The Zvolaneks and Coufals of Stare Ransko

My new friend (possibly cousin) Frantisek Coufal has sent me many old photos of his Zvolanek ancestors, who Grandpa John Zvolanek surely knew while living in Stare Ransko.


First of all, here is a photo of the Vaclav Zvolanek family in front of #6 Stare Ransko, where Kirk and I visited with the Coufal family. If you compare with our photos taken in May 2011, you can see the similarity between the old house and the present Coufal home.

This is Rose (b.1873) and Vaclav Zvolanek (b.1866) with their daughter Ruzena. Mary Zvolanek-Coufal (pictured below) is also Rose and Vaclav's daughter.

Daughters Mary and Ruzena would have been of the same generation as our Grandpa John, so this may be how the house appeared to Grandpa while he lived in Stare Ransko.


When John Zvolanek listed Frantisek Coufal in his ledger, it was probably because Frantisek Coufal was the husband of Mary Zvolanek, the Grandmother of the Coufal family that we visited in Stare Ransko.

Mary Zvolankova Coufalova
August 26, 1899 - August 25, 1988

Frantisek Coufal,July 9, 1893 - June 15, 1950
husband of Mary Zvolanek.

Visiting Stare Ransko in search of the Zvolanek Family

According to Grandpa's Ellis Island Documents, his last place of residence before coming to the US was Stare Ransko. Probably he left his birthplace in Jahubec Russia to find work there.


After Kirk and I visited Nove Ransko to find information about the Briz family, we arrived in Stare Ransko to search for members of the Zvolanek family.It's a small town with no City Hall, so where to begin? Our guide Marek had the perfect idea: Stop at the local tavern.


No one knew any Zvolaneks, but Marek was directed to a house where the local record-keeper lived. Kirk and I waited in the car while Marek found the man in his garden, attending to a swarming hive of bees! (I too keep bees, so this was a fun connection to make with someone in the Czech Republic.)

Looking right from Marek's car, then left and down the street.

After some discussion in Czech between he and Marek, (also informing him that I too keep bees,) the man went indoors, emerging with an old ledger of all addresses in Stare Ransko and the people who had lived at each address since the 1700's at least! By now I had stopped taking photos, not wanting to act too invasive and "touristy."


The ledger revealed that although no Zvolaneks currently live in Stare Ransko, Janu Zvolanekovi (b.1868) and wife Mari had once lived in Stare Ransko. House #17 had once belonged to Vaclav Zvolanek in 1890, and the house at #6 Stare Ransko had been in the Zvolanek family since 1868. The Coufal family, decendants of Ruzena Zvolanek Coufal (1908-1960) still lived there. The old beekeeper jumped up and told us to follow him.


We piled into Marek's car and followed the beekeeper as he trotted along the dirt road ahead of us. We offered to give him a ride, but he just kept jogging parallel to the forest, then motioning for us to turn right and follow him halfway down the next street.


At house #6, a gentleman was working in his yard. His name is Peter Coufal, and his grandmother was a Zvolanek. Peter and Ivanka Coufal's house had been in the Zvolanek family for several generations.


Marek told Peter that I was following up on my grandfather's old letters and documents, and that I had traveled from America to hopefully find and re-connect with my Grandfather's family.


Mr. Coufal was extremely excited. I'd even say GIDDY. Through Marek's interpretation he told us that OH YES! He is aware of this correspondence, and he has kept letters and photos from the United States that he wants to show us! He and his wife Ivanka invited us all to please come in! Peter called his brother Frantisek and invited him to join us. Frantisek also has many family photos and records. We all share an interest in exploring and preserving family history, which made the visit quite enjoyable.


Normally I would have taken photos continually, including the interior of this ancestral Zvolanek home, but didn't want to be rude. There were shelves of nice old beer steins in a cozy room with a low ceiling. Small square windows sent beams of sunlight streaming onto a glass cabinet of keepsakes and mementos.


Peter Coufal brought out boxes of antique documents and family photos to share with me, but unfortunately I didn't recognize any of the Zvolaneks in his photos. Apparently, two Zvolanek sisters from their Stare Ransko family had emigrated to America. They had both sent letters and photos home, sharing news about their lives and families in Chicago, but this family connection, too, had now been broken.


We all agreed that although there was no tangible evidence in the Coufal's records, it seemed reasonable to assume that my grandfather Jan Zvolanek most certainly would have come to Stare Ransko from Russia knowing that he could connect with relatives in this town. Reasonable to envision that Grandfather sat in this very room where we were now perusing photos of Zvolaneks and Coufals that once possessed all the information that, a century later, we could only attempt to decipher and connect.


Sadly, Kirk and I couldn't stay as long as we would have liked to -- the visit was less than an hour. It would be a two-hour trip back to Prague. As I headed toward Marek's car, it was hard to NOT be taking photos of this visit, but I didn't want the Coufals to feel like they were entertaining a tourist rather than a distant relative. But then, Frantisek Coufal asked Marek if I would let him take photos of us together! Our three cameras came out and we took turns posing with each other. Frantisek and I traded e-mail addresses and promised to exchange photos and family tree information. And we have!

Above, Frantisek Coufal and me.

Frantisek, me, Peter -- and Ivanka relaxing in the background.

And ironically, even though I held a copy of Grandpa's journal pages 33 and 34 in my Zvolanek Research Folder during the entire visit with the Coufals, it was only after I returned home to Parkville that I observed the following: Jan Zvolanek had written the name Frantisek Coufal (their Grandfather, married to Mary Zvolanek) on these journal pages of people to contact when he arrived in Stare Ransko.

The Connection to Stare Ransko Becomes More Clear

This ledger page from Grandpa Zvolanek's ledger/address book bears the name "Frantisek Coufal" along with other names associated with the town of Stare Ransko. Certainly there would be a connection to the Coufals that we visited. And indeed there is.


After my return home, I e-mailed this ledger page to Frantisek Coufal, the brother of the current Coufal family that lives at #6 Stare Ransko. Again, this house originally belonged to the Zvolanek family, passed on to the Coufals through the marriage of Mary Zvolanek to Frantisek Coufal -- my new friend's Grandparents.


Frantisek e-mailed his response today:

A sunny day Denise.
Thank you very much for sending documents. According to the addresses of your grandfather, it is clear that the document is the address of my grandfather Francis Coufal b. July 9, 1893, d.15.6. 1950.


Descendants of Mr. Vavrouška Ransko live also. Mr. Jun and his son in Podmoklany died. Mr. Jakes has relatives in Krucemburk. Mr. Korejtko also died, a relative of his living in New Ransko.
I sent a family tree, but I do not know whether you can expand.
Sincerely, Frank. :-)

As we suspected, Grandpa John Zvolanek did indeed know the Coufal/Zvolanek family. Frantisek Coufal was only two years younger than John. I'd be willing to bet that our grandfathers once sat together in the same living room where Kirk and I were treated to the Coufals' ancestral documents and a glass of homemade apricot brandy.

Exploring Jan Zvolanek's Connection to Nove Ransko

On his Ellis Island immigration papers, Jan Zvolanek listed his last city of residence as Stare (Old) Ransko. He had also received (and saved) letters from the Briza family in Nove (New) Ransko. So as part of our visit to Prague, we hired a guide/translator and drove 2 hours southeast to visit these towns.

On our way to Nove Ransko, we stopped to eat lunch in the town square at Chotebor, where Uncle Jim perhaps lived prior to coming to the U.S. (Either that or Chotebor is merely listed as the county seat on Jim's records - hard to decipher.)



After lunch we proceeded to Nove Ransko to search for the house where the Briza family lived as indicated by two letters that Grandpa had kept. We stopped at City Hall to ask where house #66 was located. The ladies seemed excited to have a visitor searching for family clues. One of them disappeared into a side room, brought out a thick old ledger book and started searching for the #66 address. The ledger revealed that Antonie (one of Anton Briza's daughters mentioned in his letters) inherited the house and married Karel Smelc.



We discovered that Antonie passed away, the Briz house was torn down recently and a new house was built on the location. The ladies at the office called one of Antonie's neighbors, a watchmaker (hodinar) to see if we could come visit him and possibly obtain more information through our translator, Marek.



Although he had no memory of any Zvolaneks in the area, the watchmaker took our address and offered to (hopefully) find and send me an old photo of Antonie Briza Smelcova in front of #66.


I was being careful not to offend or frighten the current neighbors by photographing their homes, but permission to take a couple of photos of the street that Grandpa undoubtedly walked. This is looking up the street toward #66.



This is the new house located at #66:
But I think this photo of the house next to #66 gives us a better idea of what the original Briza home looked like - the house that Jan Zvolanek must have visited many many times.



If Jan Zvolanek worked as a machinist in Nove Ransko, it could have been at the factory at the opposite end of the Briza's street.


This factory was originally founded by Jan Pujman and was noteworthy at the time Grandpa lived in the area.
Note the bicycles on the right. Men were leaving work, getting on their cycles and riding away.



Next update will be about our visit to Stare Ransko where Jan Zvolanek actually lived -- just a short drive (or bicycle ride) from this factory and the Briza home.


And yes -- we did find a few distant Zvolanek ancestors there!