He is not the son of Andreas Ondrej and Carolina Vaschek, as I originally thought. I appoligize for the error.

Andrea (Berger) Walston

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The Joseph Ondrej Family

Joseph & Johanna (Demel) Ondrej, and their two oldest children, Alois, age 4, and Julius, age 2 mos., came to America in 1893. They arrived at the Port of New York on April 5, 1893, aboard the ship Darmstadt. They had left from the Port of Bremen, Germany. Their Port of Arrival is listed as New York, New York To Baltimore, Maryland. This might indicate that they had purchased tickets that would also include train fair for passage through Baltimore, Maryland.

When the Ondrej family first came to Texas they lived in Cameron, Texas, which is in Milam County. They also lived in Mt. Calm, Elk, Tours and Penelope.

According to his Petition for Naturalization, made on December 13, 1905, Joseph was born on May 29, 1859 (headstone has 1860) in Lubomer, Austria. His wife, Johanna Ondrej, was also born in Lubomer, Austria. [Luboměř is a municipality and village in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic.] Joseph Ondrej originally petitioned for citizenship on November 2, 1896 in Milam County, Texas. They were living in Cameron, Texas at that time. On December 13, 1905, they were living in Mt. Calm, Hill County, Texas.

According to "A History of Tours, Texas", the Ondrej family lived in Tours, Texas two different times, from 1904 to 1908, and from 1912 to 1921. They lived on the old Anton Uptmor place. The boys hunted wild animals on the Rice Creek and sold the skins for a few dollars. It was the only source of income that the boys had at that time.

The family had moved to Tours from Cameron. They were farmers and their farming was done with mules. When the children had finished their work on their own place, they chopped and picked cotton for others to earn a little extra money. Sometimes the boys cleared land by digging stumps. This, too, brought in a little income. There were three girls and five boys in the Ondrej family. The girls went to St. Martin's School.

During World War I, three boys were drafted into the service, Louis, Julius and August. Their names are on the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Joe, was also asked to report for military service, but when he and a lot of other Tours boys went to the place of induction, Armistice was declared.

Frank, the youngest son, never married and died at the age of 29, and is buried at St. Martin's Cemetery.

Some of the descendants live in Hill County and elsewhere, but some of August's children still live in the Leroy-Tours community.

Page 628 - The Joseph Ondrej Family - A History of Tours, Texas, by Sister Mary Elizabeth Jupe [Edited March 21, 2024 by Andrea (Berger) Walston]

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Last rites for Joseph Ondrej, 80, who died at his home in Penelope, Friday afternoon at 1 p.m., were held Monday at 9 a.m. in the Penelope Catholic church, Father J. Konkiel officiating, burial in St. Martin's cemetery at Tours.

He is survived by three sons, Joe, Louis, and August of Penelope; three daughters, Mrs. Millie Woytek, Ross, Mrs. Mary Deboer, Los Angeles, Calif., and Mrs. Albina Hornak, West.

The West News, West, Texas, Volume 51, No. 11, Edition 1, Friday, August 9, 1940, page 5

Obituary courtesy of Find a Grave Contributor Betty Fajkus Marek # 48445083