I've waited several years for a glimpse of any records near Prague, Czech Republic. I had heard stories that my great grandmother Marie Benes was born on the ship from Austria to the USA, which is now verified as a fable. I found the passenger list of their arrival and Marie was already born about 9 months before travels. Marie came to America with with her parents, Theresie (Oplistil) and Vaclav Benes, both only 24 years of age. Vaclav was a shoemaker in his home village in Rychmburk, Czech Republic. There is no record that these two were married at the time of their travels to America and in fact, Marie is listed on her baptism record as being a bastard child. It's not until later that the father was announces as being Vaclav Benes.
The passenger list reads they were from Rynchenburg and their destination being Omaha, Nebraska to stay with their brother in law Filip Halda (Philip Halda). Shortly after their arrival to New York on June 7, 1904, the couple would unite in marriage in Omaha, NE on May 25, 1905.
Birth/Baptism record for Marie Benes:
Source - Family Search Records: Digital images of originals housed at Zámrsk State Regional Archives, Czech Republic. Roman Catholic Church records (births, marriages, deaths, indexes) for Předhradí, Předhradí, Chrudim, Czech Republic; formerly Rychmburk, Vysoké Mýto, Čechy, Czechoslovakia; formerly Richenburg, Hohenmauth, Böhmen, Austria. May Include surrounding localities (refer to the archival note for the list of localities in each folder). Text in Czech, German and Latin.
Wikipedia: German : Richenburg or Reichenburg ) is a municipality in the district of Chrudim , in the region of Pardubice , in the Czech Republic . Its population was 417 in 2020 1 .
Family Search Record No. 101497036 Předhradí, Perálec, Kutřín, Hněvětice, Hluboká, Střítež, Dolany, Lešany, Ochoz, Ochůzka, Chlum, Hlubočice, Rvasice, Přední Borek, Zhoř, Brdo, Rabouň, Miřetín, Zadní Borek, Hesiny - Matriky/Church books Chrudim, 6948, 1877-1904
Record No. (page) 556 - Marie is the 2nd from the bottom.
She was born in Rychmburk to Vaclav Benes, who was the son of Vaclav Benes Sr. and Aloise. Marie's mother is Theresie Oplistilova (Oplistil), both of house # 53 from the village of Rychmburk. Theresie's father is Josefa and mother Katrina, both from the village of Zhor in house #28. Theresa and Vaclav both born in 1880.
Marie Benes (Benesh) was later married to Robert Watson Tighe. Her daughter Gwendolyn Helen Tighe was my grandmother and Gwendolyn's daughter Geralyn my mother.
Photo of 4 Generations
From left to right; my mother Geralyn Mae Schultz, my grandmother Gwendolyn Helen Tighe, my great grandmother Marie Benesh (Benes), the woman to the far right holding my sister (baby) is the mother in law to Marie Benesh who married several times and lastly to Luverne Dallas Hope and she is Margaret Rube, mother of Luverene Hope.
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