Czech Republic picture

Czech Republic Pictures

In May 2002 my brother and sister-in-law visited the Czech Republic, our ancestral homeland. They selected a Czech heritage tour, with the option of taking side trips to ancestral villages to do research or meet relatives.

They had many wonderful pictures of Prague and the surrounding countryside, but the pictures below focus on the villages of Zhor (near Ceska Trebova), the ancestral home of the Wolesky clan (our grandfather; in the old country it was spelled Volesky) and Dolni Dobrouc, the ancestral home of the Kubicek family (our grandmother's kin).

They were able to see the actual houses where our ancestors lived, which was a wonderful experience for them. Those pictures and others of the two villages are included below.

Pictures

Click any small thumbnail picture to see a larger version of the picture


House 52, Zhor	House 52 on left, back yard of house 25 on right	House 25, east side

House 25, northeast view	House 25, northwest view	House 25, east view

House 25, southeast view	House 25, southeast view	House 25, south side

Zhor scene	Dolni Dobrouc city limits sign	House 196, Dolni Dobrouc

House 196, Dolni Dobrouc	House 196, Dolni Dobrouc	House 196, Dolni Dobrouc

Chapel, Zhor

Further Detail on Homes

House 25, Zhor (near Ceska Trebova), CZ

Property of Broulik family before 1825. Jan Volesky married Anna Broulik, daughter of deceased Matej Broulik, in 1825, and that branch of the Volesky family subsequently made their home in house 25. Jan and Anna’s children, Anna and Vaclav, were born here. Jan and Anna were still living here in 1850.

Their daughter, Anna, born here in 1826, had four children. The eldest, Josef, was born here in 1850, and continued to live here until at least 1902. Josef married Frantiska Coufal, from the nearby village of Privrat, in or around 1877. They had two sons that we know of, both born here. The elder, Josef was born in 1878 and emigrated to the United States in 1892. The younger, Frantisek (Frank), was born in 1888 and emigrated to the United States in 1902. He is our grandfather.

The house is compose of four connected buildings built around a central courtyard. When it was a farmstead, one or two of the buildings would have been for living quarters, and the rest for stables or other work areas. Now, all parts of the house seem to be residential.

House 52, Zhor, CZ

This house is directly south of house 25, across a narrow street or alley. Anna Volesky, daughter of Jan Volesky and Anna Broulik, birthed two of her children here: Alois in 1857, and Antonie in 1860.

A midwife, Barbora Rehak, lived here in 1878, and may have lived here when Anna’s children were born, as well. It is quite possible that this was the home the Volesky older generation would move into when their oldest son took over the main house and responsibility for providing for the family.

House 37, Zhor, CZ

This was a large wooden farmhouse of the courtyard style in the 19^th century. It belonged to the Privratsky family. Kaspar and Vaclav Privratsky lived here in 1825. Kaspar was the grandfather of Anna Broulik, who married Jan Volesky in 1825.

More recently, this building was a bar. It apparently closed sometime in 2000, based on advertisements still in the window.

House 56, Zhor CZ

Anna Volesky’s son Antonin was born here in 1856. It was one of the few brick buildings in the village at that time, and stood on the village yard. It is very near the chapel. It may have been the parsonage, or the home of the local administrator.

House 196, Dolni Dobrouc, CZ

This is the house that great grandpa Frank Kubicek was born in. He and his mother and father left here in the fall of 1872 to come to the United States. They left Frank’s younger sister, Matylda, behind because she was too young to make the trip. She stayed with the next door neighbors, the Vavras, until she came to the United States in 1880.

Maps

Map of Zhor area (coming soon)

Map of Dolni Dobrouc area (coming soon)

Related links

To Family Tree Excerpts

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