NOTE: I am not sure who wrote this document, but I found it among family records.

In a small village of Tyne, Moravia (now Czechoslovakia), State of Austria, Marie and Frank Pliska Sr. started to raise their eight children. John was in balloon school when his parents decided to up-root and bring the family to America.

As war in the region was on the horizon, life became almost unbearable under the militaristic Hapsburg. Frank and Marie decided to leave their familiar surroundings and set out for a new life in America.

On September 21, 1897 Frank Pliska Sr. and family came by ship to Galveston, Texas, then Houston. Frank Pliska Sr. was the oldest child of the family. The law was the oldest got all the property but all the younger ones, when they got married, Frank had to give each brother and sister some money. His mother was a widow so she and one daughter lived with Frank and family in the same home. The daughter, single, was a seamstress. Frank Sr. oldest son Frank Jr. was in the service there, but took off for America. Wrote home what a wonderful country it was that they should all come to America too. Frank Sr. did not like the law giving all property to the oldest so they decided to come to America. They sold their home which was large and well kept. It had a big garden full of fruit trees, plums, peaches, grapes, etc. These fruits were all preserved and dried and stored in the cellar. In the country each family had a plot of land that belonged to them. There they grew potatoes and all other food. Frank Sr. was a blacksmith. They raised a hog and when ready to butcher a butcher came and in that one day he alone killed and processed the hog. In the evening there was certain meat and ingredients, including rice and barley, put in a kettle, cooked and served to the poor. They used to laught that all the bones, even hair from the hog was saved to sell to the vendor. Only the squeal got away.

They also raised geese and when there were plenty eggs to set to hatch Frank bought cheap whiskey, mixed it with bread and my mother Mary had a chore to keep the goose fed. She had to force feed the goose so she would sit on the eggs. When the geese were grown, Frank Sr. took them to market in Praha. There they sold for a very good price. The rich bought them.

Marie must have been a good cook. When the Bishop came to town she had to go help cook and bake for him.

There were people there that raised cows, sheep, etc. They had maybe a couple of maids and men working for them. Their job was to keep clean hay under the cattle, milk, etc. They ate at the bosses house. Bread was baked but salt was never added because they would eat too much bread. Meat was eaten by Frank & family maybe once a week. On their land in the country, when chopping the vegetables, he might find a rabbit. Frank killed it, which was against the law. If caught there was a big fine and jail time. So Frank went to the country with his wheel barrow, hid the rabbit under grass, etc. At home, when cooking the rabbit, all windows and doors had to be closed due to the good smell.

There was also quite a lot of land in pasture, trees, etc. There was a man in charge (Hiny) the caretaker. The people of the village could go there and gather tree limbs, cut grass and take home to feed to cattle, chickens, geese, etc. There were also quite a few deer and other animals there. Laws were very strict, none of these animals could be killed because everything belonged to the State.

When the Gypsies came to town they were a dreaded bunch. When the people saw them coming the whole village folded up and all business places were closed. Everyone hid the chickens, geese, and children. They would steel everything they could get their hands on. I have heard people say their forefathers were Bohemian. Don't ever say that! I looked up the word (Bohemian) in a dictionary about 30 years ago and the definition was a Gypsy. Even here in America, some still have this dread following them.

When in Houston, the family had to get passport, etc. worked up. The children were playing and saw some dark skinned children mixed in with the rest. A few wet a finger and rubbed the dark skin to see if it would change color. It did not change because they were Negro children. There were none in Europe then.

The family moved on to Flatonia, Texas and rented a vacant house. In January they moved to a farm between Flatonia & Moulton. Started to farm and in January, 1900 they bought a farm 3 miles west of Flatonia. It was a long narrow farm, home on south end and the railroad bordered on the north. It was 125 acres with very little land in cultivation. So John and Mary got in a cut down and grubbed trees, brush and made cord wood. They hauled the cord wood to the railroad, sold it and loaded on rail cars. It was very hard work. The land was very poor. Frank Sr. was a blacksmith and knew nothing about farming, etc. People came to him to do blacksmithing work for them for pay. It was so hard to make $500.00 profit per year to make a payment on the farm. In the pasture, they found some mushrooms. They grew in Tyne but they didn't know if they were the same kind. They knew that one kind was very poisonous. John brought some home, cooked them and ate some. They had a horse saddled and ready at the hitching post so if John got sick they could rush him to doctor. He didn't get sick, so they decided these were the good mushrooms and the rest of the family ate them too.

In 1903 there were rumors about the wealth one could obtain in Mexico. John decided to check this out. He traveled by train as far as Midland, this was the trains last stop. He had blacksmith experience from his dad and went to the local blacksmith shop. He did some work for this man and the man was so impressed with his work that he hired him. I don't think he ever made it to Mexico.

Following is a brief summary of their children and their families.

1) Frank Jr. the oldest son had 8 children. In 1920 all moved to Oregon as follows: Alfred Pliska, deceased, Frank L. Pliska, Robert Pliska, George Pliska, Raymond E. Pliska, Francis O'Neill, Alice Neuman, Anaheim, CA and Mildred J. Lofstedt, Gresham, CA.

2) Augusta (Pliska) Fillip married Adolf Fillip in 1900, children Helen Fillip Kula, deceased, Gettysburg, SD. Had 3 children, Chuck, South Dakota, 5 children, Eileen (Kula) James Thomas, South Dakota, 5 children, and Phyliss, San Antonio, no children. Gussie Fillip Morre, Rosenberg, Texas, 3 children, 2 girls, one deceased when about 25 yrs. old, one son and one daughter living. Adolf Fillip, Moulton, deceased, never married, Fankie Fillip, Moulton, deceased, never married, Charles Fillip, Moulton, one son Kenneth, Moulton, married, 1 son and 1 daughter. Mary Fillip Hoffman, deceased, Waelder, 6 children, June Marie Wickens, Carolyn Hoffman, Alma Janell Hoffman live in California. Dwayne Hoffman, Robert Hoffman, don't know where they live or how many children, Vernon Hoffman, Port Lavaca, Texas. two ?? children.

3) John Pliska had 7 children. Lillie, decease, never married, Mary, never married, still lives in Midland, Texas, Johnnie, deceased, never married, Rose Carruth, deceased, 4 daughters, Carolyn Sarver, Austin, 2 children, Helen 3 children, Marie 1 daughter, Marilou, no children. James Pliska lives in Odessa, Texas has 4 children, 3 daughters, 1 son. Only Pliska in Uncle John's family. Louise McNeil, deceased, 2 sons, John Charles, Houston, 2 children and Kevin. Elsie, deceased, never married.

4) Mary married Alois Zidek, Moulton, Texas, both deceased, 4 children, Rudy 12 and Lillie 6 died in 1919 after World War I terrible flu epidemic, Marie died as infant. Helen was only survivor left married Jerome Vasek, children Leonita Panus, Shiner, Texas has 3 sons, Mark, no children, Paul, 2 daughters and Michael, 1 daughter. Leon Vasek, Navasota, Texas has daughter Virginia Bossie, Houston, Texas and Jeffry Vasek attends Texas A & M University.

5) Mathilda, deceased, married Louis Stavinoha, had 5 children, Millie Meyer, no children, Edward has 2 children, Helen Zapalec, no children, La Grange, Texas.

6) Antonia married Adolph Wendel, second husband, Ray Stevens. One daughter, Dorothy Jean Sullivan, Austin, Texas, 4 children, Sandy has twins, Eileen Austin, Texas, 2 children, 1 boy 1 girl. Jerry Sullivan married lives in Calif. Joseph not married lives in Austin, Texas.

7) Estella married Harry Windsor, lived in Tulsa, OK. He died and she married Paul Cranston, Los Angeles, CA, no children.

8) Helen married Ray Stevens, Los Angeles, CA, no children.

NOTE: Since this text was first written, my branch of the family, descended from Frank Jr., has lost Robert, George, Francis, Alice, and Frank L. Raymond and Millie are still alive and well, and we are fortunate to have a large and thriving family. Check out last year's reunion photo.