Memorials › Vinzent Focher
Vinzent Focher
24 Dec 1864 – 11 May 1936
| Birth | 24 Dec 1864 |
| Death | 11 May 1936 |
| Cemetery | Mountview Cemetery Billings , Yellowstone County , Montana , USA |
| Added by | Waggykat on 13 Jul 2014 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91786857 |
Bio
born in Czechoslovakia Written by Lillian Focher Ballek: My Father's name was Vinzent Focher Jr., The son of Mr. and Mrs. Vinzent Focher Sr.. His mother's madien name was Antonie Skocel. Vinzent Jr. was born December 23, 1865 in the Village of Ondrechoviced; District of Napojedla; County of Hungarian Hradist; State of Moravia; Country Czechoslovakia. Dad was married twice, his first wife Anna Slavak,were married in Europe. They came across the Atlantic Ocean on March 19, 1890 on the ship Elbe, sailing from the port Bremen, Germany. It took 17 days to cross. Dad was the first to come over to the United States in 1890 at the age of twenty-five, they landed in Baltimore. Then his brother's Vavren Lorenz, Frank, Thomas and one syster, Frances. Dad lived in the eastern states a while, then moved west, worked in factories, Smelters, farmed in Oklahoma, Colorado and Montana. Also with family traveled from Denver to Ramah, Colorado in a covered wagon to look for homestead. In Pueblo dad worked in a steel mill the C. F. and I.. also in Pueblo he built houses from the bottom up. Foundation, rough plastered, painted and roofed. He traveled all over the United States and in Canada looking for a homestead. Dad with his first wife had nine children, Emil, Emily, Frank, Julia, Sophie, William, Rudolph and the twines Annie and Fred. Dads first wife died at the birth of the twins, the twins died shortly there after in 1907. Dad remarried in 1909 to Franci Agnes Lipensky, my mother. They lived and farmed in Pueblo, Colorado for four years, had two daughters born there. In November 1913 they moved to Montana where dad's brother's lived.Then Dad bought a homestead (the first rights) from James Lane, (Mrs. Joe Devorak's Nephew) two miles north of Nibbe, 320 acres, in 1914. Dad put up fence and yard. Hand dug thirty foot well (curb well with sandstone). Built a two room house, boards up and down and lats inside, was plastured with mud that came off the yard. He put straw and horse hair into plaster to hold together on walls then white washed with lime. Had a rough wooden floor. in the house had three windows, one door. the first room from the south had one door and two windows (one south and the other east). on one side of the room was an old cook stove for wood and a home made wooden cupboard for dishess and pots. On the other side across the room was a heater for wood a table some home made wooden four legged stools, in this room we cook, eat and live. the other room we sleep in. It had two beds, trunks and clothes hanging up on nails on the wall covered with cloth.This room had one window to the north. The two rooms were divided with a print curtain. Our clothes were all washed by hand or on a scrub board in a tub. Written by Lawrence Focher: Dad remarried in 1910 to Franci Lipensky, my Mother. They farmed in Pueblo, Colorado. Two daughters were born there. Then in November moved to Montana where dads two brothers lived. Farmed on the Huntley Project for two years where another daughter was born. He bought a forty acre farm on the Huntley Project, where a son was born, making it five children. Dad lived in Montana for twenty-five years, he was ill for the last seven years with asthma, hayfever, dropsy and heart trouble. Was in bed for the last two years and died at a local hospital age seventy one on May 10, 1936. When Dad took up a homestead north of the yellowstone river there were no bridges, he had built a house and the day before he moved his family he had a giude show him the crossing across the river. He looked it over good going across the rock bottom of the river making a S curve around a stump in the river, when he brought his family in a spring wagon loaded with fruniture and groceries he stopped at the river to see if he could remember the crossing, he decided to let the family off and cross over first then come back to pick them up. When he crossed over halfway he forgot the stump or it may have moved and he missed the solid rock bottom and rolled off into deep water, being a good swimmer in the army he was not afraid. He tried to work the horses toward the bank, the horses would rare up to get a breath of air then go down again but they could not pull the wagon It was upside down with the seat digging in the gravel, so he dived down with a pocket knife and cut the harness toughs too free the horses. But it did no good. The neck yoke would not pull loose. He did not want to get in front of the horses or they would paw him under. So he worked them backwards and toward the bank then back along the bank to shallower water. He then decided to pull the wagon out but the neck yoke pulled free and the wagon was left in the shallow water. Then he got one of the horses and rode over to a island where there was a picnic going on and got one of the men to show him the crossing across the river to get back to his family. They then went back to his brother's place and moved to the homestead a few days later.
Photos
Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- Frank Focher Sr 1861–1937
- Vavrin Lorenz Worden Focher 1868–1951
- Joseph "Joe" Focher Jr 1910–2001
- Ella Focher Woita 1914–2011
- Tillie Focher Eckstein 1916–1998
Children
- Emil Focher 1890–1909 FaG
- Emily M Fochier Godfrey 1893–1980 FaG
- Frank Leo Focher 1894–1961 FaG
- Julia A. Fenske 1896–1981 FaG
- Sophie Frances Focher Van Den Heuvel 1898–1965 FaG
- William Vincent Focher 1900–1935 FaG
- Rudolph L. Focher 1902–1920 FaG
- Fred Focher 1907–1907 FaG
- Annie Focher 1907–1907 FaG
- Frances Anna Hartford 1911–1999 FaG
- Mrs Lillian Dorothy Focher Ballek 1913–1998 FaG
- Marian Focher Turner 1914–2012 FaG
- Hilda Mae Focher Beamis 1916–1993 FaG
- Lawrence E. Focher 1921–2013 FaG
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