02/02/09

Mary Anne Husak (?Niece/?Cousin of Miloslav Corkal. Married ___ MacDonald, 1946)

Mel Corkal does not agree with this. He feels that Mary Husak married a Blackwell, not a MacDonald. He also felt that it was a cousin that Miroslav came to visit, not a sister. This would be consistent with his onward ticket of voyage to visit his uncle Frank Kroupa as Kroupa was his mother's maiden name. It leaves some mystery as to who is Mary Husak and how is she related? My guess is that she is Frank Kroupa's granddaughter. The daughter of either Annie or Marie. See below.

The only Frank Kroupa listed in the comprehensive guide of Czechs in Nebraska is in Box Butte County. He arrived in 1888 and was born in Horazdovice, Strakonice. This is south of Praha, so the link to this being the same fellow is a little tenuous.

The 1910 US Census shows a Frank and Annie Kroupa living in Rogers Precinct, Colfax County, Nebraska. They have 2 daughters, Annie and Marie. The census also shows 4 and 4 listed next to Annie Kroupa. This means she has had 4 children, 4 of whom are living at the time of the census. The 1900 US Census shows Frank and Anna have 4 daughters living at home. They are:

The 1900 census also provides the birthdates for Frank Kroupa (March 1858) and his wife Anna M. Kroupa  (June 1859). They have been married for 22 years (1878) and arrived in the United States in 1885. They were both born in Bohemia. Francis H. and Julie E. were also born in Bohemia. I have found a genealogical posting of what appears to be the same Kroupa and Husak family. (Sept 28, 2004)

Oral history has Miloslav marrying Vinci Bacek in 1910 in Schuyler, Nebraska. This does not appear to be Vincencia Bockova, the passenger travelling with Josef Corkal. The marriage records from Colfax County for 1908 to 1915 show a marriage between Vinci Bosek and M.S. Corkal.  The 1910 census also shows an M.S. Corkal living in Center Township, Butler County, Nebraska. He is living with the Popiscil's and working as a hired hand. He is listed to be 20 years old on his last birthday, born in Moravia and both parents born in Moravia. He does not speak English, his language is listed as Bohemian. Butler County is adjacent to Colfax County. A map of Nebraska helps put these towns and counties into perspective.

Miloslav and Vinci had been high school sweethearts in Tasovice.

Miloslav apparently had a younger brother join him in the states sometime after his arrival (?Josef). The younger brother came to Fraserwood with Miloslav but soon went to work the mines in Alberta. A letter was sent home saying that he had saved some money ($1200) and would be coming home for Christmas. He was not heard from again. Miloslav tried to find him but was told he would need a private investigator. He did not have enough money to afford one and therefore could not continue. (Interview with Joe Corkal, Gimli, Manitoba, June 1994).

Also to confuse matters, the names on the birth certificates of Joe, Mel, Julie, Alice, Russel and Frank can vary. Some are listed as Cvrkal (Joe) others are listed as Corkal (Frank). There are no Cvrkal's listed as coming through Ellis Island. The birth certificate from the Republic of Czechoslovakia has the name listed as Miroslav Cvrkal. (English translation of birth certificate) And if that is not confusing enough, Josef Corkal, is most likely listed in the 1910 US Census as Jos. Svrkal

Also, there are 5 towns in the Czech Republic by the name of Tasovice!

I think the correct Tasovice is probably the last.

It is to the Northwest of Brno and the town of Cernovice is only 1 mile away. This would be consistent with the birth certificate of Miroslav in which the priest and midwife arrive from Cernovice and he is baptized in Cernovice. It is also consistent with the oral family history of the family from being near Brno. The other possibility is the second last. It is also near Brno, but there is no town called Cernovice nearby.

The political district on the birth certificate is Boskovice.  (pub crawl!) You can see Boskovice on the map above, to the east of Tasovice and highway 461. The judicial/legal district is Kunstat. Once again to the Northeast. The parsonage is Cernovice. I have not be able to translate dekanstvi nor can I decipher the name. It looks like Lomvice. (?Lomnice) All things told, I think the Tasovice shown on the map above is the correct one.

Here is an excellent map that shows the relationship between these towns.

A search on Cvrkal through the Mormon's brings up the following list.

Notice how many are born in Sebranice, another town very close to Tasovice. Click on Jan and his family to get an interesting pedigree. His father is Matias. His siblings are Jacob and Frantiska. From the birth certificate of Miroslav, his father was Fillip and his grandfather was Jan. If this is the same Jan (not that great a leap, since the location and dates match) the Corkal family tree can be traced backed to 1770. Letovice is only a few kilometers from Sebranice.