Pioneer Czechs
In Colfax County
Written in 1926.
CHAPTER 23
(Continued from last week.)
that year Rev. Ewing, a German priest, came a few times from St. Charles (near West Point), Cuming County and served mass on the farm of Peter Schad, five miles northwest of Tabor. Later in the year he went to the farm home of Peter Lodl, for the same purpose, as did the missionary priest Rev. Sulak and other missionaries. Inasmuch as in 1871 the settlers came in large numbers, they endeavored to build a church the following year, but all were poor beginners, they could not raise the money. So on Sundays and church holidays they gathered in the home of Joseph F. Sindelar. He was known as Joseph Sindelar then, later another of the same name came and so he added the initial F. They came from far and wide, so that by ten o’clock a goodly crowd had gathered. At half after ten, when the bell hung in the window frame had been rung by Joe (Joseph B. Sindelar) they entered for worship. The altar was a plain wooden cross. After a song by the congregation, one of the older men conducted mass, which was sung, then another read from the Scriptures. This was followed by a sermon. Joseph Krajicek, a settler, used to be bell-ringer in Bohemia and had received from a priest two old books containing sermons, which were very useful in this emergency. Joseph B. Sindelar (son of Joseph F.) who has furnished data for the history of this parish and the names of the founders, was born in Jickovice, Milevsko, Bohemia, November 11, 1853 and came to the U. S. when fourteen years old. He attended public school in Chicago and Nebraska, having moved to Colfax County in 1870. Later he took a homestead near Howell, which he stills owns. When the town of Howell was established, he moved there and engaged in the general merchandise and creamery business, being now retired. He served two terms as justice of peace, one term as county assessor and nineteen years as precinct assessor, besides serving in the state legislature as representative from the twenty-seventh district.
The following are the names of the founders of the parish of Tabor: Joseph F. Sindelar, born in Jickovice, Milevsko; Joseph Sindelar, Stehlovice; Thomas Sindelar, Stehlovice; Vaclav Sindelar, Stehlovice; John Sindelar, Jickovice; Joseph Krajicek, Rimovice; Joseph F. Krajicek, Rimovice; Frank Strudl, Jickovice; John Strudl, Jickovice; Joseph Mejstrik, Vilimov, Habry; John and Joseph Prusa, Kostejn; Joseph Kaspar, County of Tabor; Matej Dostal, Velka Volesna; Joseph B. Svoboda, Vsehrady; Joseph Houfek, Knezice, Caslav; Herman Mestl, Strejckovice; John Nemec, Spavice, Chotebor; Joseph Brichacek, Jickovice; John Pojar, Stryckovice; Joseph Misek, Okresanec, Habry; Vaclav Hruska, Stuparovice, Habry; Frank Konvalin, Habry, Caslav; Frank Evert, Stryckovice and Frank Semerad, Frydnava, Habry.
In 1874 a public school was built and services conducted therein. By that time the members were able to build a church. However, a church had been built in Heun, eight miles west, and those living near joined that congregation, which depleted the ranks of the one in Tabor. Later, they succeeded in building a church, which was consecrated September 14, 1880, by Rev. Francis Tuerk, who named the settlement Tabor because it is easily pronounced in English. Joseph Sindelar (not Joseph F.) donated three acres of land for the church and cemetery and also made the first contribution in money. Joseph Kaspar brought the first load of brick from Schuyler, Joseph Krajicek the first load of lime. Jos. B. Sindelar, as an officer of the church, laid the first brick (only one), Joseph F. Sindelar drove in the first nail, Frank Strudl did the masonry work. Miss Barbara Hajek, now Mrs. F. K. Sindelar, made the first wreath when the church was roofed and the first child to be christened there was Frank, son of Jos. B. Sindelar. The first couple to be married there were Joseph F. Krajicek and Miss Anna Vlasak. The first burial was that of the infant of J. B. Svoboda, and the first adult Joseph Sindelar, the donor of the site.
From this church used to issue the first processions of pilgrims, after the fashion in the old country, to Heun and Olean. The young girls, dressed in white, came first, carrying the statue of the Virgin on a lighted pedestal, then came Frank Vondruska’s band, then the choir with its leader, and the remainder of the participants followed. The procession walked about half a mile, then got into wagons and proceeded further. There were no buggies or carriages in those days to say nothing of automobiles.
There has never been a resident priest. The following have served from Heun: Rev. Joseph Hovorka to 1890, Rev. John Hodyc, 1890–189. Rev. John Vlcek, 1894–1897. Rev. Charles Zak, 1894–1904. Rev. Joseph Drbal, 1905–1915. Rev. Joseph Bata, 1915–1917. Rev. Francis Szczepuchowski, 1917–1918. Rev. Joseph Bartik, 1918–1919. The following year various priests took their turn and in 1920 Rev. Anton Folta, present incumbent in Heun, took charge.
WILSON—BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF PERPETUAL HELP. A rural church, at present a mission attached to Schuyler. The church was built in 1882 on land donated by Joseph Mrazek. Priests from Heun came until the church in Schuyler was built, since which time they serve from there. A new church was dedicated on August 27, 1918.
Of the priests who have been active in Colfax county, two achieved distinction in a literary way. Rev. John Stephen Broz wrote prose and poetry and published several books. Rev. John Hodyc had a high talent as poet, but his poems were not published in book form. Rev. Broz was born December 25, 1865 in Kardasova Recice, was ordained in Chur, Switzerland and came to Nebraska in 1890. He spent his whole life as priest in our state and died in South Omaha September 2, 1919. Rev. Hodyc was born in Lochenice near Kralove Hradec, January 17, 1863, ordained in Chur, Switzerland, July 14, 1889, came to Nebraska in that year, and died, a victim of tuberculosis, in Boerne, Texas, in 1906.
BOHEMIAN PROTESTANTS
Bohemian Protestants in Nebraska affiliate with the Presbyterian Church and are proud of the fact that, nationally, they are the descendants of the Bohemian Brethern, the first Protestants in Bohemia and probably in the world, for they began to organize, that is the Bohemian Brethern, as to congeniality of principle, soon after the burning of Jan Hus (1415) and by 1456 numbered many members.
Just as the first Catholic church in which Bohemians had a share was located in Colfax county, so also the first group of Bohemian Protestants in our state, to meet for worship, comprised the families of six Colfax county pioneers, John Novotny, Joseph Smatlan, Anton Kunhart, Frank Zrust, John Danek and Joseph Vitek. These people came in 1869 and 1870 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they had been members of Rev. F. Kun’s congregation, the first minister of this faith in the middle west. By 1875 their numbers were augmented and they began to meet in public at a church eighteen miles north of Schuyler and six miles from Clarkson and
(To be continued.)
