General Notes

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1900 Census Williamson County Texas ; E D 124, Sheet 9
1910 Census Williamson County Texas; E D 120, Sheet 15
1920 Census Williamson County Texas; E D 156, Sheet 7
Information From Ella Elick Hill
Texas Death Certificate No 19263 In Elick File
First Marriage - St Joseph Catholic Church, Bryan Texas
V V (Vaclav) Elick Family History Born Oct 28, 1859 - died April 16, 1
92 8, mother Terezie Jilek born March 3, 1833 - died September 10, 1925, b
uri ed Flatonia Catholic Cemetery. Terezie was the daughter of Ondrej (And
re w) Jilek born November 29, 1790 - died 1855 and Katerina Hundl born M
ay 1 1, 1799 - died (?). Vaclav was born in the Jilek homestead known as "
Lepen ka Zivnost" in Olsovice number 17: ± hour walking distance from t
he Neloti ce in Bohemia - south western part of Czechoslovakia. The homest
ead was bu ilt in the 16th century and has always been known as "Lepenka Z
ivnost". Le penka was to have been a former owner of this land (Lepenka tr
anslates clo se to the word graceful). Zivnost means an estate - therefo
re in English " Lepenka Zivnost" translates to "Graceful Estate". The buil
dings are li ke a compound - entirely enclosed, built in a circle - wi
th a big gate f or entrance and exit when need be. The roofs are steep a
nd cone shaped. T he walls are 18 inches thick made of stone and mortar. S
ome of the rooms a re used for living quarters, while others are used to h
ouse the livesto ck and poultry. The center of the compound is used to sto
re implements a nd other belongings. This home- stead was adjunct to farmi
ng land own ed by Ondrej Jilek consisting of 48,000 square meters (11.03 a
cres).
In 1957 when I was there with my niece Susan Elick, this homestead wit
ho ut the adjoining land was owned by Josef Pesl, a great grandson of On
dr ej Jilek - grandson of Katrina Jilek, daughter of Ondrej (sister of Ter
ezi e).  The land had been divided among other heirs, who over the yea
rs so ld to others, after 1945 the land was communized. On my trip in 19
62 accom panied by niece Nancy Elick, Pesl was no longer alive. We were ac
compani ed by Josef Hlovska of Budejovice, a nephew of Josef Pesl. In t
he tr ip in 1957 when we met Pesl at the old homestead and told him we we
re fr om Jilek family of America, he thought a while and then ask
ed us if we cou ld possibly be of the family of an uncle who visited th
is homestead wh en he was a very small boy. He remembered that the uncle g
ave him a silv er coin that he kept for a very long time. V. V. Elick ma
de a three mon th trip to Czechoslovakia in 1907 - so we assumed that he w
as the uncle w ho gave the little relative the silver coin.
From records: A baptismal certificate was issued on October 23, 18
67 to V aclav Jilek as a requirement for passport to leave the countr
y. It was iss ued from Budejovice Diocese, Vikariat - Vodnanoty - Parish N
etolice, no re cord of Terezie and daughter Anna born June 10, 1855 - f
or the same purpo se from this source - but from data the Dallas Public Li
brary and two oth er sources - Czech Immigration lists by Leo Baca and "Cz
ech Footprints acr oss the Blue-Bonnet fields of Texas" by Albert Bla
ha Sr the two Terezie a ge 34 and Anna age 14 left Bremen January 30, 18
68 arrived or went throu gh immigration in Galveston March 31, 1868. the v
essel name "Bark Gessner ". But there was no record of Vaclav having be
en with these two. Perhaps o ther relatives left for America at the same t
ime. At the time there were o nly canvas sail ships crossing the Atlanti
c. The crossing time with many h ardships sometime took 9 week
s, so it is presumed that their crossing w as comparable to those record
ed in that period. The record shows that on t his crossing the "Bark Gessn
er" there were 62 passengers.  Thirty fo ur of which were Czechs. An old
er sister of Terezie - named Marie had prev iously left the homestead (s
he was born March 7, 1823 - so was ten years o lder tha