The Colfax County Press publishes a weekly column entitled Peeking into the Past, which is comprised of articles taken from earlier Colfax County Press files, written by Helen C. Evans. A special thank you to the Colfax County Press for allowing me to reprint those articles! The following are selections from that column:
January 3, 1930 - reprinted April 22, 1998As the hours of the old year slowly passed into eternity and a new year was to be born, John Rosicky, an early day settler of this community laid aside the burdens of this life and fell into his last slumber from which there is no awakening. Although Mr. Rosicky had been sick for some time, the news of his demise was received with a shock by all of this community. The end came December 29th, at the hour of ten, at the family home in the southeast part of town.
The deceased was born in Saszava, Czechoslovakia, May 31, 1854, and was in his 76th year at the time of his death. He spent his boyhood in the land of his birth where he learned the art of cabinet making and on the 4th day of November, 1883, was united in marriage to Katherine Jaros, who now is left to survive.
In the spring of 1894, during the month of May, Mr. and Mrs. Rosicky left their native land and came to America. They beckoned to the call of the golden west and came directly to Nebraska and located in Crete, where they remained about a year.
A dry summer existed in Nebraska that year and conditions were not very encouraging for the newcomer. For some time Mr. and Mrs. Rosicky were on the verge of returning to their homeland, however, they survived the drought and after a year's stay at Crete moved to Clarkson and retained their domicile here ever since.
Mr. Rosicky purchased the home which now is the property of the Frank Bartak family. He followed the carpenter trade for many years and was also active in the development of our town. Upon disposing of his town property, Mr. Rosicky erected a new home on an acreage tract in the southeast part of town and also subdivided a tract of land into residential lots, known as the Rosicky Addition. This addition will remain a lasting monument to his memory. Mr.Rosicky suffered a paralytic stroke some years ago and since the attack he was not able to return to his carpenter work.
Besides his wife, Mr. Rosicky is survived by four daughters, Rosie, wife of F.W Opocensky of Bee, Nebraska; Hermie, wife of Emil Cinfel of near Clarkson; Anna, wife of Clifford Philips of Woodman, Colorado; and Adela, wife of Louis Hoffman of Bee, Nebraska. He also leaves four sons, William, who is a chiropractor at Harlan, Iowa; Earl, who is cashier of a bank in Lynch; Rudolph, who is an enterprising business man of Clarkson; and Henry, who is a mail carrier at Leigh. Mr. Rosicky also leaves fifteen grandchildren.