Citizen of the United States of America

On July 20th, 1920 - after living in America for 9 years - my Grandfather became a Citizen of the United States. This Department of Labor Certificate of Naturalization confirms that prior to residing in the United States, Grandfather was a citizen/subject of Austria.

John was 29, Mabel was 21 and my mother Marjory Ruth was 2 years old.
They had apparently moved from DuBois and were living in Humboldt Nebraska.

Chairman of Rulo Nebraska School Board

Here is a 1939 diploma from Rulo High School, indicating that my grandfather served as Chairman of the Rulo School Board. My grandfather would have been 48 years of age at the time.

Thanks to his son, my uncle John Stanley Zvolanek for sharing this document!

F. Missler Bremen Advertisement and Linen Wallet

The F. Missler is one of the more famous "ghost" ships in emigration/immigration lore. No ship by that name existed.

The confusion stems from the fact that Freidrich Missler was a 19th century travel agent. He was the biggest ticket agent in Bremen who made an offer of passage to emigrants from Germany to America, Canada, South America, and South Africa in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Missler established a good working relationship with the North German Lloyd shipping line.

Missler's ad at left (which I found on the internet) is an interesting piece of immigration history. It is from the Pecirkuv Narodni kalendar - 1900, published in Prague, and appeared on the back page of the almanac and calendar.

In the early 1900's there was a wave of immigration from what is now the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to America and other destinations throughout the world. Missler's advertisements promoted this immigration. This particular ad features passage to America, Africa, and Australia from the Port of Bremen, Germany.

By 1903 the Austro-Hungarian government was making a serious effort to stem the tide of emigration and passed the Hungarian Emigration Law of 1903. The Emigration Law contained some pretty strong measures to slow the immigration from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ads like the one above were banned throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It became illegal to even bring information like this ad into the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Article 46 of the law states, "Any one who encourages emigration at a public meeting by speeches, or by distributing printed matter or pamphlets, or by exhibiting these publicly, shall be punished with imprisonment for not more than two months, and by a fine not exceeding 600 crowns." In Austria-Hungary, taking Missler's brochure to an inn, meeting place or church and showing it to other people could land you in jail!

A similar ad may have helped my Bohemian ancestors make their decision to emigrate to America or other countries at the turn of the century -- and given them information about making that voyage.

Below is the F. Missler Bremen linen folding ticket and document wallet, given to either Grandfather Jan (John) Zvolanek in 1911, or to his brother Waclav (Jim) in 1914 as they left Bremen, Germany for New York City. I have scanned the front and inside (2 pockets!) of this wallet.

Translation of Polish phrases on inside wallet:
Line 1: "Taking passengers"
Line 2: "Fast steamships to America"
Line 3: "House Banking and Money Exchange"

My thanks to my Aunt Belle and cousins Gale Zuest and Darrell Zvolanek - the wife and children of John's oldest son, my Uncle Edward Zvolanek, who were kind enough to loan all of Grandfather's papers for me to scan and share on this blog.

Names of Grandfather's Family & Friends near Prague

When my Great-Uncle Wenzel Zvolanek boarded the F Missler Bremen for the United States in the Spring of 1914, he listed his residence as Kreizenburg in the district of Chotebor, Crown Land Bohemia. There is also a note about a village called Rankov.

In a letter written to my Grandfather on May 10, 1923 from relatives in New Ransko some names appear. A digital scan and translation will be provided on this site.

The names mentioned in this letter are:
Anton and Frank Briz, their daughters Frances, Toni, Rose.
Ludmila and Mary (last name uncertain) from Ransko.
Aunt Madam Muttl (Muttlova) who died in 1922.
And "Father" who is "already very old" but still weaving.

Another paper mentions Ludmila Briznova.
I have a copy of a letter from Ludmila, so she could be a relative or close friend.

Yet another paper appears to record this address (as best I can read the language)
Od Antonin Briza
Nove Ransko c 66
Cechy Europa.

Here are addresses written in Grandfather's little notebook.
I have no reason yet to believe that they are relatives.
Perhaps he met them on the ship to Ellis Island?

Velecteni Pan
p. Jozep Malit
u.p. Merkea Chotebor
Kraij (or Kray) Castari
Bohimen

Yet another address:
Vaclav Obradovsky,
Krucemburk,
Cechy

Uncovering Names of Grandfather's Relatives in Russia

By studying a couple of official documents on-line and Grandfather's returned letter to Russia, I've decided that there are a few names that I can try to track down. An important name shows up on Ellis Island documents and US Census documents: Jan and Waclav's father's name was recorded a few times as Jan Zvolanek (senior.)

Just the other day, while writing about the Returned Letter, I said that there were no Zvolaneks on the address, other than the name of my Grandpa to whom the letter was being returned. I thought Grandfather's name was written on the front and on the back as the "Returnee."

But now that I realize that my Grandfather and his father were both named Jan. It's entirely possible that Grandfather John addressed the envelope to his father Jan Zvolanek in addition to someone named Kijevshoy (sp?) Huberni. The Elder Jan Zvolanek's name has been hiding in plain sight all along -- underneath the SERVICE SUSPENDED rubber stamp.

According to Reverend Jan Dus' translation of this letter, other people and names appear in my grandfather's letter:
Parents and brothers: the plural seems significant. Grandpa's mother is apparently still alive and he's writing to more than one brother. (By this time, his brother Waclav (Jim) is already living in Nebraska...

Antonie Kopernicka, Antonin (friend or cousin?) and brother Ivanovi Zvolanek.
As I find more names on documents, I will post them for follow-up.

I'm enjoying how handy this blog is for organizing, adding and sharing information!