My great-grandfather, John Wittak, like many immigrants to American in the 19th century, went by many names. He was christened as Johann Chrisostomos Vitak. He was buried under the name of Jan Vitak. In between he was known as Johann Vitek, John Wattek and Jan Wittak. Like most Catholic children, he was named after a saint, in this case the 4th century Bishop, John Chrysostom. For brief biography of that saint, see: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=64c.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=64
The name Wittak means "welcomer."
Jan’s father, Matej Vitak, was a master servant who was born in Straziste in Bohemia, a small village southwest of Prague. When his first wife, Marie Bartova, died, leaving him with three children, Matej, who was then 37, married 19 year old Marie Kuchtova, and they had seven children together. (This theme will repeat in Jan’s life). Jan was their second child. He was born on January 9, 1838 in the small village of Lasovice in southern Bohemia. His mother died on March 11, 1857 when Jan was 19.
The name Wittak means "welcomer."
Jan’s father, Matej Vitak, was a master servant who was born in Straziste in Bohemia, a small village southwest of Prague. When his first wife, Marie Bartova, died, leaving him with three children, Matej, who was then 37, married 19 year old Marie Kuchtova, and they had seven children together. (This theme will repeat in Jan’s life). Jan was their second child. He was born on January 9, 1838 in the small village of Lasovice in southern Bohemia. His mother died on March 11, 1857 when Jan was 19.
At this time, Bohemia was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Two weeks after his mother's death, on April 1, 1857, Jan entered the Austrian Army. He served in the 9th Engineer Corps for fourteen years. According to his service record, he spoke German and a little Bohemian. He participated in the Seven Weeks War with Prussia (June through August 1866) and in the defense of Cracow. He was probably involved in the construction of the defenses around the impressive fortress in the shape of a dexahedron which the Austrians built in Krakow. For a look at this structure and the barracks where Jan might have lived, see this website:
http://www.krakow.pl/en/kultura/stary/?id=kopiec.html
On February 4 1868, Jan married Josefa Vojickova. He had just turned 30 and she was 19. It’s unclear how they met but since their first child was born in Straziste (where Jan’s father was born), it’s possible she was a local girl. That child, Marie, died 8 days after her birth, but the following year, Josefa gave birth to a son, Antonin. Also during that year, Jan left the Army. And the following year, they left for America.
They sailed from Bremen on the German ship Leipzig and arrived in Baltimore in July 1871.The passenger manifest lists Jan Witak 33, Josefa 23 and Anton age 11 months and says their last legal residence was in Stragist, Austria (Bohemia). Josefa must have been pregnant when they left, for her second son, John Wittak, was born on 27 Feb 1872 in Milwaukee.
According to a family story, Jan had learned tailoring in the Army and his boss in Mirovice, Bohemia wrote him a note of introduction to a tailor named Adler in Milwaukee who gave him a job right away. There was a prominent clothing
manufacturer in Milwaukee named Adler but it’s not clear how his patronage would have benefited Jan who is listed in the 1880 city directory as working out of his home. Perhaps Jan did piece work for Adler. He worked as a tailor until he was sixty-four.
The Wittak family first stayed on Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee, but soon moved to a wooden house at 698 12th Street. It had two units and the Wittak family occupied the rear bungalow for most of the time they lived at this address. The house in front was divided into two flats which Jan rented out.
Jan and Josefa had three more children in the next six years, Josephine, Joseph, and Anna, but the two girls died young. When Josefa died at age 30 in 1878, she left behind three sons: Anton (8), John (4) and Joseph (2). Family tradition implies that she was an aristocrat, too delicate to survive the hard condition she endured in America where she worked in her husband's shop. “Life in America was too rugged for his wife as she was used to refinement,” wrote my aunt, Josephine Wittak Gugisberg, who was recording what she knew about her
family's history.
To help look after his three sons, Jan hired a young woman, Caroline Filipensky, whose father, also a Bohemian immigrant owned a farm in Fox Point, north of Milwaukee. Caroline and Jan were married in July of 1879 when he was 41 and she was 20 and had seven children of their own, thus almost exactly duplicating the configuration of Jan’s original family.
In 1895, shortly after their youngest child was born, Jan went back to Bohemia to visit his family. Fortunately his sons, Anton (25), John (23) and Joe (19) would have been able to help their stepmother with the younger children: George (13), Anna (11), Mary (9), Frank (7), Henry (4) and the baby Helen.
http://www.krakow.pl/en/kultura/stary/?id=kopiec.html
On February 4 1868, Jan married Josefa Vojickova. He had just turned 30 and she was 19. It’s unclear how they met but since their first child was born in Straziste (where Jan’s father was born), it’s possible she was a local girl. That child, Marie, died 8 days after her birth, but the following year, Josefa gave birth to a son, Antonin. Also during that year, Jan left the Army. And the following year, they left for America.
They sailed from Bremen on the German ship Leipzig and arrived in Baltimore in July 1871.The passenger manifest lists Jan Witak 33, Josefa 23 and Anton age 11 months and says their last legal residence was in Stragist, Austria (Bohemia). Josefa must have been pregnant when they left, for her second son, John Wittak, was born on 27 Feb 1872 in Milwaukee.
According to a family story, Jan had learned tailoring in the Army and his boss in Mirovice, Bohemia wrote him a note of introduction to a tailor named Adler in Milwaukee who gave him a job right away. There was a prominent clothing
manufacturer in Milwaukee named Adler but it’s not clear how his patronage would have benefited Jan who is listed in the 1880 city directory as working out of his home. Perhaps Jan did piece work for Adler. He worked as a tailor until he was sixty-four.The Wittak family first stayed on Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee, but soon moved to a wooden house at 698 12th Street. It had two units and the Wittak family occupied the rear bungalow for most of the time they lived at this address. The house in front was divided into two flats which Jan rented out.
Jan and Josefa had three more children in the next six years, Josephine, Joseph, and Anna, but the two girls died young. When Josefa died at age 30 in 1878, she left behind three sons: Anton (8), John (4) and Joseph (2). Family tradition implies that she was an aristocrat, too delicate to survive the hard condition she endured in America where she worked in her husband's shop. “Life in America was too rugged for his wife as she was used to refinement,” wrote my aunt, Josephine Wittak Gugisberg, who was recording what she knew about her
family's history.To help look after his three sons, Jan hired a young woman, Caroline Filipensky, whose father, also a Bohemian immigrant owned a farm in Fox Point, north of Milwaukee. Caroline and Jan were married in July of 1879 when he was 41 and she was 20 and had seven children of their own, thus almost exactly duplicating the configuration of Jan’s original family.
In 1895, shortly after their youngest child was born, Jan went back to Bohemia to visit his family. Fortunately his sons, Anton (25), John (23) and Joe (19) would have been able to help their stepmother with the younger children: George (13), Anna (11), Mary (9), Frank (7), Henry (4) and the baby Helen.
The family portrait (below) was probably taken around 1905, two 
years before Jan died, and shows the blended family (Caroline and Jan’s first child had died at the age of 4).
Jan died at the age of 69 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery. He left his entire estate to his wife, Caroline. The house was willed to her for her lifetime, then to be divided among the children. My Aunt Josephine wrote of her grandfather: "John Wittak was very religious, strictly honest and hard working."
years before Jan died, and shows the blended family (Caroline and Jan’s first child had died at the age of 4).Jan died at the age of 69 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery. He left his entire estate to his wife, Caroline. The house was willed to her for her lifetime, then to be divided among the children. My Aunt Josephine wrote of her grandfather: "John Wittak was very religious, strictly honest and hard working."
2 comments:
Thanks for writing this.
thanks so much -- I am a great granddaughter, granddaughter of John.I can remember visiting Caroline, and the long legal process of the house, since my Dad was the only lawyer in the family!
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