Immigration Timeline

All my ancestors immigrated from Europe to east central Iowa in the period 1852-1893. Most came from Bohemia, with one large family from Schleswig-Holstein ,which has gone back and forth between Germany and Denmark, and one stowaway from Stradun, near Trzcianka, in western Poland.

Below is a summary of my ancestors' immigration history. The came over in 9 groups, and eventually settled near Chelsea and Belle Plaine, Iowa. Altogether, 5 out of 8 of my g-grandparents were immigrants, 8 out of 16 of my gg, and 3 out of 32 of my ggg.

1853 Soenke

Hans SOENKE (10 Aug 1803 - 5 Aug 1884) and Christina (JACOBS) SOENKE (14 Aug 1802 - 26 Mar 1864) immigrated from Schleswig-Holstein to America, along with their 8 children, age 7 to 21. The entire family arrived in New York on the ship Hansa, 31 May 1853. They were my 3g-grandparents, and the first of my ancestors in America. One of their children was Anna Soenke, my gg-grandmother, born in Schleswig-Holstein, on 24 June 1832. The family of 10 was traveling with 33-year-old Peter JACOBS, possibly a brother or cousin of Christina.

One account says they arrived in New York and came "direct to St. Louis" and another says they went to New Orleans and came up the Mississippi. One way or another, they settled near Davenport, in Scott County, Iowa. Hans SOENKE became a very prosperous farmer, and purchased a large house in Davenport, where he and his wife moved when they retired.

Christina's brother, Johann JACOBS, went to Sioux City, where he and his family were among the first settlers. Davenport was already a thriving city in 1853, and a major port on the Mississippi, while Sioux City, on the Missouri River, was on the edge of European civilization.

1856 Hansen

Frederick HANSEN, my gg-grandfather, was born 21 Feb 1834 in Schleswig-Holstein, and immigrated to America on the Harmonia, departing from Hamburg, and arriving in New York on 17 Nov 1856. He traveled alone, and was listed as a carpenter. I have not found any information on his parents or siblings.

Frederick HANSEN and Anna SOENKE were married in 1860 in Davenport, Iowa. The Civil War Draft Registry shows that they were still in Davenport on 1 Jul 1863. In 1868, they settled on a 315 acre farm in Benton County, Iowa, just 2 miles north of Keystone. The farm was half in Homer Township and half in Kane Township. My g-grandmother, Laura HANSEN, was born in May 1870, on the farm.

1865 Stanek

Frank STANEK was born 25 Nov 1818 in Benešov, and married Katherin PRAGR, of Vlceves. Benešov and Vlceves are small towns near Tabor, Bohemia. They were my ggg-grandparents. They had children Frank, Mary, Katherine, Joseph, and my gg-grandfather, John STANEK.

According to "History of Chelsea," page 250: Frank STANEK Jr immigrated in 1862, at age 18. Katherine died in childbirth, with the last child, Teressa, in 1863. Frank Sr married his deceased wife's sister, Mary PRAGR, and immigrated with Mary and some of his children. They joined Frank Jr in the Chelsea area.

This seems to contradict several other sources. The 1900 US Census has Frank Jr's immigration date as 1867, and the others as 1868. The Old Czech Settlers of Chicago has Terezie immigrating in 1867. The New York Passenger Lists has a STANEK family on board, which seems to match. The Weser traveled from Bremen to New York, arriving 25 Jul 1868. Listed are:

Franz 24 (b. 1844)

Franz 50 (b. 1818)

Maria 46 (b. 1820)

Cath 16 (b. 1852)

Theresia 5 (b. 1863)

Of course, Franz and Maria became Frank and Mary in America. The dates match up pretty well for Frank, Mary, and three of their children. The remaining three children were John, Joseph and Mary Jr. They might be in another part of the passenger list, or perhaps they made the journey at another time. It was not uncommon for parents to make several trips, bringing a few of their children each time. Mary would have been 28 and John 22, so they might have traveled alone, and I have only slim evidence for Joseph.

Since John was my gg-grandfather, I'm now wondering when he immigrated. The family seems to have gone to Chicago before Iowa. The 1870 US Census has the family in Salt Creek, Tama, Iowa, with Frank, Mary, and children Frank, Mary and Arassa (must be Theresia), but John married Anna VISTINE in Chicago, on 20 Apr 1873.

Immediately after the STANEK family is listed, appears Marie Grager, 23 (b. 1845). This could be another spelling of Grager, so this Marie might have been related to Maria (PRAGR) STANEK. In fact, it's possible that Maria's first child was named PRAGR.

Mary (PRAGR) STANEK (1822-1926) raised her sister's children as her own. After Frank STANEK died of malaria in 1899, she married Frank Houska, and lived to the age of 104.

Frank STANEK Jr (1844-1918) married Mary CHALOUPEK (1845-1928) in Feb 1870. Frank and Mary were cousins, since they were both grandchildren of Josef PRAGR (1798-?) and Katerina FUK (1800-?). Mary comes from the Vlceves branch of CHALOUPEKs, which does not seem to be connected to the Kopidlo branch.

John and Anna (VISTINE) STANEK, my gg-grandparents. They had a 120 acre farm in Poweshiek County, Jefferson Township. My g-grandmother, Agnes M. STANEK, was born in 1879, probably on the farm.

1868-9 Yaroshek

Mary YAROSHEK, my g-grandmother, came to America from Bohemia, with her parents and siblings, in 1868-9. Her parents, Johanas and Barbora (KNALLY) YAROSHEK, arrived in Baltimore with four children: Josephine, Mary, Joseph and Annie. Another child, Barbara, was born in Maryland, 1869. By 1870, they had moved to Salt Creek Township, Tama County, Iowa, where they had two more children: John and Frank. Neither Johanas nor Barbora ever learned to speak English. By 1890, they had an 80 acre farm in Poweshiek County, about 5 miles south of Chelsea.

1869-72 Vistine

Anna VISTINE, my gg-grandmother, immigrated sometime around 1869-72, from Bohemia. She was born in 1851-6, so she could have been anywhere from 13 to 21. I have not found any trace of her parents or siblings, except that her father's name was James VISTINE. Anna must have lived in Chicago for the first few years, because she and Joseph STANEK were married there on 20 Apr 1873. They moved to Poweshiek County, Iowa, soon afterward, and had 13 children. Anna was illiterate, and never learned to speak English.

1872 Chaloupek

Frank Louis CHALPUPEK, my g-grandfather, and his older brother Vencil immigrated in about 1872, from Kopidlo, Bohemia. I don't know if they traveled together or separately. Frank settled in Belle Plaine, Benton County, and Vencil about 8 miles away, in Elberon, Tama County. Frank became a US Citizen on 1 Nov 1873, just a few weeks before his 21st birthday. Frank, and several of his sons and grandsons, worked for the C&NW railroad.

Frank Louis CHALOUPEK and Mary YAROSHEK were married 30 Oct 1880. My grandfather, Frank Louis CHALOUPEK (later changed his name to HALOUPEK) was born 25 Mar 1881, in Belle Plaine, Iowa.

1874 Posekany

Frantizek "Franz" POSEKANY (16 Oct 1840 - 5 Mar 1914) was born in Cetoraz, a small village in southern Bohemia, near Tábor. Marie MACEK (19 Mar 1846 - 29 Oct 1914) was born in Obrataň, another small village, less than 3 miles from Cetoraz. Franz and Marie were married in Bohemia, before immigrating to the United States. They traveled on the ship Braunschweig, departing from Bremen, and arriving at the port of Baltimore on 23 May 1874, along with a 5 year old daughter Marie, and infant son, Franz. The Braunschweig was practically new, having been built in 1873. On the passenger list, the name is spelled POSEKANI.

Once in the US, Franz and Franz Jr were both called Frank. Marie and Marie Jr were both called Mary. How and when they came to Iowa is not clear, but they settled near Chelsea, Iowa, and eventually bought a farm, northeast of Chelsea. Frank's brother Joseph immigrated, with his family, in 1884, and settled near Chelsea. See the Posekany Branches page.

How and when they came to Iowa is not clear, but they settled near Chelsea, Iowa, and eventually bought a farm, east of Chelsea. Their oldest child came with them from Bohemia. Three other children died, either on the journey or in Iowa. They had four children after that, one of them being my Great Grandfather, Anton POSEKANY. The 1892 Atlas shows the 80 acre POSEKANY farm, about a mile NE of Chelsea. By the time of the 1916 Atlas, Frank POSEKANY's sons farmed close to 800 acres of land, in several pieces, east and northeast of Chelsea, in Salt Creek Township, Tama County.

Anton Vencil POSEKANY and Agnes M. STANEK, my g-grandparents, were married on 14 Feb 1899, at St Joseph's Catholic Church, in Chelsea, Iowa.

1881 Sevcik

Joseph and Anna (Miklas) SEVCIK, my g-grandparents, lived in Zalazany, a small village near the city of Vysoke Myto, Bohemia. Joseph was listed as a locksmith. They immigrated on the Suevia, a ship which traveled from Hamburg to New York, arriving on 17 Jul 1881. They brought three children with them, and had two more in Iowa, including my Grandmother Katie. Joseph was naturalized on 28 Sep 1886, in Tama County. The Altlas of Tama County, 1916, shows a farm in three pieces, in Carroll Township, comprising 340 acres, under the name of Joseph SEVCIK.

Katie SEVCIK, my grandmother, married Frank Louis HALOUPEK on 3 Jun 1908, in Belle Plaine, Iowa.

1890 Krueger

Albert KRUEGER was born in Stradun, near Trzianka, in western Poland (then part of Prussia), on 13 April 1873, to August and Wihelmina (KANNEMANN) KRUEGER. Family records indcaite that Albert, having trouble getting along with his father-in-law, came to America as a stowaway in about 1893. The dates are uncertain, and this has been a difficult case, since KRUEGER is such a common name. However, I think I have found the right Albert KRUEGER, a 19-year-old passenger on the ship Stuttgart, from Bremen to New York, arriving on 16 Dec 1892. The Castle Rock records list him as a laborer, traveling self-paid. His destination is North Dakota, so he must have already planned to settle there. His nationality is German, and last place of residence listed as W---GORIN. Everything fits except this last fact. I don't have access to the original image, so I have to go by what the transcriber has given. Is there a place called Westgorin?

Albert's older brother Emil (1868 - 1963) immigrated in 1907, and his sister Martha (1880 - ?) came over in 1909, with her husband and infant son, and settled in North Dakota. Another sister, Bertha, remained in Germany, and a brother "fled to Australia," according to family lore. Albert and Emil both moved from Jud, Lamar, ND to Homer/Kane, Benton, IA and back at least once.

Albert was a farmhand on the Friedrich KRUEGER farm, near Keystone, Benton County, Iowa. He married Laura HANSEN, the farmer's daughter, on 7 Nov 1902 in Keystone, Iowa, and they eventually had a farm near her father's farm. They were my great-grandparents. I don't know where Albert lived before that.

Summary

The Greats

The Ships

The Families