Memorials › František “Frank” Cerny
František “Frank” Cerny
12 Jan 1824 – 15 Mar 1906
| Birth | 12 Jan 1824 |
| Death | 15 Mar 1906 |
| Cemetery | Linwood Hill Cemetery Linwood , Butler County , Nebraska , USA |
| Added by | Rita Brown Cortright on 21 Jan 2024 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28492570 |
Bio
Frantisek CERNY born 12. Jan. 1824 Ratkovice, Moravia died 15. March 1906 buried 18. March 1906 former Czech National Cemetery now Linwood Hill Cemetery married with: first Wife Marie Zelezny second Wife: Frantiska Padevetova Children from first Wife: Josef Ludvik Kristina Karolina ∼ "FRANTISEK CERNY, 1824-1906 My great-grandfather, Frantisek Cerny, was in Raskovice, Czechoslovakia. In 1873, he brought his family to America. The eldest son, Joseph, was my grandfather. He was 12 years of age when they came to Nebraska, to Peter Dolezal in Saunders County, claiming a homestead with expenses for $20. He bought boards for a rough shack, some flour and salt with the only $20 he had left. They carried water a mile and a quarter from a creek, boiling it for drinking. To keep the family from starving, Frantisek walked for miles to farms in the area, repairing clocks, doing carpenter work, and even dentistry, if needed. Times got better. They purchased a stove for $4 on the "installment" plan. They bought a cow for $40. In 1879, Frantisek received the original patent on a homestead from the United States, under President Ulysses S. Grant, recorded in 1886. Since there were no churches, Frantisek made a large wooden crucifix, and, with associates, placed it along the road on the Phillip Mraz farm. Pioneer families for miles around met here on Sunday to worship God. Later, Mass was held in homes or schools. Some years later, his son, Joseph, my grandfather, replaced the weathered cross. It served as a landmark and symbol of early pioneer faith. Over the years, road projects removed crosses placed by Albert Codr families. In the Bicentennial year, 1976, Edward and Viola Hovorka, owners of the Mraz farm since 1920, decided to re-establish the tradition by erecting the present redwood cross. Older people would often ask if the cross was still there. They thought it would be nice to have it back, in memory of those early brave pioneers. In 1882, son Joseph married Katherine Codr. They lived in Linwood. He did carpenter work and dug wells, even experiencing an artesian well. He built the first merry-go-round in the area for frontier celebrations, which was boy-power propelled. It had about seven seats for two person, each at 5¢ a ride. (The Omaha World-Herald carried that story in 1959.) My grandmother, Katherine, told the family how she worked at the age of 14 years, cooking in a hotel in Fremont for fifty cents a week. She would get lonesome at times and would walk home from Fremont, 35 miles, to her home at Linwood. This required wading the Platte River. At this time, there were no telephones. The family would not even be aware of her coming. To this union were born eleven children: Mary, Frank, Kristina, Frances, Carrie, Lucy, Stazie, Liddie, Adolph, Albin and Edward. The family moved to Clarks, Nebraska in 1903. Stazie and Adolph are the only surviving members. My mother was Mary who married James Navrkal the same year the family moved to Clarks. There were thirteen children in our family: Gustie, Frank, Mary, James, Anton, Kristie, Antoniette, (myself), Blanche, Albin, Marcella, John, Adolph and Rose. James, Anton, Albin, and Marcella are deceased. The information about my great-grandfather and grandfather's family was made available to me from our Cerny-Codr Family Tree Book. It was compiled by Mrs. Edward (Helen) Cerny of Rogers and Mrs. Albin (Mary) Cerny of Schuyler. Elmer Buchholtz and I were married in 1934. Our daughter, Linda, married Emanuel Kovar in 1959. They have two daughters, Annette and Diana. Our family continues to grow. In 1981, there were 591 living descendants and 33 deceased in the Joseph and Katherine (Codr) Cerny Family. Submitted by Mrs. Antoniette (Navrkal) Buchholtz." SOURCE -- http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nesaunde/1983hist/saco83-p213.html
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