19th Century Kristufek Families Of Chicago

The start of my research into the history of the Kristufek family began with attempts to sort out the different Kristufek families in Chicago. When I started looking at existing family trees on Ancestry.com, I noticed a lot of confusion. So many families had similar names, it was easy to get it all confused. What I discovered was that there were six distinct lines in Chicago, four clearly related and two mysteries still to be determined. Here are the six family lines in Chicago:

Other US Kristufek Lines

While this site is primarily dedicated to the Kristufek/Krystufek lines of South Bohemia that came to Chicago, Illinois in the mid to late 19th Century, other Kristufek families arrived in the US, settling in other parts of the country. These Kristufek ancestors arrived mostly in the US later, between 1880 and the start of WWI in 1914 (which one notable exception).

So far, no direct links have been established between these families, but here is some of what information is known:

Close Cousins: Four In A Row!

As I mentioned in other posts, as I have dug through the Czech Digital Archives, I have begun to suspect that almost everyone from this area was related by blood or marriage by the end of the 19th century. To prove the point, I will take a single entry from one of the baptismal books from the area.

On October 28th (my birthday), Alzbeta Becvar was born to Jan Becvar and Marie Kerlik. Jan Becvar's sister Anna Becvar married her cousin Josef Becvar and their son, also named Josef Becvar married Terezie Kerlik (another distant cousin through Marie Kerlik) in 1921. Terezie's mother Anna Krystufek Kerlik is the daughter of Anton Krystufek on Smrkovice and the granddaughter of Tomas Krystufek and Anna Vlasky of Smrkovice.

On October 31, 1891, Tomas Matej Hala was born at #51, Putim, South Bohemia to Matej Hala and Katerina Smola. Matej Hala's mother, Magdalena Krystufek, was the daughter of Tomas Krystufek and Anna Vlasky of Smrkovice.

The next day, on November 1, 1891, Jan Nepomuk Felbab was born in nearby Hradiste, South Bohemia  at #27 to Frantisek Felbab and Marie Krystufek. Marie Krystufek Felbab was the daughter of Josef Krystufek and the granddaughter of Vaclav Krystufek, all of Smrkovice. Vaclav Krystufek was the older brother of Tomas Krystufek, who married Anna Vlasky.

Then on November 2, 1891, at #24 Hradiste, practically next door to the Felbab household, Barbara Kapar was born to Frantisek Kaspar and Barbora Krystufek. Barbora was also the daughter of Josef Krystufek and the granddaughter of Vaclav Krystufek.

All four were baptized by the same priest.

U.S. Coustins: The South Dakota Martinec Families

        Frank Joseph Martinec (1876-1954), wife Mary and daughters Hattie Martinec Blaha
and Agnes MarrinecCarda around 1906 in Bon Homme, South Dakota. 

The earliest Krystufek families to come to the US arrived in Chicago starting in 1854. However, they were not the only descendants of the South Bohemian Krystufek lines to come to the United States. Two grandsons of Anna Marie Krystufek of Smrkovice came to the US in 1893 and settled in South Dakota.

Jakub Kristufek (1826-1895)

Jakub Kristufek's 1895 Headstone at
the Bohemian National Cemetery

Jakub Kristufek was born August 15, 1826 at Talin 18, in Talin, South Bohemia to Matej Krystufek (1788) and Lidmilla Krejci (1794). On August 3, 1847, Jakub married Anna Slepicka of Chvaletice 3 in Chvaletice, South Bohemia, a town about a mile from Talin. Anna was born on June 18, 1827, the daughter of Jakub Slepicka and Lidmilla Budjin.  

On April 6, 1848, they had a son Mattias  in Talin, Bohemia. On April 7, 1852, Jakub and Anna had a daughter Mary Anna Krystufek at Talin 18. Around September 1854, Jakub, his wife Anna and son Mattias traveled from Bohemia to America and settled in Chicago's 7th Ward.

Mystery Solved: Mary Amelia Kristofek

On Aug 26, 2004, former Ancestry.com user Dianne Haselmann (1937-2007) posted in an Ancestry.com message board: 

"My great grand father is Francis Anton Krch. He was born June 3, 1841 at "Pacov in Eastern Czech Bohemia". His mother's last name was "Janove". He went to school at "Naceradec" until about September 1852 and at "Proavonin" about one year. He left Bohemia and came to America around 1860, joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Returned to Bohemia after the war and may have married at that time. 

He married Mary Amelia Kristofek. She was born July 2, 1850 at "Vodanany eastern Czech", Bohemia. Her father was John Kristofek and her mother was Mary Paval. They had one son, John, born in Bohemia before emigrating to the U.S. There they lived in St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota and raised a family.

The in information regarding their birthplace and school is in my grandfather's writing and the spelling may be wrong. I have put quotes around those words."

Marianna "Anna" Jelinek (1823-1881)

Marianna "Anna" Jelinek is the wife of Jan Kristufek (1824-1913) and daughter of Barbara Jelinek Pival (1800-1882). She was born in Kloub, South Bohemia on June 7, 1823 to an unwed mother, at the home of her grandparents: Simon Jelinek (1763-1832) and Dorothea Zamecnik (1764-1843). She had seven known children, three born in Bohemia and four born in Chicago after her immigration in 1854. She primarily resided at 171 DeKoven (near the corner of Desplaines) and later at 487 S. Canal Street, where her husband and, later her son, ran saloons. She died July 8, 1881 at the age of 58 and is buried at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago.