Family story of Irma Freeouf Ourecky

This is a story of my ancestors starting when they left Bohemia to migrate to this land of religious freedom, great wide open spaces to own and to farm and a place to raise their families. They endured hardships and sacrifices. They brought with them Czech customs, music, foods and native tongue. They were honest, upright, hard-working citizens with qualities of leadership, talents, and neatness. They came along with the Reznys, Blahas, Vosikas, Jelineks, Novaks, and Paseks from Budovica, Bohemia.

This story would be typical of any of these, or countless other Czech families and could be written in much the same manner about them. Many inter-married and that is why they say "Everyone in Saline County is related."

My family story comes down through four generations of men of the soil. Only farmers love the feel of damp soil in their hand, see beauty in green rows of crops; and fields of waving grain; and labor from before sun up to after sun set to raise food for a nation of hungry people. Only farm men and their mates work so close together in God's great country to raise their families and earn a living.

My great grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Jan Freeouf. They came to America from Bremen, Germany on the vessel "S.S. Amerika.'' They sailed April 9, 1870, and arrived at port New York, April 24, 1870. The family went direct to Oxford Junction, Iowa. Their children were Jan, Jim, Josef and Anna. They lived there three years and then came to Wilber because land was cheaper and there were other Czechs here. They settled on a farm now owned by Maynard Freeouf. A log house was already on the place.

Josef, my grandfather, born in Dzbanov, Bohemia, 1857, was 13 when he came to America. At about 17 years old he worked on a farm for a Mr. Beck. When he saved some money, he purchased a team of horses and a new wagon. He also purchased 80 acres of land at $8.00 an acre, on a 90 year lease. He bought some boards and built a one-room house. Here he batched for some time. He had a walnut kitchen table, homemade cupboard and dresser which were later handed down to my father Stephen. We still have the table.

Seven miles west of Wilber where the Albert Pallas farm is located, the place was owned by Jan Vosikas. Here they built a dance hall, and sold beer by the quart in copper mugs. Dances were attended by Czechs and settlers of the community. One anti-Czech insisted on one glass of beer, as he couldn't drink a quart, and then had the Vosikas arrested as they did not have a license to sell by the glass. Paseks band furnished the music for the dances. About this time my grandfather changed the spelling of his last name from Friouf to Freeouf.

My grandmother was Anna Zeman. Anna was born in 1861 at Melicoz, Bohemia. She lived with her parents on a farm west of Half-way Station. They came from Zbanov. Grandpa met grandma at the dance hall as she was a sister-in-law to Mr. Vosika. Grandma was 19 and grandpa 21 when they got married 1879. Their children were Lewis, Stephen, Joe, Gustav, Adolf, Frank, an infant son that died at birth and Albina Kohout., my father Stephen (Stepan) was born in 1882.

In 1893 grandfather sold his farm to Jim Freeouf and moved eight miles south and two miles west of Dorchester. In 1905, my father, Stepan, purchased 120 acres two miles north of grandfather’s. There was an old barn, old house of only siding and plaster, and some small buildings. The equipment and stock that father started with were a one team, a buggy, a one-row walking cultivator, a one-furrow riding plow, a Deering seven-foot binder, two cows, two goats, one dozen hens all colors, a dog and a cat. Father batched for three years.

Now I will tell about my mother's family: Anton Zajicek, my great grandfather and son Rudolf, my grandfather came from Ujezd Zbirov, Bohemia, when grandpa was 12 years old, directly to Omaha. When they earned enough money they sent for the rest of the family, great grandmother Antonia (Veverka) Zajicek and children Barbora (Hubatka), Anna (Znamenacek) Mary, Joe, Josef (Zitek), Anton, Antonia, Florence (Freeouf). Later the family moved to an 80-acre homestead.

Grandfather left home when a young man, and worked wherever he could find work. When he worked on a farm near Sterling, Nebraska he met Joe Svoboda who took him to visit in his home and introduced him to his sister Josefine, daughter of Jan Svoboda. They were married in Sterling in 1884. Their children: Mary (Wenzl), Mattie (Gerner), Albina (Freeouf), Annie (Kostecka).

My mother, Albina, was born in the sod house in 1889. My parents met at a dance at Pleasant Hill and were married in 1909. They set up housekeeping and lived on a farm near Dorchester for 50 years. Four daughters were born to this union, Irma (Ourecky), Olga (Hoffman), Gertrude (Aksamit), Mildred (Brodt) and one son, Rudolf.

Our life on the farm was the same as all farm families. Being the oldest I was father's pal, and drove horses and farmed with him. There are memories of driving the team on mowers, cultivators, rakes, hay stackers, of shocking oats and wheat and husking corn by hand.

There are memories of big gardens, luscious watermelons, rows and rows of home canned fruits, jellies, meats and vegetables. We lived only two miles from Tabor, a Z.C.B.J. Hall; the entire family were members. A Sokol Drill group was organized, and we girls drilled and attended exhibitions. We were taught Czech songs and the Beseda dance. My sister, Olga, and I were in the group.

Now I will tell a bit about my husband's family. Anton F. Ourecky was born in 1875 in Vysoke, Bohemia. His parents were Frank and Vilhemina Ourecky. Anton, at the age of 23, left his native land and came to America directly to Wilber to the home of his older brother, Joe. He worked on a farm for Mr. Aksamit. An interesting tale is that he was plowing with a walking plow, with his shoes on, as he was afraid of the snakes that might appear in the furrow. Mr. Aksamit told him he could go barefoot and save the soles of his shoes. He replied that if he had to go barefoot he would go back to the old country.

Another was that he got up early one morning and it was so dark he could not see to husk corn. However, he kept hitting the bang-board with the same ear to prove to a neighbor he got to the field before the other hired man. Later he worked in the Swanton-Wilber area putting up windmills for a plumber, Mr. Hulez. Then he worked on a farm for Mr. Johnson where he learned to speak the English language. In 1903, he was married to Julia Vosika. The couple resided in Havelock about four years. As the doctor advised outside employment, they purchased 80 acres west of Wilber and moved there. This farm is now owned and occupied by their son, Elmer, and family. Later they purchased eighty acres from Shultz Hammond on Turkey Creek Bottom. Their children were Albina (Jelinek), Lumir, Elmer and Bertha. Lumir was born in Havelock in 1907. When he was six months old his family moved to a farm three miles west of Wilber. As a young man Lumir rented an adjoining farm and batched for about a year. Tabor pavilion dances, as well as those at Klacl and Columbus, were popular meeting places for young folks. Lumir took Irma home from a Tabor dance and then on June 7, 1933, Lumir Ourecky and Irma Freeouf were united in marriage at Lincoln, Nebraska, and lived on a farm west of Wilber.

These were the hot, dry, windy, days of the 30's. Nothing grew and the prices were low. The equipment we started with was: a new International Binder— seven foot, delivered the day of our wedding, 12-runner drill one-row lister, cornplanter, walking cultivator, walking plow, a gang plow all horse pulled, four horses, one pony, six cows and chickens. Charivaries were the Czech custom of the times and homemade beer was served as well as Wilber wieners, rye bread, rolls and kolache. Dancing to an accordion in the front room was for the young folks. In the fall, after the plowing was done, we went on a wedding trip to Colorado in a 1930 Chevrolet.

On November 3, 1934, our only good crop of the year; twin baby boys arrived. We named our boys Lloyd Anton and Lawrence Stephen. They were blessed with four doting grandparents and four great-grandparents on my side, the Freeoufs and Zajiceks. In 1938, the entire Ourecky family purchased a farm four miles west and two-and-one half south of Wilber at $87.00 an acre. We watched and participated in the progress of cars, machinery, farming methods, home building and improvement. Lloyd is married to the former Doris Barney and they have two lovely adopted children Lori Ann and Larry Alan. Lori reigned as Princess of the Nebraska Czechs during the 1964 Czech Festival. Lawrence married the former Ruth Schlichtemeier and their son, born in l965 is named Stephen Lawrence, and a daughter born in 1967, named Lisa Joan.

To sum up my activities of the past years, I am a member of the Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church Women, Pythian Sisters, Past Chiefs of the Pythian Sisters, American Legion Auxiliary, Past Presidents of the American Legion Auxiliary, Leisure Hour Extension Club, County, State, and National Teachers Organizations, Nebraska Czechs of Wilber of which I am serving as Secretary. I am also on the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Czechs.

I attended classes and graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1961. I have taken three years of the Czech language at the University under the supervision of Dr. Kucera.

I have taught in the public schools of Saline County a total of seventeen years.

There are many Czechs in all these organizations and we are all working together as did our ancestors before us, to make Wilber, the Czech Capital of Nebraska, Saline County, and Nebraska a place of proud peoples, proud of their ancestors, their heritage, the costumes, tongue, traditions, food and love for one another which we seem to inherit from them.

By Irma Anna Freeouf Ourecky

From the book Czechs and Nebraska
published in 1967 by Vladimir Kucera
and Alfred Novacek