It could have been Tim, Mike, and Cathy Machal instead of Teply.
There are no Teplys in Kansas in the census of 1875, 1880, or 1885.
Except one…
Just think how close we were to losing our Teply name.
- Joseph Teply (3G) died soon after arriving in Wisconsin. No Teply.
- Josephine Teply (3G) married Joseph Swoboda. Swoboda, not Teply.
- Frank Teply (2G) lived in the Machal household from age 4 to 21, and censuses identified him as Frank Machal, not Teply.
Lucky for us, Frank kept his birth name. One Teply. Only one in Kansas.
Swobodas and Machals come to Kansas
In 1869, John Pecenka claimed a homestead in Logan Township in western Marshall County, halfway between Marysville and Hanover. A Bohemian settlement, Bremen, was founded a few miles north.
This area became home for many immigrants from Bohemia.
On November 7, 1874, Josef Swoboda came from the sable pineries of Racine, Wisconsin.
History of Marshall County, Kansas – Emma Forter – 1917
Swoboda farm
In March 1875, Joseph Swoboda bought the 160 acre homestead claim of Patrick and Anna Quigley for $1,300.
On this farm Joseph and Josephine would farm and raise a family.
Swoboda farm
View from road looking north
Building foundation
Machal farm
John Machal came too, with his wife Johana and with 9 year-old Frank Teply.
In 1878, Machal bought the 80-acre homestead claim of E.N and Carrie J. Morrill of $120.
Why would Machals move with Swobodas? Related? My guess is yes, it’s likely.
Frank Teply’s world – 1875-1886
Frank Teply arrived in Kansas with John and Johana Machal at age 9.
He lived at their farm east of Hanover, about three miles from his mother Josephine Swoboda’s farm.
This is where Frank grew up.
Frank wasn’t estranged from his mom…
Before my dad (Ben Teply, Josephine’s grandson) died I remember coming from Marysville and stopping to see her.
Alice Teply Karr letter – 2000
… but it’s a weird arrangement. We know that John Machal mistreated Frank.
When she (Josephine) married Swobada he did not want Grandpa (Frank) so she gave him away to a couple named Muchel. He was quite mean to Grandpa and often beat him. As a result this apparently affected Grandpa so he never ever spanked one of his sons and could not stand to ever see one of his grandchildren spanked. He was a very gentle person.
Alice Teply Karr letter – 2000
In January 1886, Johana Machal died at age 56. She was buried at the Pecenka Bohemian cemetery, located on the Marshall/Washington county line.
Frank Teply was 21 when Johana died in 1886. This is probably when he left the Machal household. (The 1890 US Census records burned, so we don’t have a census record of Frank’s whereabouts in 1890.)
We still don’t know if John or Johana Machal were relatives, or friends, or just neighbors in Wisconsin. But it seems likely that Machal was related to Swobodas, because after Johana died he lived with Charles, one of Joseph and Josephine’s sons until he died. And Charles owned the Machal farm.
So it’s 1886, and there’s one Teply in Kansas.
Nibbles Extra Credit
Hanover is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. We’re going to be spending some time in Hanover, so Nibbles will throw in some Hanover tidbits while we’re in the neighborhood.
Gerat Hollenberg came to Kansas in 1854, first settling in Marshall County. There he married Sophia Brockmeyer in 1858.
In the fall of that year, they came to Washington County and built their home on the Ft. Kearney Road, operating the stage coach depot and general store and post office.
Two years later, their ranch became a Pony Express Station. It was located on the Pony Express route with an established post office.
And here it still stands, acknowledged as “The Only Original and Unaltered Pony Express Station in the United States”, a Kansas State Park and a Registered National Historical Landmark.
Then in 1869, Hollenberg laid out the town of Hanover, choosing a site in the fertile valley of the Little Blue.
Sources
- History of Marshall County, Kansas – Emma Forter – 1917
- Census – Frank (Machal) Teply – 1885 Kansas Census – p. 7
- Deed – Joseph Swoboda from Patrick Quigley – 160 acres Marshall 20 2 6 – 1875 – DS P520 – Marshall County Kansas Register of Deeds
- Deed – Land Patent – John Machal – 80 acres Washington 11 2 5 – 1879 – D20 P100 – Washington County Kansas Register of Deeds
- Township Maps of Marshall and Washington Counties – 1882
- Letter from Alice Teply Karr to Mr and Mrs. Arthur Teply – 2000 – then sent to Nick Teply 2003
- The One Hundred Year History of Hanover, Kansas – From “Hanover Centennial — 1869-1969”
- Pecenka Cemetery Photo – Mark Jarvis – October 2019
Family Nibbles 