Vaclav Hruby

I'm back! School is over, and I've finally had the time to work on genealogy again, so here I am!

We'll start back again with a married-in uncle on my mom's side of the family: Vaclav Hruby.

Vaclav Hruby was born 2 March 1851 in Bohemia to John Hruby and Anna Kostner. According to the 1900 and 1910 censuses, Vaclav immigrated in 1870. I have yet to find him listed on a passenger list this early, but I'm still searching.

Vaclav married Marie Rybar (as you know, many different spellings and variations for this last name) on 19 February 1882 in Cook County, Illinois. Marie was born 12 May 1863 in Pilsen, in what is now the Czech Republic. According to the 1910 census, Marie immigrated in 1880. (Same as Vaclav, no luck on finding her on a passenger list this early yet, but I have found a few of her siblings in 1880. She may have just come on a different boat.) Together, they had at least eleven children:

• Marie Hruby, born May 1876
• Anna Hruby, born March 1880
• Emily M Hruby, born 17 December 1882
• Lizzie M Hruby, born 24 November 1884
• Joseph Hruby, born June 1887
• Jennie Hruby, born 8 March 1889
• Frank Joseph Hruby, born 8 February 1891
• Anezka Hruby, born about 1891
• Vaclav Hruby, born about 1893
• James Hruby, born March 1895
• Bohumil Hruby, born December 1896

Now, they didn't get married until 1882, and there are children listed in 1876. Also, she is not supposed to have come until 1880, so that means I should be looking for her to probably be traveling with at least one child. That may help me find her a little easier, but still no luck yet.

I have found another potential child that seems to be a little too squished in the timeline even though a late-1885 to mid-1886 child would fit in perfectly, so the dates may be just a little off for a couple of the kids:

• Fanny Hruby, born 28 December 1886

Jennie Hruby's death certificate references a sister "the late Mrs. Mamie Faber." I wonder if Mamie is "Marie."

At some point, it seems the family went back to Europe because they are seen together coming back from Pavlov, Breclav District, Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic. They are listed as being Osterreich, which is German for Austrian. They were sailing for Southampton, Cherbourg, New York on the Furst Bismarck on 18 May 1899.

Clipping from Hamburg passenger list

The Furst Bismark was built for the Hamburg American Line. It was an 8,430 gross ton ship. It was 502.6' long. It had three funnels, two masts, twin screw, and a speed of 19 knots. It could hold 420 first-class passengers, 172 second-class passengers, and 700 third-class passengers.

Image from http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/HAPAG1.html#anchor563270

Now... at this point, I seem to hit a snag. Vaclav died 23 May 1916. He is buried in Saint Boniface Cemetery in Chicago. The problem is... I find another Vaclav on a ship manifest in 1923 and he has a daughter Anezka and a daughter Marie. Everything seems to match up except for the fact that he's supposed to be dead and buried. Further research into this matter is definitely needed. I'll leave the "other" Vaclav for another post though.

Sources:

• 1900 Chicago, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1910 Chicago, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1940 Chicago, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922 (accessed on Ancestry)
• Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 (accessed on Ancestry)
• Find-A-Grave Memorial, Jennie Hruby
• Find-A-Grave Memorial, Vaclav Hruby
• Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 (accessed on Ancestry)
• Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Frank J Hruby (accessed on Ancestry)
• New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (accessed on Ancestry)
• Passenger Lists (accessed on The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.)
• The Ships List

Radios

I remember my great-grandmother Rosemary telling me once that, where they lived in Chicago, she was the only person on her street to have a radio. She said this with a sense of pride, as if to imply that her family was the richest on the block.

I decided, for this post, I would pull the information for the 1930 census for her block of Chicago and list who did and did not have a radio on her street in 1930.

16th Ward, Block 10, Chicago City, Cook County, Illinois

S. Marshfield Avenue

South Marshfield Avenue, 16th Ward, Block 10, Chicago City, Cook County, Illinois

• Borden Friend, radio
• Kajsa Williams, radio
• Joseph Bradel, NO radio
• Joseph Reaber, radio (my great-great grandfather)
• William Topel, radio
• Ignatz Koperski, radio
• Louis Koncecki, radio
• George Lucas, radio
• John Trevillion, radio
• Mary Carroll, NO radio
• Margaret Ryan, radio
• John Migliore, NO radio
• Daniel Toomey, radio
• Thomas Whalen, NO radio
• Walter Gregory, radio
• Joseph Conklin, radio

So, out of 16 families, only four families on their street don't have radios. Since she did not tell me when they were supposed to have been the "only" family to have a radio, I can not be sure if she was referring to a time earlier in life or not. I don't doubt that at one time in her life, her story may have been accurate.

Sources:

• 1930 Chicago City, Cook County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)

Jesse Lee Findley

My great-grandfather, Jesse Lee Findley, was one of the few great-grandparents I didn't have a chance to meet. I'll refer to him as Jesse Lee throughout the remainder of this post in order to distinguish him from my grandfather Jesse Joe.

Jesse Lee was born 1 September 1908 in Hart County, Georgia. He was the first (or possibly the second) of at least 11 children born to his parents, William Ben and Pearl Olivia Cargill Findley.

Most of the stories of my great-grandfather were passed down from my grandfather to me and my siblings. According to my brother, Jesse Lee wanted to join the military. (Remember, Jesse Joe joined the Coast Guard as a teenager with the permission of his parents.) According to the story my brother heard, Jesse Lee was not allowed to join the military due to an issue with his eye. The story goes, as a child, Jesse Lee was playing with a stick. He threw the stick in the air, and it came down and hit him in the eye injuring it.

Jesse Lee Findley
Photo provided by Thomas Cardenas

If I had just seen this picture without having known that story, I probably would have thought it was just a sunny day and he was squinting because of the sun.

The biggest mystery to me surrounding my great-grandfather, though, is why he moved around so much. As I mentioned earlier, he was born in Hart County, Georgia. I'm not sure where he was between birth and 1920, but he is seen still being in Hart County, Georgia in 1920. (I'm still leafing page by page through the 1910 census in Hart County, and I haven't given up hope in finding them!)

Sometime between 1920 and 1930, Jesse Lee moves from Hart County, Georgia to Chicago.

Clipping from 1920 Census

He's renting a room from a 29-year-old named Walter Fredericks. Jesse Lee's occupation is listed as being a laborer of "odd jobs," and Walter's is listed as being a chauffeur for a printing business. I wonder if Walter and Jesse Lee met in Chicago after he moved there or if Jesse Lee somehow knew him before moving. According to the census, Walter was born in New York to immigrant parents; his father was from Canada, and his mother was from England. This leads me to believe they did not know each other (or at least for very long) before becoming roommates.

I've always wondered why Jesse Lee left Georgia for Chicago, but in any case, that is, no doubt, where he met his wife, Rosemary Christine Reaber, a native Chicagoan. Rosemary and Jesse Lee married in Chicago on 27 January 1932.

According to the 1940 census, the couple was still living in Chicago in 1935, but by 1938 they appear in a city directory in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.

Clipping from Page 1 of the 1938 Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida Directory

In the 1940 census, the family has moved from Jacksonville to DeLand, Volusia County, Florida. Jesse Lee's occupation is listed as "rodman with the State Road Department." I'm not entirely sure what a "rodman" does, but I'm more curious how or why he ended up in Florida from Chicago.

Was this a joint decision with his wife to move to Florida? He seemed to do odd jobs in Jacksonville before moving to Volusia County. Did he get the job with the Road Department before or after moving to DeLand? DeLand is the county seat for Volusia County, so it does at least make sense that they would have ended up there as opposed to another part of the county. (DeLand is in the western part of the county. Daytona Beach is also in Volusia County. Duval County is a few counties north from Volusia.)

I lose the family rather quickly after the 1940 census except from city directories and family stories. I find them in Jacksonville as late as 1944 in city directories. Florida had a state census in 1945. They are still living in Jacksonville, Florida then. But then the trail goes cold.

I know my great-grandfather died in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina in 1985. So, sometime between 1945 and 1985, the family moved to North Carolina. (My grandfather, Jesse Joe, was living in the next town over by this point.)

Even though Jesse Lee and Rosemary moved closer to their son, Jesse Joe, I see no evidence that they ever saw either of their parents again. Rosemary's parents died in Chicago, and Jesse Lee's parents died in Georgia. I know Rosemary communicated with her mother in letters, but I don't know if they ever visited each other. I have a good idea on Rosemary's relationship with her parents, but I wonder what Jesse Lee's relationship was like with his. Based on the constant moving, either it wasn't very good, or he just craved adventure and new experiences. More investigations will hopefully lead me to the actual reason.

Sources:

• 1920 Rays, Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1930 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1938 Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida City Directory (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1940 DeLand, Volusia County, Florida U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1942 Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida City Directory (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1943 Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida City Directory (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1944 Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida City Directory (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Jesse Lee Findley (provided by Thomas Cardenas)
• Tombstone, Jesse Lee Findley and Rosemary Findley (personally visited in 2006 at Rosemary's funeral)

Josef Konecny - The Bohemian Virtuoso

As I have said a couple of times before, my great-grandmother Rosemary gave me the genealogy bug. She had this way of giving just enough details in a story to have you hooked but leaving so many details out that you had no choice but to try to investigate the rest of the story. This post is about one of those teaser stories she told me.

When I was in middle school, I started playing in the school band. I had been a rockstar on recorder in elementary school (as much a "rockstar" as anyone can be on recorder), and I wanted to continue my musical pursuits into sixth grade.

My first choice for an instrument was violin. I had been fascinated by it for as long as I could remember. The first music class I remember was in kindergarten, and we learned all of the instruments' names and sounds. Of course, being a "Disney" kid, I had already known most of them thanks to the movie "Fantasia," but that didn't matter. I had decided the violin was my favorite.

Well, we didn't have a strings program (yet) at my school, so violin wasn't an option. I went with my second favorite instead. I decided to learn flute.

My sixth grade school photo. We were supposed to bring something that was
important to us to have in our photo with us. I brought my flute, and I dressed in my concert band shirt.
Personal Collection of Brittany Jenkins

When I met my great-grandmother in 9th grade, I told her about my musical adventures. Since my parents were not musical, and I only knew my grandmother to play a little piano, I thought I was the first person in the family to really pick up any kind of instrument. My great-grandmother corrected me. She said we had other musical talents in the family. She said we had a "virtuoso" in the family.

That was it. That was all she said. She didn't say who. She didn't say what kind of music. She didn't say what instrument. Just "virtuoso." It was several years before I found out who he was.

A pamphlet or brochure about Josef
Found in the University of Iowa Digital Archives

Josef Konecny was born in Vienna, Austria on 5 March 1883 to Johann and Anna Konecny. He immigrated to America with his family in 1890 at the age of 7.

While I'm unsure when Josef first started playing the violin, it is clear that he studied with Bohemian instructors. Otakar Sevcik, who was a professor at the Vienna Imperial Conservatory, is the man most associated with being Josef's tutor. This leads me to believe he started learning violin before he immigrated to America.

Clipping from Perry NY Herald, issue dated 3 December 1913

I know very little about Josef's young life, but I do know that he enlisted for the United States Army for World War I as a touring musician overseas for the troops. This seemed to jumpstart his touring stateside. He seemed to tour actively until about 1920 (that's when he starts showing up in newspapers less).

Sometime before the 1930 census, he married his pianist, Mary A. Tris. They stayed in Illinois through the 1940 census. I'm not sure what really happened to them after WWII (though I do see them in a couple of city directories in Illinois up until 1950), but I find Josef listed in the California Death Index in 1976.

I don't think Josef and Mary had any children, but I am still investigating their lives as a married couple, so it is still possible.

Taken from Josef's 1920 passport renewal application

Sources:

• 1900 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1930 Maywood, Cook County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1940 Creve Coeur, Tazewell County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• "Baraca Enterainment Course: Josef Konecny & Company," 3 December 1913, Perry NY Herald, Perry, New York (accessed on Chronicling America)
• Josef Konecny brochure (accessed at Iowa Digital Library)
• "Josef Konecny: The Bohemian Violin Virtuoso," 29 September 1920, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Wisconsin (accessed on Chronicling America)
• Passport applications and renewal applications (accessed on Ancestry)

Hiram and Sally Casto

Hiram Casto was born 3 July 1824 in the area of what is now West Virginia but, back then, was still part of Virginia. His parents were Daniel Taylor and Mary Elizabeth Shamblin Casto.

Hiram moved around quite a bit in his life. He in shown living in Jackson County, Virginia in 1850.

Clipping from 1850 Census

By 1860, he is living in Pekin, Dillon, Tazewell County, Illinois.

Clipping from 1860 census.
Son, George W., is also living with them, but he is on the next page.

He stays in the Dillon area in 1870, but by 1880 he has moved to Washington, Pettis County, Missouri. Then, by 1900, he is living in Williams, Benton County, Illinois. He seems to have stayed in Benton County until he died.

Clipping from 1910 census
Hiram and Sally are living with their son, Mason R. Casto

Hiram married Sarah Casto, the daughter of John George Casto and Katherine Westfall. Sarah and Hiram were second cousins, once removed.

In the 1900 and 1910 censuses, Sarah is listed as having given birth to 12 children.

Clipping from 1910 census showing number of children Sally had and how many are still living in 1910

Five of her children were listed as still living in 1900, and only four of them were listed as living in 1910. I only have seven children listed for her (and her husband), so the other five are still a mystery to me. Here are the children I have so far for the couple:

• Daniel Taylor Casto (born c. 1851)
• Mason Raspburn Casto (born 5 September 1856)
• Harriet Casto (born c. December 1859)
• George Washington Casto (born 5 June 1865)
• John Casto (born March 1868)
• Hiram Franklin Casto (born c. 1871)
• William Casto (born c. 1873)

If anyone knows the names of the other five children I am missing from my list, please send me a message! I would love to complete the family lines here. My brother and I both agree that we think these missing children were very young when they died. Most probably, they were born at least between Daniel and Mason and/or between Harriet and George.

Sarah died 22 April 1913 in Cole Camp, Benton County, Missouri. Hiram died a few years later on 25 October 1924, also in Cole Camp. They are buried at Union-Williams Cemetery in Cole Camp.

Sources:

• 1850 Jackson County, Virginia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1860 Pekin, Dillon, Tazewell County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1870 Dillon, Tazewell County, Illinois U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1880 Washington, Pettis County, Missouri U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1900 Williams, Benton County, Missouri U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1910 Williams, Benton County, Missouri U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Mason Raspburn Casto (accessed on Ancestry)

Josef Reaber

Josef Reaber was born 9 March 1874 in Pilsen, Bohemia to Johann and Maria Reaber.

1855 Map of Bohemia
Found in the David Rumsey Collection

Josef married Christine Konecny on 17 April 1908 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. They had an arranged marriage. Josef knew Christine's father, Johann, before the marriage was arranged.

Together, they had one child, Rosemary Christine Reaber, who was born 22 January 1910 in Chicago. The following is one of only two photos I have ever seen of my great-great-grandfather.

Josef and Rosemary, 1924
Photo provided by Thomas Cardenas

Now, I remember talking to my great-grandmother in 2000 for research on an autobiography assignment I had at school. I interviewed her and my grandmother (Rosemary's daughter-in-law) to get information on our family. Being the overachiever that I am, I said I couldn't know who I was until I knew those who came before me. Little did I know, this one assignment would spark a new hobby of genealogy.

I remember Rosemary saying her parents came over from Bohemia. Since her passing, I have come to learn that her mother was from Vienna, which was not part of Bohemia. I also remember her saying that their last name used to be "like 15 letters long." According to her, it was shortened upon arrival in America.

Up until my brother found this notebook in our great-grandmother's possessions, I had only known of a few spellings of Rosemary's last name, all of which were fairly similar phonetically: Reaber, Reba, Ribar, Ryber, Rybar, and Ruban. The following, written by my great-grandmother, shows yet another spelling of her last name and also mentions possibly another time her name was changed long after they'd been in America.

Notes written down by Rosemary for her granddaughter, Nancy
Provided by Thomas Cardenas

Continuation of notes written by Rosemary for Nancy
Provided by Thomas Cardenas

So now, Rybash is added to the list of alternate surnames for my great-grandmother's family. My favorite part of this story is the stark difference between Josef and Christine's attitudes toward the principal's error. Christine is almost disgusted that the name was misspelled, while Josef, who liked the misspelled name, decided to adopt it completely! One day I hope to find out what the true surname and spelling was, but for now I'm left with these alternates.

Another interesting thing about my great-great-grandfather is his occupation. He was a chemist who worked at the stockyard of Armour & Co., a local meatpacking plant. According to The Encyclopedia of Chicago, Armour was "Chicago's leading industrial enterprise and employer" by 1880.

Armour & Co.

Josef was responsible for the oils and oleo (or margarines) the company produced. Armour refused to let any portions of their slaughtered animals go to waste and manufactured many difference products from the "leftover" parts of their slaughter.

The following clip from the notes of Rosemary state he had "the gift of taste" and "in one day he knew what caused the product to go rancid."

Continuation of notes written by Rosemary for Nancy
Provided by Thomas Cardenas

I have yet to come across any kind of information regarding Josef's level of education, but since I have a Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry, I like to think he had more than just a gift of taste. Josef is the only other person I have come across in the family with a science-related job.

My brother, Thomas, also came across another gem in our great-grandmother's possessions. It was a small memory book completed by our mother. In the short book, our mother wrote down Rosemary's responses to several questions about her upbringing and family. Here are Rosemary's recollections about her own father, Josef.

Clipping from a book called "For My Grandchild"
as written by Rosemary's granddaughter, Nancy
("Grandma" is Rosemary.)

Based on my great-grandmother's memories of her father, I think I would have liked Josef very much.

Josef and, I assume, his wife, Christine
Provided by Thomas Cardenas

Josef died in July 1959, I assume, in Chicago. He is buried at Saint Boniface Cemetery which is located in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He and Christine share a tombstone with Christine's parents, Johann and Anna Konecny. One day, I hope to visit the cemetery myself. I have been to Chicago before, but not with the knowledge of my own history there.

Sources:

• The David Rumsey Map Collection
• "Chicago: City of the Century"
• "Chicago Tribune", 8 Aug 2014 article
• Photo of Armour & Co. taken from "Notable Men of Chicago and Their City"
• Marriage License for Josef and Christine Reaber (unsure where I found this)
• "For My Grandchild, A Keepsake to Share and Treasure" memory book. Completed by Nancy Findley, with the help of Rosemary Reaber
• Rosemary Reaber, relation: daughter