Contents
Birth Record
Baptismal Record
Military Records (not searched)
Marriage Record (not found)
Early Ship Arrival Records
Naturalization Records
Passport Records
Voters Registration (none found)
Death Record
Obituaries
Organizations
Memory Card
Cemetery Record
Tombstone Transcription
Last Will and Testament (not found)

• This record was found and extracted in June 1999 from the archives at Trebon.
• The Parish and Book Number were not stated in the research report.

• There are some issues on the whether Ann's maiden name was Cikanek as stated on this record or whether it is Blazova. This is being researched.

• At this time the marriage record for James and Katherine has not been found.
• The January 29, 1884 marriage date was found on Katherine's 1929 Passport Application. However, it did not say where the marriage took place.

• A search was made in March 1977 by St. John Nepomucene Church in Chicago for the years 1880-1891 and similarly a search was made in 2001 for the same years by Dave Jordan of the microfilm copy of the St. John Nepumucene marriage reccords. No marriage record was found in either search for James and Katherine Filipek.
• Currently the records are being searched in Bohemia.

• This record provides the key genealogy link back to Anton Filipek and assures we have the correct Filipek Family back in Kolence. It's too bad his mother's maiden name is not correct.
• The record states that he lived at 3001 S. Emerald for 10 years. The earliest Chicago Directory address for 3001 S. Emerald is 1903 and thus 10 years is a good match.
• The record states that he was a resident of Chicago for 20 years. If he came in 1889 and spent about 5 years in Pueblo this is approximately correct. However, the number of years in the USA should be closer to 25 years.
• The maiden name of James Filipek's mother was Katerina Ceckova and not Catherine Nemec. Possibly John Filipek, the informant, thought they were asking about their own mother.

• Jeanne Jordan's recollection was that she was told he fell off a ladder in the grocery store. Perhaps earlier he fell off and hurt one of his kidneys in the fall. However, this death record doesn't seem to support this story.
• The physician's attendance was for six months. It appears that he had an angina problem for at least six months and a kidney problem longer than that.
• Robert Filipek told us that his mother's brother Rupert Vesely was the one to find Vaclav. Robert's parents were James F. Filipek and Anna Vesely. The Veselys lived across the street from the Filipeks on Emerald Ave and Anna's father, Frank Vesely, was a butcher.
• Chronic Intestinal Nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys.

Funeral Date: January 13, 1914
Name: Vaclav Filipek
Death Date: January 10, 1914
Age: 50
Cemetery: Resurrection
Priest: Rev. A. J. Novacek, Pastor

• The information was transcribed from a microfilm copy of the original St. John Nepomucene Death Records.

• C. O. F. is short for Catholic Order of Foresters, an organization providing life insurance.

• Additional information about the four organizations that James Filipek belonged to is provided below.

• Denni Hlastal is a Chicago Czech newspaper.
• A beginning English translation in magenta is under each line where it was possible to translate a few words. It is hoped at some point to obtain a full translation.
• Because of the poor quality of the reproduction and difficulty in making out words some words may be missing or spelled incorrectly in the transcription.

• The first few lines are of special interest since it appears to mention Vaclav's home town of Kolence. Perhaps there will be a little more historic information shown once translated.
• The second obituary was placed by the president of the Modern Woodman of America. See information below on the Modern Woodman of America, a fraternal insurance organization.

• Our Filipek/Nemec Links to Other Sites Page provides links to some of the organizations Vaclav Filpek was part of.

Catholic Order of Foresters

• In response to a request of records for James Filipek, the Catholic Order of Foresters on March 25, 1977 responded that their records had been destroyed.
• As follows is an excerpt from the Catholic Order of Foresters website that provides a short history of the organization.

"Established in 1883, Catholic Order of Foresters ranks among the largest fraternal life insurance societies in the United States. We are dedicated to providing our members with financial security and opportunities for spiritual, social, and charitable growth. We offer quality life insurance plans, annuities, long-term care insurance, and added value fraternal benefits."

• It is likely James was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters through his church. Through this organization, he was able to obtain life insurance, much like the group life insurance many people now obtain through their places of employment.

Modern Woodman of America

• The Modern Woodmen of America is also a fraternal insurance organization also. Perhaps the obituary above from the Modern Woodman above is an acknowledge of James' membership and and a notice of his death to its members.

St. John's Nepomucene Court

• At this time we are unsure what membership in this organization meant. Perhaps it was similar to the Knights of Columbus, or perhaps he was considered a church elder. The number 437 is rather high suggesting it was a large organization. It is also possible it is another fraternal insurance organization.

• As follows is an excerpt from the American Czech Education Center's web page describing the Sokol Movement.

"The Sokols (Sokol means falcon) were a gymnastic society founded in 1862 by Jindrich Fuegner and Miroslav Tyrs--namely, to promote Czech culture and social life and to cultivate physical, cultural, and intellectual development among its members.

The importance of Sokol extends far beyond the influence it has on its members. The movement's origins date back to the 19th century when Bohemia and Moravia were part of the Austrian Empire and Czech culture was struggling to stay alive under the absolutist government in Vienna. In the days when the Czech language was barred from publishing houses, theaters, and city streets, Sokol played an important role in reviving personal and national consciousness. Due to its ideals, Sokol was always banned in times of restrictions--first under the Habsburgs, for supporting the Czech national revival, then during the Nazi occupation, and again for 40 years under communism.

"American Sokol" units in the U.S. are divided into six Districts, all of which are members of the ASO (American Sokol Organization) headquartered in the Chicago area. Slets are held each year in Districts and every four years on a National level. Events at Slets include gymnastic & sport competitions, mass calisthenic drills, award presentations, and the opportunity to mingle with Sokols from other units. Activities in the local gymnasiums include warm up exercises, marching, mass calisthenics, training on gymnastic apparatus, volleyball, aerobics, rhythmics, basketball, folk dancing, and other sports. Classes are held for tots, boys & girls, teens, and adults. Additional activities include senior citizen clubs, drama clubs, membership meetings, and numerous social gatherings. "

• Looking at some of the referral sites from the above page, it appears that membership in the athletic part is predicated on the fraternal insurance part. So it's possible James had insurance also from Sokol Vlast but was also a member or participant in their athletic activities. At this time it is not clear what Vlast stood for.

Above is the front and back of the memory card for James Filipek. The back of the card is in Czech and a translation of the top part is as follows:

I wish to thank Anna Bartakova, a student in Cindy Filipek Johnson's class in Minnesota for providing the above translation.

This memory card was discovered in March 2001 by Terry Nelson, a g-granddaughter of Vaclav and Katerina Filipek in her grandmother Rose Filipek's home in Florida.

• This is a relatively large plot of land and it appears Katherine purchased it on the presumption of having it for her whole family. Two Hundred Dollars also seems to be a fairly large sum given the year 1914.
• The headstone is gray granite and about 5 foot high with the name FILIPEK engraved in. It is unclear who paid the fees in 1957 and 1965 and what they were for, although one would guess it was John Filipek.
• Many of the graves in the area are Czech and the grounds are beautiful with a number of large trees.

• Vaclav's age is correct at age 50. Mary's age should be 26 since she was born December 10, 1889.
• Katherine's age matches her death certificate, but it really should be 85 years since she was born October 20, 1862.
• The 72 Burlington Road, Riverside address is interesting since the record implies she was living there in 1914 however we know she was at 3001 Emerald and did not reside at Burlington until the late 1920s.

• The above is a transcription of the Filipek Tombstone at Resurrection

• The only inscription on the Filipek Tombstone is for Vaclav. There is none for Katerina or for Mary or John.

• A request was made on December 20, 1976 of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division for Cook County, Illinois to search for the last will and testament, distribution of estate and inventory list for James Filipek who died on January 10, 1914.
• The response was "We are unable to find any record of probate on the estate of the person name herein, in the Probate Court of Cook County, Illinois. They wrote "No Will 1911-1928, no Est (Estate)".

• This is surprising since he was an owner of a business and the grocery store and had been ill for 6 months. How did the heirs dispose of this property and who was defined as the heirs if there was no paperwork. If it was done intestate, Katherine would have been an heir. Someday this should be searched again and also the property records for 3001 S. Emerald to review the date of purchase, sale and ownership.

• Go to the James and Katherine Filipek Initial Page
• Go to the James and Katherine Filipek Family Overview
• Go to the Filipek Genealogy Source Records Page