Joseph Vondra, 1880 - 1967

Joseph Vondra, 1880-1967



Joe's birth record:
http://www.portafontium.eu/iipimage/30068307/slavikovice-07_0650-n?x=41&y=97&w=452&h=195

Josef was born on March 6 and baptized March 7, 1880 at Usilov house 38, Bohemia. The record says that he was born katolik (Catholic), male and legitimate.

His father was Jan Vondra, blacksmith, at Usilov house 38, son of Matej (Matthew) Vondra, blacksmith, of Usilov house 38 and Marie born Zitek of Melzholz.

His mother was Marie daughter of Jakub Sedlacek, farmer from Mlynic house 6 and Josepha born Marka (Marek) of Mlynic.

This is a snip of 1930 census records which shows Joseph living with his sister Agnes Vondra Thurston's family, as a farm laborer. He is 49 years old. The record says that he is able to read and write. This census records are from Eden township, Hyde County, South Dakota.

1935 census record for Joseph. The record says that he is 56 years old, living in Hyde County, post office in Highmore, in the Eden township. He is listed as a farm laborer. The record says that his father and mother were born in Bohemia. 

This record shows Joe crossing the Canadian border into the United States at Sweet Grass, Montana. He worked on a steam ship for a period of time. His brother in law, Martin Bouzek, sponsored his immigration back to the United States. It is unknown if there was some reason that he left the Thurstons and did not return there. 

Joe is listed on the 1940 census records living with Martin and Mary Vondra Bouzek, his sister and brother-in-law. The full records states that Joe attended school for 7 years. 

Joseph lived his retirement years in a retirement home in DeSmet, Kingsbury, South Dakota. Some of his nieces and nephews did not even know of his existence until his death.

Joe is buried at the Bohemian National Cemetery in northern Hyde County, where much of his family is also buried. At the time of his death, the Vondra family plot was full, so he was buried in the plot of his sister, Josie Sporrer's family where there was space. His headstone is like all of his family's stones, with his first name and birth and death year. Because he is not buried in the family plot, his headstone had been misnamed with another last name, Weisner, on Find a Grave. Only those of us in the know, would realize who he is. It took some searching to find his grave. Also, note the error of his birth year being 1882. These types of mistakes are not uncommon. Joe's brother John was buried in the family plot at the time of Joe's death. Their sister Emma purchased a plot at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Highmore, SD and had her brother John moved there. She is buried beside him there. There is room for Joe to be moved to the family plot now, if anyone would like to spend the money and go through what it would take to get it moved. Photo credit to Ellen Krull Miller, Find a Grave contributor. 

Joseph was committed to an institution in Fergus Falls, Minnesota for a period of time, time frame unknown. At this time, it is also unknown what type of institution it was. Some of his siblings did not want him at the Vondra home place, but others did not want him institutionalized. One of his brothers went to remove him from the institution, creating a rift in the family. Two of his nieces have stated that he was a little slow, one saying he fell down some stairs as a young child.