click picture to enlarge
click picture to enlarge |
My grandfather, Jan Kostohryz (1874) was born on this site, Podoli
14 or Rastory 26, as well as were his siblings (my granduncles and grandaunts),
Vaclav (1875), Marie (1877), Anna (1880), Josef (1882), Frantisek (1889),
and Antonin (1889).
The original house burned down and was built on the original site the
beginnings of the 1900's. The trees surrounding the house were full of
apples and plums when we visited. The house is now inhabited by Anna
Kostohryz, the widow of a 2nd cousin, Josef Kostohryz. The grand
father of this Josef Kostohryz was also named Josef Kostohryz (1882) who
was the brother of my grandfather Jan Kostohryz (1874). Josef Kostohryz
(1882) came to the USA on the same ship with his mother, my grandfather
and other brothers. After arriving in the US, Josef was sent back
to his home country because he had an infectious eye disease. I believe
that he eventualy did return to the USA but in the end returned to his
home country to pass out his life on this site. Pictures of the decendendants
of Josef Kostohryz are posted aong with miscellaneous trip pictures on
a separate page.
On the same land behind the above mentioned house and across a field
are some woods. My son, James, is standing besides a truck and the
woods. No doubt my grandfather as a boy roamed and hunted in these
woods. Further up the road are some more woods that are apparently
some community-property woods. Within that beautiful forest there
is a ten meter stretch of trees that runs about a kilometer long.
That narrow stretch belonged to the ancestral site. Walking there
was like walking back in time to the youthful days of my grandfather. |