VOPAL SURNAME

ORIGIN: CZECH REPUBLIC

Decendants of Jan and Josefa Vopalensky:
Dusejov, Czech Republic
Arrived in Baltimore, MD on June 10, 1891.
Lived and raised family in: Milwaukee, WI


Jan and Josefa Vopalensky, circa 1890's.

Jan (John)Vopalensky (b. May 20, 1856 d. January 19, 1938) and Josefa (Josephine) Duba (b. March 19, 1856) lived in the small village of Dusejov, Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) an hour south of the capital of Prague.
They had two small sons, Joseph John (b. 1887) and Frank J. (b.1891) who were also born in Dusejov. They left Bremen, Germany and sailed to America on the ship "Dresden", where they arrived in Baltimore June 10, 1891.
Jan and his family moved to Milwaukee, WI, where he worked as a tailor. Their third son, Wenceslaus F.(known as James) was born in Milwaukee on September 18, 1893. Because of a small pox epidemic, the Vopalensky family moved back to Dusejov for a while. They then returned to Milwaukee and had a fourth son, John J. (b. 1897)


Jan and Josefa, center, by thier tailor shop. Joseph is in the front row, on the right. Circa 1910.

Josefa later developed tuberculosis, so the family moved her out on a farm to get her into the country air to improve her health. Neither Jan nor Josefa spoke any English.

Josefa died on February 7, 1913 and Jan died on January 19, 1938.

Jan Vopalensky married a second time, and his second wife's name was Anna Kubieck (b. June 29, 1864). They were married on October 25, 1917. Anna died a year after Jan on February 20, 1939. She was buried beside her first husband who had passed away some years before. The unmarked grave of James' stillborn child in 1920 caused a small stir...some family members wondered if Jan and Anna had a child! The child was merely laid to rest on the family plot at that time only beside her grandmother, Josefa.

Jan's family left behind in Dusejov consisted of his father, Kaspar Vopalensky (b.d. unknown) and his brother, (b. 1854, d. 1935)His mother, Frances Maria Buland, had lived from 1825 to 1889.

Jan is one of only 4 Vopalensky families that came to the United States. Another, Frank Vopalensky, came from Novy Rochnov, also in the Czech Republic and very close to Dusejov. Frank and his family migrated to Grant Co, Wisconsin in the 1860's, and then moved to Morse Bluff in Saunders Co., Nebraska. Anton Vopalensky and his sister, Bessie, came possibly from Novy Rochnov and went to Pierce, Co. Nebraska. The fourth Vopalensky remains a mystery. Another Anton Vopalensky came to Crawford, Co, Wisconsin in 1893; it is not for certain if he migrated from the Czech Republic or not. If you are a family member from the Frank or Anton Vopalensky family, please e-mail me or Susan Chapman, my cousin.

Visit the Vopalensky Brothers' pages!

Center: Jan Vopalensky
Jospeh Vopalensky Frank Vopal James Vopal John Vopal

More Vopal Family Pages

1. Kaspar Vopalensky and Frances Maria Buland

2. VOPAL FAMILY ALBUM!

3. Vopal Family Holidays!

4. Vopal Christmas Gathering - 1998! Lots of pictures!

5. "If Wally Knew"

An essay about my grandfather, Walter Vopal, for a non-fiction workshop.

6.See a map of the Czech Republic.

You can e-mail me, Katy J., at SalemCat3@aol.com

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