These are the family pages for a group of families that are related here in America, but all come from what is
now the Czech Republic, and it includes those that are still there. There are many ways to start where to
consider a family tree. And obviously, the further back you go, or the further to aunts and uncles, then the
more unwieldly the family tree and story become. I know that all these people here are in my family tree --
unless you are my brothers or my sister than you will have other branches.
These are my direct forefathers:
Bohumil Herel was from Opatovice, which is a village near Kutna Hora. He was my great grandfather.
Barbara Langr was from Kutna Hora. My great-grandmother.
They got married in New York and had four children who survived to adulthood and their own marriages. One
child died as a very young girl; Stepanka, or Stephanie.
One of those children was Antonia Herel, who was my grandmother.
She married Josef Javurek, who is my grandfather.
They had six children. One of whom Camille, is my mother.
She married Karl Hlavac, and he is of course my father.
His father was Methodej Hlavac of Vlkos u Kyjov, which is a very tiny town.
His mother was Ludmila Kaplan, who was from Frydek-Mistek, which is a two town combo, one on the hilltop,
Frydek, and one in the valley, Mistek. Sort of like Buda-pest, but a lot smaller.
They got married in New York in a rather grand affair that even made the newspaper. They had one other son,
George.
But Methodej was married previously to a woman who died in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1917, her first name is
not known by me. They had a daughter Marion, who married Ludwig Stuber, and they had three kids who
comprise another branch of the extended family.
Now, Josef Javurek had two brothers. Karel, or Charles, who stayed in Prague, and thus there are relatives there
named Javurek, but also Gottwald, Klima and other names. We have been in touch with them for decades and
both I and others here have visited there and some of them have visited here.
His other brother was Otto, about whom there is a very incomplete but oddly compelling story of him being in a
Nazi prison of some sort before he got out and made his way to Australia. All the details of how that happened
are now lost to us. As is any contact with any of his descendants in that country.
Now, Methodej had a half-sister, who he apparently never met, and she remained in Vlkos, where there are
relative named Zelinkova and other names. I have visited them, which is an eerie feeling indeed.
Barbara Langr had a brother who also came to America, named Frank, and he went to Glvoersville NY where
there are a slew of Langr relatives.
If Bohumil had any siblings we do not know.
And so you can see, it gets very complicated very fast.
Complicating it even more is that the history of the Czech lands is so convoluted that it takes quite a bit of effort
to master it. That's on the Czech History page, which you can click through to on the left.
Every page in this section is available through the menu bar to the left of every page.
What I put up here is general, and what I know. If you have a need to know more, you'll have to ask me.
But the whole think is told from my perspective, and so you've got to take that into account when considering
the information here.
now the Czech Republic, and it includes those that are still there. There are many ways to start where to
consider a family tree. And obviously, the further back you go, or the further to aunts and uncles, then the
more unwieldly the family tree and story become. I know that all these people here are in my family tree --
unless you are my brothers or my sister than you will have other branches.
These are my direct forefathers:
Bohumil Herel was from Opatovice, which is a village near Kutna Hora. He was my great grandfather.
Barbara Langr was from Kutna Hora. My great-grandmother.
They got married in New York and had four children who survived to adulthood and their own marriages. One
child died as a very young girl; Stepanka, or Stephanie.
One of those children was Antonia Herel, who was my grandmother.
She married Josef Javurek, who is my grandfather.
They had six children. One of whom Camille, is my mother.
She married Karl Hlavac, and he is of course my father.
His father was Methodej Hlavac of Vlkos u Kyjov, which is a very tiny town.
His mother was Ludmila Kaplan, who was from Frydek-Mistek, which is a two town combo, one on the hilltop,
Frydek, and one in the valley, Mistek. Sort of like Buda-pest, but a lot smaller.
They got married in New York in a rather grand affair that even made the newspaper. They had one other son,
George.
But Methodej was married previously to a woman who died in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1917, her first name is
not known by me. They had a daughter Marion, who married Ludwig Stuber, and they had three kids who
comprise another branch of the extended family.
Now, Josef Javurek had two brothers. Karel, or Charles, who stayed in Prague, and thus there are relatives there
named Javurek, but also Gottwald, Klima and other names. We have been in touch with them for decades and
both I and others here have visited there and some of them have visited here.
His other brother was Otto, about whom there is a very incomplete but oddly compelling story of him being in a
Nazi prison of some sort before he got out and made his way to Australia. All the details of how that happened
are now lost to us. As is any contact with any of his descendants in that country.
Now, Methodej had a half-sister, who he apparently never met, and she remained in Vlkos, where there are
relative named Zelinkova and other names. I have visited them, which is an eerie feeling indeed.
Barbara Langr had a brother who also came to America, named Frank, and he went to Glvoersville NY where
there are a slew of Langr relatives.
If Bohumil had any siblings we do not know.
And so you can see, it gets very complicated very fast.
Complicating it even more is that the history of the Czech lands is so convoluted that it takes quite a bit of effort
to master it. That's on the Czech History page, which you can click through to on the left.
Every page in this section is available through the menu bar to the left of every page.
What I put up here is general, and what I know. If you have a need to know more, you'll have to ask me.
But the whole think is told from my perspective, and so you've got to take that into account when considering
the information here.
Herel, Langr, Javurek, Hlavac, Kaplan, Gottwald -- these are the
family names that are represented in these pages. Here's why:
family names that are represented in these pages. Here's why:
| This section updated as of Nov 15th, 2009 -- there is still plenty to do, and you'll just have to wait -- thanks |