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Last updated July 14, 2014|
Frantisek & Josefina were the first generation of Starman's to come to America. It is not known
if they were married here or in Czech. There are two stories about that-haven't been able
to find a marriage license. Frantisek was in the army in Austria. All the young men from Bohemia
or Czech had to serve in this army. There is a picture of him in his uniform taken in Wein,
(Vienna) Austria. This may have been the reason they came to the USA. Frantisek his sister,
Barbora, and his brother Vincient came over together. Later a half brother Frank Rypka came,
too. Frantisek and Josefina settled in Pratt Community in Steel Co, MN. They had seven children.
Pauline was born after her dad passed away. It is said he died in the barn. It seems he
had tuberculous. He could be heard coughing, so they always know where he was working. He
did play the bugle in the Army. Note: Jo Trom said her grandparents Frank and Josephine were
married in Bohemia, before they immigrated in about 1878. See below for Ottila's version. Josefina married Frank Schiller in Somerset, MN. The stories told is that he was very mean to them all. After his death she came to live with her daughters in the Flom & Ulen, MN area. A letter from Otilla Peckacek Josefina Kubistova came to the USA in 1871 at the age of 16 with her father. Settled in Steel Co, MN. Later met Frank Starman. They were probably married in 1880 and had seven children. My mother being the oldest was only we 12 yrs old when grandpa died of tuberculosis in 1894. She was born in 1881 and her brother Frank was born in 1882. They were all about a year or two apart. So I think there was some hardship there. My mother was in the 6th grade and she had to quit school and get a job to help support the family. I think it is quiet possible that the Starman family came to the USA the same time or near there as the Kubistova family since they all settled in the same community. I remember my mother asking grandma if she new grandpa in the old country. She said, no she had heard the name Starman a couple times but never net till in Minnesota. They were married there in Steele Co. All Thier children were born there, married there all except maybe your mother( Pauline) I am not sure she might have been married up north. Most of the grandchildren were born in that area. My two brothers were born in Ulen area. They are all gone now except one brother Joe who lives in Woodburn, Oregon and myself. We moved to the Ulen farm in 1917 so we have been around here for a while. Grandma Married Schiller in her late years, but he lived a few short months and he died. That is when she came to live with her daughter's in the early 20's. She died in 1936 at the age of 80. I guess the reason we knew so little about the Starman the children were so young they could hardly remember him. And Grandma was very hard of hearing, so she never learned to speak English. I could understand every thing she said, but talking Bohemian, I wasn't so good at. The only one that talked to her was my mother and she had to stand and shout in her ear so she could hear. I guess when you are young you are are not interested in your Heritage. Answering some of your questions, yes mom had pictures of grandpa in his uniform. They were large oval pictures, she had it hanging on the wall. She also had a family picture of the Wanous family, grandpa sister. But they were all destroyed In the fire that burned their house in the 50's I knew all of Barbara's children and grandchildren very well. My mother kept in touch with her cousins as long as she lived. They came a number of times to visit us up here. And when we went south we always stopped in To see them. Barbara had 4 daughters and 1 son, 5 granddaughters. You wondered where the Starman's entered the USA, all immigrants from that part of the country landed in New York and then placed where ever they were going from there. They became citizens where they settled. Owatonna is the County seat for Steel Co., where all the records are kept in the court house. I don't know where the location of Grandpa's death was, but he died at home. My mother said she didn't remember to much about him, but he coughed almost all the time. Where ever he was on the farm you could hear him. I hope this helps you out a little. Love, Otilla. |