MACHOVEC, Thomas

MACHOVEC, CEPEK, JANSKY, BOULINE, BUSHEK, CLUPISA, URBA, DIETZ, STARK, PISHA

Posted By: Norma Jennings (email)
Date: 6/27/2013 at 13:24:20

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Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington County, Iowa, 1887 Acme Pub. Co., Chicago, I

THOMAS MACHOVEC, a retired farmer, was born in Kalovitz, Crigplezen, Bohemia, BUJ in 1822, and is the son of Peter and Mary (Cepek) Machovec, who were reared and married in Bohemia. By profession Peter Machovec was a farmer, and had a nice farm in his native country. He was also a Justice of the Peace for many years. Both himself and wife were devout Catholics, and their children were reared in that faith. They reared four children: Joseph, who married Mary Jansky, who was the mother of several children; he was a carpenter, and lived and died in Paddovoron, his native village. Mary married James Bouline, a farmer, and became the mother of a large family; she is now deceased. Anna married James Bushek, a farmer, and also died after rearing a large family of children; Thomas, our subject, wedded Mary Pisha, a daughter of Andrew and Sophronia (Chlupisa) Pisha, who lived on their own land in the same neighborhood where Thomas Machovec was born. She was also born in 1822, and their marriage was celebrated Dec. 2, 1842.

A small farm was the marriage portion, coming from the Machovec estate, and upon this the young couple began their married life, and here also their children were born. Barbara, the eldest child, died in infancy; Josephine died in childhood ; James, a carpenter, is a resident of Iowa City, and the husband of Barbara Urba; Sophronia died in infancy; Mary is the wife of -Anthony Dietz, a farmer of Johnson County, Iowa; Barbara is the wife of Nicholas Stark, a farmer near Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Josephine, the second, also died in infancy; Sophronia, the second, is deceased, and Anna is the only child now with the parents.
In his native country, Thomas, like his father, was a Justice for several years, also a member of the School Board, and had for that day and country quite a liberal education. In 1860, his only son, James, came to America, and located for some time in Chicago, and in 1868 came to Iowa City. He wrote glowing letters to his parents about the Great West, and they decided to sell their farm in Bohemia and come to the State of Iowa. In April, 1870, the family left their native land, and after a safe voyage of thirteen days landed in New York on the 13th of May. They came direct to Iowa City, Iowa, where a house was rented for eighteen months, and after looking over the country, they decided upon the purchase of a nice little farm of fifty acres in English River Township, to which they removed and are still residents.Mr. Machovec has been quite prosperous, and their three eldest children are married and comfortably settled in life. Anna, the youngest, has

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secured, almost unaided, an excellent education, and has only attended school two weeks since coming to America, at which time she was eleven years old, and spoke not a word of the English language. She is the life and joy of the household, and takes the burden of domestic duties off her aged mother. Mr. and Mrs. Machovec surely deserve a place in the history of the county they love, and of which they are residents. Thomas Machovec became a naturalized citizen of the United States June 2, 1885. Politically, he is a Democrat. The family are all members of the Riverside Catholic Church.