A Tale of Two Coaches

It was a cold and windy this past Monday morning and while waiting the floors to dry after mopping them, I sat down at my laptop to see what was up in the world. Much to my surprise I read that the Buffalo Bills had fired their head coach, Sean McDermott. This was surprising, because while he failed to get the Bills to a Super Bowl, he did have better success than Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, who had just been resigned to a mega deal of $15 million or more annually and for what some have said is another four to five years. This tale of two coaches will provide a comparison into how organizations view the desire for a Super Bowl.

With the release of McDermott, Matt LaFleur now  becomes the longest tenured coach in the NFL to not have advanced his team to the Super Bowl. (He is now the fourth longest tenured coach in the NFL, behind Andy Reid (KC), Sean McVay (LA Rams), Kyle Shanahan (SF).) With his new contract, it seems the Packers are intent to extend that streak another four or five, or who knows how many years. The Packers were recently said to be somewhat of a mom and pop organization when it took a week for them to resign Mediocre Matt. Perhaps, if they were more mom and pop, they would be listening more to the fan base who seem to be sick and tired of the softness of the Packers which is now embedded in their culture. Instead of doing to other teams, they let other teams do unto them. One only need to look at the second half collapses the team has had this year, twice to the Bears, to perennial doormat Cleveland, to Carolina to Denver and then there was the tie in Dallas. High priced QB Jordan Love has failed to deliver and seems, in many games, to fade in the second half. After most every loss, Mediocre Matt takes the blame, but for years now has failed to fix the issue. His common complaint when they lose is that he failed to properly prepare the team. For example after the loss to Cleveland, this was part of his comments: "When you have 14 penalties in a game, that's going to be tough to overcome that. We have to do a much better job coaching the fundamentals, the details, and we have to lock in at a high level in regards to the controllable penalties." This begs the question of why they have not been doing a better job of coaching fundamentals? Well, if after several years, that is not fixed, it is time to look elsewhere. For a few years now I have said that Matt has reached his ceiling. I am sure he will say the same old, same old next year, and it is not just getting old, it is old.

Matt, 2020 photo
With his new contract he has even more money to spend on his hair

I think the Bills felt the same way about Sean McDermott, and hence the reason for his being released. Anyway, let us compare the two coaches, and from this comparison one can judge which organization is looking forward and which one is looking to continued mediocrity.

McDermott has coached the Bills for nine full seasons, going 98-50 for a .666 winning percentage. He has won five AFC East titles, which means competing with the Patriots, placed second in the division three times, and third one time. He had five consecutive AFC East titles, from 2020 through 2024. He has made the playoffs in all but one year as a coach and overall posted a record of 8-8 in the playoffs for a .500 winning percentage. In the AFC he has had to face the normal power house Kansas City Chiefs, and they lost to the Chiefs twice in the AFC Championship game and twice in the divisional round. 

Sean McDermott, 2019

Now, let us look at Matt LaFailure. Matt has coached the Packers for seven seasons, going 76-40-1 for a winning percentage of .654. He has won three NFC North titles, where few teams posed a threat in the first few seasons, when the team was QB'd by Aaron Rodgers. All three first place finishes came in his first three years. After the first three years, he has placed second twice and third twice. He has made the playoff for six of his seven seasons. He reached the NFC Championship game twice (first two years) and both years the team had late collapses due to poor play calling and dumb decisions by coaches and players, a trend that has continued. The next two years he lost in the Divisional round, and the last two years in the Wildcard round. 

In other words, Mediocre Matt is trending down and flat. Some blame it on loss of key players to injury this season, but the last Packer Super Bowl team had a number of injuries to key players too. By this point in the season all teams deal with injuries. 

Looking at the last five years you can see that Matt has come into his own in regard to mediocrity. Starting in 2023 Jordan Love took over and the team's mediocrity has allowed the organization to stall. McDermott, over those five years had a regular season winning percentage of .714, whereas the Packer head coach's winning percentage was .588. For playoff games Matt even fails in his mediocre moniker, as he is 1-4 thus a winning percentage of .2, compared to McDermott who was 6-5 with a winning percentage of .545. 

Comparison of Two Coaches, last five seasons

When at the YMCA in Madison using the exercise bikes, they have two of like five televisions tuned to sports, one has ESPN (otherwise known as the Mouthpiece of the SEC), and the other I don't know the channel but when there it plays a Good Morning Football broadcast. Anyway, it is amazing that last week Thursday the talking heads were whining about Matt not yet getting resigned at GB and wondered if they were looking at John Harbaugh. Pretty much, they all thought Matt should be resigned. This past Tuesday (1/20), I did not see the reaction to the McDermott firing on the GMF broadcast, but did see the ESPN and most of the talking heads thought McDermott should be fired for wasting Josh Allen and not getting the team to the Super Bowl. Stephen A complained that they did not have enough around Josh. Same complaints we heard about Aaron Rodgers with the Packers. So, if as Brainless and the Packers feel, Jordan Love is a top tier QB, are they wasting his years, too? I wonder why the double standard, is it because they feel that Allen is a much better QB and they are wasting his talent?  One could say that Green Bay is where, due to poor leadership, talent goes to die.

The problem with the Packers is, in my opinion, is one thing. The organization has been controlled by two persons with little vesting in Wisconsin. First, was Mark Murphy, who was more concerned about being a real estate developer in the Titletown District than about bringing titles to Titletown. Second, Mark Murphy hired the Brainless Gutekunst as GM who would not know good talent to draft if it fell in his lap. The team is now controlled by Ed Policy, who is in his first eight months of running the team, and whose father ran the 49ers for a number of years. Neither are Wisconsinites, and were only transplants for jobs with the team. They seem to think of the team as their little sandbox and as long as fans are in the stands, and they make money, they do not care about titles. With the two of them the Packer moniker will need to change to "Titlelesstown" Quite the opposite of the Bills organization. Ed has found the coach he wants, just good enough to get to the playoffs, and lose in the Wildcard, but no more. Mark was happy to make a lot of money off the Packers to buy a golf course in Door County.

Because of its unique status in the NFL the team needs to be run by a person more invested in Green Bay or Wisconsin. In the situation of Green Bay, they need more mom and pop in the operation because the outsiders who come in are not fully vested with the community and its team. They need someone who knows and feels the pain of the fanbase. The outsiders, like Murphy and Policy are not embedded in the Wisconsin culture. If they were, they would know how the recent decision to continue with Mediocre Matt LaFailure is met with disdain by much of the fan base. Where are the Board of Directors on all of this? Matt LaFailure got the better of Ed Policy, but getting the long-term contract which some say is four years (five with a year remaining) and others say five year extension (six?).  This long-term extension is a pricey bet, as Dairyland Express wrote this week. If, and it is certainly not a big IF, Matt continues with his mediocrity when will the Packers make a move for a new head coach? Wait to his contract is almost up, so years more of mediocrity? Or will they have to eat say $30-$45 million or more for his contract and then also the pay for the new coach? In a sense, it may well be, and if so is unfortunate, that the lack of one owner is working against the Packer organization. 

Packer fans like to say "The Bears suck." But, the Packers have collapsed in two games to the Bears in a matter of weeks. If the Bears suck, what does that make the Packers?

With the NFL being rigged to a certain degree, there perhaps is not much they can do. The NFL favors large market teams, or those with star power. The Chargers and Rams have trouble filling a stadium, not to mention Jacksonville, but the Roger Goddell likes Tinseltown. Think  also of Taylor Swift, the biggest star, and the KC Chiefs. The color of the referee jersey's in KC games was not black and white, but red and white. Clearly calls were or were not made to benefit the Chiefs. This has been attributed to Patrick Mahomes and later the pop singer Taylor Swift who was dating, and now is engaged, to Chief's tight end Travis Kelce.

Meme on referee's favoring Kansas City

My prediction is Matt will continue with his mediocrity, not able to get players to perform, to have regular collapses in the second half, not clean up special teams, not to mention the many dumb penalties that result in stalled drives. After all, how often does a team get a delay of game penalty AFTER having used a time out? The definition of incompetence in professional football is not the Raiders, but the Jordan Love, and the Packer coaching staff. Reporting on the contract extension, nfl.com reported: "Lost leads characterized LaFleur's seventh season in Green Bay. The Packers became the first team since the 1970 merger to lose three tilts when leading by 10-plus points in the final five minutes of the game, including playoffs -- Week 3 to Cleveland, Week 16 and Wild Card Round to Chicago." Matt has a good record of the Packers getting records, just the wrong ones. Leave it to the poorly coached Packers to do that (Wildcard game in Chicago). Brainless Gutekunst will continue to over pay certain players leading to poor performance (think Jordan Love who fails when he is needed to succeed). This then leaves little for other players that matter. Gutekunst has a habit of forgetting about the O-line. And, his top defensive backs leave much to be desired. Gutekunst and coaches wasted Aaron Rodgers, and perhaps Jordan Love (if he is as good as they think he is to make him one of the top five QB's in the NFL). The Bills do not wish to do the same for Josh Allen, who is truly regarded as one of the best. As Green Bay found out with Aaron Rodgers, the QB cannot do it alone, and for twenty years, until 2025 never used a first round pick on a wide receiver. Which may be well given Gutekunst's inability to properly realize talent out of college. Gutekunst has lacked a strong record of success. 

When LaFailure continues his lack of success for the next few years, I believe it time for a revolt of Packer fans to force wholesale changes first in the Board of Directors, and second in the whole management and coaching staff of the organization. Ttitletown is but a long ago memory, and it is time the organization takes its self-imposed moniker seriously. Sixty years later they are still living off Vince Lombardi. Unfortunately, with a tale of  two coaches we see what team takes getting to a Super Bowl seriously, and it is not the Packers. LaFleur and this organization from the chair of Board of Directors on down is no Dominic Olejnicczak and Vince Lombardi (Lombardi was 9-1 in the post season). Of course, we cannot expect outsider Policy, who is the de facto chair, to remove himself, it will have to come from the bottom up. The organization, like the coach on the field, is not willing to make the right call at the right moment, instead it revels in a melodious mediocrity.

Wolf

My wife was doing some downsizing and came across my Wolf Cub Scout handbook (1965 printing). Cub scouting has five different levels, and can start in kindergarten as a Lion, then first grade is a Tiger, and second grade is Wolf.  Bear and Webelo round out the ranks to fourth grade. A bobcat badge, is the one of the first earned badges and can be earned in one meeting. While she is perturbed that I do not join her in her downsizing journey, I have not decided whether or not to keep the handbook. Both of our sons were in cub and boy scouts, both became Eagle Scouts, and they now each have a son.

Maybe Howie and Simon will get into scouting, maybe not. But, if they do it would be interesting to compare their requirements to what I was required to do when I was in second grade for the Wolf rank. The requirements from 60 years ago today have changed, maybe they will change again in the next several years. They may be able to see how much more successful they were than grandpa was when I was their age, and what I chose to do verse what they choose to undertake.

I completed 1, 3 and 5

The Cub Scout promise I had at age 8, seems similar to when I was a den leader when my kids were in scouting. My second to last line was "To be Square" and do not recall that being used when my boys were young. I have to say, sixty years later, that to be square part still fits. I am about as square as one can get. I do not fit well in a round hole. When my wife bought a couple new swim suits for me, I told to her not to get anything to flashy, because, well, that is not me. She got flashy swimsuits, due to what she said the pickings in November are slim. Oddly, my sister-in-law did not think the suits flashy at all. 

The first thing that struck me in this sixty year old book is in feats of skill section where I had to complete three of five skill sets. One skill, which I did, was to climb 12 feet up a tree. Looking on-line, this no longer seems to be a requirement, or even an elective. This is hard to fathom. Really they do not wish to allow a boy to climb a tree and possibly fall out and break their arm, leg, or get a concussion. Happy to say, I, so far, have never broken a bone (cartilage yes, bone no), so I was not the cause of the Boy Scouts of America dumbing out this requirement. Today, I look back at this and realize that even then my middle name was "Careful." Perhaps tree climbing is out of vogue today. I do not recall which tree I climbed, but think it must of been the willow tree we had near the garage which fast growing enough to get big enough for a young boy to climb, I doubt it was the box elder in the far corner as that lacked limbs to use, and its trunk was way too big to get my little arms around.

Another task for feat of skill I completed was doing three rolls. Front, back and a falling-forward rolls. I would probably hurt myself if I tried any of those today. My body is not just as limber as it once was. I asked my wife what she thought if I tried, and she had her expected response: "No, I do not think you should try that." That evening, when I was doing my evening stretches, I got into a position to to the forward roll, and at that point realized I probably should not do it. The final task completed involved walking on the edge of a 12' 2x4 (down and back) forward, reverse and side to side. I am thinking, at 68, that my core strength is not quite as good today as then. My mom signed off on my feats of skill. I biked outside yesterday, and not once did I try to bike without hands to test my core strength. When I mentioned this to the wife, she said no one should be riding a bike without hands on the handle bars.

Another thing I did was to whittle, and that was signed off by my dad. I think today they have to be in third grade to earn the whittle chip. This makes me wonder what happened to my old pocket knife. 

Then there was the elective to dress up as an Indian, yes dress up as an American Indian. This may seem odd, but many of the skills for scouting are tied to Native American tribes, and their culture. Think about it, use of knives, climbing trees, lashing, way-finding, respecting the outdoors all derive from the Nation's indigenous peoples. Even the way they are referred to is much different and more respectful, Indigenous Peoples, Native Americans, or the specific tribe name, as compared to Indians which was in use many years ago. In Canada, First Nations is the preferred term.  

My wife may be quite surprised that one elective I completed was to cook breakfast, and it involved more than simply cereal, as the requirements stipulate "Fix your own breakfast with at least one hot dish and clean and put away the dishes."  Five options for the cooking arrow point were available, earning me one point for each option completed. I completed #1 (hot breakfast) and #3 which was "Help make an orangeade, lemonade, or hot chocolate drink for the whole family. We had a machine that would grind oranges for fresh orange juice, and it was fun to use. I completed these tasks in the fall of 1966.

Another task I completed was to float for two minutes without touching bottom and remaining still. Remaining still would be the difficult part of the task. I am sure the wife would also be surprised that I could remain still for two minutes. One time, as the assistant scout leader I took a week of vacation to lead the troop, that was not at Philmont, to summer camp. Most of the time it was me and another male leader (Robin Roberts), but near the end of the week several other dads showed up. Unbeknownst to me Robin had placed a bet with the other dads as we were sitting around the campfire at night, telling them I would not be able to sit for more than five minutes as I would find a reason to get up and do something. Robin won the bet. I did not know it until coming back when I saw a dad handing over some cash to Robin. Kudos to him for what he realized during the week, something of which the idea that I did this never occurred to me that I was getting up so often. The wife has tended to look at this event as one of my defining characteristics. I should never have told her the story.

Safety First

Scouting challenges grow as the boy (and now girl) grow. They become more complex and require greater skill, as if floating for two minutes without touching bottom with minimal movement did not take a great deal of patience and tenacity to complete. One thing we had to learn was fire safety. If John O'Leary (whose life the Netflix show "Soul on Fire" is based) was in cub scouts he would never have been burned over his whole body, and burned the family house down and been the subject of such a documentary. So, yes scouting has many upsides, and perhaps it is good if for no other reason than it gets children away from their electronic devices. Although, I suppose the Wolf handbook is now online. 

Images from 1965 Wolf Cub Scout Book

Agricultural Congruence in the Old World, part 2

My second great Hovel line grandparents and their eight children (born over a 20 year span, 1847-1867) emigrated to the United States arriving in July 1868. The family members, upon arriving in the US, would experience not only a new home and different customs, living and farming, but also see the ushering in of greater technology and the Gilded age. They would also live through downturns in the economy such as the great recession of the 1870's. What is evident is that life on the farm for them in the old country in 1867 was more like their ancestors than what my grandfather would experience as tractors and mechanized equipment made the ability to expand farm operations. The family experienced congruence with agricultural and societal trends common to where they lived. At times, there was some dissonance, or curves as thrown, but congruence was more common and more essential.

This will be the fourth and final post on agricultural congruence and the Havel family. (Other posts were published on Nov 26, Dec 3, and Dec 17.) I have generally been going back in time from most recent to long past. In the old country, as far back as I have been able to go the family were peasant serfs and until my second great grandfather, all were likely illiterate. Most of my knowledge of the family covers the time frame known as the second serfdom. Serfdom were peasants under the control of a domain and undertook work for such domain . Serfdom was known for its heavy handed manner. The second serfdom began in the mid 1500's and ran until the late 18th century, although as we have seen in prior posts many aspects of serfdom continued until the serfs were freed in 1848. This post will focus on the Havel family and congruence with certain aspects of the second serfdom, much of which involved agriculture.

Stabile Cadastre Map of Ratiborova Lhota, c 1826
Then known by German name Melhutka

Some rulers of the Hapsburg Empire, of which Bohemia was apart, attempted to reform the peasant system and free the serfs from the heavy hand of the domain under which they served. Some reforms carried through others did not do as well. Of the rulers, Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II were the most active and engaged. While they had a desire to loosen the grip on the serfs, it was in part due to the circumstances of the peasant, but also due to the need for obtaining higher economic value out of their labor. This would have the other effect of increasing revenues--an important characteristic in the 16th to 19th centuries as today.

1585 Urbaria Record showing payments required of
Jan Wolff (aka Bolffa), my 10th Great Grandfather

The Havel family ancestors had tenant rights to the Ratiborova Lhota farm since before 1585. An Urbaria record for that year mentions my tenth great grandfather, Jan Bolffa. (The Havel surname seems to come from Jan's son whose first name was Havel and most particularly Havel's son Jakob who was known as Jakob, son of Havel, and later Jakob Havel.) The holding likely goes back to before 1550, but names are not used in the scant records of that era. It was a bi-centennial farm as the family had rights to the holding for over 200 years. The main claim to the property, or course, was held by the domain, but the family had a tenancy right, like a long-term lease. They could lose the property, and their livelihood, for poor performance. 

Frantisek my 3rd Great Grandfather, to Georg, my 7th Great Grandfather

The Havel farm in Ratiborova was the seventh in area of the nine main farms in the village, but eighth in tax owed. This placed the family at what was known as between a 1/4 and 1/2 farm. With 20  arable acres, the family farm was just over what one commentator said was the minimum to support a typical family--15 tillable acres. However, they farmed, for conservation purposes in a system of three, in which one-third of the property was fallow for one year. Crops were also rotated. Hence, every year six to seven acres were out of production. 

Georg to Jan Bolffa

Ratiborva Lhota is in an area so rural that little change is noticed between current air photos and the Stabile Cadastre mapping of the early 19th century, circa 1826 for this village. The Stabile Cadastre maps provide a good view of the mapping of the long narrow parcels which my ancestors farmed. At times the parcels are said to be that way due to the difficulty of turning a wood plow. However, a similar parcel condition exists for meadows and wood lots. I tend to agree with the other theory that when the land was divided that method was thought to be the most equitable. For many generations, such land was prohibited from being further divided. This makes sense, as such division would only reduce the viability as a parcel for farming.

Portion of Indication Sketches of Ratiborova Lhota, c 1826

Of all of the items dealing a heavy hand to the serfs, robot, or free labor was perhaps the  most egregious. We saw in a prior post that a notation in the Dolni Chrastany land register indicated that Josef Havel was released from 156 days of robot labor, which is half the work days a year (Mon -Sat, exclude Sundays). An Urbarium record from the 17770's records the robot labor of Josef's grandfather, Mathias (Junior). A 1775 patent, or decree, by the Hapsburgs limited robot labor based on taxation level, or the customary amount, whichever was less. It is hard to believe, but the patent limited draft (two horses or four oxen) robot labor for Mathias, based on his tax liability, to three days a week. But, he also had a non-draft labor of one day a week. In 1778 his draft labor remained the same but the individual labor was reduced to 13 days a year, by "royal authority decree." The patents did not allow Sunday or holiday labor, shifting work to the other days of the week. It is a wonder they were ever able to get work done on their farm, when one considers how weather may have hampered them. 

Mathias Havel Yield Calculations

We are fortunate to have yield calculations for Mathias Jr which were accomplished to figure out taxation purposes in order to decide a fair payment for the Domains as a share of taxes, in lieu of labor provided by the serfs. Simply, the crown would provide a portion of the tax to the domain to offset the loss of the free labor. The farmers, all basically illiterate, had to announce the yields in front of the neighbors and headsman and other officials. I guess the idea was to have someone squeal if they announced to low a yield. Because of the system of three, and crop rotation, the calculations were accomplished over a three year period. Accomplished in the 1780's, Mathias' yield, converted to bushels shows about 214 of rye, 23 of barley, and 216 of oats. Barley produced only 3 bu/acre, while rye was at 10.13 bu/ac and oats at 10.71 bu/ac. Yield varied by field, showing soil differences of soil, and some fields had a sow rate lower than the yield. This showed the at-edge farming in the foothills of the mountains the family had to contend with. Sometimes, the sow rate was greater than the yield, showing the difficulty of farming in the foothills of the mountains.

                                    Table 1 Bushels reported pre acre

This table shows bu/ac for Mathias in 1788 Lhota, Josef in 1880 Jefferson Co
and 2022 yields for the state as a whole. Josef's oats was much higher,
but his rye yield was only 1.5 bu/ac greater

Serfs had to provide their own equipment, and animals. It is said that they seldom had horses, because good horses would be appropriated by the domain, without compensation. We see from the records that oxen were the chosen beast of burden for the family. The records, over the years, only mentions a horse in two occasions. For haulage, the family hauled firewood to Netolice, about six miles, but also hauled varied products to Cesky Krumlov, mainly fish, but also barley for beer, which was a twenty mile journey one way, meaning it would have been a difficult trip to make to and home in one day. 

Tax calculations based on tilled, meadow and wood yield

Living on the edge, as the Havel family did, they often took on a secondary occupation to supplement income. To do this, they were required to have the approval of their domain. We know from varied records that the trade for the Havel family this trade was weaving, and some are specific as to weaving linen. Funny thing is the main fields did not grow flax, the grain commonly used to make flax from which linen was weaved. We have records noting this craft for Mathias, Jr (born in 1740) who started to learn the craft at about age 13 all the way back to his great grandfather, Georg. While we lack birth records for great grandpa Georg (or his son Simon) birth, a 1641 land record has Georg at age 3 say born 1638, although another record places his age for birth as early as 1635. (This points to the fact that time and age were not as relevant to our ancestors as to us today, their days melded into each other.)  In 1656 Georg is learning the weaver trade, in 1657 is a weaver, and in 1658 is identified as a linen weaver. At the time of his marriage on 8 Jul 1703, my 6th great grandfather, Simon, is identified as a lodger and a weaver. He is at his father's house, but upon marriage and not "owning" a farm is considered a lodger. He and his wife lived on the holding with his parents, and siblings, perhaps in the accessory dwelling, which was often the retirement dwelling.

Rent, in-kind contributions, and robot labor Mathias (Jr) owed to the domain
As if all that free labor was not enough. No wonder they approved the linen weaver trade, the family had an obligation to spin medium tow fiber yarn

Besides the demand of free labor and control over trades, the domains also exercised control over marriage. A 1770 patent removed the ability for a domain to charge fees for a trade or for marriage. A patent in 1785 further affected some aspects of serfdom from the strong arm of the domain. Serfs could freely chose their  partner, pursue careers choices and move between estates. Hence, when Frantisek married Teresia Jiral in 1796 he neither was required to obtain the approval of his domain (Krumlov) or she her domain (Netolice) and Frantisek was not required to obtain approval from the Krumlov Estate to move to Dolni Chrastany and take over the Jiral farm which was in the Netolice dominion. This patent did not affect financial dues, or the robot labor owed to the domain, which remained in effect until 1848. Seignorial Registers, which began as orphan registers and later to record all serfs (generally annually), one can see permission that have been granted. 

1755 Seignorial Register, Mathias (Jr) is an apprentice in the
weaver trade with consent (of the domain)

1774 Mathias (Jr) brother an apprentice journeyman weaver
with consent from 1769

At times young men were required to provide labor to the estate, which generally seemed like a thee year period of time. This took part of the able-bodied family labor pool from their own holding away from the mother and father and passed it to the domain.

1652 Seignorial Register
Georg is in Brzi with an important official

The value of the farm generally remained the same. The property valuation took a hit with Havel, likely due to the farm having been vacant for a number of years, per a land register entry in 1623. Why was the farm vacant? I can think of two explanations, the Thirty Years War, or illness.

Valuation 1607 to 1640

The vacancy of the farm is congruous with the first several years of one of the major conflicts in Bohemia, and this could have affected the Havel family in Lhota. The Thirty Years War began in 1618 and ended in 1648. The domains were largely under control of Protestants, and they did not like it when a pro-Counter Reformation advocate was appointed King of the Hapsburg Empire. The King stopped construction of Protestant Chapels on Royal land holdings, which may have precipitated the revolt. The representatives asked to confer with a superior and give them an answer in a day or two, but the Protestants demanded an immediate answer and when it was not forthcoming, they threw, yes literally threw, the representatives of the King out a window. 

Oldest known record, 1585, of the Havel line, Jan Wolff, my 10th
great grandfather. Havel became the surname with his grandson Jakob,
whose father's first name was Havel.
The record shows ground rent, grain tithes and tax assessment.

For the Havel family we see the following entry in a 1623 land register when Jakob is taking over the #15 Ratiborova Lhota holding from his deceased father Jakob:

Consequently, at the bequest of the governor of the dominion, the headman and his jurors have duly valued said farm which has stood vacant for some years, with arable fields, meadowland, and remaining belongings and furnishings left by the soldiers in the sum of 110ſß Meissen, and which is released in the same purchase price to Jakub, orphan of the late Havel, who is obligated to settle the noted debts and inheritance portions commencing Georgi 1624 with annual installments of 4ſß until the purchase price has been settled in full.   (1623 Land Register entry)

From this we can see the two possible explanations. We see that the farm stood vacant for "some years." There is not an explanation of why. We do know that Havel made a payment in 1618, but did not make any additional payments. The next recorded payment was from his son in 1624, a year later, as he took on the farm on "St Georgi's Day" (Apr 23) and his first payment was that same day a year later.  We do know that the record identifies Havel's children and the youngest is reported as two years of age. Second is "belongings and furnishings left by soldiers" who may have been quartered in the house so the family may have had to share or vacate the house for a period of time as the soldiers took over the home. We lack a specific reason, and I can only speculate that the Havel house was occupied by soldiers who left material items behind. Since it corresponded with the early part of the Thirty Years War this makes a great deal of sense. 

Second, we also know Havel was "ill for some years", but we do not know for how long. Given the last payment he may made was in 1618 he may have taken ill after that, before dying sometime in 1623 or before. He did have a child identified as two years of age in 1623, so possibly born 1621, but we also know such entries are circumspect. 1618 was also the first year of the Thirty Years War. I have yet to locate a source dealing with Ratiborova Lhota, a small backwater place, and how it may have been affected by the Thirty Years War.

In a different set of circumstances, the family may well have lost the farm, but the Thirty Years war was a cataclysm for Bohemia. The war led to an estimated 40 percent reduction in the population due to famine, disease, and wide spread destruction of villages by the armies. The Krumlov domain may well have appreciated that there were still family members available to farm the holding, and also provide free labor to the domain.

For a portion of the time the family had the holding,  the domain was under the Hapsburg Crown. This occurred from 1602 to 1622. In 1622 it was gifted to Hans Ulrich Von Eggenberg as a reward for services to the crown. Prior the the Crown it was under the Rosenberg family for 300 years (1302-1602). The Eggenberg line died out and the property passed to the Schwarzenberg family who had control until 1947 when Communism took over and the state control of the property set in. In 1992 Cesky Krumlov became a UNESCO World Heritage site. The village of Cesky Krumlov was founded in 1250 and was controlled by Krumlov family, Wok of Krumlov being the last head of the domain and he died in 1302 and the family line ended.

Farming in Cesky Krumlov Region
Source: HISTORY OF FARMING IN THE ČESKÝ KRUMLOVREGION

Family lines are kept going by couples having a child. In the old country, families often had several children, but death was a constant visitor by disease, mayhem, or simply accidents. The common visitor, death, is shown in the below image where two of the five orphans of Jakob Havel are deceased. An orphan was an child who had a deceased father, or perhaps mother, and of course, both. To marry, up until 1785, a couple was required to obtain the permission of their domain. Before 1770, some domains charged a fee for a couple to marry. The approval of marriage shows up in varied records, sometimes the baptismal record, often the Seigniorial Register. Marriages were also, at times, noted in the Land Register if it was relevant. For example, a sibling receiving a payment from the new farm owner (likely brother or brother-in-law) may say the recipient married so and so and is domiciled in x place. Marriages may often be recorded in the Seigniorial Register, as noted in the image below.

Seignorial Registers 1655-1657
Dorothea, sister of Georg in 1655 is married with consent and discharged
likely to a different domain that is unnamed. 1656 Georg is learning the linen weaver trade
In 1657 Georg is identified as A weaver and age 17
Note that by 1655 two of Georg's siblings have died.
The first death notation for Greger and Mathes is in the 1648 Seigniorial Register.

The Havel family was impacted by a variety of issues during their time in the old world. The end of serfdom in 1848, the loosening of serf conditions in the late 18th century only to see many undone. Compulsory education which was slow to come to Southwest Bohemia. They were congruent with many of these items, from obtaining domain approval to learn the weaving trade, to get married leave the domain, and of course, the robot labor, which was loosened then ignored and put back in place. They may have been affected by the Thirty Years War, with soldiers quartering in their home. 

This image shows Georg Havel's services in the region

The family homes for my Hovel line changed, although Ratiborova Lhota was home to seven generations. Frantisek married and moved to Dolni Chrastany, and his son Josef, and Josef's married and emigrated to Jefferson, WI, which saw Martin married and moved to Manly, IA, with his father and mother following about five years later. My grandfather and father were born in Manly and then to Sun Prairie, WI. I reside in McFarland. The change in residence also follows a change in employment and specialization that has occurred with industrialization. Josef's farming in the old country was more like his 7th great grandfather than that of his grandson. From disparate long linear fields in the old country to large 80 plus acre holdings in the United States on prime agricultural was a change they likely welcomed as much as the freedom Josef experienced with the end of serfdom in 1848.

Four posts have been dedicated to agricultural congruence. What the posts show is that at times there was some dissonance with the overall socio-economic-cultural trends, but the family saw a great deal of congruence with the socio-economic-cultural occurrences over the centuries. They persevered under serfdom, and struggled with its varied, and changing, requirements for robot labor and other aspects. They emigrated from the old country for economic opportunity, with all family members at one point taking up farming in the US. In the US they have followed the trends, starting with mechanization of agriculture to the descendants being part of the specialization of labor. The Havel family was of the world, and its history would not be even a blip within the large trends of the world. The agricultural congruency of the family shows its fit within history in Bohemia and the United States.

Notes:

Translation of Varied documents for the author by Richard D' Amelio. Land Registers, Seignorial Registers, yield and tax records, and Urbarium records.

Wright, William W. 1966. Serf, Seigneur and Sovereign: Agrarian Reform in Eighteenth Century Bohemia, University of Minnesota Press 

Stabile Cadastre Maps from: ags.cuzk.gov/archiv

Hovel, Thomas D. "Robot Obligations of a Peasant Farmer in Bohemia." Nase Rodina, Dec 2023. v 35, #4

The Package

There was an item I was purchasing as a Christmas gift and the closest location for in-person acquisition was in Brookfield, WI. Due to this, I decided to order it from that retailer online and pay the shipping cost. This began the fiasco of a package purchase and its delivery from its source of origin to my home in McFarland, WI.

Upon placing the order on Dec 10, I was quite pleased that it was scheduled to arrive on Saturday, December 13. Some packages take weeks from date of order. The package, from the USPS tracking code, originated in a Minneapolis suburb, and hence, they allocated just a couple days of shipping. My wife has ordered some items, before I placed this order, and they are not due until, disappointingly, after Christmas. This time of year, or maybe any time of year, you never know what you will get when it comes to package delivery.

Well, my package did not arrive Saturday as predicted, but I figured it would arrive Monday. Monday delivery, for the US Postal Service, came and went. I then did the tracking option and found that the package was in Sharon, WI. Sharon is located in Walworth County with its southern border being the Wisconsin--Illinois State Line. This small community may even have some Bear fans, not that it matters. For some reason, when going to Illinois, I think of the quote of Henry Jones, Sr to his son Indiana (Henry, Jr) when in Berlin and watching a Nazi rally: "My boy, we are pilgrims in an unholy land."

Madison's main PO, Milwaukee St

That evening my pilgrimage to trouble shoot the whereabouts of the package began. In a bizarre situation, the tracking had it from the post office of origin west of the big city of Minneapolis, to its twin city to the east. It then went to Madison. Now, in all the same day it showed it in Sharon, then McFarland and 15 minutes later back in Sharon. Overly, confusing, but I was delighted to know that the post office had figured out the space-time continuum, maybe using Doc Brown's old DeLorean. But, with what happened, as you patient readers will find out, it made me wonder if the flux capacitor had failed.

Setting aside the space-time continuum and doc Brown's flux capacitor, I checked my order to assure I had the correct address and zip code. It was all correct. I then called the company who I asked if they could verify that they used the correct address and zip. (I started with the company because I figured there were few places in the world that could compete for complexity of bureaucracy with the USPS, one being the DMV, and the other being the Catholic Church.)  I was put on hold, and the call was cancelled. I called back and was told they had used the correct address and zip code, and that perhaps there was a forwarding address. They were following the PO tracker which said if an item is in the wrong location either the zip code is wrong or there was a forwarding address. The PO apparently never calculated that there would be a failure on their end. We never have set up a forwarding address. We had received other mail that day, but it made me wonder had someone put a forwarding address using our address. 

V of Sharon, Walworth County, WI

I then called the PO and was connected through a series of contacts to report a missing package. Concerning to me was that the PO auto call told me the package had been delivered to an address in Sharon, WI at 9:15 that morning. Given this, I placed a lost package request, which information I had to receive by text. Lucky, my mother-in-law did not have to handle this as she would scream discrimination for old people and people that do use text messaging. I placed the lost package request. However, being concerned with the suggestion of a forward order and that it was said to be delivered, I ventured to the Madison main PO. Being 19th in line, I was somewhat surprised at the efficiency of the two, then three, clerks who handled the packages, stamp purchases, and the like. I put my issue to the clerk and to my surprise she said they they lacked jurisdiction over the package. This surprised me because all of McFarland's mail goes through there and sometimes carriers pick up their mail at that location. She did check the tracking number and had more information available to her than I did, and said, "Oh, it was mis-shipped." She could not tell me anything about a devious forwarding order. I went home, and figured I would go to the McFarland PO on Tuesday when it opened at 8:30 am. 

McFarland PO, Long St

Just after 8 am Tuesday I got a call from the McFarland PO. We discussed the package and the postal representative said, yes, it was in, or had been in Sharon, and it was on a truck for delivery, but a carrier caught the odd address and realized the wrong zip code and so sent it back to Madison. I figured that 9:15 am delivery in the auto call was probably the time the package was on the truck. I suppose the post office figures if a package is out for delivery it gets delivered. The McFarland PO rep said it could well be back in McFarland, but he did not have time to sort through all the packages in the back, so he suggested to wait to see if it was delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday. The  package arrived that day. I was surprised at the quick attention to the matter by getting a call from the McFarland PO right after 8 am.

What surprised me is that with all the scanning and reading equipment, and a label generated by a MN PO that it got to the wrong location and it took a human to catch what was likely a mechanical error, although I suppose it could be human error. Sharon's (village of) zip code is 53585, and McFarland's is 53558. Some equipment, or person showed some dyslexia, but I get that it can be easy to confuse the two zip codes. I guess the post office has yet to solve the space time continuum, but I am happy to know that the package arrived a day after having been pulled off a truck in Sharon, WI. Kudos to the USPS for attention to this package at a time when I am sure they are swamped with packages.  

The Packer Rule

This past Saturday night the Green Bay Packers played the Chicago Bears in prime time with kickoff at 7:20 pm. I watched much of the game, but with the Da Bears down by seven points with 1:59 remaining, I decided to go bed. The Bears had just made a field goal. I set aside my cardinal rule, which is: No, and I mean no, Packer lead is ever safe. Sure enough, we turned on the news when we got up Sunday morning, and heard that the Packers had lost. Another Packer meltdown. It was at this point that my wife reminded me of my cardinal rule regarding the Packers. 

I am not sure why I broke my cardinal rule about the Packers, perhaps because I was tired. Or, my wife was already in bed asleep, and I wonder if I would have woken her up with a minor reaction to the pathetic play of the Packers. She can hear squirrels on the roof, so my change in breathing and blood pressure in reaction to yet another Matt LaFailure situation would likely have woken her up.

Romeo Doubs mishandling the On-side Kick

Listening to the news, weather and sports Monday morning, so over a day later, the sports person referred to it as a "collapse of epic proportions." If a Packer d lineman had not grabbed the Bear QB facemask on a third and twenty, giving them 15 yards plus an automatic first down late in the 4th quarter, this scenario would likely never have happened. if they had scored on one of their several trips in the redzone, this may not have occurred. If a fumbled snap had not occurred late in the game, this may not have occurred. The thing is people like to point to one play, the botched on-side kick, but there were several other key plays that failed too. It could be a play early in the game. For example, the Packer coach not going for a field goal, but trying for a first down. Or, in my mind, the lack of touchdowns in the redzone. The Packers were more likely to score a TD beyond the twenty than inside the twenty. It is not like the Bears have a great defense, so yet again the team played down to its competition. Or, the Pack is so bad, the Bears played down to their competition. 

Hats off to Da Bears, who have so far come back to win six games they were losing after the two minute warning. This is the most of that type of victory since the merger of the AFL and NFL  in 1970. Yes, they keep such statistics. The Packers had a ten point lead just before the two minute warning when Chicago kicked a field goal to pull within seven. 

Player circled in red caught the game tying TD 
with less than 25 seconds in the fourth quarter
Coverage error by the Packer Defense

Even Artificial Intelligence commented on the seeming desire for the Packers to lose games in the final quarter, if not final minutes of a game. This year they collapsed in week 3 to Cleveland with less than 10 minutes to go, but the heartbreaker had to be the Bear loss. Packer meltdowns are notable. Years ago they were beating Philadelphia in Philly and Philly came back to win after getting a first down on a fourth and 26, yes a fourth and over a quarter of the field for a first down, and the vaunted Packer defense gave them a first down to let them go on and win the game. I think that is when I created my cardinal rule regarding the Packers.

Replay view of same play as above

The Monday morning WI State Journal, referred to the collapse as "Error after error in critical moments led to collapse en route to a 22-16 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears at Solider Field." The Packers held a ten point lead with about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter. As I have said, no Packer lead is safe.

Chicago Bear DJ Moore making game winning 
47 yd TD pass, catching it in end zone.

The Packers with five losses are on the brink of missing the playoffs. They are fortunate that my sister's least favorite pro football player, Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Lions on Sunday. In four of the five losses Green Bay led by 10, 3, 9, and 10 points. In the one tie they led by 13. The losses to Cleveland and the Bears were ten point leads with four minutes left in the final quarter. The loss to the Bears, one commentator said, was a "comedy of self-inflicted errors." The ability for the Packers to lose games in the fourth quarter is not just a fluke.  

In OT, Fourth down and 1, mis-snap, failed to get 
first down. The Bears then scored on their subsequent drive

I believe the situation goes back to coaching on several fronts. First, the coach has not instilled sufficient discipline, second, they lack the ability to close out a game, sometimes due to the coach getting too conservative (and now has gone the other way, perhaps in some situations), the inability of the coaching staff to prepare players for the second half. It is almost like Matt LaFailure does not expect the other team to make adjustments. It is also on the players on their inability to play a full four quarters and perhaps get comfortable with a small lead, and allow their minds to wander. 

The Packers used to be good at home, but Matt LaFailure has denigrated that record losing two home games to so-so teams this year. They have Baltimore up at home next, and I dread how Matt LaFailure will handle that game. His record as Packer coach is pretty good with a .665 winning percentage, but he is 3-5 in playoff games. Compare that to Vince, who was .754 winning percentage and was 9-1 in playoff games. Matt is no Vince. The game has changed, but it is much more offensive friendly than it was in the 1960's. 

Matt has trouble in the red zone (20 to goal line) going 0-5 against the Bears. This is not new, in a playoff game that sent Tampa Bay to the Super Bowl, the Packers had the ball with a fresh set of downs inside the five yard line and could not score. 

Yet, the comparisons to when Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers won Super Bowls in seasons when they turn 27 years old are still being made, with one guy saying the 2020 Packers lost a comparable situated game.

Packer Head Coach reacting to bad snap exchange (above)

The Bear loss was reminiscent of the Packer 2014 playoff loss in Seattle, where the Packers flubbed getting the on-side kick. The tight end who went against protocol to block the kicking team guy to allow the player behind to get the ball, was released the following day. I am not sure why this franchise is so prone to pathetic losses. It is as if they have rigged the game to be the lackey to the favored Roger Goodell team. The thing is, it was the Bears, who until this year, were a team that succumb to losses in the fourth quarter. Now they have found a way to pull themselves out. The question that the front office and the coaches need to answer is why the team is so prone to seal their own fate This is a franchise where no lead is safe, at any point in the game when they are playing. 

Agricultural Congruence, the Old World

When our boys were young we often went to the Milwaukee Public Museum. During our visit we would walk through its European Village display, which provided a flavor of the varied cultural and ethnic groups of Europe. It helped me to imagine life in 19th century Europe. The lead designer and builder of that exhibit (and the more popular Streets of Old Milwaukee, among others at the museum) was Edward Hofmeister, who is my second cousin once removed. His grandmother was Marie Hovel, younger sister to my great grandfather, Martin Hovel. What struck me most, typical of such museum displays, was the darkness so common on the ersatz street and in the dwellings and structures into which we peered from behind the small fences. That darkness is a metaphor for the life the Havel (Hovel) family led in the backwater of Southwestern Bohemia. This would include Edward Hofmeister's grandmother who lived in the old country for the formative first thirteen years of her life. This post, which will be in two parts due to length, will focus on the Havel family in the old country and its congruence with economic and societal trends nearing almost three hundred years. 

Portion of the European Village, Milwaukee Public Museum
Source:  MPM.edu

For many immigrants to the US in the mid to late 19th century the old country retained a certain sense of charm and nostalgia, a simpler time outside of the rapid technological change and industrialization experienced in the Western world, in which America was becoming the power house over Britain. Growth in the US was fueled in large part by immigrant labor. It was a time of creative destruction, when new technologies led to new ways of doing things and occupations and methods went to the wayside or had to adjust; not unlike the world in which we live today. When times are difficult even trying times can become nostalgic as our brains filter out the bad; this gives us what is referred to as a rosy retrospection. This explains why the past has a certain draw, and why the European Village and the Streets of Old Milwaukee were so popular. It was a time many never knew, but grew up with it being romanticized.

Stabile Cadastre Map, of Ratiborova Lhota, 1826
Was known at the time by German name, Melhutka

Between 1800 and 1900 it is estimated that 19 to 20 million Europeans immigrated to the United States, with the later wave focused on those from Central and Southern Europe. My Hovel line was among those who emigrated from Bohemia. Bohemia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time and was in Central Europe. It is difficult to know numbers from Bohemia because the way they were entered on a ship manifest varied, although the Havel family was identified as from Bohemia, as all on the manifest page. The ten Havel family members did not even register as a blip within the larger immigration picture. With eight children, the family, in my opinion, looked for better economic options for their children. Not all immigrants stayed, many returned to Europe, homesick, or found that life was not as green across the ocean as expected. (It is estimated that between 1850 and 1913 up to one-third of immigrants returned to their home country.) The State of Wisconsin advertised and had arrangements with varied agents to draw immigrants to the state. My Hovel ancestors realized economic opportunity in America, in the same field (pun)--farming as in the old country. The Library of Congress indicates that even with the substantial industrialization in the US in the later 19th century, "The United States began as a largely rural nation, with most people living on farms or in small towns and villages. While the rural population continued to grow in the late 1800s, the urban population was growing much more rapidly. Still, a majority of Americans lived in rural areas in 1900." (note 1) The old country was different; it is estimated that in 1869 over 80% of the population in southern Bohemia was rural. During the period of 1870 to 1930 the population of southern Bohemia actually declined. (note 2)

Present day Ratiborova Lhota

My Havel ancestors were peasant serfs until 1848, when serfdom ended in the old country and they were freed from such status and provision of free labor to the domain. Well, the revolt occurred in 1848, and in March 1849 the patent was issued dissolving serfdom. Being peasant serfs, they had certain obligations to their Domain. Beginning in 1680, the ruling Hapsburgs found that the thumb of the varied domains on peasants was strong and that this led to reduced economic growth. Bohemia in particular experienced what is known as the Second Serfdom, and this era is said to run from about the mid 1500's until late in18th century. My documentation of the Havel family in the old country goes from 1585 to immigration in 1868, so generally covers this era. The Second Serfdom involved increased labor service, rents, restrictions on what a peasant could and could not do (permission for a trade, to get married as two examples). Hence, the Royal Patents or decrees tried to lessen the hold of the domain on the serfs. Most often the domains found ways around the move to lessen their grip, or simply ignored it. Empress Maria Theresa, the lead reformer, commented: "The peasants were pushed to the extreme by the excesses of the seigneurs. Those gentlemen have known how to arrange things in such a manner that there was no way of seeing them clearly, and the subjects were always under the same oppression." (note 3) This was the situation for my Havel ancestors in the old country, nine known generations (1585-1848/49) under the heavy hand of a domain (Krumlov and Netolice).

Paternal Trees, Thomas (author) to his 6th great grandfather, Simon

It was in 1846, two years before the end of serfdom, that Josef Havel, my 2nd great grandfather, bought the family farm from his father, Frantisek. He paid 860 Convention Munze currency for the farm. It was also the year that he was married at almost 38 years of age to Anna Jodl. Anna married Josef on her 23rd birthday. The total area purchased would equal 41.6 acres, which included 24.67 acres of arable land, 6.97 acres of forest land, 11.16 acres of meadow land, pasture at 1.8 acres, and a garden at 1 acre. Josef had to purchase the tenancy rights for the farm from his father, and then buy out the domain's rights following freedom from serfdom in 1848/1849. The direct line Havel farm at this time was in Dolni Chrastany, a small village in the Netolice Dominion of southwest Bohemia. In the foothills of the mountains, the soils were generally poor. Meadow land was located near streams and wetland, so as to protect crops from flooding. Forest land was on steep slopes. 

Portion of Dolni Chrastany Parcel Maps

The land holdings, were generally long and linear. Some have attributed this to the wood plow which was difficult to turn, but the long linear parcels are not only related to the arable land. The second, and what I find the most plausible explanation, was that dividing the land length wise was, at the time it was accomplished, considered the most equitable method of division. 

Portion of Dolni Chrastany Parcel Map

At the time of the Havel "ownership" of the Ratiborova Lhota farm (#15 Lhota was "owned" by the Havel family since at least 1585) and the Dolni Chrastany farm, land division was not allowed. The farm was often sold to the youngest son, or daughter, who was generally at an age able to take on the farm and the father and mother would retire to the outer house, on the property. It was a smaller dwelling generally separate from the main house, at the other side of the courtyard. Their version of today's mother-in-law cottage. This was the case in Dolni, and Lhota. In some cases, but not often, the youngest did not wish the farm, was too young at time of retirement of the parent, or was disabled in some manner and the farm would pass to another sibling. That left the older siblings to find a farm, as some, like Frantisek (Josef's father) did in his marriage to Teresia Jiral.

Parcels by Ratiborova Lhota, Indication Sketch of Stabile Cadastre
Mika, Johann now owns the Havel farm (#15), son of Marie Havel Mika

Essentially, with the end of serfdom in 1848, Josef would have had to make payment to the domain, in order to own the land outright. A domain continued to own the property until tenants could purchase their share. A footnote in the land register may explain the situation for Josef: 

According to the ruling dated 10th August 1851 extract No. 1885 and the table enclosed in the document collection, a Grundentlastungs-Kapital (compensatory payment related to the cessation of manorial rule) of 115fl 46x C.M. is hereby declared for the attention of the Bohemian Imperial and Royal Grundentlastungslandeskassa in I Satzpost against which, the holding owner is discharged from the following:

Wheat         --       62/4 maßel 

Rye             --        13 maßel  

Barley 1 metzen 6 2/4  maßel  

Oats    1  metzen    11 maßel

         Draft robot labor 156 days Ground rent 38¾x 

Dolni Chrastany was under the Netolice Dominion, we can see that Josef was required to provide, and in 1851, was formally released from, his service of 156 days of robot labor to the domain, and his required in-kind contributions of four grains. He paid over 156 fl CM to the Royal Treasury for his property right. This cessation of robot (free) labor would likely, in a practical matter, have occurred with the end of serfdom in 1848/1849. Yet, this is instructive as it shows the labor he and his father, Frantisek would have provided to the domain during their years of "ownership" which likely carried back to Teresa Jiral's father and then to prior holding "owners." Frantisek took on the holding upon marriage to Teresa Jiral whose father was deceased and had owned the farm.

Indication Sketch of Stabile Cadastre
Havel House #18 and related back garden
Red house number by home, black house number of garden

As to Josef's purchase of the farm, his marital contract explains why he was able to pay the farm off by late December 1846, or the year he married (married Anna Jodl on 27 Jan 1846). Anna Jodl's father provided a dowry of 1,000 fl CM which allowed Anna to be joint owner of the holding; relevant sections of the contract in this regard:

Second regarding marriage estate, the father of the bride pledges a dowry to the groom of. . . . . .       1000fl C.M. that is, one thousand Gulden, with 3 imperial-royal 20 Kreuzers counted to each Gulden, of which at the end of Shrovetide of the current year he is obliged to pay. . and one year from today. . . . . . . . .      .   800fl., 200fl., then, as an enhancement of the dowry, 1 cow immediately after the marriage ceremony, alongside two unshorn ewes following spring lambing season of the current year.

Third the groom accepts this dowry with gratitude, and in return he surrenders to the bride, as a bride-price, co-ownership of Dolní Chrášťany holding No. 18 which is subject to a purchase price value of 800fl.  

The contract is really egalitarian, providing Anna rights to manage the holding if Josef were to die, and allowing a child, regardless of sex, to takeover the holding: "Fifth the children born of this marriage, regardless of gender, shall enjoy a preferential right over the estate/holding ahead of children born of a subsequent marriage."  The marriage contract also allows for retirement provisions for Anna, and she received one cow upon her coming into the marriage.

Farming in the old country was undergoing changes due to the end of serfdom which changed labor conditions and forced the increase use of newer ideas. However, it is said many former peasants were reluctant to change. Likely being under the foot of the domain for so long made them wary of spending money for newer equipment. That is if they had capital to invest in new equipment. They used oxen to plow instead of horses because the domain would claim a good horse without compensation to the owner. Davis mentions that, in the more progressive areas, new plows, sowing, threshing and reaping equipment started to come on the scene, particularly from 1849 to 1859, but that during the 1860's the use of new equipment was perceptible. (p 497) 

Three Havel Parcels on Indication Sketch of Stabile Cadastre, Dolni Chrastany

Dolni Chrastany was located in the Sudetenland, and was purged of ethnic Germans following WWII, often in a rather brutal way as payback to the Nazis. The Havel family came to this farm via marriage of Josef's father, Frantisek to Teresa Jiral, whose father had died. The oldest sister would have inherited, but she was handicap and passed the rights of acquisition to Teresia. Teresia had only this one sister who appears to have survived at the time of the handover of the farm. By convention, if not rule, to run a farm required a husband and wife to be operated The domain could take away a farm that had been cultivated by their ancestors for generations if they found it performing poorly. Hence, why one sees a second marriage rather quickly after the death of a spouse. Generally, the distribution of labor had the husband take care of the tilled, forest and meadow land, and the large animals, while his wife took care of the garden, children, household and small animals, like chickens. 

A prior post mentioned Wenzel Fitzl having a tendency to marry widows. Marie Havel, is Josef's aunt and she married Wenzel after the death of her first husband Vaclav Mika. But, before marrying Marie Hovel, Wenzel married, Catherina Ruesmueller in 1774 four months after Catherina's husband Mathias passed away. Catherina and Mathias' youngest child was Teresia who would take on the farm after she married Frantisek Havel. Catherina died in 1793. Wenzel married Marie Havel Mika on 25 Oct 1796 (the same day Frantisek and Teresia married). The farm was held in trust, so to speak, by Wenzel for Teresia. I have not tracked Wenzel to see if he may have had any other nuptials. Wenzel was 15 years the junior of Catherina. Maria Havel was 15 years younger than Wenzl. The #18 Dolni holding came to the Jiral's via Mathias Jiral's marriage to Catherina Ruesmueller on 2 Jul 1760. Mathias was born at #3 Dolni, and the Jiral's came into possession of #3 when Mathias father Laurence took over his father-in-law, Jakob Ruesmuller's holding in 1716. This was four years after he married his wife Marianna Ruesmueller. The #18 Dolni farm came to the Havel family via marriage of Teresia Jiral and Frantisek Havel.

Frantisek had a "bride price" agreement dated 3 Nov 1796 to pay Wenzel Fitzl as the guardian of Teresia the following:

Second:  The groom shall bestow upon his future wife a dowry (rather bride price is intended) in the form of; in 

cash.................................... 150 Rhenish gulden 

four head of oxen...............110 Rhenish gulden 

two head of dairy cattle....... 30 Rhenish gulden  

Totaling...............................290 Rhenish gulden

The price of the farm was 140 Rhenish gulden (Rg), meaning Frantisek paid in cash 10 Rg more than the farm value. But yet, he also provided four oxen and two dairy cows whose value together equaled the price he paid for the farm. There is no mention of any robot service that Frantisek would take on in this agreement. Wenzel must have been quite the bargainer, because if both Frantisek and Teresia died without children he would receive the farm back. Frantisek made payments to Wenzel and to Teresia (his spouse) in 1798, and then payments to Wenzel from 1799 to 1813, with a payment missed in 1800 "on account of adverse weather (hail/storms)." Payments were not made in 1811 or 1812, perhaps because Frantisek was ahead of schedule; the register does not list the years much less a reason why. Josef would acquire the farm from Frantisek in January 1846, but the currency of sale would change, and it is difficult to compare the changes from Shock Meissen to the Conventions Munze.

Part of Frantisek "Bride Price" Agreement

The Schock Meissen value (SM) was a common unit off currency until 1796 when it changed to Rhenish Gulden, and then again by 1846 to Conventions Munze. Unless there were significant improvements, or disregard for a holding, the value at handover was usually the same as the prior handover. Looking at the below Table 1 you will see the value of the 28 Apr 1625 handover from Havel to Jakob was less than what Havel paid when he took over the family farm from his brother Bartos (this will be explained in the next post). Value of livestock and some other goods often equaled or exceeded the value of the farm holding. Please be bear in mind that they had a long term lease, not outright ownership, so this is a "lease" value, although the leases were commonly passed down within the family, as can be seen. Also, they had annual rent in both currency and in-kind contributions, in addition to other aspects of serfdom.

TABLE 1

Value of Holdings by Date of Sale
Complied by author from varied Land Register records
translated by Richard D'Amelio for author

Two contracts were involved with the union of Teresia and Frantisek. There was a bride price contract, or what Frantisek had to pay to marry Teresia covered above. The other was a handover contract of the farm from Teresia's step father Wenzel Fitzl to Teresia and Frantisek. Both are dated 3 Nov 1796. Some details of this agreement can be seen in Table 2, below.

Translation of side note in Land Register
Georg to son Simon

We know from the land register records that both Teresia and Frantisek were illiterate, even though compulsory education was dictated by Maria Therese in 1774, five years after Frantisek was born and two years after Teresia was born. Change came slowly to Southwest Bohemia, unless it meant benefit to the domain. Josef Havel was literate, although his wife Anna Jodl was not. However, Johann Jodl, Anna's father, who was born in 1786 was literate. We know this from the signatures on contract documents. Do not mistake illiteracy for not being able to function. These families must have known how to count, as they farmed and would have had to have varied coping mechanisms as to what field was planted in what crop and when. 

Side note in Land Register
Mathias (Sr) to son Mathias (Jr)

It is possible that the domains desired to retain an uneducated peasantry. It could also be that it took time for teachers to be found and schools to be constructed in rural Bohemia. What we do know is that life as a peasant under a domain was not easy, so it is possible that the family needed the labor of children, due to the heavy demand the family had for robot labor.. 

Start of Land Register Entry of Georg Havel sale to son Simon
Circled to left is the notation, "included in the valuation one old chest with lock--1fl"

The below Table 2, which I complied from varied land registers, shows the details of certain aspects of the sale of the holdings of three sales of the Lhota farm with the first in 1712 then two sales of the Dolni farm. This table provides a view into how little farming changed over time in livestock and methods and capability. In fact farming for Josef in 1867 was more like how his 5th great grandfather would farm than his descendants who farmed: his son, Martin, and grandson, Rudy, as explained in the earlier post.  The table shows to me how little they possessed when an old chest is mentioned in the record as being part of the estate handed down. It is a congruence with the history of agriculture and of socio-economic status of peasant serfs during the second serfdom and for sixty years after.

TABLE 2

Comparison Table of Items in varied Handover Contracts
Summarized from Land Register information

This post covered value of holdings, level of farming, and marital property agreements and joint ownership for Josef and Anna, and the marital property agreement for his father Frantisek's marriage to Teresia Jiral, the #18 Dolni holding heir, in which we had a brief review of how the holding came to the Havel family line from 1796 until sold by Josef in 1868. We touched on literacy and education, and the end of serfdom in 1848, and what it meant for Josef Havel, my second great grandfather. The next portion will focus on robot labor which was supposed to, but never seemed to decrease. It will also focus on secondary occupations and other aspects of life under the heavy hand of the second serfdom and how this is congruent with life in the Old World.

Bohemian Serfs harvesting in a field
Source: Labour Coercion, Serfdom in Bohemia

I am not sure if Edward Hofmeister ever visited the countries to obtain ideas for the dioramas he created for the European Village at the Milwaukee Public Museum. When that exhibit opened in 1979 the West and the East were in a Cold War and Bohemia, his grandmother's home country, was behind the Iron Curtain. The family had a habitat of recording they were from Germany, and a few times Austria, so Edward may not have known where the family originated. My Grandpa spoke German, and I recall my Dad saying he thought the Havel family originated from Germany as that was what Grandpa had said. I suspect that is how little they spoke of the old country, their focus was on the new country and fitting in with a new and markedly different way of life at the same time industrialization and technology was changing how farming, and life in general, was accomplished and lived. I also suspect that Bohemians, being Slavs, from the east, may have been more subject to ridicule and discrimination than Germans. While from Bohemia, the Germanic and Bohemian ethnicities became mixed being so close to the German border, and Dolni was in the Sudetenland. Although closer to the German border, Lhota was not part of the Sudetenland. The Havel family was of the world, and that is best seen in the congruence of how the family lived with the times in which they found themselves. 

Footnotes:

(1) https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/rural-life-in-late-19th-century/

(2) LONG-TERM POPULATION DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH BOHEMIAN MUNICIPALITIES FROM 1869 TO 2021 IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF SELECTED FACTORS Aleš Nováček*, Jan Kubeš*, Štěpán Klučka*

(3) Wright, William W. 1966. Serf, Seigneur and Sovereign: Agrarian Reform in Eighteenth Century Bohemia, University of Minnesota Press 

Davis, Katherine Benet, 1900 "The Modern Conditions of Agricultural Labor in Bohemia" Journal of Political Economy, Sept v8 #4, University of Chicago Press.

Other Sources:

Stabile Cadastre Maps from: ags.cuzk.gov/archive

Trebon Archive

Comment: Havel is often seen as Hawle, or Hawel. The German language V is pronounced like an F, but the W is pronounced like a V, hence the use of W for the name. German was the official language of the Hapsburg Empire.