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| nuthatch | profile | all galleries >> Czech Republic >> Bohemian Family Towns 2012 | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
 Podolí I in south Bohemia is where Jay's great-grandfather Josef Kálal was born |
 we'll find lots of evidence of Kálals here... |
 ...though many are not closely related |
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 we have a meeting with the town's Mayor Michal and his assistant Mrs. Tupá |
 lucky for Jay, Mr. Michal is a skilled genealogist and knowledgeable historian |
 he's already found additional information on Jay's tree... |
 ...and corrected an error as well! |
 comparing the Kálal family on vital records and the emigration ship record |
 the Mayor's office is busy; we were lucky to get so much of their time |
 Jay's head is spinning a bit when it's time for an official picture |
 on the wall in the office, a good aerial view of Podolí I |
 now Mr. Michal takes us on a tour of former family residence areas |
 here's Podolí I #30, where Polívkas lived when Marie married with Ferdinand Kálal |
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 here's Podolí I #20, where Kálals first settled in town (from Opařany) |
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 the original house would have stood between these newer buildings |
 now we're at Podolí I #30, where Josef Kálal was born |
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 the current owner (Dr. Harcuba)... |
 ...who has extensively rehabilitated the property since he bought it in the 1980s |
 a picture of the house with his son, from soon after his purchase |
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 Dr. Harcuba is only the second owner since the Kálal family |
 a view out an attic window toward the front |
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 a view out a rear window |
 the fields behind belonged with the property before Communist rule |
 here we depart from Podolí I for the day... |
 ...and head for nearby Bernartice, the parish center for smaller towns in the area |
 the town center square has a war memorial |
 here again there are plenty of Kálals, likely not related |
 the name shows up all over... |
 the parish church of St. Martin is just beyond the square |
 this is where Jay's great-grandfather Josef Kálal... |
 ...married his first wife... |
 ...in 1881 |
 not far away in town is the parish cemetery |
 here we will find many family names... |
 ...including Kálal from Podolí I... |
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 ...and Blažeks... |
 ...and Trojášeks... |
 ...but we can't relate any of these families to ours, yet |
 now we're heading north thru family towns of Opařany... |
 ...and Strýchov... |
 ...to Hodušín, the parish center for Strýchov |
 at the church |
 in the cemetery, again there are family names in our tree... |
 ...especially Blažeks |
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 as the day ends, we leave Hodušín... |
 ...and head back thru Strýchov and Opařany... |
 ...turning east toward Tábor for the night |
 the next day we are back in Podolí I, where the Mayor has a surprise for Jay... |
 he's found records which extend our family tree two generations on some lines! |
 and another surprise: he knows of a likely living relative nearby! |
 we head to the adjacent village of Olešná |
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 in this house, generations of Polívkas have lived |
 and one still does: this is Věra (Polívka) Kalousová |
 the farm was taken from the Polívkas during Communist times, but they got it back after Czech independence |
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 an odd coincidence: their dog is named Max |
 Věra had an interesting set of family photos; this is the farmhouse with her family from 1922 |
 another picture from a bit later, with an additional building |
 Věra's grandfather Josef Polívka |
 her grandparents Josef Polívka and Marie Jedličková |
 a family group with her grandparents, and at front right her father František Polívka |
 the wedding photo of her father and her mother (Anna Procházková) |
 and finally, with one of her sons, Jindřich Kalous |
 back in the city car, the Mayor drives us across the Vltava bridge to the community of Chřešťovice |
 this is the former parish church for Olešná |
 Polívkas would have been buried here in the 19th century |
 we search and find no Polívkas, but it is good to be here anyway |
 finally, a view across the Vltava valley at Podolí I; we will be back! |