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.
