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

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