Finding Theresia

For many years I have been searching for the home village of my great grandmother Theresia Kamen. Her death certificate from Minnesota identified her birth date and parents (Frank Kamen and Marie Soukup). Her memorial, prayer card, simply said she was from Ujezd, Bohemia. I also had a possible entry record in the US in June 1872 on the ship Koln for a Theresia Kamen. The problem is there are over a hundred Ujezd villages in Bohemia. Today, March 31, 2022, I found her home village and her baptism and birth record. Here is the story.

A few weeks ago I contact the Winneshiek County, IA historical society and got in contact about trying to find Theresia Kamen Pitzenberger's home village and that of her husband, Mathias Pitzenberger. From that I have been in contact with Michael Klimesh of Spillville, IA. I sent Michael the information I had. He then noted that there were three Soukup's and provided varied villages they were from. (As an interesting aside, Michael's 2nd great Uncle was the priest in Spillville at the time Mathias and Theresia were married in Spillville, so he likely was the one to preside at the nuptials.) Since she appeared to be alone on the ship, that made me think of chain migration since a female lone traveler at the time would be highly unusual. This is where it gets interesting.

Ujezd to Dolni Chrastany
Source:  Google maps

I was trying to find a Ujezd near a town where one of the Iowa Soukup's was from. I found Ujezd near that town, but not her birth record. So, wrong Ujezd. Realizing that about 90% of US Bohemian migration was from southern Bohemia, some voice inside me (perhaps St Jude) made me look at a page size photocopy of a map my sister provided to me when she (with my dad and aunt ) went to Bohemia in the 1990's. I decided to use thismap since on Google maps you have to zoom in so much to get a village name for the small villages. I was trying to find that Soukup town wondering if another Ujezd was nearby. Well, that one Soukup town was not on this photocopy of a street map. I thought I was at a dead end, once again. I was delayed by a power outage, no internet on my laptop, and dinner.

There was that voice in my mind, as I picked up the search, that said search the map again, and as I looked north of my highlighted villages of Dolni Chrastany (where my great grandfather Martin is from), and Hlavatce (where Martin's mom is from) I found in print almost crowded out by roads and other villages, a village with the name Ujezd slightly south of Vodnany. I don't think I would have found it on Google maps because of how far you have to zoom in to get that village name. Her village is only an 18 minute drive from Dolni Chrastany. I wonder if the family knew that, because as far as I know, everyone always thought the name was German or Austrian. Theresia spoke Bohemian and I know the Havel's knew German from the prayer book Martin owned.

Theresia Kamen Birth/Baptismal Record
Source: Trebon Archives

I then went to the 1830's indication map to see if there were any Kamen's listed. Right in front of my eyes as I zoomed in was a Kamen listed as an owner associated with house 18. At least I had a surname that matched. Although there could be many Kamen's in Bohemia as there are Havels.

The hard part was finding the proper parish book. I probably spent more time looking for the right book this afternoon than any other part of the search. Finally, under Chelcice parish I found several books for Ujezd, and then located the proper register for births of years from 1820 to 1849. It was nice that Ujezd was the only village recorded in the register as it made the search easy. I worked from the back from 1849 to 1848.

 

House #15 Ujezd, Bohemia
16 is the building plot
Source: Stable Cadastre

As I worked back, I find a record for 13 April (April written in Czech as dub, short for Duben) for 1848. It was hard to decipher the name, but looked as if it could be, and I had it verified by a person who I pay to assist me with translations. What struck me right away, that this was the right person was not just the birth date, but a note by the priest that a copy of the baptism certificate had been issued on 10 April 1872 for emigration to America. That I could easily read. I had a record that a Theresia Kamen came over in 1872, arriving in Baltimore on the ship Koln in June.

She is associated with house 15, not 18, and 15 does not have much property, so it is likely her parents were cottagers. My translator will assist on a full translation later which will give me more information and my search may then continue.


The thing about genealogy is you get this one reward after years and hours of searching, and it makes it worth the effort. I have to thank that small voice in my head to once again check the photo copy map. Perhaps that voice, telling me where to find Theresia was St Teresia but given how hopeless this case has been I am going with St Jude.