The Chicago Grand Crossing Czech Community Begins

This is going to be the most difficult part of the research. The GC Czecn community began sometime in the early 1880's, after the 1880 census. The 1890 census was destroyed, so that there is no easy record of who had moved there by 1890. In the rest of Chicago, this research problem can partially yield to the information in city directories. But Grand Crossing was a separate town, not annexed by Chicago until 1889. And even then, guides and maps and directories of Chicago often omitted Grand Crossing entirely.

Birth and death records constitute the most reliable, though sparse, sources of the earliest movement to Grand Crossing, since they contain addresses. Land records may have to provide the ultimate answers but will require much more difficulty to obtain.

Earliest Known Movement to Grand Crossing

Here is what is known so far about the earliest movement to Grand Crossing.

The earliest documented movement to the South Side was the 1883 arrival of Frantisek/Frank Marek at 5712 Wabash Avenue. This was about 2.5 miles north of Grand Crossing (which was then known as Brookline). It is known through his 1910 death certificate, which places his time at his final residence at 27 years. Since it was the siblings of Frank Marek who comprised a large portion of the earliest Grand Crossing Czechs, it may be that Frank's move to 57th and Wabash was what put Grand Crossing on the map for Chicago Czechs. But a great deal more research is needed to understand what happened.

The earliest document of any Czech actually living in Brookline is the 4 Sep 1885 birth of Mary (who actually went by the name Vlasta) Marek to Josef Marek and Mary Kanak. The place of birth is given as 80 Seventy First Street in Brookline. Their previous child, also named Mary but who actually used that name, was born 3 Feb 1885 at 112 Foquer in the Praha neighborhood. So their move was between the dates of the births of these daughters.

Here are the dates that the earliest families moved to Grand Crossing.

• by 1885
  • Sep 4 - Joseph Marek's daughter Vlasta born at 80 Seventy First Street in Brookline
• by 1892
  • 1887-1892 - Matthew Hahn's child is born 1887 at 101 West 18th Street. He appears in the 1892 city directory at 78th and Storms, as the saloon keeper.