In her recollections of the Filipeks, Rose Filipek recalled that Vaclav Filipek attended an agronomics school similar to a college. In March 2000, more than 115 years after he wrote in it, Terry Nelson, Vaclav's g-grandaughter discovered in her grandmother Rose's attic, Vaclav's Agronomic School Journal .

Terry describes the journal as follows:

The Journal is cloth with hand sewn binding. As you open the journal you start with the inside cover and the page opposite it. These pages are blank except it appears that Vaclav has done some extensive doodling and numerical figuring on these pages. On the page facing the inside cover is where he has written his name, the date of 9/26/1884 and the school's name. Turning the page, the next page on the left is another blank page and the facing page is the only printed page in the journal and it has the picture of the school on it. The rest of the Journal is apparently Vaclav keeping daily record of the things that they are doing regarding agriculture and also reports he has written.

The journal places Vaclav in Hracholuskach, Bohemia during 1884. This is key to our understanding of who was where when as his son John was born in Chicago in 1882. Some data suggest Vaclav then went to Chicago in 1883 to avoid the draft but later returned. Katherine (Katerina) stated her marriage date as January 1884 but it is unknown whether it took place in the USA or Bohemia. Eventually Vaclav (James) migrated to Chicago in May or June 1889. Perhaps his journal will hint whether Katerina and John returned to Bohemia also.

Below are a few pages of Vaclav's Journal. More will be added with time.

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Vaclav Filipek's Journal - 1884

Table of Contents

Inside Journal Pages:

1. Page 1: Inside Cover left
2. Page 2: Inside Cover right
3. Page 3: Blank Page
4. Page 4: Printed Image of Hracholuskach School
5. Page 5: January 30, 1884 Letter to Parents
6. Page 6: Portion of a Letter to a Colleague

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Initial Web Publication Date: 04/01/2003
Intermediate Additions: 01/06/2005