Jan said he was born in 1848, however records in Kolence (researched by Vladimir Kandl) state that he was born August 8, 1856. Why he would change this information is a mystery. He is found in the 1870 census and listed as 22 years old (when in fact he would've been 14) which is a puzzle--why would a 14 year old boy be on his own and traveling to America? His wife's obituary stated that they were married in 1867 in Bohemia yet he would have only been 11 at that time (or 19 by his 1848 date). He was not listed as her husband in the 1870 census and records in Minnesota indicate that there was a marriage by the Justice of the Peace on January 27, 1877, which was in fact after the birth of their oldest child.
Below I illustrate the huge discrepancies these dates present:
Jan's Age Discrepancies for Key Life Events
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Jan's Claim
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Vladimir's Records
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age if 1848
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age if 1856
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| Coming to America (1866) |
18
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10
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| Marriage in Bohemia (1867?) |
19
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11
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| First census and (1870) |
22
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14
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| First child (1875?) |
27
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19
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Census record birth dates vary also as shown in the table.
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Census
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Age
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Implied Year of Birth
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1870
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22
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1848
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1885
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30
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1855
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1895
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45
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1850
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1900
|
51
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1849
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I question Vladmir's date but he would have had to have been the oldest child if he was indeed born in 1848 and Vladimir has done extensive research prior to and after connecting with me (and has the genealogical resources and know how).
Jan spoke very little of the "old country" except to say that he left in 1866 to avoid the draft and that the family had a farm in Kolence, Bohemia. He also spoke of a brother named Vaclav living in Chicago. There was never mention of the other sisters who we now know settled in Minnesota.
Relatives in Bohemia say that he helped build the church in Novesedly before he left for America. Because of this his father was honored by being given a pew in the front of the church where he did indeed die during Easter mass in 1900 at the age of 85.
The first land purchase was found in 1890 (160 acres for $370). They farmed with horses and cleared the land to plant wheat, corn and hay. They raised chickens, ducks, geese and pigs and butchered all the meat for meals. They resided here for 9 years then purchasing a 120-acre farm near by which they farmed until 1914/1915. These farms were located in Southern Minnesota near the present day towns of Montgomery, New Prague and Lonsdale. This information was from daughter Francis Kopet.
After his wife's death he moved to town and lived off of Main Street (and occasionally with his children) where he had a series of common law wives. He drank heavily and had an unpleasant disposition.
Jan played the violin at dances. The relatives in Bohemia stated that this was something he started as a boy and he was remembered for that. He was said to be very good.
My grandfather, Ted Filipek and his brother Emil remember him as being mean and that they thought he was a gypsy. He died when they were in their early teens. "He always had women living with him and then he'd kick them out because he didn't like what they cooked him to eat."
Franceska died in 1916 at the age of 65 of gangrene of the leg and septic thrombosis (Varicose veins?). Jan died in 1928 at age 80 (or 72) of chronic intestirial nephritis - 8 months (as per the death record); however, the church records state stomach cancer as the cause of death.
He was a practicing Catholic all of his life and was one of the founding members of the church and township at Trebon, which is outside of Montgomery and never more than a church and cemetery with adjoining farms.
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