Stella was born 11 May 1892 at Manly, IA and at a young age moved to Spillville with her parents. She graduated as an Registered Nurse from Mercy School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, IA in 1913.

Ben and Stella farmed east of Spillville, in Winneshiek Co., Calmar Twp, Section 21 on the same farm Ben grew up on. They had 2 children: Elias and Helen Louise. Elias was born 18 Oct 1920 and died 31 Jan 1943. Helen (b. 21 Nov) married Calvin Einwalter (18 Jun 1911-25 Jul 1972) in Jan 1950. They lived on a farm 3 miles west of Ft. Atkinson, IA and had 2 children: Ronald and Linda. Ronald was born 22 Jul 1951 and died 17 May 1983. Linda married Donald G. Yirkovsky 15 Oct 1976. Donald is self-employed in Apollo Siding Co. at Cedar Rapids, IA. They have 2 children, Melissa Ann and Brent Donald.

Novak, John and Mary (Phillips)

(Rebecca Neuzil)

Although they owned their home and things were well with them, John and Anna (Vlasaty) Novak decided that for a better future for their 5 sons and 2 daughters it would be best if they moved to America. In 1853 they left their home at Varvazha, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) and traveled to Hamburg from where they were to take a sailing ship to America. They had to wait several weeks for their passage. The journey took 17 weeks. When the wind was favorable all went well but when the wind was unfavorable the ship went back instead of ahead and thus much time was lost.

Once a keg of tar caught fire and it quickly spread so that the passengers feared the worst. One of the travelers grabbed the burning keg and heaved it into the ocean suffering severe burns to his hands as a result.

When the ship got ready to leave Hamburg many barrels of water for drinking purposes were loaded. The longer the trip took the more unhealthy the water became until there was an outbreak of intestinal typhoid. More than half the passengers of the ship became sick and by the time the ship arrived in America about one-third had died. Those that died were buried at sea. Among these was Anna Novak, the wife of John Novak, leaving him with 7 children, the oldest being 18 years old and the youngest 2 years old. John also was sick but fortunately recovered. The captain feared that the sick who were delirious would jump into the sea so he ordered them bound. In the years that followed the older Novak children remembered how they saw their father roped on the ship. The younger daughter, 12 year old Katherine, also became sick and remembered nothing more of the trip until she became conscious again at Cleveland, OH. One of her brothers was also sick.

When John Novak arrived at Cleveland he and his children took room and board with a family whom he once knew in Bohemia. When at last it seemed that the sick children would never get well the lady of the house where they roomed said to Mr. Novak, “Novak, go and buy coffins for the children and have them carried out of the house as soon as they die.” Instead John rented a small house and that very day he and the children moved in. Both the children recovered.

The lonely, motherless family stayed in Cleveland over the winter and John found a job. His wages were 50 cents a day. In the spring of 1854 he and his children joined several other families and all went to Dubuque, IA where they hired teams to take them to Ft. Atkinson, IA. They stayed at Ft. Atkinson a week, living in the abandoned barracks which had been vacated when the Winnebago Indians and the United States Army moved out in 1848. Then they walked about 6 miles to the abode of Joseph Spielman, after whom the town of Spillville was later named.

Spielman had a flour mill and John worked for him at 50 cents a day. He then bought government land and that very spring he and the children dug up with hoes small parts of the land and planted potatoes and other vegetables. In the winter the two oldest sons went to Dubuque and other towns for work. The oldest daughter Mary became housekeeper at home and the youngest Katherine was placed with the Spielman family where she stayed 2 years and where she learned to talk German fluently. After that she served 2 years with American families and learned English. At the wish of the older sister Mary, Katherine came home and became housekeeper for her father and brothers because Mary also wished to go out to work so she could learn English.

The first settlers built their homes near a creek or spring and not far from the woods. Everyone had about 40 acres of land at first but after a few years bought more. Grain was sown by hand, painstakingly weeded, cut with a scythe, and threshed with a flail. For flour, everyone took their wheat to Spielman's mill. Sometimes when the stock of flour was exhausted in winter and snowstorms prevented using the oxen to go to the mill, the whole family alternated grinding corn and wheat to have enough flour for bread. About 1858 John married a widow, Mary Phillips, who had some children but their names are unknown at this time. John became the father of 4 more children with his second wife. John and Anna’s children were: Martin, John, Frank, Joseph P, Katherine, Marie or Mary, and Thomas. The children from John’s marriage to Mary Phillips were: Anna, Wenzel, Albert and Rossali.

Anna’s children were: Martin married Frances Vondra (Sbiral) and they had 5 children: Frances (m. Joe Jirak); Matthew (m. Josephine Suchan); Anton (m. Anna Pecinovsky); Gustal remained single; and Thomas (m. Rose Kuss). John or Joe - no information available at this time. Frank married Rosalie Fisher and they had 7 children: Frank (m. Rose Swehla); James (m. Barbara Copouch); Mary (m. Charles Korton); Rose (m. Joe Novotny); Frances (m. Joseph Swehla); Charles (m. Anna C. Praska); and Emma (m. William Jirak). Joseph P mar-ried Ann Bouska and they had 10 children: Emma (m. John Humpal); Stella (m. John Dvorak); William (m. Haddie Sydow); Lucy (m. Edward Sbiral); Louis (Alois) (m. Otille M. Kubesh); James (m. Irene Warren); Christine (m. John Frana); Daniel (m. Grace Benda); Ted remained single; and Benjamin A. (m. Stella Klimesh). Katherine married Thomas Philip and they had 3 children: