Coming to America
Since I was a small boy, I have memories of my father telling me stories of his grandparents, their life in Czechoslovakia, and how they came to the USA chasing the American dream. From Johannes who lived in a giant villa and ran away to America with his housekeeper (who was 20 years younger!), to Alois, who came to Chicago to open a chain of grocery and butcher shops; these were all fascinating stories to me – stories I’d never forget. But years later–in my 40s–when I attempted to build out my family tree on ancestry.com, I was met with nothing but dead ends. Even Dad couldn’t help me fill in the blanks. I needed to know more. If only my grandparents were still alive.
The Breakthrough
I was super-frustrated to see the tree on my Dad’s side was empty. I got as far as my grandparents and that was it, nothing further. But I’ve never backed down from a challenge.
It took a lot of work to figure it all out – I felt like I was doing true detective work here. And while I won’t bore you with the details of my tedious and time-consuming investigation, I will sprinkle a few highlights on you:
1. I found the ship’s record of my great-grandfather on my dad’s side, which contained the name of the village he came from. Even that scribble was barely legible, but when I determined it was indeed “Podmoky,” I went straight to Facebook: Lo and behold there was a “Village of Podmoky” Facebook group. I did not hold back, and after introducing myself and explaining my mission, just hours later I was meeting relatives online who still lived in the Podmoky.
2. My grandmother’s side was a lot easier. Her last name (Podmolik) is so rare – I simply looked for Podmoliks in The Czech Republic on social media. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, and within 24 hours, a young man named Josef Podmolik was sending over scans of their family chronicle, which included my grandmother. I’d hit the jackpot and now could see real-live, distant relatives of mine, still living in the motherland today.
Third Time’s a Czarm
My first trip was planned for June 2020, but we all know what happened in 2020. I was devastated. My 2023 trip got canceled too – that was a scheduling faux pas on my end. So when March 2024 came around, I was absolutely ready to go – so excited I couldn’t stand it anymore. I spent the three months leading up to the trip arranging all of my contacts and digging up as much info as I could. I’d take a 16-page list of address with me – names of ancestors and the homes they’d lived in. I didn’t want to leave even one stone unturned. I also began learning Czech – I wanted to arrive with at least a few sentences under my belt.
You can imagine my horror, when, just two days before my trip, I woke up to a text from the airline saying my flight was canceled. Of all days, Lufthansa workers were going on strike the very day of my flight…unbelievable! But again, we never concede. I ran online and booked a new ticket outta Dodge for the very next day – I’d escape just before the strike. I was not going to miss this trip for anything!
The Plan
The itinerary was architected just beautifully, if I do say so myself – and that extra day in Prague would actually be a blessing. When it was all said and done, I would have three nights in Prague, three nights in the Nymburk region of Bohemia (where my grandfather’s side came from), three nights in the Olomouc area of Moravia (grandmother’s side) and then home via Vienna. If I could pull this off, it would be just perfection!
A departure from my normal “one to three nights” per country itineraries: I’d finished all 193 nations and now could go back to my favorites to stay longer and travel deeper. Ten whole days in one country? Wow!
Stop Number One
This was my second time in Prague, and I really enjoyed my stay here. I used the extra day to rest and shake off the jetlag. I did a little wandering around, using the subway for the first time and exploring not just the touristy center, but the residential and more low-key Vinohrady area where my hotel was located. I wanted to mix with the locals. Here are just a few snaps from my time in Prague, before the family reunions began.
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Meet The Fam
My first family meet up was during my final night in Prague. Pavel Brynych was the great-great grandson of my great grandfather’s brother, Václav. Pavel was one of the first people to help me with my family tree when my research began in 2019. He and his parents made the drive down from Mělník and Vysoká to meet me for dinner. We ate traditional Czech food (I had amazing dumplings) and drank many beers! After dinner we had more beers at one of Prague’s oldest pubs. Pavel was fluent in English, his parents were not. This was a common theme throughout the trip. Younger folks were taught English, but the elders weren’t. When Czechoslovakia was under communist rule, English was not taught in school.
We had a wonderful time and I had to hold back tears. It was surreal meeting a relative from the old world, just surreal. This would be the first of many emotional moments.
Stop Number Two – Nymburk Region
It was up and at ’em Saturday morning to pick up my rental car and head into the countryside. I was a little nervous about driving in Prague – I just wanted out of the city – but, thankfully, I did fine. And of course I rented a Czech-made car – the Skoda drove great!
I hadn’t planned on driving to Vysoká, but Pavel invited me and I thought it would be cool to see where my great uncle Václav lived. Once I exited the highway, I enjoyed the small, windy roads that took me through villages and farmland. Vysoká was absolutely stunning.
Milan Brynych
Pavel offered to ride with me east, into the villages, to help translate. What a guy!
The first stop was orchestrated by Pavel: Milan was Emilie‘s grandson. (Emilie was my great-grandfather’s sister). Milan and his wife Hana welcomed me in to their home in the nearby village of Lysá nad Labem. We had treats while looking over old photos and family documents. They showed be around the property, which had been in the family for centuries.
Podmoky
We didn’t have much of the day left, but I couldn’t wait to get a peek at ground zero for my grandfather’s side: the village of Podmoky. I’d been invited to č. 29, Podmoky. This was just one of the houses owned by the family for many generations, but today owned by The Zapletal Family. They’d bought the villa in 1995 and had spent the last 30 years completely remodeling it. I’d connected with Filip Zapletal via Facebook and he had welcomed me over to see the house.
Here’s the kicker: While performing the remodel, the Zapletal’s had found a treasure trove of photos, letters and documents in the attic, from my family. They’d even framed and hung a few photos of the family standing in front of the house to pay homage to the property’s history. And now I was getting to sort through and examine all of the ancient paperwork right there on the dining room table. It was a fantastic visit! I’d like to give a special thanks to the Zapletal’s for being so hospitable – they are great people and have done a wonderful job with č. 29.
Meet The Najbrts
I’d spent last night (and two more) in the town of Poděbrady, located just minutes from Podmoky. I was extremely fortunate that Pavel would travel to and from Poděbrady via train these next two days to join me on my adventure. How nice of him! Not only is Pavel a great human, but I couldn’t have communicated without him – he served also as a translator. What would I have done without him? I shudder to think!
This second day in the Nymburk region, we’d run down the list of villages and addresses on my list. My great-great grandfather, Jan, married into the Najbrt family and we’d meet a lot of them today. We’d start in the small town of Jestřábí Lhota.
It didn’t take long to hit the jackpot. Sure enough, as we pulled up to č. 18 and Pavel struck up a conversation with the people in yard, we discovered they were indeed Najbrts! Minutes later we were inside looking over old family archives and photos. The matriarch, Božena, lived here with her son Josef and soon her other son, Jiří, would join us. Božena was sweet and soft-spoken and spent a lot of time with Pavel and me. She even broke out the champagne to celebrate the reunion. This was incredible!
Podmoky Pass-Through
On the way to our next stops, we passed through Podmoky to take a quick look at č. 38. According to my intel, this was the house where most of my ancestors lived, including my great-grandfather. Online records indicated it’s not in the family anymore. The next day we’d confirm this while having a short exchange with the man in the front yard.
Pavel and I took a walk through Podmoky’s cemetery, where we had family, although our closest relatives were resting in the village next door.
More Najbrts
After lunch in Nymburk, it was over to the village of Bobnice, which, according to my research, was ground zero for Najbrts. I’d connected with Jiří Najbrt on Facebook before I arrived and he graciously invited us over to his massive and stunning villa, where we had the pleasure of meeting his wife, father and two boys. They were wonderful and served us beautiful Czech hors d’oeuvres while we all chatted away.
Jiří confirmed: “Yes, we are distant relatives, your ancestor Jan Najbrt (1802-66), who went to Podmoky č. 38, was the brother of my great-great-grandfather Josef Najbrt.”
This Jan actually also lived at the first Najbrt house we visited earlier today. This was all one, big, crazy, never-ending puzzle, and it was so cool seeing a few of the pieces fit together so beautifully. The Najbrts were just wonderful.
Velenice Cemetery
This was the graveyard I was most excited about. (Weird being excited about graveyards, but you understand.) It is here my great-great grandparents are resting. I couldn’t wait to visit their grave.
Pavel and I spent almost an hour here. I loved every minute of it. I felt connected to my ancestors, a feeling I’ve never had until this trip.
After the cemetery, Pavel and I had some beers and then he made his way back home. We’d meet again tomorrow. Today was an overwhelming success. My head was spinning and my heart was full.
Podmoky Party
Today would be what I was really waiting for – to spend some quality time in Podmoky – not rushed. While I had a handful of relatives spread all around the area, Podmoky seemed to be the center for all things “us”, at least back then. There were so many addresses on my list of ancestors who lived in this village; I was looking forward to taking a leisurely look around.
This Means War
Next, Pavel and I made a stop at the park to find a WW1 memorial with my cousin’s name on it. This was such a special moment. It wasn’t long after that a lady arrived. It was Věra, giving us with a warm welcome. I’d spoken to Věra via Facebook before my arrival – she was a lifetime resident of Podmoky who had offered to show me around. She introduced me to a young man named Krystof Chorous who spoke fluent English. I was elated when Krystof informed me he was my relative and lived at č. 40 – this was another address I’d had on my list containing the names of 11 ancestors, including the man on the memorial. Things got even better when I was introduced to Krystof’s father, Jiří, who was the mayor of Podmoky. Who knew I was so “connected???”
With literal “keys to the city,” we were on our way to explore the city hall, the church and the old school house. How cool was this???
Děkuji (Thank You), Pavel
After two and-a-half days exploring The Nymburk region and so many of my family’s houses and graves, it was time to say a final goodbye to Pavel, as he boarded his train back to Mělník once again. I can’t believe I’d really planned on showing up to all of these places without a translator! I would’ve been lost much of the time and definitely not have gotten as much as I did out of the trip without him. For this I owe a tremendous thanks to my cousin Pavel.
Tomorrow morning, I head East, towards Podmolik territory.
PART TWO COMING SOON.
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