Emigration from Bohemia to the USA in XIXth century

Emigration to the USA from the Policka region
in 1850 - 1890

(An historical - statistic essay)

The following paper was presented at the Genealogy Seminar
of the Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Hillsboro, TX.,July 31, 1999

In 1832 the Austrian emperor and the Czech king Franz I declared the first Emigration Act

Emigration Consent, a form issued by the Moravian Governor´s Office

Original Austrian Passport from 1816.The bearer of the passport was obliged to present the document in any town he visited and to have his stay confirmed by a "vision" mark. This original passport was replaced in 1850s by a new one.

The centers of emigration from Bohemia at the beginning of the first emigration wave on the turn of 1852.

The emigration during the following year 1852 strengthened and the total number of emigrants reached 3600 persons. The official figures of the Austrian government were much lower.

In the middle of the 19^th century, an immense wave of the emigration from Bohemia and Moravia, mainly to the United States, was reported. In 1848 serfdom was abolished in Austria, which the Czech lands belonged to, and the first constitution was granted. But the personal freedom did not last a long time. Under the government of the Austrian prime minister Alexander Bach a rigid, reactionary order was introduced. There were two reasons for the emigration: a need of personal freedom, and a desire for better living conditions.

The emigration from Austria abroad was administrated by the Emperor’s Franz I decree of March 24, 1832. An emigrant from Austria was every subject, that moved out of the state with the intention of never coming back. The emigration was of two kinds: an official and an illegal one. Who wanted to emigrate legally, had to apply for a permission at the Supreme Provincial Office via the respective landlords´ or later the district authority. This Supreme provincial office was Bohemian or Moravian Governor’s office, a kind of the Provincial Government.

The applicants had to be capable of managing their own affairs, military and other duties free, free of any (financial, judicial etc.) liabilities and to be able to pay for the transportation costs. The statement and consent had to be received by the district military command, gendarme post, revenue office and district court. Of course, the reference had to be done by the domicile community of the applicant. In most cases within one or two months from the date of application the Governor´s office expressed their standpoint. Consent to emigrate was given in writing, either in the form of an official document ( in Moravia), or by an ordinary letter having been sent to the applicant by the district office. Subsequently the applicant received the Emigration Passport for himself and his companions, mostly members of the family. The passport was valid only for the duration of the journey - only for this period the emigrants were still under the legal protection of Austrian Authorities abroad. As soon as they entered the port of arrival, they ceased being the Austrian citizen. The travelers had to set out on the journey not later than six (since 1856 only four) months after the date of Emigration-Consent. Otherwise the Consent became unvalid, and a new application had to be submitted.

According to Austrian statistical sources, the number of emigrants from Bohemia in 1850 was about 160 people, in the following two years their number went up to 340 in 1851 and 430 in 1852.

In these figures only official emigration is reflected. Besides the illegal emigration, the Austrian statistics did not state the movement of the people who crossed the border with a normal traveling passport, valid usually for a period of two or three years.

These traveling passports were issued only to traders, journey-men, state officers, intellectuals and other reliable people, whose status guaranteed their come back to the country.

Their absence was regarded as an illegal emigration only if they didn't return to the country during the following three months after the expiration of the passport validity. The frontiers at that time were not watched so closely as today, and the one who managed to get across was admitted on ship with whatsoever personal document, like a journeyman bill, later certificate of apprenticeship, or an identity card, valid in Austria only. It was an opportunity to leave the country for thieves and out-laws, of course.

This illegal emigration was much frequent than the official one in fact. Those people were leaving illegally who would not have received the permission in the official way, who were lack of assets, fugitives before justice, rookies, deserters and simple common people who did not even know that there was anything like a passport or an Emigration-Consent at all.

German authorities were rather benevolent, in case of a detention of an Austrian citizen without the passport. They mostly let him pass farther. Even as late as 1895 the Bremen Steamship agency F. MISSLER- J. BRUGK distributed a pamphlet with a convenient name: How to Get to the Port of Bremen without any Passport.

We know from the preserved reports of individual regional administrations, that the authorities knew about the illegal movement. The reports state how many families or individuals actually left the country. If summarized, the total figure of all emigrants reached 4000 people in 1852.

The most important localities of emigration from the Eastern Bohemia were the districts of Litomysl, (until 1855 judicial district of Policka was incorporated in the district of Litomysl), Vysoke Myto and Lanskroun. According to the unofficial data a total of 210 emigrant-families left Austria from the whole region of Pardubice at the turn of 1852, most of them being from these three districts. In 1852 their figure grew up and, according to the report of the regional administration in Pardubice to the Prague Governor´s Office, out of 979 emigrants, 341 were from Lanskroun, 233 from Vysoke Myto and 203 from Litomysl. At the beginning of July 1855, the region of Pardubice returned 168 emigrants, of which one quarter were from the newly built district Policka. A year later after the reorganization of the regional administration, the region of Chrudim shows 499 issued emigration passports (the whole of Bohemia 2088).

A so called Miller´s map of Bohemia from 1720s, describing the region around Polička

A modern hiking map of the villages westwards from the town of Policka. 1:50 000

Frantisek Cerny of Breziny applied for the emigration consent fro the first time in 1854. The family was granted the approval, but they did not emigrate within 6 months because of birth of daughter Josefa. In April 24, 1855 a new application was made.

District Office in Litomysl announces (1854, August 5) to Josef Kucera in Borova, that he was granted the official consent with emigration.
The journey must be set on within next 6 month and return is not allowed.

Emigration Passport of Anna Lopour, aka Rola of Kamenne Sedliste. She emigrated in 1871 and about ten years later she visited the old country, in order to travel back to America with her son.

Consignation of Frantisek Cerny of Breziny and his family, i.e.list of family members who applied for the emigration consent with individual statements of involved state authorities (district office, district court, military command)
The columns are : Name, Age, Religion, Profession (Taglohner- daily laborer), Stand, Place of birth and domicile, reason of emigration. Then there is a note that the recruitment duties were carried out. Following column indicates the amount of money they are taking with (800 guldens). In last column the District Court and 18^th Inf. Reg. Military Command have no objections against the emigration.

In 1862, when the „Bach´s Absolutism“ came to the end, the emigration somehow stopped, but it became a common phenomenon in all of the poorer areas of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. The Chrudim administration returned 141 emigrants in 1862, but about a decade later the emigration wave began to rise again and reached his top at the turn of 1880 and 1881.

This common trend can be attested even by the emigration figures from the district of Policka, where in total 12 communes were touched by the emigration. The emigration referred mainly the villages west from the town of Policka: Stary Kamenec and Novy Kamenec, Sadek, Borova, Siroky Dul, Oldris, Breziny, Teleci and Pusta Rybna, i.e. the areas of the Protestant parishes of Borova and Teleci.. Emigration wave stroke even the town of Policka itself, in particular in Fifties of the 19th century. On the other hand the emigration did not affected the German parts of the district (with once exception). Unlike the adjoining Litomysl district the emigrants went almost entirely to America, the emigration to Russia (Volhynia), Ukraine and the Crimea appeared only later. There is no mention on emigration to Serbia with two or three exceptions in 1852.

Some sources have been preserved in the District Archives in Litomysl, that enable the emigration trends to be captured, reconstructed and quantified in the district of Policka. The oldest archival document is the List of issued passports between 1852 - 1856. The List is not accurate, entire and does not have many particularities about emigrants, such as the collection of individual applications for Emigration-Consent that covers the years 1854 - 1857. These applications have already information on the social character of the applicant and his family, they inform about the economic and religious situation, in many cases the execution process of the applications is documented step by step including the date of approval and issue of the passport .

For the period 1858 - 1875 any data are missing. We only found general statistics of the emigrants from the Policka district for 1876 - 1880. Probably some data could be unveiled in the State Regional Archives in Zamrsk (archival collection of the Regional administration in Chrudim) or in the State Central Archives in Prague (fund of the Governor´s Office).

The decade 1881 - 1890 is documented in the best way of all periods. The archival collection of the District Office of Policka contains the Emigration Applications, the references of community councils, detailed description of applicants and their companions, viewpoints of the district court of justice, gendarme headquarters, military command and Governor's Office. Farther, there are information, referring to Steamship Company Agencies, posters and brochures, that officially or illegally circulated amidst the residents.

Based on the studies of all these collections, it was possible to compile an aggregated, however incomplete outline about figures and structure of emigrants, that is discussed in the following text. It's necessary to keep in mind, that all these data, however incomplete and inaccurate may be, are mainly valid as the generalizing relative indices and not the absolute figures.

The providing information are not exhaustive. It may have happened, that some applications are missing. For example, it can be ascertain only from the application of Catherine Major from Borova, that she followed her husband Vince to America, who had legally emigrated a year earlier. His own application has not been preserved.

Our survey does not deal with the people who actually emigrated, but with those, who applied for an emigration, and the consent was them granted, and farther those, where we positively know, that they actually moved out in the mentioned periods. For 1850s we keep files of 90 applicants. Only two or three families of them, after having been granted the consent with emigration, changed their minds and stayed at home. There are 120 such cases recorded in the Eighties. We absolutely know, that emigration wasn't allowed to 6 applicants (, but thereby we do not want to say, that they did not emigrate later - afterwards, no matter if officially or illegally) and one family decided to stay at home after having received the consent.

Not all the illegal emigration is recorded here, with an exception in the years 1852.- 1854, when about 4 illegal emigrants are quoted on the list, and some mentioned cases in later periods.

In some application cases not all the family members are enumerated (for instance in 1852: Josef Wosmek, his consort Catherine and children, or in the same year Jan Smetana of Borova with all the family). Some aged applicants and little children could have deceased before the journey.

Some emigrants changed their decision, decided not to move out and this was not recorded in archival sources. In case of Frantisek Petrzalek of Stary Kamenec such a note was made: he changed his mind and went to Austria for harvesting.

It happened in many cases that the emigrants did not manage to abandon the country during the determinated time of six (four) months (difficulty with selling of their homestead, illness, death, birth of a child). Such a situation may be proved in most cases by a new application in the following year. But only exceptionally we can prove, whether they actually set out on the journey in the same calendar year, a year later or not at all, in cases when the consent was issued in the second half of the year. The most appreciated in this connection are the Czech Immigration Passenger Lists issued by Mr. Leo Baca in Texas, but we have to take into account, that they are also inaccurate and incomplete.

Our review between 1852 - 1857 indicates in total 298 emigrants and their arrival to America can be documented only in 68 cases and in the second period 1881-1889 we can prove an exact date of arrival in 126 cases of 390, i.e. less than one third of those, whom the emigration was allowed to.

It is interesting, that we're able to document the arrival to New York of nearly all the emigrants from Policka in 1854, however for following year 1855 and first half of 1856 we did not find the respective entries in Baca´s lists for none of the emigrants with one exception.

By comparing with American sources we can detect, that legal emigrants were joined by their kinsfolk in the port of departure, who either did not asked for emigration or were not allowed to. This was the case of siblings Josef and Francis Jukl from Teleci who met their parents in Bremen on the pier.

Taking into consideration all these limits cited above and possible errors, we can make a picture of the extent of emigration from Policka district in both periods 1852 - 1857 and 1881 - 1889. For the future, we would like to proceed in elaborating of the rest time of the last century. This will involve a different and more sophisticated attitude to the archival sources. It would be necessary to accomplish the comparison of information found in vital registers, in Land books and census data with other sources as communal and ecclesiastical chronicles and other additional material.

***

Personal description of Frantisek Cerny, cottager of Breziny of May 14, 1855: religion - protestant, statue-small, face - oval, hair - brown, eyes - blue, mouth - usual (!), nose - pointed, special sign - none

Emigration in both periods seized particularly indigent hilly villages with evangelic population west off Policka. This territory was linked to additional emigrant centers in adjacent districts - regions of Svratka, Krouna and Prosec in districts of Vysoke Myto and Chrudim, vicinity of Dolni Ujezd, Budislav and Jarosov in the Litomysl´s district and the neighborhood of Jimramov and Nemecke in adjacent Moravia. All these areas were characterised with a relative congestion, low-rate autarchic agricultural homesteads, and, consequently the majority of the poor rustic population - day-laborers and hinds, an unproductive weaving trade and starving workmanlike manufacture. Former glory of glass-works and iron-mills, that gave subsistence to a rather big part of the population, had already passed by. The Protestant reformed confession was able to bid its worshippers the belief and the strength, but couldn't keep their pots boiling.

To summarize all data, the total number of emigrants in 1852 - 1857 was around 300 people, in 1881 - 1889 reached their number to 400. The share of Policka district on the global emigration from Bohemia at the beginning of 1850s was more than 5 per cents and the share dropped to 2 per cents in 1855. In 1880s this quotient did not exceed one hundred. By applying this one per cent to the period 1858 - 1875, for which the data are missing, an estimation can be made, that the number of emigrants from the district in this period was between 300 - 500 people.

In general, we may estimate the decline of population by the migration to America for the whole second half of the 19^th century at roughly 1000 people, prevailing from villages Borova, Teleci, Breziny, Oldris and Kamenec. There were 7000 inhabitants there in 1850. Thanks to high nativity, the population decrease in 1890 was only moderate.

See TAB 1:Emigration from Policka district between 1852 - 1890 according to individual villages

***

Report of the community council in Breziny referring to Josefa Cerna´s manners from 1854

Perhaps the oldest known emigrant to America from our county was Wenceslas Makovsky, a joiner, son of Jan Makovsky from Borova No. 71, who emigrated shortly after the Religious Reform Law (the Letter of Tolerance) in 1781 with 80 guldens in his pocket, that represented his inheritance on the native house. First records concerning the emigrants were administrated in 1852. The highest emigration figure is reported for the year 1854 and applied already to all mentioned communities.

In 1850s the entire emigration number from Borova was around 100 people, which represented 9 p.c. of the population. The share on the village population was only a bit lower in Pusta Rybna and Oldris (each with 5 p.c.). Thirty years later the stream of emigrants moved to Breziny (5 p.c.), Kamenec (7 p.c.) and mainly Teleci (8 p.c.). The share in Pusta Rybna, Borova and Oldris prevailed.

The multiple growth of emigration wave from Teleci could be probably connected with the quarrels in local Protestant community and activity of its priest Josef Martinek, who was accused of exciting, provoking the emigration process. He was later sentenced to a penalty of 20 guldens. Then the stream of emigrants from Teleci ceased.

***

Birth certificate of Jan Tomsu of St. Kamenec No. 38, issued by the Protestant parish in Teleci in 1874.

Who were actually those emigrants ? Were they objectors, trouble-makers, adventurers, dreamers, refugees, misleads or emigrants by their own will ? Were they even the traitors of the nation or the people whose national maturity was not evoked yet ? A Czech writer and historian of the last century Ferdinand Schulz wrote about them:

„They separate themselves from their own nation, they reduce Czech national property, they export substantial, remarkable economic strength from the country and they hurry up to multiply the welfare of foreign states, because they either do not know the duties that bound them to the native soil, or they are already tired, fed up by constant bringing the sacrifice for the prosperity and rights of their own nation.“

In fact, this was not only the official Austrian propaganda, but this was the opinion of the rest of the nation. Austrian authorities tolerated the individual emigration, if it was evoked by the living conditions and or by the desire for a freedom. They were afraid of organized emigration that could grow into a political process, which were only hardly manageable.

Therefore the authorities executed the emigration agenda and passports in a rather flexible and fast way. They were benevolent in granting the emigration permission and many of the applicants received the Consent and Passport within 14 days after the date of application. The faster they disappeared, the better (for the state). With one exception - people with military duties.

Let us go to elucidate the lives of these miserables and let us try to understand the reasons, that led them to such an important fatal decision that changed not only their lives and lives of their families, but also the lives of their ancestors until now. Lives of people, who decided to create a new, free nation.

***

Domicile confirmation for Jan Makovsky, a retired farmer from Borova of 27.2. 1855

What was the demographic structure of the emigrants?

See: TAB. 2 Demographic structure of emigrants

In both periods, there were mainly the families with children, who decided for the emigration. In 1850s we counted up to 51 families with one to seven children. Similar situation was 30 years later, when 47 families with children emigrated. The numerous families prevailed mainly in the Eighties. The family of Frantisek Makovsky of Borova had 5 children in the age from 4 to 11 years, the families of Frantisek Madera and Frantisek Teply were similar. Ignac of Teleci had even 8 children, the youngest were the twins Antonie and Amalie who were born several months before the emigration, the oldest Anna was 18. Seven under-aged children stated the smith Frantisek Stegner and two other matured children emigrated already some years before. The largest family in the Fifties was Josef and Frantiska Zvacek´s with 6 children.

We figured several uncomplete families, where one of parents was missing. A poor, old maid, Frantiska Fajmon of Borova applied for emigration in 1856 together with her unlegitimate two-year-old son Jan. She stated in her application, that she only seldom had a job, she suffered by need and by wretch. She had nobody in the world except for her brother Vaclav Fajmon of Pusta Rybna, but he applied for emigration simultaneously, and she would have nobody here at all, if she stayed.

A widow Anna after Jan Makovsky of Kamenec wrote several decades later: My sister „...invites me in every letter, and writes that the living there is easier by all means and that the future of my son Josef will be secured. Here I am in debts more and more and I would have to sell the house and pay the debts - and nothing would be left for living.“

In 14 cases we figured families, consisted of more then two generations - i.e. grandparents, parents and children. A typical case was the emigration of Josef Stodola from Borova - sv. Katerina, his wife Aloisia, both grandparents and seven children in 1887.

Not always all the family members, stated in the application, actually left their homes. It happened that a child or an elderly died, sometimes even on the ship or before they set out for the journey. A farmer Josef Dostal of Blatina (63) asked for permission in 1854 for his six-member-family and his 77-year-old father Jan. They received the consent and passports but they did not find a buyer for their farmstead and therefore they decided to postpone the emigration for the following year. It happened, but without their grand-dad who decided to stay at home, to die in peace there.

The emigration of childless families was in either period on the same level. In 1850s there were eight, in Eighties nine such cases. Predominantly, they were older couples, but still in productive age. They had either enough money to start a new life or, they belonged to the poorest in a village, and decided to follow their friends and relatives who mostly even paid for their passage.

In 1880s the number of emigrating individuals increased by 200 per cents to compare with the situation in 1850s. There are a lot of young emigrants mainly in 1880s. Frantisek Zvacek of Teleci was a 17-year-old orphan. Father died, mother got married and moved out of the village. Frantisek had lived with the family of his grandfather Josef Zvacek until he emigrated with his spouse Marie to Nebraska in 1879. He promised to Frantisek, that he would send him money for the passage, when he collects some. Now he kept his word and Frantisek abandoned the Austrian citizenship and left for the new future.

Another notable trend in 1880s is the joining of families. In the first emigration waves the trip to America was a real mystery tour. People did not know what they could expect. In 1850s we figured only 7 cases, when the emigrants went to follow their relatives.

Antonín Navrátil of Borova with his consort and two children left Bohemia for Wisconsin in 1854. Two years later he was followed by his two brothers Vaclav of Pusta Rybna and Frantisek of Oldris and their families and in 1857 even their old mother Veronica decided to emigrate after a long hesitancy. Thirty years later such a practice was quite common. Brother followed brother, parents their children, nephew his aunt. But the familiar consistancy preserved in the USA only in the first generation of immigrants and later most of the contacts were broken.

Josef Tusla of Sadek intended to emigrate to Burnett, Nebraska in 1881 where: „my brother-in-law, Frantisek Vodstrcil from Kamenec as a smith has lived and invites and assures me, that I, as a cartwright, will have lots of jobs with good earnings there.“

František Nunvar of Borova sends his 19-year-old son Antonin (1881/25) to father´s brother Antonin, and to Josef Ehrenberger, his brother-in-law, who „live in the state of Iowa and promised me that he would support any of my children, if they come to America.“

Josef Picha confessed that his sisters and brothers in Minnesota bought several acres of field for them, „they will cultivate them for us and when we come, we will only have to harvest the crop and the subsistence for the first period will be secured.“

Jan Andrle of Siroky Dul emigrated in 1879 with wife and two children. Before the emigration he had lost some money and he could not have taken all the children along with them, there were four of them to stay in service in Vysoke Myto, until father will be able to pay for the passage. He sent pre-paid travel tickets to their daughters Anna and Rosalia (1881/39). Their guardian, father´s brother Frantisek intercedes for issuing passports for them: „The girls, though under-aged, are fully developed in growth and in mind, they are healthy and moreover, they will travel together with adults they know.“

A widower, Jan (or Vaclav) Jilek of Kamenec 80, a farmer, emigrated in 1881 (29), after he had lost his farm because of bad housekeeping. His two children, a 10-year-old Josef and seven-year-old Anna were left with their aunt Josefa Pavlis in Kamenec. They met their father again eight years later in New York, in 1889, when the Pavlis´ came to America as well.

The following table states the emigrants according to their age.
See TAB.3 - Age Distribution of Emigrants

There are not big differences between both periods. The share of children was between 40 - 50 p.c. Journey to America was an adventure they never forgot. They were the first generation, that fully assimilated in the USA, Americanized. Only half of their parents was in biologically active age (20 p.c. of total), whereas the other half were older parents, thought they were still active economically. The group of old people, above 55 years of age, formed 10 per cent of all emigrants. Their assimilation in new condition was only low and nearly neither of them built a new life, different from the old one. They were in their memories still at home until the death and seldom learnt English. In the 1850s some seventy-year-old emigrantes are recorded. The oldest among them was 85-year-old Terezie Nunvar of Borova . We do not know if she really lived to see America. Josef Bohac of Pusta Rybna was 72 when he and his wife Katerina reached the American coast on October 10, 1854. Having arrived to the Port of New York, they declared their age to be ten years lower. They may have been afraid of not being allowed to entry, if they stated their actual age.

See TAB. 4 - Social Distribution of Emigrants

The emigration from the Policka district can be characterized in either periods as predominantly the agrarian emigration. The farming families formed in the Fifties two-thirds of all emigrants. The share of the local poor (day-laborer, hinds and weavers) was about 20 p.c. in the first period, later it increased to forty per cent, whereas the share of middle class declined.

The highest percentage of emigrants was formed by landless families who had to help themselves in living by weaving of linen fabrics. Jan Telecky of Oldris (1881/2), complained in his application, that he is completely unable to ensure subsistence and better future, even „now, when the weaver’s work stagnates and there was a poor crop of potatoes during several last years.“ One of the poorest families, that intented to emigrate, were the Mrazs of Siroky Dul (1881/22). They had no job, no earning, no property. The family of Jan Makovsky of Pusta Rybna (1855/55) was considered by the village judge as the poorest family at all.

In 1888 Antonin Ehrenberger, a 33-year-old cottager and weaver of Teleci received the Emigration Consent. His old friend Josef Makovsky in Nebraska, offered him one half of his 160-acres lot and the parents promised to give to him 150 guldens for the passage.

The farmer’s families emigrated only exceptionally - mostly, when they were exposed to a misfortune or misery. The farm No. 140 in Teleci, belonging to Frantisek Plihal was burnt down in 1880 and in 1881 all crop was destroyed by hailstorms. This was the reason for his application. His neighbor Antonín Fajmon of house No. 141 states in his application one year later, that „in 1882 all cereals rotted on the fields and that they did harvest even less than what they had planted.“

The share of artisans/craftsmen increased in 1880s. The emigration refers predominantly to the journey-men and craft-helpers ( for instance two young lads from Teleci traveled together in 1881 - Frantisek Stegner,(12) a smith-helper and Adolf Pajkr (Peiger), a miller´s son (13).) and poor country handicraftsmen - a local tailor Frantisek Pavlis of Borova (1852/4), carpenters Frantisek Bren and Frantisek Hladky of Breziny (1854/15, 16), or the Borova´s miller Pavel Korab (1854/39).- We may find also a shoemaker, joiner, saddler, butcher and some more among the emigrants. Jakub Prochazka (1887/106) of Kamenec is a locksmith and his brothers-in-low prepaid the ticket for the whole family. He wrote in the application from March 1887 that they intended to move out as soon as possible, maybe in the same month. In April he wanted to leave the backdoor open: If the things there go badly, we will return.

Only two members of the higher class - the town burghers of Policka - emigrated in 1850s. They were Prokop Hnevkovsky, a son of the former „Burgmeister“ - town mayor in 1855 and Jan Novotny, a wealthy inhabitant, emigrated a year later.

See TAB.5 - Financial Means of the Emigrants in 1852 - 1887

One of the basic conditions to receive the Emigration Consent was the sufficient finance amount for the passage to America and for the initial period there. The authorities took care about it and did not allowed the emigration, if the family did not gather at least 100 guldens per person. The amount that was to the emigrants´ disposal, is recorded in statistics and lists (consignations) of individual families.

In 1854 the Moravian Governor’s Office drew up an overview of travel expenses per person for the voyage from Brno to New York via Bremen and Hamburg. An accurate officer enumerated the rail-way costs from Brno to Bremen at 17 guldens, the cost for the stay in Bremen were estimated at 10 guldens, the provisions (wine, sugar, tobacco and food for the voyage) at 12 guldens, the passage itself on a sail-boat 65 guldens, the luggage ca. 14 guldens. The whole voyage was figured at 140 - 145 guldens for an adult ( i.e. 65 - 70 dollars - the exchange rate of that time - 2,1 guldens equal to one dollar.)

The majority of emigrants had only required 140 guldens or a bit more per person. Only 13 p.c. of emigrants had to their disposal more than 400 guldens per each, on the other hand, one tenths could not collect even the required amount. They were probably those who went on foot either to Prague, or to the frontier-station of Podmokly on the Saxon border. Some cases are known, when the emigrants, mostly individuals, went on foot to an European port. The nearest railway station in 1850s was in Chocen, where the emigrants had their assembly place. The travelers from Policka and Litomysl were followed there by people from Lanskroun and Rychnov. Many friends, relatives and acquaintance came there to see the emigrants off. The departure of the train use to be very sad. It meant leaving forever.

The individual, childless families and farmers exported more money. Only five families had more than 3000 guldens in cash. Among them Josef Svanda with the wife and son of Borova No. 8, Josef Zvacek of Teleci with her wife and 6 children, Frantisek Lorenc of Oldris, with the wife and 4 children, Josef Kucera of Borova with spouse, son and his parents and Frantisek Teska of Oldris. The peasant Jan Makovsky states only 2200 guldens, though the village judge in his report announces, that Makovsky sold his farmstead No. 100 in Borova for 8825 guldens. Most families had between 700 - 1400 guldens.

It would be interesting to find out how the emigration influenced the market prices of houses and cottages. Many potential emigrants had to give up their idea, or they had to postpone the emigration for a later time, till they found buyers for their properties.

Frantisek Teska could not sell his farmstead with 45 morgens of fields and meadows in 1854. His idea of 7200 guldens was too high and he did not find the buyer, unless he decreased the price by 1200 guldens in the following year. He had to apply for an emigration once more. The price of small houses and cottages was between 400 - 800 guldens, but even here it was sometimes difficult to sell.

Frantisek Picha of Oldris hopes, that he will sell his cottage at 400 and the remaining 200 guldens will be somehow scraped up, in order to have the required amount of 150 guldens per person.. Frantisek Cerny of Pusta Rybna put off his voyage for a year. One reason was that his wife was pregnant, the second one, he could not find a buyer whom he could sell his homestead at 540 guldens.

It was very hard for some people to get even the minimal amount. Already mentioned Veronika Navratil in 1857 stated she had 200 guldens chased for the voyage, but there were hesitations about her property.

Most of farms were in debts. their owners paid the installments all their life, there was a scarcity of a free liquidity. In 1880s the yearly income of 100 guldens was nearly incredible in the countryside. Many daily laborers wrote in their applications that they did not earn more than 2 guldens weekly. How princely were the wages mentioned by happier relatives in America. Josef Makovsky, a 23-year-old cottager´s son quitted the country for Nebraska in 1881, in order „to avoid hunger and to find sustenance.“ Two years later he was followed by parents and siblings. The father gave reasons of their decision that „the son in America has 18 dollars per month and he was already able, after two years of being there, to provide them with money for the passage for three persons.“

A miller´s journey-man Frantisek Fiala of Oldris was invited by a friend Jan Romportl who emigrated in 1877. „He said that I would definitely secure a better future there. The wages of a miller´s helper are more than 1 1/2 „tollars“ a day.“

What was the literacy of emigrants like? We can not say that all were capable of reading and writing. But nearly all male applicants even in the Fifties, were able to undersign their applications. Scarcely anybody was able to write the letter to the District office by his own hand. Among them, who wrote own application by himself and helped his fellows, was for instance Vaclav Navratil of Pusta Rybna, who was also able to speak German. People addressed their parish-priest, a teacher, a local official scrivener or a village judge to help. Several applications were written by a former priest, and writer Josef Vaclav Justin Michl, a.k.a. Drasar, who was a famous, but a tragic presence of the Policka region in the middle of the last century. He was excommunicated from the catholic church, he converted to Protestantism and settled down in Breziny, where he taught children and served as a village scribe. He was probably more active in writing the applications for emigration, then it was usual, and he was then investigated for assistance in stimulating the emigration which was, as we mention already, a crime. He promised in 1854, he would cease this activity but still we do have letters and reminders to the Governor´s office written by his own hand in 1855. (For instance a reminder by Frantisek Cerny, where he urged the issue of the passport)

In Borova the applications were mostly written by the village clerk Kucera, or by Protestant priest Kosut. Some writers were afraid they could be accused by the same way as Drasar. The scribe in Pusta Rybna refused to write the application for Jan Makovsky. Or Frantisek Filipi, being investigated at the District Office on 21 April 1855, announced that „more Moravian citizens had their applications written by a certain local scrivener in the village of Nemecke, and so I went there as well.“ But for certain he forgot his family name. The question who compiled and wrote the application for a Passport issue, was a usual question in case of any interrogation of potential emigrants at the District Office.

There were not only social and economic reasons, but as far as Policka district is concerned, also religion was the cause of the emigration. We have to realize, that the Protestant confession was not equivalent to the Catholic one. Protestantism since the time the Letter of Tolerance was accepted, was only tolerated. But both Protestant confessions, that is Lutheran and Reformed, were not natural, were not proper to the population of the Bohemian East. Their ancestors confessed the belief of the Bohemian Brethren (same as the Moravians) but this confession was not named in the Letter of Tolerance and thus not recognized. So it happened, that in the region the differences in opinion, quarrels and unsatisfaction appeared and they resulted in existence of various streams, groups and sects. People were convinced, that only the full religious freedom in America may fully satisfy their spiritual needs.

We can not evaluate from the applications, whether these tendencies were direct causes of emigration, but from the history of the reformed Protestant church in Teleci we are informed about the quarrels in this community, that led into its splitting and creation of a new parish in Pusta Rybna at the beginning of 1880s. And look - the number of emigrants from Teleci, Pusta Rybna and Breziny in the period of these quarrels remarkable increased.

The emigration of Catholics was only an exception. In the Fifties the catholic emigrants were the cabinet-maker Jiri Wosmek of Policka, Frantisek Andrlik of Oldris and the families of Navratil´s brothers in Borova. The only German emigrant Heinrich Weber from Nemecka Bela was also a catholic. The emigration did not nearly touch the Czech, but catholic communes in the Southern part of the district - Korouhev, Bystre, and Svojanov. We can hardly assume, that the economic situation there was better, than in the villages west of Policka.

In the Eighties the share of Catholics on the emigration from Borova, Oldris and Sadek is somewhat higher. We checked about 60 Catholics of 260 emigrants, who stated their religion. We remarked two mixed families, where the parents had a different confession. The story of a 58-year-old Protestant Terezie Kucera of Borova-Cerkytle, is worth noticing. She filed her application in 1855, together with her daughter Josefa and son Vaclav, but her husband Josef Kucera, who was a Catholic, was not involved. The District Office did not like it and called Josef Kucera to be examined. He said, that he „really did not want to emigrate, because he was old and ill. But the spirit drew permanently his wife to America“, and so he was ready to give her 1000 guldens for the emigration and he had understanding for the children leaving as well. Terezie then emigrated one year later with the daughter, whereas the son was not allowed to emigrate because of his recruiting age.

Army release certificate of soldier Josef Bren of Sadek from Nov. 11, 1887

Army release certificate of corporal Josef Jonas of Teleci from 1881, June 6. They both served at the 3rd Engineer regiment in Nymburk

The conscription and military duties were the biggest obstruction to emigration consent. Military conscription referred to all male persons of 21 years of age and more. They were obliged to report (call-up) to a draft. A system of lot drawing was introduced, which meant that not all recruits were ranked in the army. Who pulled up a high number, was released and he had to come again the following year together with the recruits who were one year younger. This procedure was repeated three times (there was a special term for it - a recruit in 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd class -) and the one who was not drafted for the third time, was released to the reserve and after ten years he was discharged absolutely (only with a duty to serve in a case of war). The recruits, who were drafted, had to serve either in normal army or in „landwehr“ The length of an active military service was 8 years until 1868, when this duty was reduced to three years. After having finished military service the soldiers went to a reserve for 7 years (they had to exercise regularly with their regiments) and then for a period of two years to landwehr. That means that men were free from all their military duties in 33 - 35 years of their age and then they were called veteran-soldiers. There were some health and social respects that could reduce the military duties either in part or completely.

The soldier, released from the active service, was subordinated to the District Military Command, that used to be in the city of Hradec Kralove. The most soldiers from Policka served either in Infantry regiment No. 18 with the garrison in the fort of Josefov (later also regiment No. 98 with the District Command in Vysoke Myto), or in Engineers regiment No. 3 in Nymburk.

In order to secure the complete executing of military duties, free movement of male population abroad was prohibited and therefore the people willing to emigrate had to apply for a consent at the District command or the Governor´s Office.

In 1856 a special military tax was introduced in Austria, that was paid by people who were not drafted or were released from the army or enjoyed any relief. The tax was payable yearly and those, who wanted to emigrate, had to pay the tax for all remaining years once for ever.

In the Fifties a District Military Command had to give their standpoint to any application, no matter if the applicant was twenty or seventy, later only in cases of conscription age of the applicants, i.e. 21 - 35 years of age.

In 1850s, when the military service was bound to eight years, there were a minimal number of people in military age, who applied for emigration. Most of applicants are about 29 years old and that means, they were already released from the army. In most cases there were no objections against emigration of these people - we can name Tomas Korab of Borova, Jan Bednar of Breziny or Jan Makovsky. Frantisek Cerny of Pusta Rybna was only 23 in 1854, when he applied for emigration. He was probably not drafted in the 3^rd class and then released from his duties. Frantisek Lorenc of Kamenec asked for emigration for the first time in 1854. He was refused from „to him unknown reasons“. In 1885 he applied once more and he received a letter from the District Office: „... we inform you that if you do not comply with your recruit duties, you will never receive the passport for emigration. Only then you may be granted our consent, if you will not be recognized capable of military service.“ Lorenc then called up probably the draft and was released. So he applied for the third time in 1856 and was granted the official consent with emigration.

In the Eighties the military body that made a statement to the emigration of persons in military age, was the Governor´s Office in Prague of the Ministry for Landwehr (Land-Defend) in Wien. There were two groups of applicants who were liable to conscription. Firstly they were men after their active military service, who were subject to District Military Command. Should they ask for an emigration, the Governor´s Office met their demands in most cases, if the applicants paid for the military tax for the remaining years of the reserve. The second group of applicants were recruits, or young men, who were not drafted even in the third class.

Some applications were rejected. For instance a 24-year-old butcher and innkeeper Josef Lorenc of Borova, who was recently released from the army, was refused. The same has happened to a young couple Frantisek and Filomena Zaruba of Oldris. Frantisek, a tailor, returned just from the active service, he got married, inherited a large farmstead and they were said not to be suffering by any needs. The emigration was not allowed to a widow Frantiska Filipi with her two sons - Josef Lopour from the first marriage and Josef Filipi from the second one. The Governor´s Office refused to release Lopour from reserve. The reason was probably the fact, that the third son, Frantisek Filipi, emigrated several years ago illegally. The disapproval solved nothing. Shortly after refusal the widow with both sons appeared in the port of Hamburg and they set of on a journey to New York, where they met their third brother on May 22, 1882.

Josef Zelenda, a shoemaker from Oldris faced the troubles with the military authorities, too. He returned from the military service and got married. He moved to Breziny where their first son was born. He wanted to emigrate together with his old father Pavel Zelenda. They were invited to America by father´s sister Katerina Lorenc who emigrated in 1852. The old Zelenda wanted to emigrate already in 1852 and he received the permission, but later he changed his mind from unknown reasons and only the Lorenc family moved out. In 1881 the authorities did not like the reasons and Josef Zelenda had his duties in the landwehr. Josef´s application was thus refused. Father Pavel received the official consent at the beginning of April and by the end of June he was already in the USA. Josef Zelenda did not give it up and with some delay he received the Emigration consent in summer that year. A year later he was followed by his brother Frantisek Zelenda with wife and two children.

It is interesting that certain people received the Consent without any difficulties. Michal Halamka, a reservist of the 18^th Inf. reg. from Breziny received the approval within three months. Josef, the only Pavlis´ son received the permission within four months. It was because his parents were disabled and were dependent fully on the son´s help. Their disability was the reason, that Josef Pavlis was free of military duties. They all emigrated in 1855. Only to complete, Josef Pavlis was brother-in-low of the above mentioned Josef Zelenda. Another Josef, the son of Mikulas Bostik was even released from the active service at the 1^st dragoon regiment, in order that he could emigrate together with his parents.

Another Makovsky family owned a small house in Teleci. They had no field and no job. Jan Makovsky was lucky in the draft, chose a high number and therefore was not obliged to serve in the army, but only in the landwehr. After he had paid the military tax for all 12 years of duties, he was released and emigrated. Jan Dvorak from Oldris was three times at the conscription and never drafted. Thus he carried out his duties and he also received the Emigration consent.

We mentioned earlier the siblings Jukls who joined their parents at the ship´s board in Bremen. They were in conscription age and did not believe they could receive the consent in an official way. Only their parents Josef and Terezie Jukl applied for emigration, did not mention they had two sons. The parents were accompanied by Vincencie Bures, who was stated in application as their maid-servant. I guess, she was rather a fiancee of either son, than their maid. In this way the family cheated the authorities and managed to get out off the country.

In the Eighties there were two more military men among the emigrants: Josef Jonas of Teleci and Josef Bren of Kamenec. They both served at the 3th Engineers Regiment in Nymburk. Jonas reached the rank of corporal and was present when Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878. He was awarded a military medal. The state did not make any objections against their emigration, for they were already military veterans. Only Jonas received the Emigration consent a bit late and his wife came to New York a month earlier than he, who caught the following ship.

We showed that the emigrants were from very poor environs and that they hoped they would gain better living standard after emigration. But some of them were calculating individuals who intended either to leave their family or to avoid paying taxes and debts. There were also people with a wicked reputation. Most of them left Austria illegally. Nevertheless some tried to get the emigration consent.

A request of Josef Halamka, a 32 year-old, married daily laborer of Breziny, from 1882, has been preserved. At the beginning, it seemed the course would be smooth and running. He intended to sail alone to America, to look around, earn money and only then if he establish himself, he would be followed by his wife. She was said to argee. But the district office did not like it and ordered the community council to investigate the matter. And the results? "Halmka´s wife does not want to give her approval, and she will not. If he wanted to work here, he could live here as in America. The named Halamka is a drunkard, a good-for-nothing and a lazy-bones." Josef Haman, an inn-keeper and agent of the Norddeutscher Lloyd in Policka draw attention to the fact, that Halamka is ready to emigrate even without permission. A similar situation was in case of Josef and Josefa Kadlec in Breziny in 1888. They owed more then 60 guldens to a local bartender. He declared later, that the Kadlecs paid off their debt and so they received the permission. Josef Cerveny from Oldris owed to his own brother 50 guldens and about 2 bushels rye. The court session led to a peaceful settlement, and the debtor promised to pay the debt in 14 days. But his brother is afraid about his claim, since he heard that Josef Kadlec was going to emigrate in those days. The office probably held beck their passports until the settlement was made.

It happened once, that the applicant cheated totally the Austrian authorities. In May 1888, Josef Topinka from Oldris, a tiny village near Policka, asked the District Authority for the Emigration-Consent for himself and his wife Catharina, who was 20 years older than he was. The application was approved but Topinka came to the Authority again and said, that he had thought it over and he did not want to emigrate, but only to travel to America and, if he finds the life appropriate, then he would return and take his spouse along with him. His wife had no objections and he then received the Passport with a 3-year-validity. He may have needed more money before departure, and so he went in summer to Moravia for harvesting. He did not want to také the documents (passports, birth certificates etc.) with and therefore he left them not at home, but at his father’s, whose name was Josef as well. During the summer father worked in a farmstead as a daily laborer, and once, when he was caring for the cattle, he probably lost all the bundle of documents either in muck or in fodder and never found them again. In spring next year, Josef Topinka Jr. and his father came to the District office once more, announced the loss of documents and Topinka asked for a new passport for himself. The office was unaware of anything and the new passport was issued. It could have been end of the story, if it had not been for a certain Henry Grubhoffer from Policka. In April he came to the Office with a complaint, that Josef Topinka, who is known to be a spendthrift, owed him 188 guldens and asked to stop his traveling. The office fetched a policeman for Topinka to Oldris, but the officer came back, announcing, only a mourning wife Catharina was found at home whereas both Josefs gone. It is clear that they did not lost any document and it was Josef´s plan form the very beginning, how to get rid of his wife, and how to receive passport for his father, without any suspicion.

Ship Agents´Advertizing materials

The first steps of the East Bohemian immigrants aimed mainly to the state of Wisconsin, though there are reported the cases, when they settled in Texas. There was an influence of one of the first immigrants, Josef Ernest Bergmann and mainly Josef Lesikar from the near Dolni Cermna. In 1860 there were about 7000 Czech immigrants in Wisconsin, mainly in regions of Milwaukee and Racine. Both towns are mentioned in a few applications for emigration in mutilated form as Milvanky (Mil-wahn-kee) and Rezyna (Reh-zee-nah). Later the number of emigrants to Wisconsin declined and in 1880 only the families Jandls or Kvetenskys mentioned that state as their final destination. In 1860s the main stream of emigrants aimed to neighboring states of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

See TAB. 6 - The Final Destination

Cedar Rapids in Iowa was the main center of the Czech new-comers. The siblings Nunvars, who originally anchored in Wisconsin, moved later to Iowa. They were followed by their acquaintances and relatives in 1880s - the Letys, Romportls, Zelendas, Andrles, Chadimas and Pavlis´.

Minneapolis became the destination for the Policka emigrants at the end of 1860s and at the beginning of the following decade. Among others they were families Makovskys, Dvoraks, Popelkas and Tipals who are mentioned in the book by Helen Vavra and Albert Kranz. The destination of those and other emigrants were the places as Charfield, Hutchinson, Horesbur, Jordan and Hennepina.

Burnett, Nebraska, became a new home for Josef Tusla and his family, Jan Vostrcil, for the Bostiks, Teplys and Travniceks.

In 1850s applications there was no place of destination mentioned. I guess, that the applicants did not know in most cases at all, where they were going, and that the decisions were made after discussions with other emigrants during the voyage or even after coming to America.

In 1880s the information regarding the final place of destination is far more specific. In about 50 per cent of all applications, there is a mention of a specific state and in several dozens of cases, they applicants wrote, where they exactly intended to move.

***

An advertizing brochure from 1870s with the recommendations for the emigrants

As we discussed earlier, the most emigrants were farmers and agriculture laborers. I guess that those, who emigrated with their families, kept their original occupation even after coming to the USA. On the other hand, those, who left individually and followed their friends and relatives, settled in many cases in towns and cities and found there a job as trade people or factory workers.

They were poor people, uneducated, nearly illiterate, who were hardy able to undersign, and in any case politically unripe, backward individuals who were leaving Bohemia. But they had their own sound rational core and, being faced to the American reality, they were able to learn fast and to mature.

In order to show how fast their minds and attitudes to the basic principles of freedom and equality were changing, I will quote a Josef Kriz´s letter to parents in Teleci of March 14, 1875, who settled in about 1868 in Cedar Rapids

"In to my opinion, I will say only following: In Bohemia, everything is cooked at home in a big pot on the sly, in order the nation had no idea what´s happened - but here, the nation is free ! And people are informed about everything. I had enough time to look at the freedom principles and I am ready now to become a citizen of American principles and freedom. Nobody is forced here to do what he dislikes and nobody is condemned to be a second-rate and law-less individual. I will defend the rights and freedom of the American Union by the same way as the society will protect me against the unlawful and sever treatment."

Who were actually the emigrants to the USA ?

They were people who created the world of affluence, freedom and order, who created the new American nation and were proud of it.

June, 1999

Karel Kysilka

Emigration to the USA from the Policka region in 1850 - 1890

Emigration to the USA from the Policka region
in 1850 - 1890