The parish of Chovojnov was organized in the 14th century, but records have not been kept until the 16th century, otherwise
our genealogy probably could have been traced much farther back.
The origin of the name Dedera is veiled
in the mist of the past as most of the family names are. It is scarcely a
Czech name and seems to have an Italian origin, probably from the verb
do--dare--dedi-datum, the future tense being dedero and the pluperfect
dederam.
The name is not written with soft e, i.e., Dedera, but with long e, i.e., Deedera, with the accent on the first e, i.e. Dédera. This is
substantiated by the records in Chvojnov. The baptismal records make it
plain that the Dedera's, with few exceptions, were all farmers, many of
those who emigrated to America became tradesmen because they settled in
cities.
Neither do the records show that the
family ever possessed any titles or high positions. It is evident that they
were just plain common folks who could only boast of a good, honest and
religious character.
Nor is it recorded that anyone by the
name of Dedera fell away from the Catholic Church during the many religious
conflicts which on many occasions swept the country over. They have always
remained faithful to the Catholic Church and never intermarried with
non-Catholics.
I am indebted to Rev. Anton Mancal,
pastor of Chvojnov, for the information and family tree which he prepared
for me with a great deal of labor and sacrifice.
The earliest record of the Dedera
family, is mentioned in 1630, then Feb. 21, 1654, when John Dedera acted as
sponsor for Catherine Przil. Then Paul Dedera is mentioned in 1715, his son
George 1719, and Mathew 1731. Simon Dedera and his son John in 1744, Mathew
Dedera and wife, Catherine Pekarek, in 1788.
One branch of the Dedera's was founded
in Kojcice (affiliated to Chvojnov) by Thomas Dedera, born 1748 and married
1779. He had two sons, Simon 1780, and Joseph, 1783. Joseph was married to
Marie Barton and founded the second branch of Dedera's in Maly Rybnicek,
also affiliated to Chvojnov, and to date both of these homes are still
occupied by the Dederas (1935).
Joseph Dedera had twelve children. John
our grand-father was the fourth, born December 27, 1809. In 1831 he was
married to Catherine Prokop from Volesna and settled in Maly Rybnicek. Their
fourth child was Adalbert, our father, born April 5, 1838. He was married in
1867 to Marie Pelisek from Bacovice. She bore him four children: Marie 29/2,
1867, in Autechovice, Francis 21/5, 1870, in Vacice, Louis 16/6, 1872 also
in Vacice, and Anna 14/10, 1874, at whose birth she sacrificed her life and
the child died soon after.
In 1875 he married a widow, Marie
Kokes, from Myslov, who had one son, Joseph. She bore him seven children:
Catherine, 16/4, 1876, Frank, 8/7, 1878, Adalbert, 8/4, 1880, all were borne
in Vacice, and Emmanuel, 1882, was born in Polánky; Wenceslaus, 1885, Anna,
1888, Jerry, 1890, and Vitus, 1891, born in U.S.A.
My father was a hard, exacting man,
which traits he probably acquired in his six years of service in the
Austrian army. He was also honest and deeply religious, in his youth he had
an ordinary school education with two years of high school. His father
intended him to be a school master, but this career he abandoned for a
tailor's trade. After his apprenticeship he left home for three years to
acquire more experience and hot as far as Vienna. On his return he was
conscripted into the army and remained there six years, spending most of
that time in Italy (1866); after his release he was held in reserve for two
mor years.
In 1866 his brother John died in Vacice
and left one child, John Jr. After his death father was made administrator
of his estate until the legal age of John. He spent six years on the estate
and was able to give a good account of his stewardship.
From there he moved into Polánky, where
he bought a small farm and helped himself with his trade. All went well
until 1879, when a fire destroyed his home, which had not been insured. All
he had left were a few acres of land and seven children, and that decided
the fate for the entire family. The future looked very gloomy, so he decided
to emigrate into America. He sold all his possessions and bid farewell to a
country he really loved and never forgot. If it were not for the family he
would have never left it. What little he had in money was spent for
transportation, and after fourteen days on the S. S. Marie
Theresa we arrived in New York penniless. Not being able to go any
farther, for Chicago was really our destination, we were compelled to stay
in New York until enough money was saved to move on toward our goal. We
arrived in New York in the fall of 1881 and remained there until 1883.
Sisters, Marie and Frances worked as housemaids, and the rest of the family
were hired as farmhands.
Having accumulated enough cash for a further journey, we moved on to Chicago, leaving
Marie and Frances behind. We arrived in Chicago again penniless but found many friends who
were willing to give us what assistance they could, which of course was very encouraging. Father
found a small flat at Landa's, on Wood and 20th, for which he paid three dollars per month. In
a year or so we moved to better quarters on Allport and 18th Street, across
the street from St. Procopius.
It was at this time, while seeking some
help, that he came across a Protestant Bureau which was assisting
immigrants. He asked for assistance, which they gladly promised him, but
under the condition that he would leave the Catholic Church and join the
Protestant. My father, who was always a staunch Catholic, did not hesitate
but curtly replied: that if the entire family were forced to starve he would
not give up his religion, and, without further ado, he left. This incident
he often repeated to us, and the oftener we heard it the greater impression
it made on us and the greater respect we had for him, because of his loyalty
to the faith of his forefathers, and it may be one of the reasons why all of
his children remained faithful to the Catholic Church.
Soon after, he found employment in a
tailor shop, where he received a salary of three dollars per week and later
it was increased to six dollars. About a year later some friends obtained
for him a position in a lumber yard, where he received a dollar and
twenty-five cents per day, which was a normal salary for a laborer at that
time.
We can not figure it out today how
people could live and support large families at such small wages. It was not
only possible, but it was done; not only did they take care of their
families but they even put aside something for a rainy day. The Building
and Loan Associations were a great help to them; wages were low, but the
cost of living was proportionately even lower; rents were at five dollars
per month; meat at five and six cents a pound; flour at two dollars and
twenty-five cents a barrel; sugar for three cents a pound, and so forth.
After a few years, when Joseph and
Louis, and Marie and Frances were working, father gave
up his position at the lumber yard and opened a small tailoring shop for
making trousers and vests. His employers were well satisfied with his work
and supplied him with as many orders as he could take care of. At that time
his profits, and the boys' and girls' wages made a considerable income. He,
being a very thrifty man, put aside each month as much of the income as
possible, so that about the year 1887, just six years after our coming to
this country, he had enough saved up to be thinking of a home of his own.
At that time Kirchman and Company opened a new subdivision in the neighborhood of Albany
and 25th St., which then was called Ceska Kalifornie, and the Czech people began to buy lots in
that section with the intention of building in the near future. My father was one of the pioneers
who bought a lot at 26th and Albany Ave. for two hundred
and fifty dollars and, shortly after, built a four-room cottage for seven
hundred and fifty dollars. This was our first real home in America, and we
were all proud of it.
At this time five of the boys and girls
were working, so father sold out his tailor shop and gave up work altogether
to devote more of his time to his family.
CHAPTER I
Home Life
Mother was always the first one to rise
and prepare breakfast for the working members, and father saw to it that
they got up in time and left home on time, for they had a good half hour's
distance to walk to their place of employment. Every day the whole family
would gather at the evening meal and on Sundays at the noon meal. My father
would say the prayers before meals and then apportion the meat; of the other
foods we could take as much as we cared.
Sunday was always a day of rest and of
religious obligations. Mother and the sisters attended the early Mass to
give them time to prepare the dinner, and father with the boys attended High
Mass.
In the early days it was a custom to
receive the sacraments at least four times a year, which we all did very
faithfully. Before going to confession we begged forgiveness of our parents
and older brothers and sisters. On those days it was also customary to
remain at home and prepare for the worthy reception of Holy Communion.
We all received a good Catholic
education and above all a good example from our parents. What appealed to us
most was that our parents did themselves, what we were expected to do.
When we were taken to school for the
first time my father would introduce us to the Sister in Charge and tell her
in our presence not to spare the rod if we needed it, and added, that there
would be no complaint coming from him. Of course we then knew exactly where
we stood.
My father was a strict and exacting
man, but also appreciative when things were done right. Among his friends
he had a reputation as an honest and righteous man. Many of them who did not
believe in banks brought their savings to him and asked for no receipts or
interest. One of our neighbors named Loukota found a ten-dollar bill. He
brought it to my father and asked him to hold it for him. Every now and then
he asked for twenty-five cents or fifty cents, and neither he nor my father
kept any records of it. When at the end of a year or so the tend dollars
were withdrawn, he cam to thank him for the trouble, and all accounts (which
were never kept) were settled.
My father had another good quality and
that was, that he never spoke a word against a priest or any church
regulations, and woe be to him who would start something in his presence. He
always spoke with great reverence of his former pastors, especially of
Fathers Kacer and Frejlach, who resided at Chvojnov. He remembered
practically all the sermons they preached on special occasions, and would
repeat them to us almost word for word.
Religion to him was first and foremost,
and he had no patience with the unbelievers, or those who pretended to be
Catholics but did not live as such. He shunned their company and would have
no dealings with them.
My mother, in a way, was a counterpart
of father, with the exception that she loved quietness and peace, whereas
father was talkative and always ready to give and take. In her I saw the
perfection of Christian life: she was meek, peaceful, deeply religious and
resigned. She shunned company, and when it was forced upon her she made
everybody feel at home. She never had any tales to tell or anyone to
criticize, and they all loved her for it. She loved her home and lived for
her family. Although she raised twelve children, and devoted all her time to
them, she never complained and never asked for help. She was the first one
to arise and the last one to retire. Her last act of the day was the
recitation of the rosary in some lonely corner.
She never quarreled and when father was
ill-disposed she insisted that all should be quiet an never answered him
harshly. She never bothered about money affairs, and never handled any. She
left the care of it to my father and also the buying of the food supplies.
She never refused to assist the poor; in fact she would go out of her way to
help them, and the doors were always opened to them.
The proper education and bringing up of
the children was the most important duty of her life, which she fulfilled
most scrupulously. She watched over us day and night, advising us and
guiding us whenever necessary. In this she was most successful and saw all
of her children grow up in the fear and love of God.
Of course the happiest moment of her
life was when she witnessed the ordination of her son Adalbert and when she
attended his first mass on Sunday, May 26, 1907.
I will never forget how on the day of
my ordination she presented me with a wax lily which I carried on my first
communion day in 1893. That same year I began my college career with the
intention of studying for the priesthood. In view of this she put the lily
away to present it to me on the day of my ordination. Like every grandmother
she loved her grandchildren with all her heart, and the height of her
happiness was reached when her sons and daughters would visit her with their
children. On such occasions she seemed to rejuvenate and live her life all
over again. Those were also happy moments for us, and many happy memories
and happenings were recalled and commented upon from all angles. Oftentimes
one saw for the first time how unwisely or foolishly we acted, and how much
we had to pay for our experiences.
We all felt, as if we were all home
again, spending the evenings listening to the experiences of our parents.
There was one thing that never appealed to me, and sometimes even annoyed
me, and that was when they praised and lauded the Old Country. Of course I
have never seen it, and I always believed that America was the best country
in the world. As a boy I often vowed that I would see America first, and the
Europe and make my own conclusions, which in later years I really did. I
visited forty-two states, and Alaska and made a real study of their
topography, their social, religious, architectural and commercial values.
After that I visited Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland,
Czechoslovakia, England, Ireland, Africa, Greece, Palestine, Iceland,
Spitzbergen, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia, West Indies and so forth. I
always carried a diary and made notes from day to day of places, peoples and
things. I covered about fifty thousand miles on the Pacific, Atlantic and
Arctic Oceans, not counting the Mediterranean, North, Baltic, Red and Dead
Seas, the Mississippi, Hudson, Potomac, Seine, Moldau, Rhine, the Tiber,
Spree, Jordan and other rivers, and on the railroads I covered more than a
hundred thousand miles. After all my travels and experiences I can
truthfully state that, outside of the cathedrals and palaces of Europe with
their past histories, there is nothing on the European, Asiatic, or African
continents we could not duplicate in America and add an extra measure to it.
I had the satisfaction of giving this
information to my parents, but then they were too old to appreciate it or to
question it. In fact by that time they lost all interest in the old Country,
and were more than pleased to remain in the country of their adoption and
amongst their own children.
CHAPTER II
The Immigrants
The first home father had built on Albany Ave. was later enlarged and an addition was built to
the front for store purposes, where he opened a tavern. There were very few taverns in the
locality, and business was good. In a year or two a neighbor grew jealous, remodeled his home
and also opened a tavern. Father, who was a shrewd business man, saw at once that there was not
enough patronage for both, and that failure for one or the other was inevitable, so he followed the
safest course and decided to sell out. Shortly after, a party for Ceska Plzen paid us a visit and
suggested an exchange of properties if father was willing to take the mortgage with it. He had a
three-flat building with six apartments at 570 W. 19th St., which brought about thirty-six dollars
per month, and had a mortgage of twenty-five hundred dollars. This exchange
looked good, so my father concluded the bargain, and in 1891 we moved to our
new quarters. The children attended St. Vitus School, but the adults
attended services at St. Procopius', their old parish.
In the beginning, my father was
terribly worried about the mortgage and often complained of pains in the
chest, but God was good to us. There were three boys and two girls working
steadily, and the income was sufficient to take care both of the interest
and the principal. We got along so well that father bought a horse and buggy
for the boys, which of course was a source of great pleasure to them, and
gave them and their sisters an opportunity to get out into the country.
About the year 1895 father bought two lots on Spaulding Ave. near 26th St., where he put up
a four-room frame building and later added a large kitchen to it which was often used for family
gatherings and socials. Here we were most happy; all the children were grown up, the income
from the flat building and the salaries of the boys and girls were more than was needed, and quite
a substantial sum was stored away for a rainy day. 
But man proposes and god disposes. At a time
when everything seemed to work harmoniously and the
future seemed brightest, a land agent proposed a farm in
Indiana in exchange for the flat building. My father who
knew farming from A to Z and always talked farm, decided to look at
it. After his first visit he was sold on it, and so to the farm we went. It
was located in Stark County about three quarters of a mile from Ora,
Indiana, and about eighty-five miles from Chicago on the Santa Fe Railroad.
This change divided the family for all
time. Joseph, Louis and Frances remained in the family home on Spaulding
Ave., and Frank, Catherine, Emil, Anna, Jerry and Vitus moved to the farm
with the folks. I was at college at the time and knew nothing of the change
until it was completed.
In a year's time father had the farm in
the best of condition, and every acre of it besides the woods, was under
cultivation and soon was considered as one of the prosperous farms in the
locality.
Here my parents were very happy and things went smoothly, but Sister Kate and the boys
began to think of marriage. Prospects on the farm were not so good for them so they prevailed on
the parents to dispose of it, which they did, and after five years, exchange it for a business
building on 22nd
and Leavitt St. Which brought a monthly income of a hundred and fifty
dollars.
By this time the building on Spaulding Ave. was sold, and the family rented a flat on Turner
Ave. and 29th St. My father still owned the extra lot on Spaulding Ave., and on this he build
another home. After two or three years, this home was disposed of, and a permanent home was
built at 2812 Central Park Ave., where sister Catherine Borkovec, brother Joe and sister Mary
Jenicek also had their homes. After disposing of the business house on 22nd and Leavitt St., father
bought another one on St. Louis and 28th.
These two buildings were held for many years, until all the boys and girls were married. Then
father sold them both and lived with daughter Kate, now a widow, who had a small grocery store
on Crawford Ave. and 28th St. Later on she moved to larger quarters on Turner Ave. and 30th St., there was a small dwelling in the rear,
which father and mother rented from her and lived happily. Here we used to
gather every Sunday afternoon and again enjoyed our family life.
Here also we suffered the severest blow
of our lives. God in His providence decided to call our beloved mother to
her eternal reward on May 7, 1921, at the age of seventy-five years. Few
days before, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away in ten days.
The funeral service were held in Holy Mount Church, where Father Dedera was
pastor.
|
Goodbye my mother and father
Love was your treasure.
Your life was always an ideal
Of Christian life for us.
We will pray for you
Until we meet again.
You are waiting in Eternity
And praying for being able to come there
With you there is also Vaclavek,
Frantiska, Marie and Vitek.
You are waiting in Eternity
And praying for being able to come there.
It will not be long
Until we will be together
We all will be happy.
Give us, O Lord, fulfilment of our wish
To see [them]
all in Eternity.
|
After mother's death, father made his
home with brother Louis in Berwyn, where he lived contentedly until his
demise, which occurred on January 28, 1923, at the age of eighty-five years.
With my father's death we were
orphaned and began to miss the love and solicitude of our parents, may they
rest in peace. Se shall always remember them and their memory will be sacred
to us for they were exemplary parents, kind, loving, thoughtful and
solicitous They lived honorable Christian lives and were always true to God
and man. Their lives will always be a shining example to us of what a
Christian should really be. They were true to God and loyal to His
commandments, and in turn He gave them the grace of a happy and peaceful
death. They are now resting in the Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Ill.
CHAPTER III
The Children
As I have mentioned before, there were
twelve children in our family. All received a good Catholic education and
above all a good example from their parents. We all respected and loved our
parents. They had but one wish and expressed it very frequently: that the
boys and girls should marry only Catholics. This they did, not only to
satisfy their wishes, but because they knew it was the best thing for a
peaceful and happy marriage. At this writing there are about thirty-five
grandchildren; all were baptized in the Catholic Faith, attended Catholic
schools and received the sacraments.
The oldest sister was Marie , born in 1867. She married Dominic Jenicek in
1889 and bore him nine children: Francis, Emilie, Dominic, Albert, Joseph,
Lilly, Ella, Rose and Mary.
Both were good and upright Christians and lived together for thirty-three years. Dominic was
a tailor by trade and always made a fair salary, so that they were able to build a modest home for
themselves on Central Park Ave., between 28th and 29th Sts.
In his spare moments he loved to play his piano accordion, of which he was a
master.
After their wedding, they lived with his mother on 20th and Ashland Ave. There they lived fora
few years and then moved into one of the flats in our home on 19th St. Later on they built their
own home on Central Park Ave., where both of them finished their earthly
careers. Dominic died in 1922 and Marie in 1930.
Their oldest son, Frank, married
Marie Jirsa, Emilie married Wenceslaus Stech, Dominic married Anna Vancura,
Albert married Mildred Smolik, and after her death Marie Novotny. Joseph
married Frances Wallace, Lillie married Stanley ?, and Ella married Jerry
Volenc, Rose married ? Novotny.
Sister Frances was born in 1870, but did not marry until 1903. Her
husband, Louis Sedlak, was a mason contractor and with his brother Frank had
a flourishing business. They were known far and wide as good builders and
trustworthy contractors. This business was given to them by their father,
who worked at it for many years. Frances lived with her husband only a few
years and passed away at the birth of her first child in 1905; and is
interred in the Resurrection Cemetery.
Brother Louis was born in 1872, but did not marry until 1906, and took for
his wife Georgia Sauer, a very respectable young lady who helped to make a
real man out of him. In his younger days he was somewhat frivolous, but
after his marriage, settled down and in a few years was able to build for
himself a very fine home on Wisconsin Ave. in Berwyn, which he later
enlarged and remodeled.
They had three daughters, Georginana,
Marie and Louise. Marie married Joseph Viktora in 1935, and moved into a
flat of their own on Lombard Ave., Berwyn, Ill. Georgiana and Louise were
married at a double wedding on June 6, 1935, to Frank Vyhnal and Geoge
Stehlik respectively.
Brother Joseph was born in 1869. Although Louis was older, he was always
considered as the first-born of the family and was always given preference
in all family discussions. He was intelligent and always serious; his given
word was to him a law which he never broke. He married in 1890 and took for
a wife, Mare Soukup, who in her traits and character was very much like
himself, and consequently made a very good match.
To them were born Joseph, Anna, Mary,
James, and George. Anna was married to James Tintera in 1922 and bore him
three children, James, Mary Jane and Alice. Mary was married to Albert Vanis
in ?, James was married to Irene Fitch in 1935.
After marriage Joseph lived in the home of his father-in-law and later occupied our home on
Spaulding Ave. when the parents moved to the farm. Later on he built himself a home on Central
Park Ave. and, after living there for nine years, sold it and built a new home at 5640 W. 23rd Pl. Cicero, Ill.
Sister Kate was born in 1876. She had an ordinary education and at the age
of eleven entered the tailoring trade, which at that time was flourishing.
She stayed at it for many years and made a good salary. When [our] parents
moved to the farm, he left the trade and went with them to help mother. She
was married in 1899, to Joseph Borkovec, also a tailor, and bore him five
children: Thomas, Elizabeth, Marion, Joseph and Helen. Ella married Edward
Koubek.
For some time they lived in my father's home at Central Park Ave. and then built a three-flat
building next door. Her husband was a hard-working and thrifty man and would have made a
good fortune in his trade if sickness did not force him to leave it. On account of his illness they
moved to North Judson, Indiana, where they lived for five years, and there Joseph died. After his
death sister Kate moved back to her home on Central Park Ave. some years later she sold it and
bought out a grocery business on Crawford and 30th St. Here she did quite well and was able to
provide for her children. Later on she sold out and bought another store on Turner Ave. and 30th,
where business was much better and made it possible to lay aside something for the future. After
mother died and father left to reside with Louis, she sold out and bought a new store on 23rd St.
and 54th
Ave. Cicero. Here she married Frank Smakal, a good-hearted and
well-experienced man and in him found a faithful companion.
Brother Frank, was born in 1878, also had an ordinary education, and at the age of twelve entered the
box-making trade, at which he worked for many years and later on took other positions, but
always more or less in the same line. He married in 1903, and took for his wife Marie Fiala,
a well-bred and Christian young lady. With her he had seven children: Francis, Wenceslaus [Jim],
Albert, Anna, Emmanuel [Emil], Lily and Joseph. After their marriage they lived at her
father's home on 25th and Washtanaw. After a few years they bought two lots on Wisconsin Ave.
and 14th St., next to brother Louis, and later
built a two-flat building where his family resides to this day. Here they
brought up their family in the fear of God and were blessed with dutiful and
obedient children. Most of the boys entered the butcher business and made a
success of it. Later on they had their home remodeled and renovated, and
made an imposing structure out of it. In 1936, this home was exchanged for a
forty-acre farm in Winamac, Ind. and here he died on August 13, 1937.
Their
oldest son, Francis, married Adelaide Hazdra, James married Marie Adamek,
and Lily married Leonard Judy.
Brother Emmanuel was born in 1882. He had an adventurous nature, and his
mind was always soaring to higher things. Whilst yet in his teens, he left
home to seek his fortune in the world. He visited many states and cities,
but after a few years' experience, convinced himself that there is no place
like home, and no better place to build a fortune than Chicago. He was a
mechanic by trade, new his trade will, and was never without a job. From
that, he went into the automobile business, where he almost made his fortune
but for one unforseen reversal, which happened when he added on the
auto-chain business, which, because of mild winters, failed. His auto
business failed with it.
He was married in 1911, to Anna
Tintera, a daughter of Mathew Tintera, a well-known and highly respected
cut-stone contractor. they have only one son, Edward, who, because he was
the only child in the family, received a liberal education and now is
holding a well-paid position.
Wenceslaus , the first to be born in the
United States, was born in 1884, whilst we resided on Allport St. He lived
only a few days and died of colitis.
Sister Anna was born in 1888, and was the first one to have the advantage
of a full grade school education. She also entered the tailoring business
and was married in 1911, to Frank Spika. They were well matched, both of
even temper, and had three children: Beatrice, Elmer and Dorothy.
Beatrice married in 1933, and took for a husband James Kacena. Elmer married Miss Holos
in 1938. [This last comment is written in ink. It is the latest date in this writing.]
Jerry was born in 1886. He did not
take to schooling very much and went to work very early. He married in 1913,
to Mary Spika, the sister of Anna's husband. During the World War he
volunteered for the Army and because of his ability as a tailor remained in
the States as an officers' handy man. He served out his term and returned to
his wife, who in the meantime lived with her parents. They had no children
and therefore led a carefree life without any special interest in the
future.
Vitus was born in 1890, and was the
youngest of the family. He married Rose Bicek, also the youngest of her
family, whose parents were well-known and highly respected. She bore him
five children: Marion, Victor, Robert, George, and Rosemary.
He was a good mechanic and made good
wages, and it was not long before he bought a nice home at 1342 W. Oak Park
Blvd. in Berwyn. He worked hard and loved his family. Later on he remodeled
his home, brick-veneered it, refurnished it, and mad an ideal home of it.
But man proposes and God disposes. He had an attack of appendicitis but
though it to be only some stomach ailment. It grew worse, and one day he had
to be rushed to the hospital, where, after an operation, his case was
pronounced very serious, because peritonitis had already set in. In less
than a week he succumbed on April 8, 1931. He was the youngest, and we all
loved him; because of his cheerful disposition. His friends admired him, and
because of his honest and hard work, everybody respected him. Requiescat in
pace.
|
Summary of the Genealogy of Fr. Dedera
above
Thomas Dedera b. 1748
Joseph Dedera
b. 1783
John Dedera b. 1809
Adalbert Dedera b. 1838;m. 1875
Marie Kokes
son Rev. Adalbert J. Dedera b. 1880; ord.
1907
siblings: Joseph, Louis, Frances, Frank , Catherine, Emil,
Anna, Jerry and Vitus
brother Frank b.1878; m. Mary Fiala
1903
children: Francis, Wenceslaus [Jim],
Albert, Anna, Emmanuel [Emil], Lily and
Joseph |
CHAPTER IV
"Father D."
Thus
far I have written a brief biography of all the members of the family, and
now I will write my own.
I was born on April 10, 1880, in Vadcice and baptized in
Chvojnov. In 1881, my parents sold what they had left after the fire
in Polánky and emigrated to America to seek their fortune. At the
age of seven I was sent to St. Procopius School, where I was
taught by Mr Halamicek for about two years, then the family
moved to Albany and 26th St. There I attended Hinman Public
School for about three years. After my parents moved back to the
city on 19th and Ashland, I attended St. Vitus School, where I concluded my grammar school
education in 1893. That same year I entered St. Procopius college on 18th
and Allport, and stayed there for two years. then I worked for Mr.
Foucek, the druggist, for one year and returned to the college for another
year. from there I went to St. Bede's College, Peru, Illinois, where I
graduated in 1902. After my adoption into the Archdiocese of Chicago, I
entered St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore for a course in scriptures,
philosophy and theology, which I completed in 1907, and I was ordained a
priest May 26, 1907.
Thereupon I was appointed to assist at
St. John Nepomucene Church, and in February, 1908, both the pastor, Rev.
Francis Bobal, and I were transferred to St. Ludmila's to take the place of
the Rev. Mathias Fornix, deceased.
Here I had charge of all the societies and parish activities and received my real experience in
parish work, which later on rewarded me with considerable success. I labored zealously and to the
satisfaction of all until September, 1911, when I was sent to Cicero to establish a new parish for
the Bohemians, Irish and other nationalities who resided there. The old Morton Club House on
53rd and 24th Pl.
was purchased for a temporary building and remodeled for a church, school
and rectory. It was blessed by the Right Reverend Archbishop Quigley on Dec.
10, 1911. As years wen on, ten more lots were purchased, an new combination
church and school were built, a home for the Sisters and a rectory were
purchased, and a playground prepared for the school children, all withing a
space of eight years. With all the equipment and furnishings the church
property was worth approximately one hundred thousand dollars, with a
mortgage of only forty thousand and an annual income of forty-five thousand
dollars.
About this time (1917), the Bohemian
people began to move farther west and soon petitioned the bishop for a new
parish. This the bishop did in September, 1919, and appointed me to be its
founder and first pastor. Here in the course of ten years and with the
whole-hearted cooperation of the people, I was able to erect an up-to-date
church, school, rectory convent and club house at an approximate cost of
four hundred thousand dollars, with a debt of one hundred thousand dollars,
which within the eight years of depression was reduced to twenty thousand.
the above also included a large playground for the school children, with a
wrought-iron fence enclosure, with shrubs and trees all around it.
Holy Mount Parish was the last of the
twelve Czech parishes to be established in the archdiocese. It was also the
smallest and the poorest in its beginning. In 1919, it consisted only of
seventy families, with fourteen
bulding-lots and a temporary wooden church with a twelve thousand dollar
debt.
In ten years it slowly grew in
population, in number of priests and sisters, and today is considered as the
largest, most prosperous and best organized amongst the Czech parishes. This
is not due to any special work on my part, but to the generosity, good-will
and whole hearted cooperation of the people.
I can not conclude without giving
thanks to God and the Blessed Virgin, to whom we have dedicated the parish,
for the many blessings received. without them our efforts would have been
fruitless. It is a man who soweth, but God gives the rains and the
fertility.
After many years of hard work, struggle
and worry, I began to yearn for a peaceful country parish, where I would
have no material cares, and where I could devote the rest of my life to God,
the people and my own salvation.
The Old Neighborhoods
1. Wood & 20th
2. Allport & 18th
3. Albany & 26th
4. 570 W. 19th
5. Spaulding near 26th
6. Leavitt & 22nd
7. Turner (?) & 29th
8. 2812 Central Park Ave.
9. St. Louis & 28th
10.
Crawford [now Pulaski] & 28th
11. Turner (?) & 30th.
