Czudek / Chudek
Genealogy
Last update: 4 May 1997
NOTES:
This is a working draft document only. I am using
this site to collect and organize my story line. Click on underlined
text to view photos or link to a reference. Use your browser 'back' button
to move backwards through the links. For best results, your video card
should be set to 256 colors and 800 X 600 resolution or better.
BACKGROUND:
Hello, my name is Robert
John Chudek (24-Kb) and I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
USA on the 8th of January, 1946. Here's the story of my pursuit of our family
history.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS:
In June of 1996, at the age of 50, I became interested in researching my ancestry.
My mother had an elaborate collection of photo albums, newspaper clippings,
address books, and invitations she saved over a lifetime. Several times a week
we sat at her kitchen table; me with my laptop computer and her with her gold
mine of information. Within a short period of time I cataloged nearly 500 relatives
using the Family Origins genealogy
program.
MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY:
My oldest son is Stephen
Gregory Chudek (200-Kb page) born the 12th of January, 1969 in
Fridley, MN. My second son is David
Adam Chudek (200-Kb page) born the 29th of September,
1971 in Fridley, MN. They haven't been to a photographer recently, so these
pictures will have to do for the time being.
I have two younger siblings, my brother, Allan Joseph
Chudek and my sister, Laura Jane Chudek
O'Leary. Here is a photograph
(21-Kb) of the three of us taken in the summer of 1995.
MY FATHER'S FAMILY:
My father is Adam
Chudek (68-Kb), born on the 8th of October, 1919 in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, USA . He is the youngest of the three sons of my grandfather, John
Chudek (17-Kb) (Johann Czudek),
born on the 6th of September, 1884 near Milikov and baptized in Grodek, Silesia,
Austria, and my grandmother, Hattie Chudek
(Jadwiga Sophie Zmuda), born about 1889
near Jordanov, Galicia, Austria.
Here is a modern map
(385-Kb) of the Cesky Tesin, Hradek, Jablunkov region in the eastern
area of the Czech Republic, along the west border of Poland.
MY MOTHER'S FAMILY:
My mother is Jessie DeBruin,
born the 8th of August, 1923 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is
the youngest of the eight children of Jacobus DeBruin,
born 20 March 1878, and Johanna Louter,
born 9 February 1879. In the spring of 1913 Jacobus, Johanna, and their four
small children immigrated to the central plains of Canada from Driel, a fertile
farming area in the Gelderland of the Netherlands.
Here is a modern map of their homeland in the Netherlands,
near Arnhem, located on the Lower Rhine River. [I'll get around to scanning
that map and adding a link "real soon now"!]
THE JOURNEY QUICKLY HALTS:
My family tree blossomed with maternal relatives, but there were few records
from my father's side of the family. I knew my grandfather John was a barber
when he first arrived in Minneapolis, MN. Shortly after I was born, I had the
honor of getting my first haircut from my 'Grandpa'. John eventually went to
work for the Pillsbury Company in the
milling district at St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. He retired from
his career in the early 1950's. My mother had kept his wedding ring and an unidentified
family photograph
(46-Kb). The ring had a date and the photo showed a husband and
wife (guessing), three older daughters (guessing) and a young son (still guessing).
Our family speculates this is John's parents and sisters, but no one knows for
sure. I would like to find someone with a duplicate of this photograph who can
identify this family for me.
Update [2001-11-10]:
The people in this photograph have been identified! The seated couple are indeed
my Czudek family ancestory; paternal great grandparents Jan Czudek and Zuzanna
Szmekova. The two taller women are my grandfathers sisters, the little boy is
his nephew, and the little girl is his Czech daughter.
REACHING OUT:
It bothered me that no one knew the history of my grandfather. I
began a research project to see what I could discover.
SEARCHING COUNTY VITAL RECORDS:
I speculated my grandparents might have been married in Hennepin
County so I went to the vital records department of the Hennepin County
Government Center. In less than an hour the clerk found the marriage
license (81-Kb) on microfilm by using the date from the wedding ring (8-7-1912)
and surname. I purchased a copy of this record. This document told me the address
of the church (but not the name), the name of the priest, and the names of the
witnesses to the marriage ceremony. I needed to discover the name of the church
where my grandparents were married.
SEARCHING THE US WEST TELEPHONE DIRECTORY:
I used the Minneapolis telephone directory Yellow
Pages to see if I could find a church with the same address I had just learned.
No church was found. However, a Catholic elementary school was listed at this
address and the Holy Cross Catholic Church was
listed on the adjoining block. (This is an example of doing additional research
into the local area using a street map. I discovered the address of 1621 University
Avenue was the next street to the west of 1624 Fourth Street. The
map shows University Avenue runs parallel to, and separates 3rd and 4th
Streets. This fact could have been easily overlooked without diligent research.)
I made a telephone call to the church and discovered it was previously located
at the address in the marriage record. The old church building was converted
into classrooms when the new, larger church was built. I told the Sister the
reason for my call. She told me the old church registers were in her office.
When she came back to the telephone with the book, she looked for and found
the entry of 8 July 1912 wedding of my grandparents. I made an appointment to
visit her.
SEARCHING OLD CHURCH RECORDS:
When I arrived I saw the entry (recorded in Latin) and obtained a photocopy
(211-Kb) of this record. It listed my grandfather (Joanneus
Cudzik), his mother (Susannae Sniek),
his father (Joannis Cudzik), and the parish
of Grodek in the Dioceses of Cieszyn, Austria as the place of my grandfather's
baptism. These facts were also documented about my grandmother (Hedwigam
Zmudaus), her mother (Zofiae Teper),
and her father (Joannis Zmuda). She had
been baptized in the parish of Naprawa in the Dioceses of Przemysl, Austria.
I now had a village name from the region where my grandfather was raised.
SEARCHING THE ATLAS:
When I returned home I scoured my atlas for a village named Grodek in any of
the european countries. I couldn't find it. I did discover the town of Cieszyn
on the Poland and Czech Republic border. I purchased a detailed Bartholomew
World Travel Map of the Czech Republic, but
I still could not find a village named Grodek. I needed some help.
USING THE INTERNET:
I used the internet to post my plight on a slavic genealogy use-net.
This is the electronic equivalent of putting an inquiry on a community bulletin
board or placing an ad in the newspaper. Researchers and other people are always
reviewing these messages. Within a day Duncan
Gardiner, a certified genealogist, responded to my question. He solved my
problem by telling me about the history of this region. Grodek had been renamed
Hradek when it came under control of Czechoslovakia. He also told me about the
fortified city of Cieszyn being split between Poland and Czechoslovakia after
WWI. The Poles kept the Cieszyn name and the Czechs renamed their portion Cesky
Tesin.
I found Hradek on my Czech Republic map about 28 kM south of Cesky Tesin on
highway E75. I would later discover the exact village where my grandfather was
born. At this point, I was very pleased with the progress I had made within
the first two weeks of my investigation.
USING THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER:*coming
soon*
Using the Minnesota Historical
Society records at the Minnesota History Center.
The Minnesota
History Center. hours and location in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Researching the Fourteenth Census of the United States (1920).
Researching the Minnesota Census.
Researching the US Department of Labor 'Declaration of Intention' to become
a citizen of the USA.
Researching the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety 1918 'Alien Registration
and Declaration of Holdings'.
Researching old world maps and indexed passenger lists.
Discovering 'Ships of our Ancestors' with photograph of the Steam
Ship Trave (90-Kb).
USING THE MINNESOTA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: *coming
soon*
Using the Czechoslovak Genealogical
Society International at the Minnesota Genealogical Society, 5768 Olson
Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN 55422 USA, a western suburb of Minneapolis,
MN.
USING THE LDS CHURCH FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY:*coming
soon*
Using the Family History Library at
the local Chapter of the LDS Mormon Church.
Verifying Ellis Island as Port of Entry.
Ordering microfilm rolls of passenger lists.
Discover Jan Czudek arrival on SS Trave.
Discover place of birth as Millikaw, Austria.
USING THE MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY:*coming
soon*
Using the Genealogical Department of the Hennepin
County Library.
Researching the original Minneapolis City Directories.
USING TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY:
I have surfed the internet and found many useful tools that help
me search for distant relatives. Because the Czudek / Chudek surname is relatively
unique, I assembled a small list of previously unknown names and prepared introduction
letters. I sent them out the old fashioned way, from my mailbox.
FIRST RESPONSE:
My first reply came from Carrie Chudek in
Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. She had left a message on my telephone answering machine
while I was away on business. When I returned, I promptly telephoned her and
we had a long conversation. She told me about her parents, sisters, and numerous
relatives. I created a separate Chudek family chart from this information.
Carrie suggested I also contact Charles Walter Chudek,
her uncle (Chuckie), in Wheaton, Illinois, USA to gather more information. When
I talked to Charles, I discovered his family had recently made a trip to visit
relatives near Cambridge, MN, USA. This farming community is less than 30 miles
west of my home in Chisago City, MN, USA. I expanded their family chart and
mailed a copy to them.
Update [2001-11-10]: Carrie's sister Edna Marie
[Chudek] Janetzke has continued their family research project. She has sent
copies of her research. Reviewing this new information seems to indicate her
family history originates in a different area of Europe. It could be possible
the family lines reunite further back in history, but from the current data,
our families remain independant.
SECOND RESPONSE:
My second reply came from Albert
A. Chudek (54-Kb), born in 1919 and currently living in Bellingham,
Washington, USA with his wife, Anne. The
information I found in Albert's first letter coincided with the results of the
research I had been doing at the Minnesota
History Center in Saint Paul and the Family
History Center at the LDS Mormon Church in Crystal, Minnesota,
USA.
Albert said he traveled to his father's homeland near Hradek, Czech Republic
in 1984. This village was previously known as Grodek, Selisia, when it was part
of the Austrian Empire. It is listed as the baptismal dioceses on my grandfather's
1912 marriage record. This information correlated with the history lesson I
got from Duncan
Gardiner, a professional genealogist located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Albert sent me a second letter with additional information about his family
and his visit to the homeland. He enclosed a 4-generation photograph
(54-Kb) showing his mother Marianna Lazar
Chudek, himself, his son Paul,
and his granddaughter, Jennica. He also
enclosed a photograph of a Czudek family headstone
(124-Kb) he had seen at the church cemetery in Hradek, Czech Republic during
his visit. The inscription at the bottom translates from Polish to English as
"BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH AND I WILL
GIVE YOU THE CROWN OF LIFE". Albert sent a copy of his
father's (Paul Czudek born 2 Sept 1883)
confirmation certificate, which you can view here.
THIRD RESPONSE:
My third reply came from Stanley Chudek
(Stanislaw Chudek) in Springfield, New Jersey,
USA. Stanley answered my internet electronic mail letter using his computer.
He and his wife Hanna
have lived in their Springfield, NJ home for the past 10 years. Hanna has already
helped translate Polish writing for me, as I am a second generation American
with no foreign language skills. Thank you Hanna.
Stanley was born in Solingen, Germany in 1946. He and
his mother Josephine Chudek
(Jozefa Chudek)
immigrated to the USA in 1951. They were sponsored and temporarily housed by
a Polish family in New Jersey. Stanley was told his father had died in a bicycle
accident at an early age. Unfortunately he does not know his father's name.
Today Stanley is a draftsman by trade and Hanna is a full-time homemaker.
FOURTH RESPONSE:
My fourth reply also came electronically from John
A. Chudek (Sandy), a research officer in the Department of Chemistry
at the University of Dundee in Scotland,
UK. Sandy was born in 1948 in the city of Dundee, Scotland and was raised in
Carnoustie, a small town on the North Sea coast. His father, Rudolf
Czudek, was born in 1916 in Marklovice, Poland, approximately 50-Km
north of my Hradek/Grodek research area. Rudolf Czudek went to Britain as a
soldier during WW2, married, established a home, and raised his family. Sandy's
grandfather is Jozef Czudek. He was a carpenter
by trade. Sandy has two unmarried sons, John Chudek
(b ~1969) and Colin Chudek (b ~ 1972).
FIFTH RESPONSE:
My fifth reply came as a telephone call from
John Czudek who lives near Estacada,
Oregon, USA. John was born in Orange, Texas, USA in July of 1948. His father,
John Czudek Sr., was born 29 May 1889 and
immigrated from the Grodek, Austria area in the early 1900's. The Oregon Czudek
family lives on a 10-acre homestead west of Mt.
Hood in the Cascade Mountains. John and his family enjoy fishing, camping,
and 4-wheel ATV activities.
John has an older sister, Betty Jean Czudek Lewis,
(b 1946) who lives in Monticello, Arkansas, USA with her husband Thomas E. Lewis
and their son Eddie. I had a lengthy telephone conversation with Betty while
she reviewed her daddy's photo album. From her I learned about John Czudek's
immigration into Canada at the age of 14 and the numerous occupations he had
throughout his life. She told me he eventually married (Anna)
Stella Czudek (maiden name unknown) who was the 'fat lady' in the
circus. Together they ran the Al G. Barnes Big 5-Ring
Wild Animal Circus, traveling throughout the western United States,
including Seattle, Washington, Salt Lake City, Utah, and wintering in Baldwin
Park, California in 1933.
SIXTH RESPONSE:
On Easter Sunday 1997 I received an electronic mail message from
Holger Matthias Chudek, born 1969 in Speyer,
Germany. Holger is a computer support specialist in a bank, and enjoys playing
badminton and reading books. He told me he will most likely be adding genealogy
to his list of hobbies. My original message inspired him to do some family research
in Germany prior to sending me a response. As a start, Holger downloaded the
Family Origins for Windows genealogy
program and began working on his family tree.
In his message Holger gave me a quick summary of his immediate family. He also
told me about the eight Chudek children who were distributed to several orphanages
in 1937 when his grandfather, Emanuel Chudek,
died at an early age (36 or 37 years old). These children would be Holger's
grandfather, grandaunts, and granduncles. Holger also has cataloged 29 Chudek
names from the German telephone directory. I am looking forward to sharing the
information Holger discovers during his research.
SEVENTH RESPONSE:
April 10th, 1997 turned into an exciting day when I received a letter
from Dorothy J Czudek, born 1932, who lives
in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA. Dorothy's brother, August
Czudek, gave her the introduction letter I had mailed to him.
I was very glad to hear from the Czudek's in Pennsylvania. It appears
some of the separate family groups may start linking together on our family
tree!
In her letter, Dorothy told me about her mother, Mary
Kawulok, born in 1896 and her father, August
Czudek Sr., who was born in Mosty U Jablunkova in 1887. This
village is located near the eastern border of the Czech Republic, within a few
kilometers of Grodek/Hradek and Millikaw/Milikov. She told me her parents
were married the 16th of June in 1913 and there were 13 children in her family.
Her paternal grandparents were Paul Czudek
and Emily Kucharcyk.
UPDATE [2001-11-10]: When I started my journey
into genealogy research, I had no idea what experiences were in store for me!
My only regret is I did not pursue my family history much sooner. The story
continues with my "blind" letter. I wrote to a name and address given
to me by Albert Chudek. Suzzane Samietc was a relative Albert visited in the
Czechoslovakia during the mid 1980's. Over 15 years had passed since his visit.
My letter, written in English, spoke about Albert's
visit in the past and my interest to communicate with any relatives of my grandfather,
Jan Czudek. I dropped this letter off at the post office and went on with my
life. About 2 months later, I found the first of several letters from the Czech
Republic in my mailbox. Someone in the Samietc family had passed my letter on
to the surviving Czudek descendants! I was about to fill in a 93-year missing
piece of my paternal family history. Several letters were exchanged between
my second cousins, Jan Czudek of Bystrice and Helena Czudkova Vesela of Milikov,
CZ. In my first reply to these relatives was a 20+ page history of my grandfather
and our family history in the USA. I also included copies of many photographs
from our family albums.
The ultimate confirmation was the exact portrait photograph
of my grandfather sent from the Czech Republic which matched the original in
our album! I have only duplicated this feat one other time, for my Czech friend
Lloyd Krob. In a similar manner, a family portrait was sent to him, unsolicited,
by the Czech Krob family near Chynava, CZ. In this case, the image was sent
electronically via the internet.
I will fast forward to the Spring of 2000 when my wife
and I traveled to Cologne, Germany for the DRUPA 2000 printing exposition. We
took this opportunity to extend our time by adding two weeks of vacation to
our trip. It was the first time either of us had visited Europe. We rented a
car and set off on a driving adventure across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium,
Czech Republic, and Austria. With 3 languages to conquer [Dutch, German, and
Czech] we enjoyed the challenge of being understood by the local residents of
each area.
Our itinerary included visits with both "halves"
of the Czudek family. The Czudek families live very close to the eastern border,
by Poland. We would enter the country from Germany, on the western border of
CZ. Our commute would take us across the entire length of the Czech Republic.
We prearranged to meet Bohuslav Czudek, the son of
Jan Czudek at the Zamek east of Prague. Joining us were his son Bohuslav Jr
and his daughter Jirina. Nervous greetings were exchanged and photos taken [link
goes here]. The offer for early lunch was declined so we finished loading the
luggage into our Opel rental car and began our caravan to meet my second cousin
Jan Czudek. The two children lead the way while my wife and I [tried to] communicate
with Bohuslav! Fortunate for us, he had English skills that were much better
than our limited Czech skills.
It was a beautiful spring day, sunny and warm. Our
drive across the countryside was less than 2 hours. I am convinced it would
be impossible to find Jan Czudek's home without the assistance of a family member
or a local resident. The homestead is hidden off the main road, up on a pleasant
hillside. We were welcomed to the Czudek home with a traditional Czech greeting
of bread and salt. I met my second cousin Jan and his wife and I knew it was
"my" family. Jan looked like my grandfather in stature, mannerisms,
and face.
A delightful Czech lunch was served by Jan's wife, Helena
and their daughter Jarmilla. After lunch, we walked up the hillside and I got
a lesson in bee keeping. In retirement, Jan manages several bee hives and produces
honey from their efforts. Our families exchanged gifts and talked about family.
The younger generation helped with the translations. Before we knew it, we were
loaded up in the vehicles and on our way to meet my other cousin, Helena.
This time I am following in a larger caravan as we make
our way toward Milikov. We have picked up more family members on our trip. In
less than 30 minutes we are driving off the main road and up onto another hillside.
Half way to the top we turn around and head back the way we came from. Suddenly
the cars stop and everyone is getting out. I figure we must have arrived! Greetings
are exchanged among the family members and a joyful Czech woman is greeting
us with tears in her eyes. We are introduced to my cousin Helena Czudkova Vesela
[insert photo link].
To be continued... this is only the beginning of
day one! And we returned for 21-days of more adventure in the spring of 2001.
NEXT RESPONSE:
My next response could be from you! I am researching surnames CHUDEK, CHUDYK,
CUDZIK, CZUDEK, FROJCIK, HETZKO, HUSAR, KANTAC, KAWULOK, KUCHARCYK, LAZAR, PILCHY,
PONCZJURTZ, PONEVAC, RABIE, SAMIETC, SIKOR, SIKORA, SIKORIN, SYKORY, SZMEK,
and SNIEK from the Grodek/Hradek, Millikaw/Milikov, and Jablunkov areas.
Do any of these names sound familiar to you?
Click
here to return to the Chudek Genealogy page!
Click
here to return to my home page!