Son visiting Branice (homeland of ancestors)
When I was young my mother's family talked about our Bohemian line. The elders would speak of the "old country" and share various recipes.
Being a kid, I didn't pay much attention to this discussion. The cousins were more concerned about spare change for the corner store. I should have paid more attention and soaked up information from these family members. Most are no longer with us.
As a teenager in the 70s, the idea of being Bohemian had a very different meaning. I'd tell friends "Yes, I'm a hippie!" Wearing peasant blouses and funky jewelry. To me, this heritage suddenly meant I was cool. Mom would just shake her head and try to explain. But, you know, teenager.
Fast forward to my forties and I began this "family history" journey. The first line to research had to be the Bohemians.
Bohemia from Wikipedia:
"Bohemia is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohemian kings, including Moravia and Czech Silesia, which case the smaller region is referred to as Bohemia proper as a means of distinction."
An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange
I began research with my great-grandmother, Anna Jerousek. Anna was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 13, 1879. Her parents were (my 2nd great-grandparents) Frank Joseph Jerousek and Barbara Fuka. This was our Bohemian ancestral couple.
Finding records for Anna on Ancestry proved challenging. I couldn't locate her family on the census records. Spelling variations for Eastern European ancestry proved very tricky for a novice researcher. I found several online articles about the topic.
Lisa Alzo wrote several were extremely helpful:
A wonderful book that Lisa published is "The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe".
Also, from several websites, I learned an excellent research technique. You leave out those pesky surnames. Use first names of family members, birth dates, where born and where resided.
Using these methods, I located the family in the 1880 United States Federal Census. They were listed as "Gerushek". Without help from more seasoned researchers, I never would have located them!
Enumerated as Frank Gerushek
Looking at the record the surname is listed as "Yerushek". Sharing this with my mother proved interesting. As a child, she heard the surname was spelled with a "y" instead of "j." The moral of the story, talk to the older generation before hitting your head on brick walls!
We see Frank and Barbara declaring they were born in Bohemia.
Anna Jerousek baptism record; Maryland State Archives
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church; Baltimore, Maryland
Knowing the Jerousek family were Catholics, I researched church records on the Maryland State Archives website. Pay dirt! So excited to see the town where Frank and Barbara were born in Bohemia! Branice.
When I researched this town on Wikipedia there was a small entry that stated:
"Branice is a municipality and village in Pisek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants".
Wonder if I'm related to all of them.
On the page was a link to the town. Listed is the historical information about the town, photographs, virtual tours, societies and additional links.
This brings us to the photograph at the top of this post. Several years ago my son was trekking in Eastern Europe. On his list was Prague. Right away I started researching how close Branice was to his destination. It was a little out of the way, down a long and winding rural road. I asked him if he had time he could swing by and get a picture.
Imagine my surprise when I got a text message with the photograph attached! He fit in a few minutes for a picture under the town sign. Maybe someday he will get the genealogy bug and revisit his Bohemian roots.
