1878 - Štefan Ochodnický

Štefan Ochodnický was born in the village of Moravské Lieskové on March 3, 1878 to Andrej Ochodnický and and Alžbeta Káš. The child had brown hair and blue eyes.

Štefan’s mother, Alžbeta Káš, was a 27-year-old widow when she married Andrej Ochodnický in 1873. Andrej came from the town of Bošáca (house number 232) located in the center of the Bošáca valley. Alžbeta lived in the village of Moravské Lieskové (house number 379) about two miles southwest of Bošáca. We don’t know Andrej’s occupation, but his father, Ján Ochodnický, was a miller in the village of Bošáca. Perhaps Andrej followed in his father’s trade and became a miller in Moravské Lieskové.

1885 - Eva Klč

Eva Klč, (č is pronounced "ch") was born on September 6, 1885 at house number 39 in the village of Hrušové (š is pronounced "sh") to Štefan Klč and Anna Plašenka. Štefan Klč was a miller also. He had married Anna Plašenka on May 12, 1872.

Eva also had brown hair and blue eyes. She had two sisters, Katherine (older) and Anna (younger).

Moravské Lieskové

Today, Moravské Lieskové is a village and municipality in the Nové Mesto nad Váhom District of the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia. The name roughly translates as " Moravia Hazelnuts".

Archaeologists have found evidence of people living in the area as early as 3000 BCE. In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1398.

It is likely that the first village school was established around 1580. In 1756,  records show that 2,909 people lived in the village. In 1807, a fire fanned by strong winds destroyed more than 300 houses and barns.

Hrušové

Today, Hrušové is also a village in the Nové Mesto nad Váhom District. It lies about three miles southwest of Moravské Lieskové.

Lubina

Lubina is likewise a village and municipality in the Nové Mesto nad Váhom District less than a mile northwest of Hrušové. In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1392.

The map below shows the relative locations of the villages of Bošáca, Moravské Lieskové, Lubina, and Hrušové.

Slovakia

Slovakia had been ruled by Hungary for almost 1,000 years and was often known as "Upper Hungary" (Horné Uhorsko in Slovak). From 1526 to 1918, the Kingdom of Hungary came under the control of the Habsburg monarchy, which had ruled areas around Austria since 1276.

Hungary

In 1867, the nation of Austria-Hungary was formed. For forty years, from 1867 to 1918, the Slovaks experienced one of the worst oppressions in their history. In a nationalist fervor, Hungary began to pass new laws to wipe out non-Magyar cultures. As the biggest non-Magyar culture in Hungary, the Slovaks suffered the most. Hungarian was the only language taught in schools. Only those Slovaks who adopted Hungarian culture and language could hope to get a decent job. At its worst, Slovak children were taken from their families to be brought up as Hungarians.

So blatant were Hungary's efforts to ethnically cleanse Hungary of the Slovak culture and language that a word was given to their actions—Magyarization. During the dark days of the second half of the nineteenth century, many thousands of Slovaks left their homeland to try and build a new life in America.

This was the political situation when Štefan Ochodnický and Eva Klč were born in 1878 and 1885.

1904 - marriage and childbirth

Štefan Ochodnický and Eva Klč were married in the Evangelical (Protestant) Church in the town of Lubina on February 16, 1904. Hrušové was not large enoough to have its own church and was part of the Lubina parish, located just a mile away.

I am not sure whether Štefan and Eva subsequently lived in Lubina or whether they lived in Hrušové. Nine months later, on November 25, 1904, they gave birth to their first child, Ján (John). The record shows his birthplace as Lubina. However, it is most likely that his birth was registered at the church in Lubina but that he was born in Hrušové.

1906 and 1907 - emigration

On February 3, 1906, at age 25, Štefan Ochodnický sailed from Bremen, Germany aboard the S.S. Barbarossa to New York. He entered the United States through Ellis Island on February 15th. The Ellis Island transcriber has recorded his last name as Ochoduicky. He came with three companions—Janos Hrba (26), Janos (name indecipherable) (26), and Adam Juracek (29). The ship’s manifest lists Stefan and his companions as farmer/laborers. Stefan had $12 in his possession. The men were heading to Pennsylvania to stay with Štefan’s brother-in-law, (name indecipherable).

A year later, Eva sailed from Antwerp, Belgium on March 2, 1907 and arrived at Ellis Island on April 3rd aboard the S.S. Samland. The Ellis Island transcriber listed her last name as Ochoduiyki. She was 22 years old and had just $4 in her possession. Her destination was St. Louis, Missouri.

When Eva emigrated to the United States she left her 2 ½ year old son Ján behind. He was raised by his maternal grandmother Anna Plašenka for the next decade until her death in 1919. In 1920, Štefan and Eva then sent for Ján and brought him to America when he was sixteen years old. In the meantime, Štefan and Eva had more children on this side of the Atlantic.

1908 - second child

In 1908, Alzbeta (Elizabeth) Ochodnicky was born to Stefan and Eva in St. Louis. She died two years later.

1910-1919

In April 1910, the federal census listed “Stepan Ocholnicky” (32) and Eva (29) living at the rear of 1616 South 12th Street (now South Tucker Boulevard), between Lafayette Avenue and Carroll Street in Soulard.

Their daughter Alzbeta was listed as “Betha” and was 18 months old. She died within the year.

Stefan was working in a glass factory and Eva in a hemp factory. Perhaps she worked at the Broderick & Bascom Rope Company at 728 North Main Street or the A. Leschen & Sons Rope Company at 925 North Main Street.

In the same building on South 12th Street lived other Hungarian Slovaks—John and Anna Sedovic and their son Sam; John and Kate Baronovic and their daughter Anna; John and Mary Mikulas; and George and Mary Slochar and their daughters Anna and Imilia.

Stefan and Eva eventually had three more children, all sons—Pavel (Paul) on September 3, 1911, Emil on July 11, 1916, and Jaroslav (Jerry) on February 18, 1922.

Emil had been born the evening of July 11, 1916 at home at 1708 Menard between Lafayette Avenue and Julia Street about three blocks from their previous residence on South 12th Street. Magdalena Krobot, a midwife, was present for the delivery.

Five days later, on July 16, Stefan and Eva had Emil baptized at Svatý Lukáša Slovensky Luteranski Cerkvica (Saint Lucas Slovak Lutheran Church) by Pastor Juraj Majoros, who served as pastor there from 1913-1944. The baptismal certificate lists the parents as "Stefana Ochotnicky" and "Evy" nee "Klč." Sponsors were Michal and Maria Stančik, and Juraj and Anna Hlavaty.

In 1916, Svatý Lukáš Cerkvica (Saint Lucas Church) was located at 2006 South 13th Street at Allen Avenue in Soulard. The church was founded by 36 Slovak immigrant families in Soulard on January 29, 1905 and was the first Slovak Lutheran church west of the Mississippi. It was first organized in the parochial school of historic Trinity Lutheran Church, the oldest Lutheran congregation of any nationality west of the Mississippi, located on 8th Street near Lafayette Avenue. Trinity Church was founded in 1839 as Die Dreieinigkeitskirche by Saxon immigrants who had planned to settle in Perry County, Missouri but ended up staying in St. Louis. The school where Saint Lucas was organized is today the oldest continuously operating elementary school in St. Louis.

During its first eighteen months, Svatý Lukáš was served every other week by Slovak-speaking students from Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. Its first regular pastor, L.A. Jarosi, arrived June 1, 1906 and stayed until October 15, 1907. In January 1909, under Pastor Theodore A. Balent, the church purchased a three-story building at 1921 South 9th Street which had served as the former "Self-Culture Hall" building. Since 1895, the Hall had been the site of a free community school for working people run by the Ethical Society of St. Louis.

In 1914, the congregation learned that St. Paul Friedens Church at 13th Street and Allen Avenue was for sale, following a merger of that church with the Jesus Church at 12th and Victor. St. Paul Friedens Church had been founded in 1886 following a dispute at the nearby St. Paul’s Evangelical Church at 9th and Soulard (now Lafayette) which created a rift in the congregation.

The Svatý Lukáš congregation purchased the church, parish hall, and parsonage for $14,500 and dedicated the structure on April 19, 1914. By 1918, the church developed plans to establish a parochial school, but due to a lack of teachers, it did not open until 1928.

By 1918, Stefan had dropped the ‘d’ from his last name and was spelling it Ochonicky. He registered for the draft as Steve Ochonicky at age 39 on September 12, 1918. His address was listed as 1520 South 13th Street (between Lafayette Avenue and Soulard Street just three blocks from his previous address on Menard). He was working as a laborer at the American Manufacturing Company. The American Foundry and Manufacturing Company was founded in St. Louis in 1888.

In 1919, two different city directories listed Stefan Ochonicky as the owner of a fruit market located at 1520 South 13th Street.

1920-1929

On January 5, 1920, the federal census found "Steph and Emma Ochonick" living at 1014 Geyer (between 10th and Menard) with their sons Paul (8) and Emil (3). Stefan’s occupation was listed as "proprietor, grocery store."

Emil remembered his father as a quiet, gentle man who could be very profound when he spoke. Stefan stood about 5’6” tall, but was powerfully built. Nearly all his life he had worked as a laborer.

Emil remembered his mother as a large, domineering woman who ran the household. She made the rules and would not bend them. Emil was not allowed to play on Saturdays until he had scrubbed the front steps of the house. No amount of bargaining could sway his mother's mind. All of the sons were expected to work for the family’s welfare and all wages had to be turned in to help the family make ends meet.

As a young boy, Emil sold newspapers (three cents a copy) before and after school, and worked in a bowling alley in the evenings. On weekends he helped his brother Paul hang wallpaper without recieving any payment for his services. Emil was angry that he could not keep some of the money he earned because all of his "American" school friends had spending money. He decided to keep a small portion of his earnings and told his mother he was going to do this. Apparently, he got away with it.

Paul filled the role of the eldest son since John remained in Slovakia. Paul remembered that his mother Eva was a very hard person and would beat him for minor infractions.

The oldest son, Ján (John), came to the United States in 1920 at the age of 16. For the previous 14 years, his grandmother, Anna Plašenka, who had raised him in Hrušove, wanted John to remain with her there because she was a widow and needed his help. When she died in 1919, Stefan and Eva sent for John and he reluctantly came to St. Louis. He didn’t know his parents. His father left when he was one year old and his mother left when he was two.

Ján Ochonicky sailed from Le Havre, France aboard the S.S. Rochambeau on October 13, 1920, and arrived in New York ten days later. The ship's manifest says that his home was in "Horné Bzince, Slovaky". His nearest relative in Slovakia was an uncle, Martin Macuih, who lived in that town. The manifest states that he was going to join his father Stefan Ochonicky at 1014 Geyer in St. Louis.

Horné Bzince is a tiny village in a cluster of small villages. In size, it is slightly overshadowed by its adjoining neighbors Bzince pod Javorinou and Dolné Bzince. Horné Bzince means "Upper Bzince," Dolné Bzince means "Lower Bzince," and Bzince pod Javorinou means "Bzince under Javorinou." As you can see from the map below, Horné Bzince is within a mile to a mile and a half east of Hrušové and Lubina.

When he arrived in St. Louis, John soon learned about his mother’s wrath. One day, he was ordered to get the horse and wagon out of their stable/garage. When Eva got in the wagon, the horse became spooked and took off. The wagon turned over and Eva’s face was scraped and bruised. John was blamed for the incident.

In his teens, Emil worked for his uncle and aunt, Martin and Anna Plašenka, in their grocery store at 1120 Sidney Street between South 11th and South 12th Streets. Anna (nee Klč) was Eva’s younger sister. They had constructed a four unit building at 1120-1122 Sidney which had a store on the first level (1120) and three rental apartments—one on the first floor (1122) two apartments on the second floor (1120A and 1122A).

Anna, like her sister, was a strong woman, but more tenderhearted, especially when it came to Emil. Martin Plasenka was her second husband. Family lore says that she sent her first husband back to Slovakia because he was too lazy.

John Ochotnicky (he always spelled his last name with a "t") married Ludmilla (Lillian) around 1922 at St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church. Ludmilla was Roman Catholic. When their son was born, Eva had him baptized at St. Lucas. John and Lillian soon moved to Pennsylvania and later to New York.

1930-1939

I have not located a 1930 census record for Stefan and Eva Ochodnicky.

Emil quit McKinley High School after the ninth grade in order to work full time. This would have been about 1931, well into the Great Depression, and Emil would have been about 15 years old.

Anna and Martin Plasenka eventually tired of running the grocery business and sold it to Harry J. Walkenbach, a meat cutter. Emil continued to work for the new owner, and later, when Harry opened a second store at 12th and Shenandoah, Emil managed the store on Sidney Street for him. By then he was making about $23 a week and had become an experienced meat cutter.

Paul married Anna Valencik on June 27, 1936 at St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church. After their marriage, the couple lived with Paul's parents. All the money he made had to be turned over to his mother.

In 1938, Emil's aunt Anna decided that Emil, now 22 years old, should have his own business. She convinced Harry Walkenbach that he only needed one grocery and persuaded him to sell the business in her building on Sidney street to Emil. Since Harry was renting the space from her, he didn’t have much choice. Emil bought the grocery business in the spring of 1939 and renamed it “Emil’s Market.”

Emil married Viola Baer on September 3, 1939 at St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church.

At one point Stefan worked for the Algonite Stone Company at Kingshighway and Christy. He also worked for Cuttler Manufacturing Comany which made conveyors and fruit packing machinery.

1940-1949

At some point in his life, Stefan worked at a job that required him to clean out the insides of railroad tanker cars. He used caustic materials in a confined space with poor ventilation. Stefan died of emphysema on August 30, 1941. He was buried in Concordia Cemetery at 4209 Bates in St. Louis.

Anna and Martin Plsenka decided to sell their property on Sidney Street. Since a new owner might want to own the grocery business also, they offered the property to Emil and Viola. Emil borrowed $5,000 from his parents to make the down payment. Anna and Martin then moved to another house in the Soulard neighborhood.

1950 - 1959

On October 27, 1950, Eva Ochodnicky died at home at 2927 Minnesota Avenue where she was living with her son Jerry.

Emil remembered that before her death, his mother was seriously ill and urgently needed a doctor. In February 1950, Emil contacted a doctor, Leo P. Young at 2621 South Jefferson Avenue, who examined Eva and determined that surgery was necessary. In the operating room, he discovered cancer in the colon that was inoperable. He performed a colostomy and sent Emil a bill for $500. Emil called the doctor and complained that they had never discussed fees and that he would never have agreed to an amount that large without consulting his brothers. He knew he would be in hot water with them for committing to surgery without a prior cost estimate and he knew thay would probably be unwilling to contribute the full amount. The surgeon reluctantly agreed to lower his charges to between $200 and $300. Eva survived until October when she died of a cardiac collapse brought on by the cancer.

Eva Ochodnicky was buried in Concordia Cemetery on October 30, 1950.

Jerry Ochonicky married Vera Imogene (Jean) Mull on Feb 14, 1953 at St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church.

1960 - 1969

1970 - 1979

1980 - 1989

1990 - 1999

Emil Ochonicky died on August 8, 1996 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Paul Ochonicky died on January 4, 1998 in St. Louis, Missouri.

John Ochotnicky died on October 18, 1998 in New York.