, along with Mattes Krystufek (64) who is further down on the next page. Veronika Krystufek's son, who, in the 1725 record is listed with a note about the neighboring town Zdar where he might have been working, is listed as dead at the age of 19.
1728 - Final Record of Mattes Krystufek
Mattes Krystufek (66) makes his final appearance in the 1728 Census. Presumably he died around this time period. Vit Krystufek (43) and his wife Katarina (37) are listed with their children: Marianna (10), Vojtech (3 1/2), and Pavel (1 1/2)
1730 Jiri/Georg Krystufek makes first appearance
In a 1729 Index Record, Jiri Krystufek's birth is noted and he makes his first census record appearance in the 1730 Protivin Census along with the rest of his family. Georg Krystufek married Dorota Keclik of Smrkovice on Oct 23, 1763 and lived there in Smrkovice until his death in 1776. Descendants of Georg and Dorota Krystufek later came to America as the South Dakota Martinec families.
1732 Veronika Krystufkova Begins Her Long Life
Vit and Katarina's daughter Veronika is born in 1732 according to an Index Record of her birth. Veronika never married and apparently lived an astonishing 107 years, with consistent appearances over the years in the annual census records and a record of her death on Mar 11, 1839 that lists her age then as 100.
1740 Daughter Marianna Krystufek is married
In the 1740 Protivin Census, daughter Marianna is listed as married to Ondrej Soucek. They are listed for many years in the census but never have any children.
May 29, 1747: Birth of Vojtech's son Vit Krystufek
While other births are noted in Index records, the earliest full records of births, deaths and marriages in Talin that are available online is a book covering the Protivin area from 1745-1757. The first record of a Krystufek ancestor there is the birth of Vit Krystufek to Vojtech Krystufek and his wife Alzbeta. The godparents are Vit Mar(?) of Selibov and Catharina Blaha of Talin. The Blaha family seems to be the primary farm family of the village, residing at Talin 1 during the same time period of the Krystufek family. Blaha family members are frequently listed as godparents (and vice versa) and at least one Krystufek was born at Talin 1 in the 1800s, all indicating that there is a long (but yet to be established) relationship between these two families.
1750 Vojtech Krystufek has taken over Talin 18
In the 1750 Protivin Census, Vojtech Krystufek (29) and his wife Alzbeta (32) are living with their three children: Vaclav (6), Vit (3), and Matej (1). Also listed in the census that year, Ondrej Soucek (39) and wife Marianna Krystufek Soucek (31) and near the end of the record, Vit and Katarina's other children: Pavel (22), Jiri/Georg (19) and Veronlika (17).
1751 Tomas Krystufek is born
Tomas Krystufek is born to Vojtech and Alzbeta Krystufek on Dec 10, 1751 in Talin. Tomas would eventually take over the family farm at Talin 18 and live there the rest of his life. His son Matej Krystufek, born in 1788, took over after his death in 1809 and four of Matej's sons emigrated to Chicago in the mid-1800s as the earliest Kristufek settlers there.
1755: Krystufek Death and Remarriage
On Feb 1, 1755, Vojtech Krystufek's wife Alzbeta died. Several months later, he remarried on May 11, 1755 to Anna Lesskovcz of Budějovická.
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| An Area Near Talin in the Pisek District of South Bohemia |
Before 1708, there are no mentions of the surname Krystufek in Talin or any of the other towns in the immediate area. Another Krystufek family line has a nearly simultaneous beginning in Maletice, a town about three miles away. This would seem to indicate that they might be related and also that they came from some other location, yet to be determined. The closest other contemporary Krystufek surname appearance is in Humpolec, south of Prague about 70 miles away. That is close by modern standards, but a lifetime away in the early 1700s, and outside the Protivin estates. And while numerous birth and marriage records have been found in Humpolec, none is a match for early Krystufek settlers in Talin.
1708 - Mattes Krystufek and family
This is the first record in Talin of a Krystufek family. Mattes, wife Eva and teenaged daughters Lidmilla (19) and Katarina (14) are listed as living together, while a Veronika Krystufek is also listed as living in Talin, although she is on a separate page ("Sirren") of the record. It is possible that The Krystufek family came to Talin specifically because they had a pregnant, unmarried daughter, but without more information, it is difficult to say.
1710 - Veronika Krystufek has a son, Jakub
In this annual census, Veronika is listed as having a son Jakub (3), no doubt out of wedlock, since no husband is listed at any point. Although she may be a widowed daughter-in-law who gave birth posthumously, it is more likely given the numerous other out of wedlock births in this family line that this is not the case. Mattes Krystufek is listed again separately with wife Eva and daughters Lidmilla and Katarina.
1717 - Vit Krystufek with wife Katarina and infant daughter Anna
Mattes Krystufek and his family are listed in other census records in between including the 1713 Census, the 1715 Census, and the 1716 Census. However in 1717, Mattes Krystufek and his family are crossed out and Vit Krystufek and his family are listed immediately below. This would seem to indicate Vit has taken over the farm. Age-wise, Vit would seem to be the son of Mattes Krystufek, but as yet no direct connection has been made and he hasn't been seen in other census data of the period before 1717. One assumes the Krystufeks came from somewhere else in Bohemia before this point, but as of now, there is no way to figure out the details. Vit Krystufek is the father of Vojtech Krystufek (the direct ancestor of the Chicago Kristufeks) and Georg/Jiri Krystufek (the direct ancestor of the South Dakota Martinecs) and this census record is the earliest known record directly linking to modern desendants.
1726 - Veronika's son Jakub dies at 19
Vit Krystufek (41) and his wife Katarina (35) are listed along with their growing family: Maryanna (8) and son Vojtech 1 1/12 who made his first appearance in the 1725 Census are still listed in Talin, along with Mattes Krystufek (64) who is further down on the next page. Veronika Krystufek's son, who, in the 1725 record is listed with a note about the neighboring town Zdar where he might have been working, is listed as dead at the age of 19.
1728 - Final Record of Mattes Krystufek
Mattes Krystufek (66) makes his final appearance in the 1728 Census. Presumably he died around this time period. Vit Krystufek (43) and his wife Katarina (37) are listed with their children: Marianna (10), Vojtech (3 1/2), and Pavel (1 1/2)
1730 Jiri/Georg Krystufek makes first appearance
In a 1729 Index Record, Jiri Krystufek's birth is noted and he makes his first census record appearance in the 1730 Protivin Census along with the rest of his family. Georg Krystufek married Dorota Keclik of Smrkovice on Oct 23, 1763 and lived there in Smrkovice until his death in 1776. Descendants of Georg and Dorota Krystufek later came to America as the South Dakota Martinec families.
1732 Veronika Krystufkova Begins Her Long Life
Vit and Katarina's daughter Veronika is born in 1732 according to an Index Record of her birth. Veronika never married and apparently lived an astonishing 107 years, with consistent appearances over the years in the annual census records and a record of her death on Mar 11, 1839 that lists her age then as 100.
1740 Daughter Marianna Krystufek is married
In the 1740 Protivin Census, daughter Marianna is listed as married to Ondrej Soucek. They are listed for many years in the census but never have any children.
May 29, 1747: Birth of Vojtech's son Vit Krystufek
While other births are noted in Index records, the earliest full records of births, deaths and marriages in Talin that are available online is a book covering the Protivin area from 1745-1757. The first record of a Krystufek ancestor there is the birth of Vit Krystufek to Vojtech Krystufek and his wife Alzbeta. The godparents are Vit Mar(?) of Selibov and Catharina Blaha of Talin. The Blaha family seems to be the primary farm family of the village, residing at Talin 1 during the same time period of the Krystufek family. Blaha family members are frequently listed as godparents (and vice versa) and at least one Krystufek was born at Talin 1 in the 1800s, all indicating that there is a long (but yet to be established) relationship between these two families.
1750 Vojtech Krystufek has taken over Talin 18
In the 1750 Protivin Census, Vojtech Krystufek (29) and his wife Alzbeta (32) are living with their three children: Vaclav (6), Vit (3), and Matej (1). Also listed in the census that year, Ondrej Soucek (39) and wife Marianna Krystufek Soucek (31) and near the end of the record, Vit and Katarina's other children: Pavel (22), Jiri/Georg (19) and Veronlika (17).
1751 Tomas Krystufek is born
Tomas Krystufek is born to Vojtech and Alzbeta Krystufek on Dec 10, 1751 in Talin. Tomas would eventually take over the family farm at Talin 18 and live there the rest of his life. His son Matej Krystufek, born in 1788, took over after his death in 1809 and four of Matej's sons emigrated to Chicago in the mid-1800s as the earliest Kristufek settlers there.
1755: Krystufek Death and Remarriage
On Feb 1, 1755, Vojtech Krystufek's wife Alzbeta died. Several months later, he remarried on May 11, 1755 to Anna Lesskovcz of Budějovická.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Czech Digital Archives
If you are descended from ancestors from South Bohemia, the Czech Digital Archives will be an amazing resource for you. However, if you are not fluent in Czech, German or Latin and don't enjoy reading very old handwriting, it may also be a source of frustration. So here are some of the kinds of records you will find and a bit of what to look for in each record.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tomas Krystufek (1751-1809)
Tomas Krystufek was a farmer who lived at #18 in the village of Talin in the Pisek District of South Bohemia from the mid 18th century to the early 19th centuiry. Born on Dec 10,1751, he was one of five sons of Vojtcech Krystufek and his first wife Alzbeta.
Tomas is significant to Talin 18 because his descendants, first through his son Matej and later through his older daughter Anna, lived at this house for most of the 19th Century. And he is the grandfather of at least four of the original Kristufek settlers in Chicago in the mid 1800s.
Tomas was married to Veronica Koza of Milenovice, South Bohemia (born 31 Dec 1758) and had at least six children of his own. Tomas Krystufek died on June 9, 1809. His known children were:
Alzbeta Krystufek (born about 1781 - 19 Mar 1843). Lived and died in Talin, never married. Had one known son Frantisek Krystufek (born 9 Oct 1813) with unknown man.
Anna Krystufek (22 Jul 1785 - 4 Jan 1847) Born in Talin. Married Matej Koza of Talin (Abt 1788 - 17 Feb 1847) on Feb 14, 1820. Anna and Matej had two known children Alzbeta Koza (22 Jul 1824) and Matej Koza. (21 Feb 1827). They lived at Talin 1 after marriage and both died there in the winter of 1847.
Matej Krystufek (20 Jan 1788 - 15 Dec 1837) Eldest son of Tomas and Veronica. Took over Talin 18 after death of father in 1809. Married Lidmilla Krjeci (16 Sep 1794 - 27 May 1829) of Chvaletice, South Bohemia on Feb 16, 1813, after the birth of their first child Jiri Krystufek (1812-1813). They had at least seven childrem, including Matej, Jakub and Jan, who came to Chicago. After Lidmilla's death in 1929 soon after the birth of their last child Alzbeta (6 May 1829- 13 Jun 1829), Matej remarried to Katarina Zofkova (14 Nov 1797 - Death date unknown) of Smrkovice on Jul 26, 1829. Matej and Katarina had at least two other children together: Rozina Krystufkova (1831-1872) who lived her whole life in Talin and Frantisek Krystyufek (17 May 1835 - 14 Feb 1915), who joined his half-brothers in Chicago.
Magdalena Krystufek (19 Jun 1790 - before 1843) never married but had two daughters with unknown men: Maria Krystufkova (19 Jan 1813) who married Vojtech Rines of Radcice on Feb 6, 1837 and Dorota Krystufkova (about 1818) who married Jan Hornik of Paseky on Sep 12, 1843 and had three children: Vaclav, Jan and Alzbeta. Hornik, all born in Paseky.
Ondrej Krystufek died on the day he was born at Talin 18: Nov 30, 1792.
Eva Krystyfek was born around 1796 and died, unmarried, at the age of 30 at Talin 18 on 2 Mar 1826.
Tomas is significant to Talin 18 because his descendants, first through his son Matej and later through his older daughter Anna, lived at this house for most of the 19th Century. And he is the grandfather of at least four of the original Kristufek settlers in Chicago in the mid 1800s.
Tomas was married to Veronica Koza of Milenovice, South Bohemia (born 31 Dec 1758) and had at least six children of his own. Tomas Krystufek died on June 9, 1809. His known children were:
Alzbeta Krystufek (born about 1781 - 19 Mar 1843). Lived and died in Talin, never married. Had one known son Frantisek Krystufek (born 9 Oct 1813) with unknown man.
Anna Krystufek (22 Jul 1785 - 4 Jan 1847) Born in Talin. Married Matej Koza of Talin (Abt 1788 - 17 Feb 1847) on Feb 14, 1820. Anna and Matej had two known children Alzbeta Koza (22 Jul 1824) and Matej Koza. (21 Feb 1827). They lived at Talin 1 after marriage and both died there in the winter of 1847.
Matej Krystufek (20 Jan 1788 - 15 Dec 1837) Eldest son of Tomas and Veronica. Took over Talin 18 after death of father in 1809. Married Lidmilla Krjeci (16 Sep 1794 - 27 May 1829) of Chvaletice, South Bohemia on Feb 16, 1813, after the birth of their first child Jiri Krystufek (1812-1813). They had at least seven childrem, including Matej, Jakub and Jan, who came to Chicago. After Lidmilla's death in 1929 soon after the birth of their last child Alzbeta (6 May 1829- 13 Jun 1829), Matej remarried to Katarina Zofkova (14 Nov 1797 - Death date unknown) of Smrkovice on Jul 26, 1829. Matej and Katarina had at least two other children together: Rozina Krystufkova (1831-1872) who lived her whole life in Talin and Frantisek Krystyufek (17 May 1835 - 14 Feb 1915), who joined his half-brothers in Chicago.
Magdalena Krystufek (19 Jun 1790 - before 1843) never married but had two daughters with unknown men: Maria Krystufkova (19 Jan 1813) who married Vojtech Rines of Radcice on Feb 6, 1837 and Dorota Krystufkova (about 1818) who married Jan Hornik of Paseky on Sep 12, 1843 and had three children: Vaclav, Jan and Alzbeta. Hornik, all born in Paseky.
Ondrej Krystufek died on the day he was born at Talin 18: Nov 30, 1792.
Eva Krystyfek was born around 1796 and died, unmarried, at the age of 30 at Talin 18 on 2 Mar 1826.
Son Matej Krystufek became the primary resident of Talin 18 after the death of Tomas in 1809. After the death of Matej in 1837 and the subsequent remarriage of Matej's second wife, Tomas' daughter Anna Krystufek Koza's family and their Salek descendants, through daughter Alzbeta Koza Tsalek/Salek) became the primary residents of Talin 18 for at least the next two decades.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Catherine "Katie" Kristufek (1857-1929)
Catherine "Katie" Kristufek was born in Chicago, Illinois on Nov 24, 1857, the fifth of seven known children of Jan Kristufek and Anna Jelinek. Katie grew up at 171 Dekoven, near the corner of Desplaines, where her father owned a grocery store and later a saloon. On the night of the Great Fire in 1871, she told her descendants that she had buried her jewelry in the yard before her family fled into the night.
The house was undamaged by the fire which started on their street at 137 Dekoven but burned north and away from their address. But by 1875, she was living at 487 S. Canal Street a few blocks away in an apartment house her father had built in 1868 and had been the home of Vaclav and Catherine Donat, the in-laws of her older sister Anna Kristufek (1855-1931). An 1875 City Directory lists her at that address and working as a milliner. On October 26, 1875, she married a butcher six years her senior named Frank Gross, who had been born in Hodina, Bohemia on Nov 28, 1851.
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| Frank and Katie Gross 1875 Wedding Portrait |
The brewery business, for whatever reason, did not last long. Joseph Kristufek went quickly back to Chicago, married and moved with his new wife to New York City. Frank Lepsa turned to local politics and banking, while his brother continued on in the area as a boilermaker and amateur boxer.
Frank Gross went back to being a butcher, opening a successful meat market in Wahoo, which remained his occupation until he retired in 1904 and a business he passed down to his oldest son, John Frank Gross (1878-1967) who had joined him in it in 1896.
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| Frank and Katie Gross with three of their children: Sylvia, John Frank and Georgiana |
In addition to John Frank Gross who married Elizabeth Woodward on Aug 7, 1911 in Denver, Katie and Frank also had a daughter Sylvia Gross (1876-1938) who married Albert Oscar Zerrenner, two sons who died as infants Frankie (1883-1886) and Eddie (1885-1888) and a daughter Georgiana Gross (1892-1943) who never married.
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| John Frank Gross, wife Elizabeth Woodward, and their three children around 1922 |
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| Frank and Katie Gross later in life. |
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