A short history of Casper and Theressa Chada
 Casper Chada and his wife Theressa came to the United States on January 7th, 1857, landing in New York City. They brought with them from Tabor, Bohemia, their two children Mary (b1853) and John (b1855). From New York, they went to East St. Louis. Apparently it was there they outfitted for a journey to Iowa by covered wagon.
In 1867, Casper and Theressa purchased land in Worth County, Iowa (Union Township, Section 20). Here the family lived in a sod house where, probably, daughter Anna was born and until Casper died. He is buried 4 miles east of Manly, Iowa, "on a hill marked by a single timber wooden cross." Many years later the grave was identified by his grandson Albert Chada and greatgrandson Glenn Sheka. According to Albert, they got road construction through the grave sites stopped and rededicated the grave with another wooden cross. Sometime after the death of Casper, Theressa married Franz Michalek [b c1840] and moved to North Dakota.
Mary married Henry Sheka and settled in Grafton, IA. They had five children.
John claimed to have been born in East St. Louis but he was actually only two years old when he arrived there and probably remembered nothing of the long and weary trips to get to Iowa. According to researcher Bill R. Chada, records say: "John, after a pioneer life of many trials and tribulations and loss of his first wife and child," ended up on a farm in Havana, North Dakota, in Taylor Townswhip, Sargent County. There he homesteaded his land and received title in 1885, signed by President Chester A. Arthur, since Dakota was still a territory. John married Celia Frisby in 1908 and they had six children.
Anna married Frank Hobza and they had six children. It is not known where they lived.
Our info on Casper Chada and Theressa Version in a letter to Roy and Helga Ployhar from Julia Marshall post marked 1952 Mother's parents (at least her father) was born in Tyrol. Her Grandfather
was a caretaker. He had charge of a large wooded estate where the
artistocrats hunted.
Mother's folks had a pretty good education. Her father had money. He owned
horses and farm equipment. He hauled wheat, produce, and hogs, etc, for the
other farmers in their neighborhood to Fort Dodge MN, and brought back flour
and other commodities for them.
As remembered and documented by Hilda Ployhar: Ployhar papers; 1963.
Grandfather looked after the business of other members of the community and
was quite well-to-do. The family was quite well educated, for the time. He
had horses, etc., which most of the neighbors did not have. They had to go
about 90 miles to town, part of the way by boat, to get supplies. It
usually took them about a week to get there and back. Whenever they went
the neighbors came along, some with their oxen and others who had none.
They made sort of a wagon train, possible to protect themselves from Indians
that might happen to be in the area.
Some of the men stayed at home because of the Indians. The Indians stole
chickens and eggs and whatever else they could lay their hands on, but
didn't harm anyone, unless they resisted in some way.
Just a day or two before they were to start on one of these trips, Mother's
(Catherine's) father had a stroke. He was completely paralyzed. He
couldn't even talk. He was that way for about a day, and then all of a
sudden, he got up and walked around and said he felt a prickly sensation all
over. His wife, Catherine's mother rushed around and tried to make some
soup for him as he hadn't eaten. But before she could prepare it, he
evidently had another stroke and passed away soon after. In all, I believe
he didn't live more than 48 hours after the first stroke. Of course, that
called off the trip. While he died in his early forties, Catherine
remembered one of her ancestors on her father's side lived to be 112 years
old.
Account by Hilda Ployhar: Ployhar papers Catherine's family came from Tyrol, in the Alps. They landed in Iowa and
farmed 160 acres of land. Once a fire destroyed their house, barn and
granary which had a lot of grain stored in it. Catherine's family was well educated for that time.
When Mother (Catherine) was a child in Iowa she had to walk three miles to
school. John usually went with her but one evening when she was alone, she
met a gray timber wolf. She had always been told never to run if she saw
one, just walk as usual. He was right in the road, so she walked around
him, and he did not bother her. It was always thought that it was because
he was alone. Had there been a pack, it might have been different.
Mother also told of listening for Indians at night. While they were never
bothered by them, a family living 8 or 10 miles from there was burned out
and killed.
When Aunt Mary married Henry Sheke, Mother (Catherine) went to live with
them and stayed until she was married. In the meantime, she did work for a
famly who owned and operated a flour mill. She worked all day, as there
were a lot of hired hands for which to cook. I (Hilda) remember Mother
telling of going to dances which often lasted three days. They made dresses
for themselves and it was during this time that they first learned about
sewing machines. But they preferred to make their clothes by hand, as they
didn't think the machines would be much good. I can remember Mother saying
that they had gathered skirts and that they pulled the gathers up as tight
as they could - those must have been some full skirts. When Mother got
married, Mary's husband gave her some money, based upon a certain amount for
each week that she had been there. She was very surprised because she
thought she was just living with them, but guessed that he considered it a
sort of dowry.
Dolly described Catherine to Donna as a woman who raised the children with
little help, and held things together. Martin didn't treat her very well.
He was often very gruff and short with the grandchildren, when they were
around and Dolly would warn them to stay out of his way.
Donna Murry Grandfather died in his early forties, when Mother (Catherine) was only nine
years old. After he died Grandmother took over. She was left a wodow with
John, Mary, Annie, Jessie, and Catherine. Later, she married on of the
hired men who sort of took over and considered himself the foreman. His
name was Maheiek and thinking he had marrired a rich widow, he just about
drank himself to death and squandered most of her property. From This
marriage there were two more children: Nettie and Albert.
Version in a letter to Roy and Helga Ployhar from Julia Marshall post marked 1952 Grandmother married again in about 2 years. This man was several years
younger and was a heavy drinker. Mother had 2 sisters and 2 brothers:
Uncle John Chada, Aunt Mary Sheka, Mother, Aunt Anna Holza, and Jessie.
After grandmother married again they had 2 more children: Aunt Nettie Hodak
and Albert.
Mother inherited 40 acres of land, 20 head of cattle, and $2,000 cash from
her father's estate. The land was located not too far from Mason City. It
was bottom land. Pa (Martin Jr.) said it wasn't worth anything and wouldn't
pay taxes on it. When Auny Mary came to visit us in 1900, she had sold her
40 acres for $100 an acre. A few years later the party that owned
"Mother's" forty sold it for $300 an acre.
Mother's youngest brother Jesse was about 15 years old when they moved to
that place south of Breckenridge. He was working for a farmer north of town
when he became ill and decided he would have to go home. He walked all that
way, spent one night sleeping in a straw-stack. He came down with typhoid
fever and died within a few days after getting home. Their grandmother
died. They all were down with it. Pa was in bed 14 weeks. He caused them
a lot of trouble. he would try running away. He kept thinking the
"Indians" were after him. Mother nearly died. She was pretty well worn out
taking care of others. She stayed in bed 11 weeks. The Doctor rode
horseback every other day from Breckenridge. He would carry water for them
and also prepare food and bring thengs for them to eat when he came. For
all this he only charged them $20.00. They couldn't hire anyone to come in
and help as typhoid was considered a plague.
Mother's father (Casper) is buried near Grafton, Iowa. Her Mother and
brother are buried near Wahpeton.
Hilda Ployhar Mother and Father stayed in Iowa for a time after they were married in
1877. Frank and Helen were born there. Mother told about going those 90
miles to have them baptized in the Catholic Church. Mother was just a young
married woman when the family contracted typhoid. Mother spent 9 weeks in
bed and Dad took 11 weeks. Grandmother (Kathrine) died, as did one of
Mother's brothers (Jessie). Grandmother was about 45 when she died. She
left two small children. Mother's half-sister, Nettie, was 6 years old and
Albert was 2. Mother kept Nettie until she married. Albert lived with us
until he was 12 years old. Aunt Annie then married and Albert made his home
with her.
Albert was a Rough Rider under Teddy Roosevelt. He was in the bunch that
stormed San Juan Hill in Cuba, one of the important battles in the
Spanish-American War.
When the family decided to go to North Dakota, they drove there in a covered
wagon. This was in 1879. They landed in Wahepton after a stop at
Abercrombie. It was a fort at that time, in what was an Indian
Reservation. Mother told of the white people getting the Indians to state a
war dance, and that some of the older squaws cried because they recalled
when the land had all been theirs. The authorities wouldn't let them dance
again as they were afraid it might stir them up and cause trouble.
There were public schools in Wahepton, but no Catholic school or church.
Frank started to school when he was six. Helen, who always had to do what he
did started school at the same time, although she was only four. But she
was exceptionally bright and I believe passed him, because she graduated
from high school when she was 14. When the kids were in the fifth grade a
Catholic Church came into the area, and they started a school. But since
mostly Bible history was taught there and it only went to the third grade,
Mother continued sending her children to the public school The priest
finally called on her and wanted to know why she didn't send them to
Catholic school. She explained to him that they were beyond the grades
being taught in the Catholic school. He said, "the third grade is high
enough for any Catholic child to go." Mother answered, "not for my
children." However, one must remember that that was 70 years ago, or more,
and that might have been just the opinion of that particular priest. They
do not look at education in that way now. However, that was our break with
the Catholic church. Dolly told me once that Frank told her we were all
baptized Catholics, but I heard the foregoing so many times, that I am sure
he was mistaken. In fact, he was away from home much of the time when we
were kids. (Julia also was baptized Catholic.) After that she was more or
less ostracized by the neighbors (McCabes, etc, you remember them), most of
whom were Irish Catholics.
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