Have made strides in obtaining information about my great-grandfather Frank Svach but am still trying to tie pieces together and find his roots. "History of Lee County, Texas" account by A.J. Blaha gave me a lot of clues for searching here, but haven't been able to document Frank's origins. I'll take any tidbit of associated information. You never know where the crucial clue will be. I found his naturalization papers from Burleson County, where he became a citizen in 1891, but there is nothing of substance recorded. "Subject of the Emporer of Austria" which included Czech lands/Moravia.
Frank Svach, may have been born Frantisek Slaby in Holesov, Moravia (Austria)per A. J. Blaha's record of what Frank's sons told him.
I understand that Svach/Schwach is a direct German translation of Slaby and means "weak".
On 1900 census he claims origin Austria & that he immigrated in 1881. However, my grandmother, his oldest, was born 1879 and family lore is that she was born on the ocean passage. He was married to a Marie Simik, birthdate given as 1854 on headstone. They were in Lee & Burleson Counties. She died 1884 in Lee County, and he married a Theresa Jarma. They had at least two children in Lee County before moving to Waller County, where they remained. Theresa died in 1922 & he immediately remarried to an Ernestine Kralanowski (sp?) and they had one son before Frank died of a self-inflicted gunshot 1923.
Frank, b.+/- 1857 Moravia
m. Marie Simik b. 1854 Moravia
Klara, b. 1879 m. Peter K. Urban
Mary b. 1882 m. William Kunetka
Marie died 1884
Frank m. Theresa Jarma =/- 1886
Francis b. 1887, m. Ledvig/Ladvig
Charles b. 1890, m. Albina Novak, lived in Brazoria County.
Adolph, b. 1893, died 1911 in (SOKOL)gym accident
Agnes b. 1896, married Stasny
William b. 1898, m. Martha Bravand
Mollie,b. about 1897, died age 3
Joseph b. 1904, m. Mary Tojanovsky
Theresa died 1922
Frank married Ernestine Kralanowski 1923
Edward, b. 1923, m. Daisy Joyce Mitcham
Associated names: Simik, Jarma, Kralanowski, Lostiak, Urban, Kunetka, Stasny, Kmiec, Trojanovsky, Novak, Ladvig/Ledvig, Bravand, Peery