The Filipeks returned to Chicago in late 1899 or early 1900. The last letter we have from Colorado is dated December 23, 1898 and they were back soon enough to appear in the 1900 Chicago Directory. Upon their return, the Filipeks and Sokolik nephews again lived together, this time at 2956 Emerald in Chicago, about a mile away from their neighborhood of the early 1890s.
Citizenship
Upon his return to Chicago, James completed the process of becoming a citizen. This was a multi-step process of which the first step was to declare intent to become a citizen. James' Declaration of Intent was made on February 10, 1900, almost a decade after his arrival. In the intent, the duties of a citizen are reviewed with the applicant and he is given time to ponder the action about to be taken; he also needs to find a sponsor who will vouch for his character. Citizenship in those days also meant that a man's wife and children would automatically become citizens. James took his Oath for Citizenship on April 2, 1900 at the age of 36. As a result of James' citizenship, Katherine and the younger children also became citizens. Since he was born in Chicago in 1882, John Filipek was already a citizen.
James could have started the citizenship process around 1894, but perhaps he wasn't sure yet or he decided to wait until the Pueblo job was over. James chose Axel T. Johnson of 3032 Emerald to be his sponsor. Axel stated that he had known James Filipek for five years and that he had known of his intent to become a citizen for at least three years. Since James just spent the previous 5 years in Pueblo, it's hard to understand how Axel knew him that long. However, some possibilities are that Axel was in Pueblo with James or Axel was the boss James referred to one of the Pueblo letters.
The Grocery Store
Upon their return, the Filipeks went into the grocery business. Both the 1900 Chicago Directory and the 1900 Cenus show James as a grocer at 2956 Emerald. The same Census Theodore Sokolik was a grocery salesman, suggesting he helped in the store. In the Census, John Sokolik was shown as a Gents (Gentleman's) Furnishings salesman and John Filipek was shown as a salesman, although it's unknown whether it was for groceries or men's clothing.
By 1901, James had formed a partnership for the grocery business with John Sokolik. It was called Filipek and Company (James Filipek and John K. Sokolik). It is clear though from the company name that John was the junior partner. This partnership lasted through 1902. By 1903, James had moved the grocery store to 3001 S. Emerald and was the sole owner. During this period, John Sokolik maintained his job as a salesman in men's furnishings. For example, in the 1902 Directory John was employed as a salesman at 192 Jackson Boulevard. Perhaps both James Filipek and John Sokolik were just feeling their way and had started together in the grocery business but found after a few years that either they couldn't work together with their respective strong personalities or that John just found that men's clothing was more interesting to him.
Three photographs of the Filipek Grocery Store show a wide variety of goods, including dried cereal boxes, bananas, stove polish, gum, soap and sausages and loaves of bread. My Grandmother Grace Vanderkloot who lived in the area said she frequented the store and that James was the butcher. Meat can't be seen in the photographs but I really don't know where they kept it in the days before refrigeration.
Theirs was the classic corner grocery store, complete with a coal and wood burning stove. It had a little bit of everything and in the days before refrigeration, no transportation, and small houses with little room, people used to shop daily for what they needed at the corner store. High population densities in the neighborhoods and small budgets for patrons made it possible for corner grocers to have a regular and frequent clientele. Part of what grocers did was to buy commodities in bulk and reduce them to requested smaller sizes for patrons, such as a few ounces of butter, a couple of cups of flour, and so on. The Filipeks lived upstairs and after a few years added a high wall along 30th Street to provide privacy in their backyard for gardens and relaxation.
The Filipek grocery business continued for many years and the Filipeks prospered. They were able to sent their daughter to a boarding school; they had frequent family photos, and were a part of their community. Sometime before 1910 they owned their home and store via a mortgage. When James died in 1914, the store continued, possibly through a manager and was sold around 1921. Profits from the store and their Colorado years helped maintained Katherine for another 30 years.
The Children
Upon their return to Chicago, John Filipek had just turned 17 and began to establish his career. John Sokolik introduced John to the Men's Furnishings business shortly thereafter. They worked together for many years selling men's clothing at various places in the Chicago Loop including Wilson Brothers' Clothing, most likely on commission. They were lifelong friends and both did very well, John Filipek retiring in his 40s.
The younger Filipek children attended grade school in the early 1900s. Grandma Grace Vanderkloot attended Brenan Thomas GramMarch School at Lime and Archer. Lime is now Green Street and the location is about Green and 25th Place. So the Filipek children probably also attended Brenan Thomas given their new home at 3001 S. Emerald. Their older brother, John attended Harrison Grade School, named after Benjamin Harrison at 23rd Place and Wentworth before the Filipeks went to Colorado as the Filipeks lived in a different neighborhood in the early 1890s.
It is not known where Mary attended high school, but the 1910 Census indicates that she was at boarding school. This might have been a college or a professional school as she would have been 20 years old at the time. Sacred Heart Academy in Lisle was a Boarding School for girls. My mom, Jeanne, believed this is where Katherine Filipek tried to enroll Mary Barrett in the early 1930s but she refused. Possibly this is the boarding school Mary Filipek attended in1910. Eventually Mary married Lawrence Barrett on September 10, 1912 at St. John Nepomucene on her father's 49th birthday. Lawrence was 39 and Mary was 22.
After their return from Colorado, Mary and James continued their religious education. Mary had her first communion in the spring of 1902 at age 12 and Jim had his in 1904 at age 11. Nowadays children have their communions about age 7 in the 2nd grade, but then it was later. Mary was confirmed in 1904 at the age of 13 and took the name of St. Cecilia. No sponsor was listed on the records. James was confirmed in 1908 at the age of 15 or 16 and took the name of St. Thomas. His sponsor was Vojtech Dedina, the same as his baptismal sponsor. It is likely that John also had a first communion and confirmation, but it appears to be in the days before St. John Nepomucene was required to keep records.
Later Jim attended Wendell Phillips High School at 39th and Prairie. Wendell Phillips was about 2.4 miles from Jim's home at 30th and Emerald and he likely took a streetcar there, perhaps south on Halsted first and then transferred east on 39th. He took chemistry and was on the high school baseball team. There is a good collection of pictures of him in his Wendell Phillips sweater, baseball jersey, cap and gown and the Wendell Phillips School itself in the James Filipek Picture Collection.
Jim Filipek probably graduated between1909 and 1912 at which time he would have been between 17-20 years old. He is not listed as a graduate in the 1910 Wendell Phillips Yearbook. It is possible he graduated a year earlier in 1909 or was delayed a year or two because of the Filipek move to Pueblo.
The Sokoliks
Around 1904, at age 30, John Sokolik married Kate and John moved about 5 miles south to 68th and Emerald. John was the first of the group to move away from the old neighborhood and may have been prompted by Kate already living in that neighborhood. This new location was south of the stockyards and would have had more open space and less crowding. John would take the elevated train to work in the Chicago Loop. John and Kate had two children. They were Florence in 1905 and Frank in 1910. By 1911 they would move to their long time home at 6827 South Union. A picture of the home can be seen in the Sokolik Picture Collection.
After working for a time in the Filipek Grocery Store, Theodore returned to the railroad business in 1902 and this time as a conductor. Around 1909 at about age 30, he married Lillian Spuninger and moved in with her parents at 705 65th Street. This location was just a few blocks from his brother. After only a few years of marriage Lillian died on May 19, 1915 at about age 34. Within a couple of years, Theodore married Louise on August 18, 1917. James A. Filipek and his then girlfriend Grace Vanderkloot were the witnesses. Theodore and Louise had two children, Eleanor and Virginia.
Return to Bohemia
In 1911, James took a trip back to Bohemia. He applied for his passport in April of that year. On the application he stated that he arrived in the USA in May 1889 from Hamburg and that he had lived uninterruptedly in the USA for 22 years, residing in Chicago and Pueblo. He is described as 47 years old, light hair, light blue eyes, and 5 feet tall. The height has to be wrong, and I believe they forgot to fill in the inches on his height and that he is really somewhere between 5 foot 6 inches and 5 foot 9 inches. It is unknown what prompted the trip back. It could have been a nostalgic trip to see his brother Frantisek, the architect and teacher, and his sister Rozalie Kandl, owner of the Filipek Farm. At first I thought that the trip might have been prompted by a relative's death. But it was found that his mother died in 1902, his father in 1900 and his sister Mary Palecek in 1899. There is no mention of Katherine accompanying him. It is thought that he went in early summer and stayed a few months. There are pictures in the Vaclav Filipek Picture Collection of his brother, Frantisek, from this trip. Upon his return, it is believed that he brought back the three watercolors we have. He also brought back Frantisek's son James F. Filipek, age. 19.
James F. Filipek
James F. Filipek was the same age as James Filipek's own son Jim and it appears that the two cousins became good friends. James F. Filipek eventually became a landscaper for the Chicago Park District and was known as "Jim the Gardener". It is believed he used to supply John, Theodore, and Jim with extra plants at the end of the day from his work and that is how everyone had such great gardens.
Initial Web Publication Date: 2/16/2001
Intermediate Additions: 8/23/2001, 9/11/2007