Bohemians in Grant County, WI - why did they move there?
I am tracing the ancestry of four different Bohemian families who ultimately end up in North Dakota. I am currently focusing on Augustin Leshovsky and John Kotchian and their families who initially moved to the Town of Muscoda in 1869 and 1858 respectively. By about 1880, they had left for the Dakota Territory.
What I am trying to determine is the reason they chose Muscoda, along the Wisconsin River, in the far southwest corner of the state? There were large Czech populations in Milwaukee, Racine and Chicago. My relatives were farmers, not city people.
I have suspicions: Land was available, relatively cheap; lead miners had gone to Calif with the Gold Rush and some did not come back, leaving a bit of a manpower vacuum; there was an economic boom until about 1873; the hilltops of this regions were not particularly good farm land, but experienced farmers could make a go of it.
I have read histories of the county and of Muscoda, by way of background.
Has anyone looked at this part of Wisconsin during this period, and have any thoughts?
This is my first post, with likely more to come in.
Many thanks
Hi, Lee:
I have a 3rd great grand aunt and uncle who immigrated to Muscoda, Wisconsin, with their seven children in 1858. Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina were married in Chrastice, Pribram, Bohemia. They were farmers and Catholic. They stayed in Wisconsin until homesteading opened up in The Dakotas. In the early 1870’s they moved to Richland County where they and several of their children took out separate homesteads.
Here is my theory about why the Czechs settled in Grant and Iowa Counties:
In May 1848 Wisconsin gained statehood. In December 1848 Emperor Franz Josef of Austria abolished the estate system in the Austrian Empire along with serfdom. This freed up the the Czechs to emigrate. However, the government did not get around to removing most of the stringent requirements to emigration until 1852. From 1852 on is when emigration from Bohemia really picks with thousands of Bohemians coming to America prior to the Civil War.
The two major destinations for the Czechs in the 1850s was St. Louis and Wisconsin. It was easy for the Czech immigrant to settle in St. Louis because the city had established infra structure and homes to rent.
In the 1860s census the states with the two largest population of Czech immigrants were Wisconsin with 7600 and Missouri with 3132 Czechs each. The states which we consider today having a large Czech immigrant population did not really happen until after the Civil War. St. Louis had a large Czech population because that was the end of the journey for the immigrants prior to the Civil War.
The state of Wisconsin had a very active and aggressive advertising campaign in Europe to entice people to emigrate to Wisconsin. No other state promoted immigration to their state as intensely as Wisconsin. This is why there are already 7600 Czech immigrants in the state by 1860.
In Europe all of the major shipping lines sent shipping agents into the small villages in Germany and eastern Europe. They had to sell tickets to fill the ships. In Bohemia there was a ticket agent assigned to practically each small village. It was very easy for a person to purchase a ticket by just going to the local tavern. Many times, immigrants could purchase a combined package deal which included not only the cost of the ship’s ticket, but the following items as well: Travel to the European port of departure and travel from the arrival port to the final destinaiton in America. o the final destination in America
Since the state of Wisconsin was aggressively seeking immigrants to settle the land, some contacted shipping agents and worked out a deal. The immigrant would have been sold a package travel deal where several features would have been paid for in advance, besides the ship’s ticket. The person in Bohemia purchasing the ticket would have been directed to the Muscoda area by the ticket agent in the Bohemian village. It was all worked out with the state of Wisconsin, the ticket agent, and land agent in Muscoda.
The Formanek family sailed from Bremen and landed in New York City. They boarded a train for Muscoda, Wisconsin. They landed at a train station near Muscoda which had only been completed a short while before. It was all coordinated and planned out. The Formaneks knew exactly where they were going, and they knew exactly how to get there.
Why did they locate away from the Milwaukee area and the other Czech immigrants? I think because at that point the government wanted to settle the southwestern portion of the state. This was probably the least desirable part of the state to live in since there was very little, if any infra structure in place at all. Everything I have read so far leads me to this conclusion.
What are the names of your other two Czech families? Where did your family settle in North Dakota?
June Sommer St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, Lee:
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. The Formanek had been farmers in Bohemia and Catholic.
Below is my theory:
Wisconsin became a state in May 1848. Emperor Franz Josef abolished serfdom and the estates system in December 1848. To populate the state of Wisconsin the government sponsored the most aggressive recruitment of emigrants from Europe – more so than any other state. This corresponded well with the Czechs beginning sizable emigrant out of the Austrian Empire. The various shipping companies sent out shipping agents into all of the small villages and towns throughout Bohemia to sell tickets. They could purchase the ship ticket from the shipping agent in the village. Some shipping agents contracted with a state and some real estate agents in America to steer new immigrants to a particular area of land. This was sometimes part of the agreement when the emigrants purchased their tickets.
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. It appeared to me from reading the histories that the Czechs in the Muscoda area knew exactly where they were going when they sailed to America. When the Formanek family landed in New York City they took a train directly from New York City to the newly built train station near Muscoda. This all had to have been preplanned. Also the Czech Freethought movement was gaining momentum in the Milwaukee area and in other areas on the eastern side of Wisconsin. Since these were religious Czechs they would have wanted to steer clear of any strong Czech Freethought influences, particularly since the Formanecks had eight children raise. And, while in Wisconsin they had another four children.
This group of Czechs were not wealthy. Vojtech (Albert) Formanek, pooled his money and along with Francis Gassek, and Joseph Kumbora, they purchased 240 acres from Joseph P. Underwood, for the price of $1,600. This land was situated in Section 4, Township 7, Range 1, in Iowa County. (The two others are Czechs as well. Their names were misspelled in the deed record.)
In 1871-1872 the Formanek family picked up and moved to Richland County in the Dakota Territory. The government was opening up the land for homesteading and several of them took out homesteads. The Formanecks became one of the leading Czech pioneer families in Richland County.
Two sources were really helpful in researching this family:
Elznic William H., "Bohemians in Richland County," Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota (v. IV, 1913). Available on Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Collections_of_the_State_Historical_Soci/eDRRAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Elznic+William+H.,&pg=PA886&printsec=frontcover Click on page 62.
The state of North Dakota has scanned all of the local newspapers. Depending on where the immigrant lived, these newspapers are posted on the local public library website, free of charge.
For Wahpeton, North Dakota it is the Leah Public Library at https://leachlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/
Since Richland County was sparsely populated there wasn’t a lot of local news. Many of the Formanek obituaries comprise almost all of the front page of the newspaper, with many details of their life in Wisconsin and North Dakota outlined.
You didn’t mention where your Czechs settled in North Dakota, but perhaps this approach might work for you as well.
Good luck with your research
June Sommer, St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, Lee:
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. The Formanek had been farmers in Bohemia and Catholic.
Below is my theory:
Wisconsin became a state in May 1848. Emperor Franz Josef abolished serfdom and the estates system in December 1848. To populate the state of Wisconsin the government sponsored the most aggressive recruitment of emigrants from Europe – more so than any other state. This corresponded well with the Czechs beginning sizable emigrant out of the Austrian Empire. The various shipping companies sent out shipping agents into all of the small villages and towns throughout Bohemia to sell tickets. They could purchase the ship ticket from the shipping agent in the village. Some shipping agents contracted with a state and some real estate agents in America to steer new immigrants to a particular area of land. This was sometimes part of the agreement when the emigrants purchased their tickets.
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. It appeared to me from reading the histories that the Czechs in the Muscoda area knew exactly where they were going when they sailed to America. When the Formanek family landed in New York City they took a train directly from New York City to the newly built train station near Muscoda. This all had to have been preplanned. Also the Czech Freethought movement was gaining momentum in the Milwaukee area and in other areas on the eastern side of Wisconsin. Since these were religious Czechs they would have wanted to steer clear of any strong Czech Freethought influences, particularly since the Formanecks had eight children raise. And, while in Wisconsin they had another four children.
This group of Czechs were not wealthy. Vojtech (Albert) Formanek, pooled his money and along with Francis Gassek, and Joseph Kumbora, they purchased 240 acres from Joseph P. Underwood, for the price of $1,600. This land was situated in Section 4, Township 7, Range 1, in Iowa County. (The two others are Czechs as well. Their names were misspelled in the deed record.)
In 1871-1872 the Formanek family picked up and moved to Richland County in the Dakota Territory. The government was opening up the land for homesteading and several of them took out homesteads. The Formanecks became one of the leading Czech pioneer families in Richland County.
Two sources were really helpful in researching this family:
Elznic William H., "Bohemians in Richland County," Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota (v. IV, 1913), 65. Available on Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Collections_of_the_State_Historical_Soci/eDRRAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Elznic+William+H.,&pg=PA886&printsec=frontcover Click on page 52.
The state of North Dakota has scanned all of the local newspapers. Depending on where the immigrant lived, these newspapers are posted on the local public library website, free of charge.
For Wahpeton, North Dakota it is the Leah Public Library at https://leachlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/
Since Richland County was sparsely populated there wasn’t a lot of local news. Many of the Formanek obituaries comprise almost all of the front page of the newspaper, with many details of their life in Wisconsin and North Dakota outlined.
You didn’t mention where your Czechs settled in North Dakota, but perhaps this approach might work for you as well.
Good luck with your research
June Sommer, St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, Lee:
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. The Formanek had been farmers in Bohemia and Catholic.
Below is my theory:
Wisconsin became a state in May 1848. Emperor Franz Josef abolished serfdom and the estates system in December 1848. To populate the state of Wisconsin the government sponsored the most aggressive recruitment of emigrants from Europe – more so than any other state. This corresponded well with the Czechs beginning sizable emigrant out of the Austrian Empire. The various shipping companies sent out shipping agents into all of the small villages and towns throughout Bohemia to sell tickets. They could purchase the ship ticket from the shipping agent in the village. Some shipping agents contracted with a state and some real estate agents in America to steer new immigrants to a particular area of land. This was sometimes part of the agreement when the emigrants purchased their tickets.
In 1855 my 3rd great grand uncle and aunt, Vojtech (Albert) Formanek and Anna Stetina, along with their eight children immigrated to the Muscoda, Wisconsin, area. It appeared to me from reading the histories that the Czechs in the Muscoda area knew exactly where they were going when they sailed to America. When the Formanek family landed in New York City they took a train directly from New York City to the newly built train station near Muscoda. This all had to have been preplanned. Also the Czech Freethought movement was gaining momentum in the Milwaukee area and in other areas on the eastern side of Wisconsin. Since these were religious Czechs they would have wanted to steer clear of any strong Czech Freethought influences, particularly since the Formanecks had eight children raise. And, while in Wisconsin they had another four children.
This group of Czechs were not wealthy. Vojtech (Albert) Formanek, pooled his money and along with Francis Gassek, and Joseph Kumbora, they purchased 240 acres from Joseph P. Underwood, for the price of $1,600. This land was situated in Section 4, Township 7, Range 1, in Iowa County. (The two others are Czechs as well. Their names were misspelled in the deed record.)
In 1871-1872 the Formanek family picked up and moved to Richland County in the Dakota Territory. The government was opening up the land for homesteading and several of them took out homesteads. The Formanecks became one of the leading Czech pioneer families in Richland County.
Two sources were really helpful in researching this family:
Elznic William H., "Bohemians in Richland County," Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota (v. IV, 1913), 65. Available on Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Collections_of_the_State_Historical_Soci/eDRRAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Elznic+William+H.,&pg=PA886&printsec=frontcover Click on page 52.
The state of North Dakota has scanned all of the local newspapers. Depending on where the immigrant lived, these newspapers are posted on the local public library website, free of charge.
For Wahpeton, North Dakota it is the Leah Public Library at https://leachlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/
Since Richland County was sparsely populated there wasn’t a lot of local news. Many of the Formanek obituaries comprise almost all of the front page of the newspaper, with many details of their life in Wisconsin and North Dakota outlined.
You didn’t mention where your Czechs settled in North Dakota, but perhaps this approach might work for you as well.
Good luck with your research
June Sommer, St. Louis, Missouri