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Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Posted: 26 Sep 2001 6:29PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 26 Sep 2001 6:54PM GMT
Surnames: Mracek
The following is all of the information I have on these four individuals. I am particularly interested in Lawrence and Josephine, but believe Lawrence and Jackop may be related. Hope to hear from descendants of any of the four, and would like information on their descendants and/or ancestors, including both genealogical and biographical data. I can provide a .pdf version of the following information with footnotes.

Lawrence Mrachek was born in Bohemia in April, 1847. In 1867 he married Josephine Krolik, who was born in 1850, also in Bohemia.

The sources differ as to when Lawrence and Josephine came to America. The International Genealogical Index shows that their children Katherine and Jacob were born in Bohemia, and that their children Thomas, Dora and Mary were born in Winona, Minnesota. However, a newspaper article concerning Lawrence’s death said that he and his wife came to Winona immediately after their wedding, when Lawrence was 21.

The couple had thirteen children, eight of whom were still living in 1937. The children that have been identified are:

1. Katherine, born 1868, married Adrian Remondino from Wabasha, Minnesota, had three children, died prior to 1937. (See page 58.)

2. Jacob, born 1872, was living in Rochester, Minnesota in 1937.

3. Thomas, born 1876, a policeman, living in Winona in 1937.

4. Dora, born 1878, died prior to 1937.

5. Mary, born 1880, died prior to 1937.

6. John, born on July 16, 1882, died in Winona in August, 1964.

7. Frantesek, born in 1886 or 1887, died on March 19, 1910, buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona.

8. Josefina, born in 1888 or 1889, died of "consumption of the lungs" on September 23, 1913, buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona.

9. George, born on April 11, 1890, living in Winona in 1937, died in April, 1965.

10. Mrs. Robert J. Davies, living in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1937.

11. Mrs. John Holmay, living in Winona in 1937.

12. Mrs. George Huck, living in Winona in 1937.

13. Mrs. Al Frebrick, living in Naperville, Illinois in 1937.

It is likely that there is some duplication between entries 4-5 and entries 10-13.

Josephine died in about 1928 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona. In 1934, Lawrence left Winona and moved into the home of his daughter Mrs. Robert J. Davies, located at 627 Sixth Street in Red Wing. He died there on March 16, 1937. The circumstances of his death were written up in the local paper. Bed-ridden, Lawrence was smoking his pipe the morning of March 16 when the bed clothes caught on fire. His daughter rushed out of her home calling for help. A substitute mail carrier, Lloyd Gisslen, extinguished the flames and carried Lawrence from the room. Unfortunately, because of the extent of his burns and his advanced age, Lawrence passed away that evening at the hospital. He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona.

Another Mrachek family settled in Granite Rock Township, Redwood County, Minnesota in about 1880, consisting of Jackop (born in Bohemia in 1852), Annie (born in Bohemia in September, 1856) and Frank (born in Granite Rock Township in June, 1880). Jackop and Annie were married in Bohemia in 1879. It is not unlikely that Jackop and Lawrence were brothers or cousins.

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Jennifer Lee (View posts)
Posted: 6 Mar 2003 5:17AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Gisslen
Hi Larry,

I'm interested in your mention of Lloyd Gisslen trying to rescue Lawrence from the fire (Lloyd is my great grandfather's nephew). Can you give me the date and newspaper that the account appeared in?

Thanks,
Jennifer

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Posted: 6 Mar 2003 4:27PM GMT
Classification: Query
Jennifer: All I can tell you is that there were articles in the local Red Wing newspaper on both March 16 and March 17, 1937. I believe I have copies of the articles at home, and would be glad to mail or fax them if you want. Send me a direct e-mail with your fax number or mailing address.

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Joel Knutson (View posts)
Posted: 25 Dec 2004 4:13PM GMT
Classification: Query
Here is what I have on Jacob. I am related to his wife Gina's line.

Husband: Jacob Mrachek
Born: 16 Jul 1872
Died: 25 Mar 1962 - Olmsted County Minn.
Married: ca 1896

Wife: Gina Knutson
Born: Abt 1871 - Norway
Died: 21 Dec 1935 - Olmsted County Minn.
Father: Peter Jorgen Knudsen (1822-1893)
Mother: Maren Hansdatter (1826-1899)

Children

1 M Harold J. Mrachek
Born: 22 Oct 1897
Died: 31 Aug 1977 - Olmsted County Minn.

2 F Mildred Mrachek
Born: ca 1898

3 F Doris Mrachek
Born: ca 1901

4 M Raymond J Mrachek
Born: 21 Sep 1902 - Olmsted County Minn.
Died: 1 Mar 1970 - Olmsted County Minn.

5 F Helen Virginia Mrachek
Born: 11 Mar 1906 - Olmsted County Minn.

6 F Esther Mrachek
Born: ca 1908

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Posted: 19 Apr 2008 1:34AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Mrachek, Knutson
Helen Virginia Mrachek was my maternal grandmother. I have some fairly detailed information about her siblings (children of Jacob Mrachek and Gina Knutson) as I knew most of them personally, if anyone's interested.

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Posted: 19 Apr 2008 10:46PM GMT
Classification: Query
Chris: I would very much like to hear about your family. Is the Jacob you mention the same Jacob who was the son of Lawrence and Josephine? Do you have any information on his parents or siblings? I'd also like any information you can share on Jacob and his descendants.

I have pretty much exhaustred my knowledge of the family in my original posting.

Larry Kline

Re: Lawrence, Josephine, Jackop and Annie Mracek in Minnesota

Posted: 20 Apr 2008 4:50AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Mrachek, Knutson, Anderson, Jenner
Larry,

My interest in genealogy was rekindled after 15 years just recently when I found out I could access some pay sections of ancestor.com through my local library. Since then, I’ve been able to trace my paternal line back to two Jenners that came to America in 1635. I was amazed at the genealogical resources now available online.

Thanks to your 2001 post, I can confirm that Jacob Mrachek, my great grandfather, is indeed the son of Lawrence and Josephine. I have a record indicating that Jacob’s parents were named Lawrence and Josephine, and were both from Bohemia. I didn’t know Jacob had so many siblings, and do not have any information about them. They would have been my mother’s great uncles and great aunts, so I will have to ask her if she has any memory of them.

I’ve been writing up my maternal line as far back as I can find it, and you might find this paragraph interesting:

The 1920 US Census of Rochester Ward 2, Olmsted County, Minnesota, lists a household, the head of which is Jacob L. Mrachek, age 47. Mrachek is listed as hailing from Bohemia (immigration date unknown), like both his parents. Jacob Lawrence Mrachek was born July 16, 1872 in Bohemia, married Gina Knutson November 26, 1895, and died March 26, 1962 in Rochester, Minnesota.3 Household members were:
Name Age
Jacob L Mrachek 47
Cina Mrachek 48
Harold J Mrachek 22
Mildred J Mrachek 21
Doris C Mrachek 18
Ramond J Mrachek 17
Helan V Mrachek 13 (actually Helen, my maternal grandmother)
Ester W Mrachek 11
Marion R Mrachek 6

I have anecdotal information on most of Jacob and Gina’s children both from my personal experience, and talking with my mom. My notes are chicken scratches that I need to type in. My mom told me that Esther settled in Ohio, and had one child, a boy. And that Marian settled in Dallas and had a boy and a girl. I haven’t had a chance to research them. Harold, Mildred, Doris (who died young, ~1948 of tuberculosis), and Raymond all stayed pretty close to Rochester, Minnesota.

Helen Mrachek married Arnold Norman Anderson June 27, 1930. They had two children in Rochester, Janet Mae Anderson (my mother) on January 23, 1932, and James Mrachek Anderson a couple years later, who still lives in Rochester with his wife Gretchen (Dale) Anderson. My maternal grandparents moved to Evanston, Illinois, probably in the early – mid 1950s, presumably for my grandfather’s job with Great Western Railroad.

My mother married Theodore Luke Jenner, Jr. December 3, 1955, whom she likely met while visiting her parents in Evanston. He was an Air Force pilot, and died in a B-47 crash in Ohio in 1958 when I was 15 months old. After the crash, my mom moved us in with her parents in Evanston, and we’ve been in the Chicago area ever since. My grandfather retired in 1965, and moved with my grandmother (Helen Mrachek) back to Rochester where they thrived till their passing in the early 1990s.

Many of the Mracheks noted above were cremated and their ashes interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester. I hope to visit some relatives there this summer and if we make it up there, I’ll stop by Oakwood Cemetery and bring my camera. I hope you found this of interest. Feel free to email – cjenner00@yahoo.com.

Re: Origins of Lawrence and Josephine Mrachek of Minnesota

Posted: 9 Jun 2009 7:25PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Mrachek
Lawrence and Josephine's oldest child was Katherine (or Catherine). A census entry for her daughter says that Josephine was born in Bosch Au (or maybe Basch Au, hard to read), and that her native language was Bohemian. For sometime I thought that the Au was for Austria, as Bohemia was then part of the Austrian empire. I could not find a town named Bosch or Basch. Then it occurred to me that the town might be Boschau (or Baschau). In fact, there was a town named Boschau in Bohemia. The Bohemian name for the town is Bosov, but unfortunately there are two towns in the present day Czech Republic named Bosov. Is there anyone who has done some searching on the origins of Mracheks, or someone with better knowledge of this area than I, who can give an assist?
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