1. Jan Filipek started it all for the Filipeks. Based on census and other sources, Cindy believes he came around 1869. He was born in 1856 so he would have only been about age 13. In the 1870 Census he is shown with his future wife's family, the Shimas in Montgomery, Minnesota. Discovery of the Shipping Arrival Record would help clarify the date and whom he came with and could explain a little more on why he came at such an early age.
2. The Frank and Anna Sokolik and their three children Frank, John, and Theodore arrived in New York 7 May 1879 on the Lessing. They then proceeded to Minnesota. By June 1880, Jan and Francesca Filipek, the Sokoliks and the Janas were all living in Montgomery and the Sokoliks and Janas were living in the same household. It is unknown what prompted the Sokolik move to Minnesota, but contributing factors could have been that Montgomery was a strong Bohemian community, that favorable letters arrived in Kolence from Jan, and that they had a desire for something different. Certainly though Jan Filipek must have had something to do with it, given they settled in the same town. The move for the Sokoliks though is a bit unusual given that they had already secured their own farm in Kolence, they both had relatives nearby, they already had young children, and Frantisek Sokolik was almost 50 years old at the time.
3. On the Nemec side, Katherine Nemec arrived first on 21 July 1882 at New York on the Strassburg. She then proceeded to Chicago. The reason for her travel was prompted by an unexpected pregnancy and a decision by either her or her parents that it would be best if she went away for a while. Katerina listed herself on the manifest as a servant, which is a way of saying that a family sponsored her to provide help in their home. One possibility is that Katherine's parents knew John and Theresa Novak in Chicago and contacted them to inquire about families needing domestic help. It is possible that they suggested the Dedinas, a family next door with a growing family. Thus it appears that a key reason James and Katherine Filipek, the two Sokolik boys, Katherine's brother Frank Nemec, the Janas and many others in our clan wound up in Chicago for generations had to do with a long ago need for household help in Chicago and the need for a young girl to get away from her small town for a while.
4. Rose Filipek recalled that James Filipek came about a year after Katherine, which would have been about the summer of 1883. The reason Rose indicated was to avoid the draft. And if he needed to get away from being inducted, Chicago was the logical destination since Katherine and his infant son were there. However, if he did come, it is known that he returned by the fall of 1884 when he attended an agronomics school in Bohemia.
5. Next, Frank Nemec, Katherine's brother came sometime around 1884. In 1884 Frank was just 17. This data was from the 1900 Census, but the dates are not always accurate and could be off a year or two. It could be that his parents sent him to help take care of his sister, or he could have traveled with James Filipek, both leaving together to avoid the draft.
6. James Filipek arrived in the USA at Baltimore on 18 June 1889 on the Munchen. His decision to go to the United States took over 6 years, and began in the summer of 1882 when Katerina Nemec left for Chicago. During this period it is known that their son John was born in Chicago on 12 December 1882, that James and Katherine were married 29 January 1884, location unknown, and that he attended the Farm Management and Economy School in Hracholuskach, Bohemia in the fall of 1884. There is also a family recollection that he visited Chicago in 1883 for a short while. It is not clear where Katerina was during these years, although it is likely that she stayed in Chicago. It's difficult to speculate on the reasons for his decision to come since it's not known where Katherine was during this period, but certainly he decided farming wasn't for him as he never took up that profession in the United States. Perhaps the decision was as simple as that. He had returned to Bohemia to attend the Farm Management and Economy School followed by a life there. But Katherine continued to tell him of the opportunities in Chicago and somewhere along the line, losing interest in farming, he decided to join Katherine in Chicago and make his way there.
7. Around 1890/1891, it is thought that Frank Jana brought his five children Katherine, about age 12, Frank, about age 10, Anna about seven, Mary about five and Elizabeth about age 1 to Chicago along with John Sokolik about age 14 and Theodore about age 10. Most likely there was a family discussion on what to do with the Sokolik children and it was decided that the two Sokolik boys would stay with James and Katerina Filipek in Chicago. It is postulated that the youngest Elizabeth Jana was put into an orphanage in Chicago, possibly Holy Family Orphanage, a (nearby) parish orphanage for Czech and German children. Then it appears that Frank took the four older children to Pueblo, where it is thought that he worked on the railroads. It is not known if Frank had worked in Pueblo earlier, but it is possible.
8. Around 1895 James Filipek and his family traveled west to Pueblo where James boarded work crews and was a foreman for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and Katherine provided the meals for the crew. They returned to Chicago by late 1899 or early 1900. We have often wondered Why They Came to Pueblo and slowly the story is coming together. Through the Pueblo letters it was learned that the Filipeks never really intended to stay. For example, John Sokolik stayed in Chicago with a number of their possessions. In addition, James kept up his memberships in various Chicago fraternal organizations. Thus it is likely they used the opportunity to earn a better living and have a little adventure. But how did they choose Pueblo and how did they James manage the language barrier as foreman? At first, I thought the Filipeks saw an advertisement in a Chicago newspaper, it now appears that James and his brother-in-law Frank Jana kept in touch, and Frank probably let him know of the work and opportunity there. The language barrier may have been solved with Czech work crews as one of James' letters mentions Moravian and Slovak families. It is now suspected that the link to Pueblo could have been even earlier, perhaps with Frank Sokolik as Theodore suggests in the first paragraph of his My Life as I Lived It that his father traveled around a lot building the railroads. While not definitive, it's possible that Frank Sokolik worked for the railroads in Pueblo in the 1880s and introduced Frank Jana to it. Then in the mid-1890s, Frank Jana may have introduced James Filipek to railroading, and later James may have introduced his brother-in-law Frank Nemec to it.
9. James Filipek returned for a visit to his boyhood home of Kolence in the summer of 1911. It is thought that this was a nostalgia visit. James was 47 and perhaps at a reflective time of life. Katherine stayed in Chicago, probably to run the grocery store with her sons. There is some possibility that he knew he was not well and wanted to go back one more time, but except for being quite a bit overweight, he seems to look pretty good in the photos of that period. While there, he visited the Filipek Farm, saw his sister Rosalie and his brother Frantisek. On the return trip it is believed he brought the watercolors and a number of photographs.
10. James F. Filipek, son of Frantisek Filipek came in the summer of 1911 with James on his return trip. It is not known why James F. Filipek came, but at 19 he was young and starting life. Perhaps his father wanted to give him an opportunity in America and asked his brother to give him a start. As can be seen by many family photos, James became close to the new family. Later he worked for the Chicago Park District and received the moniker, James the Gardener, so we would all know which James we were talking about.
11. Katherine Filipek returned in the summer of 1914 shortly after James died. This appears to be a grieving trip back to be with relatives, cousins and old friends.
12. Rose Skoblik came over in 1920 to help Katherine care for Mary Barrett. In 1916, Katherine's daughter, Mary died in childbirth after a caesarian. The child lived and Katherine at age 53 took on the responsibility to raise the new child, for her God's gift and a new sense of purpose after losing her husband and daughter in a two-year period. Given her age, she needed help and contacted her cousin Katerina Skoblik and they arranged for daughter Rose to come to Chicago to help. It is likely Katherine Filipek met the then 14 year old Rose on her trip back in 1914. Unfortunately, in 1916 war raged through Europe and Rose could not come until 1920.
13. Katherine Filipek, along with her son John Filipek and his wife Rose, their two children, and thirteen year old Mary Barrett returned in 1929. It appears they were part of a church group that visited Rome and then they went on to visit the Kandls in Kolence, and most likely Rose's family in Lomnice, and Katherine's cousins and family in Budejovice, Mazelov and surrounding areas.
14. John and Katherine Sokolik returned for a visit to Kolence in 1930. John was 56 and after hearing about the visit the previous year probably got nostalgic about visiting his boyhood home.
    

In summary, Jan was the first to start it all for the Filipeks in Minnesota, and the Sokoliks and Janas followed. However, it was the Nemecs that got the other branch of the Filipeks to Chicago. Through an old friendship with the Novaks and a chance event, many of us owe our Chicago roots, and really our existence, to two families we know little about. The result of these early decisions by Jan Filipek and the Nemecs started a gradual migration of other relatives and friends from the old country leading to a new way of life for them and us.

Initial Web Publication Date: 03/07/2001
Intermediate Additions: 8/23/2001, 05/11/2003

• Go to the Filipek Story Outline
• Go to the Nemec Story Outline
• Go to the Filipek Initial Page
• Go to the Nemec Intial Page