History of Czechs in America

Book excerpt: This valuable resource book was written by Dr. Jan Habenicht of Chicago and published by the Hlas Publishing company of St. Louis in 1910. The research of Dr. Habenicht included extensive travel across the entire United States and writing thousands of letters. It was translated into English by Miroslav Koudelka, a member of CGSI, and edited and arranged by Paul M. Makousky, Publication Chair of CGSI. The book has 595 pages (8 1/2" x 11"), is bound by a hardcover and features a beautifully finished metallic blue and white jacket containing a photograph of the Dvorak family in the raspberry field in Minnetonka Township, Minnesota on the front and the Vasko family on their farm near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on the back. Additions to the book include an index to the illustrations (276 of them), a foreword to the English edition by Paul M. Makousky, a list of the Czech fraternal organizations (appendix II), maps of the 14 states with the largest Czech populations (appendix I), a complete surname index (over 2,400 names), a geographical name index, and a biography of the author. Even if you don't find your family name(s) in this book, it is very valuable in describing the living conditions and experiences of our Czech forbearers from the mid 1800's to 1910. This book provides the most extensive description of Czech life; in religion, among fraternal organizations, in the press, in theater, and in the struggle for maintaining the Czech heritage versus becoming part of the American melting pot. An index listing all surnames in History of Czechs in America was added as a feature to the English edition.