MY CZECH FAMILY HISTORY

By: Ava JohnsonWith help from: Aimée Johnson and Becky Dugi

INTRODUCTION

• Today I am going to be telling you about my Grandmother’s family from Czechoslovakia.

• These are the family members that I will talk about:

• Agnes Kocick Shindler (immigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1868)• Frank J. Shindler (immigrated from Germany)

• Agnes Shindler Svoboda• Rudolph Svoboda• Myrtie Svoboda Robuck

PLACES THAT MY FAMILY CAME FROM

• Czechoslovakia• Germany• England• Scotland• Poland• Netherlands

WHAT HARDSHIPS THEY FACED WHEN MOVING TO AMERICA

• Illnesses • Storms • New people• Spending 3 months on board a ship with a baby (which was Frank Shindler)• Finding land in Texas• Learning English

HOW FAR BACK CAN I TRACE MY CZECH ANCESTORS?

• Agnes Kocick immigrated to the United States in 1868. • I am 6th generation American through my Czech ancestors that immigrated.

WHO IS MY OLDEST ANCESTOR STILL ALIVE?

• My oldest Czech relative is Michael Robuck (my Grandmother’s brother) who is 70 years old.

• My oldest Scottish relative is my great-grandmother Leta McKay who is 86 years old.

WHAT GATEWAY DID MY FAMILY ENTER THROUGH?

• Frank and Agnes traveled by ship and entered through the Port of Galveston.

WHERE IN TEXAS DID THEY LIVE?• Sweet Home, Texas

This is Agnes and Frank Shindler (who both immigrated to the U.S.A.) in front of their homestead with four out of their eight children.

WHAT WERE THE AGES OF MY CZECH ANCESTORS WHEN THEY MOVED TO AMERICA?

• Agnes (Kocick) Shindler was at the age of 16 when her family moved.

WHAT OTHER LANGUAGES DID MY FAMILY SPEAK?

• Czech and maybe some German or English

WHAT JOBS DID MY FAMILY HAVE?

• Frank and Agnes Shindler were farmers.• Their daughter Agnes Shindler Svoboda and her husband, Rudolph Svoboda,

owned a department store in Kenedy, Texas. After Rudolph died at age 34, Agnes moved to Yoakum, Texas and worked many jobs, gardened, canned food, made all the clothes for her four children, and was a healer of sorts in the community.

• One of their daughters, Myrtie Ruth Svoboda (my great-Grandmother) was a school teacher.

WHAT ARE SOME CZECH FAMILY RECIPES?

• Agnes Kocick Shindler made a poppy seed kolache recipe.• Agnes Shindler Svoboda made a poppy seed cake recipe.

WHY DID THEY IMMIGRATE?

Agnes Kocick likely emigrated from Czechoslovakia to buy cheaper farmland in the United States and due to political and religious oppression in Czechoslovakia.

SHINDLER

Frank Shindler

Agnes Shindler

Agnes Kocick Shindler

SVOBODA

Rudolph Svoboda

Agnes Shindler Svoboda

Myrtie Svoboda

Did you know that Svoboda means “freedom”?

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS

Prayer Books (Written in German and Czech).

Manners and Etiquette book Little Czech teapot

Cameo necklace passed down from Agnes Svoboda on Wedding Day

This quilt is called Grandmother’s Flower Garden and was handmade by my great, great Grandmother Agnes Shindler Svoboda

THE END