Martin Nemec
The focal point of our story is Martin Nemec who was born November 1, 1831 at No. 17 in Mazelov. Martin's parents were Vojtech Nemec, the farmer at No. 17 and Maria Bocek. Maria's parents were Jakob Bocek a farmer at No. 13, Ripec and Mariana Witek from the Estate Sobeslav at Ceraz, Bohemia.

Vojtech's parents and Martin's grandparents were Tomas Nemec the farmer at No. 17 and Katerina Zasadil. Tomas and Katerina Nemec had at least one daughter whose name is unknown. The daughter had three daughters between 1814 and 1817, all out of wed lock. It is presumed they all lived on the No. 17 Farm. Tomas and Katerina Nemec's son Vojtech and his wife Marie Bocek had 9 children between 1818 and 1837 all born at No. 17 Mazelov. Our Martin Nemec was the seventh boy.

Katerina Zelezny
Katerina Zelezny was born December 30, 1827 at Klec No. 4. Katerina's father was Matej Zelezny (alias Malinek) and he was a farmer. He was born about 1791 in Bohemia and died on January 28, 1869 at Klec No. 4 at age 77. It is believed Matej was born a Zelezny but took on the name Malinek with the purchase of property. Matej's father was also named Matej Zelezny and Matej's mother's name was Marie Binova from Val.

Katerina's mother's name was Maria Brabec and Maria's father's name was Simon Brabec of Klec No. 12 and Maria's mother's name was Alzbeta Nemec. Maria Brabec was born about 1797 in Bohemia and died on April 2, 1883 at Klec No. 5 at age 86. It is unclear if Alzbeta Nemec is another link to the Nemecs. Thus it appears that Katerina Zelezny's mother and maternal grandparents lived nearby in Klec.

Katerina Zelezny had a younger brother Matej (1830) and a younger sister Rosalie (1839). Around 1925, the grandson of Katerina Zelezny, John Filipek, would marry the granddaughter of Rosalie Zelezny, Rose Skoblik. Because Matej Zelezny and Maria Brabec were common great-grandparents of John and Rose, they were second cousins.

Martin and Katerina Nemec
Martin Nemec and Katerina Zelezny were married on January 15, 1850, probably at the parish in Lomnice. She was 22 and he was 18. They had eight children. Their first child, Tomas, was born April 13, 1850 in Frahelz. The next two children Josef born 1852 and Maria born 1854 were not born at Frahelz but at as yet an undiscovered location. Their next four children, Vaclav, born July 24, 1857; Anna born May 1, 1859 and died on May 4, 1860; Frantisek born July 6, 1861 and died July 29, 1861; Katerina born October 20, 1862 (my great-grandmother); were born at Mazelov No. 44. The eight child, also Frantisek was born October 16, 1867 at Ceske Budejovice No. 342.

Throughout his life Martin held a number of occupations. In the beginning he was a farmer, but by 1870 he was a tailor in Ceske Budejovice and later a cottager and tapster of spirits in Lomnice. Martin died at Lomnice No. 45 on April 8, 1901 at age 69 of carcinomum ventriculi, which I believe is stomach cancer. His wife, Katerina, died less than a year later at Lomnice No. 45 on February 13, 1902 at age 74 also of carcinomum ventriculi.


Martin and Katerina Nemec's Children

Tomas Nemec
Tomas was born April 13, 1850 at Frahelz No. 5. It was just a few months after their marriage on January 15. He would have moved with his parents to Mazelov about 1858 and to Ceske Budejovice in the 1860s. On May 22, 1867, when he was 17, he obtained a copy of his birth certificate for his emigration to America. However, it appears that he did not go. A few short years later on March 13, 1870 at almost age 20 he died of edema in Frahelz. His occupation was tailor's apprentice.

Josef Nemec
Tomas was born in 1852 at an unknown location. He would have moved with his parents to Mazelov about 1858 to Ceske Budejovice in the 1860s and Lomnice about 1870. On November 19, 1876, Josef, at the age of 24 died in Lomnice of paralysis of the lungs. His occupation was tailor's apprentice.

Maria Nemec
Maria was born in 1854 at an unknown location. She would have moved with her parents to Mazelov about 1858 to Ceske Budejovice in the 1860s and Lomnice about 1870. Nothing else is know about Maria.

Vaclav Nemec
Vaclav was born July 24, 1857 in Mazelov at Farm No. 44. At this time nothing is known about Vaclav. It is believed that he stayed in Bohemia, if so he is the only male Nemec of this family that might have stayed in Bohemia. He would have moved with his parents to Ceske Budejovice in the 1860s and Lomnice about 1870. Possibly he has Nemec descendants today in the Czech Republic.

Anna Nemec
Katerina was born May 1, 1859 in Mazelov at Farm No. 44. She died a year later on May 4, 1860.

Frantisek Nemec
Frantisek was born July 6, 1861 in Mazelov at Farm No. 44. He died 23 days later on July 29, 1861.

Katerina Nemec
Katerina was born October 20, 1862 in Mazelov at Farm No. 44. She would have moved with her parents to Ceske Budejovice a few years later and Lomnice about 1870. My mother, Jeanne, recalls Katerina telling her she was from a place about 20 miles from the Austrian border and that is about how far away Lomnice is from the border. Jeanne also recalls that Katerina went to cooking school in Vienna and we do know that she was considered a great cook. Katerina went to Chicago in 1882 to have her child and we think she returned to Bohemia and then went back to Chicago in 1889 with her husband Vaclav. More can be found about Katerina in The James and Katherine Filipek Family Story.

Frantisek Nemec
Frantisek Nemec was born October 16, 1867 in Ceske Budejovice at No. 342. He would have moved with his parents to Lomnice about 1870. According to the 1900 Census he came in 1884 at age 17 to the USA, probably to Chicago. A little more about Frantisek can be found in The James and Katherine Filipek Family Story.


The Towns
Mazelov is about 6 miles west of Lomnice, via 148 and another road. It is also about 2.5 miles northeast on Route 3 from Ceske Budejorice and then east about .6 miles. This is the birthplace of Katerina Nemec in 1862. It is also the birthplace of her father Martin.

Frahelz is located about 1 mile north of Lomnice nad Luznici off of Route 150. Martin and Katerina Nemec lived here just after they were married. They had their first son, Tomas, here in 1850 but moved away within a few years.

Ceske Budejovice is a large town of about 100,000 just south of Mazelov. It is an important road center, railway hub, and river port and the origin of Budvar (Budweiser) beer. There must have been a significant German presence in this whole area at one time. The town has an inner historic town and a nearby castle. Note the "ice" sound is pronounced "tse". Budejorice is a major rail stop where trains can be obtained southeast to the Austrian border at Ceske Velenice with exchanges to Vienna providing a way that Katherina could have traveled to Vienna to study cooking. Similarly trains can be taken north from Budejovice to Prague and then on to the major ports of Hamburg and Bremen where it is likely Katerina, Vaclav and other Filipeks and Sokoliks sailed to reach America. Katerina's brother Frantisek Nemec was born here. Their parents Martin and Katerina Nemec lived in the city for a few short years in the late 1860s before moving to Lomnice.

Lomnice nad Luznici is a town of about 2000 is on the Luznice River and is about 13 miles northeast of Ceske Budejovice and about 6 miles northwest of Trebon via Route 150. Lomnice is at the intersection of Routes 150 and 148. Lomnice is also less than 2 miles west of Kolence on Route 148 and less than a mile from Klec.

The Martin and Katerina Nemec family moved here about 1870 and remained the rest of their lives. Our Katerina Filipek (nee Nemec) was about 8 when she moved here with her parents. Thus she lived relatively near her future husband Vaclav Filipek of Kolence. Of note is that Lomnice is about 20 miles northwest of the Austrian border at Gmund/Ceske Velenice via road, similar to the 20 miles that Jeanne Jordan remembered her Grandmother Katherine Filipek telling her. Rose Filipek (nee Skoblik) was also born here in 1900. Lomnice is probably where Katherine Filipek and Rose Filipek both went back to over the years to visit relatives.

Close:
Through the research of Terry Nelson we have been able to compile a very good genealogy of the Nemecs of Bohemia. A recent surprise was a much larger Martin and Katerina Nemec family and by tracking their children's birth it was seen that they moved from Mazelov, to Frahelz, to Mazelov, to Ceske Budejovice, to Lomnice. Martin and Katerina then settle in Lomnice for about 30 years until the end of their lives. Martin and Katerina had 8 children. Two died in infancy, two sons died in their early 20s and were thought to be bachelors, one son, Frantisek, and one daughter, Katerina, left for Chicago. Thus as best we know, only two children Maria born 1854 and Vaclav born 1857 appear to have grown to adulthood and likely stayed in Bohemia. It is not known if either had offspring.