Anna Triska, widow of Grand Crossing, Chicago
Research Note by Wesley Johnston, begun 8 Jul 2023, last updated 19 Dec 2023
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/12627773/person/12469328646/media/d1ee6729-74dc-41fb-9d32-dabccb9ac4f8
Overview
Anna (Hlad) Triska was the widowed mother of several children who in the 1900 census lived in Grand Crossing, which was annexed to Chicago. Her husband Vaclav Triska had died in Kozojedy in Bohemia in 1867.
A Joseph Triska and wife Anna Krejci who lived in Chicago in the 1880 census are in some online trees as this couple, although they are buried in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In fact, the couples are not at all the same and not at all related. These are completely separate families and should not be confused.
19 Dec 2023 Update
We now know that the 1900 Census Anna was Anna Hlad whose husband Vaclav Triska had died in Bohemia in 1867. They had 7 children of whom 2 died. We have the Czech records for this family and all the children.
In addition, we now have the records of the 1880 Census family and all the children of that family. All but one went to Iowa by 1891 and remained there. The one who remained in Chicago died in 1892. None of this family's parents or children were in Chicago in the 1900 census.
The Overview section above has been updated to reflect this, but everything below these two update notices has yet to be updated.
18 July 2023 Update
The 1905 obituary of Anna Triskova in the Chicago "Denni Hlasatel" confirms that she was the one in the 1900 census and was NOT the one in the 1880 census and thus NOT the Anna (KREJCI) TRISKA buried in Cedar Rapids in 1925.
The Definite Records
1880 Census of Chicago
The 5 Jun 1880 census of Chicago ( https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4240466-00006 ) shows Joseph and Annie TRISKA and their children Joseph, Frank, James, Josephine living at 401 West 16th Street. Joseph Sr was age 50 (thus born c 1830). Annie was 46 (thus born about 1834). Joseph Jr was 19 (b c 1861) and born in Bohemia. Frank was 13 (b c 1867) and born in Bohemia. James was 7 (b c 1873) and born in Illinois. Josephine was 10 (b c 1870) and born in Bohemia.
As noted below, while this is definitely a record of a Chicago TRISKA family with mother Annie, it is not clear whether this is the same Annie and son Frank in the 1900 Chicago census. And the absence of a daughter Annie in the 1880 family adds to that uncertainty.
1900 Census of Chicago
The 6 Jun 1900 census of Chicago ( https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4113749_00319 ) shows the two related families at 7714 and 7716 Greenwood.
Frank "TRESKA", age 35, born November 1964 in Bohemia, shows as the owner of the house at 7714 Greenwood, free of any mortgage. He is shown arriving in the US in 1880, being here for 20 years and has been naturalized. He worked as a Machinist. He and wife Mary (age 32, born Jan 1868, arrived US 1884) both show they first married 14 years ago (thus about 1886). She had had 6 children, all of whom were then living. And all six are listed with them, all born in Illinois: Mary (13), James (11), Rosie (9), "Volusla" (6) and Lillian (3) TRISKA.
Two families show as living at 7716 Greenwood, both of them renting with no owner shown.
The apparently unrelated family is that of divorcee Mary Harris, born in Connecticut to Irish parents. She and her two sons comprise the household.
The other family is the large family of Jacob and Annie VLAZNY. Jacob was an organ maker, age 40, born Jan 1860 in Bohemia, arrived in the US 1875 and naturalized. Annie, was 37, born March 1863 in Bohemia, arrived in the US 1880. Both were first married 17 years ago (c 1883). Annie was the mother of 6 children, all of whom were then living and are listed in the household, all born in Illinois: James (17), Joseph (15), "Bomer" (13), Rosie (10), Lillie (8), Elsie (5) VLAZNY. Annie's mother Annie "TRESKA" (the focus person of this research note) was living with them: age 66, widowed, born Sep 1833 in Bohemia, mother of 7 children of whom 5 were then living.
Comparing the 1880 and 1900 Censuses
Since the 1880 census showed 4 children in the household, either one had already left the household or else another one was born after the 1880 census. All we can account for in the 1900 census on Greenwood Avenue are two of her then 5 living children: Frank and Annie. Also, since Annie Sr. is widowed, her husband Joseph TRISKA had died between the 1880 and 1900 censuses. It is worth noting that her age of 66 in 1900 is perfectly aligned with her age 46 in the 1880 census.
There is an apparent conflict between the two censuses. All three TRISKAs (Annie Sr, Frank, Annie Jr) all stated they arrived in the US in 1880. However, James in the 1880 census is shown as age 7, born in Illinois. So, an arrival of the family in 1880 would conflict with the Illinois birth of James in 1873. Since Frank was naturalized by 1900, his naturalization records may give the exact date of their arrival and clarify this conflict.
Chicago Bohemian National Cemetery Burial Card Index
The Triska-related families have two adjacent lots at Bohemian National Cemetery: Y-1-30 and Y-1-31. The locations given are the place of death.
Lot Y-1-30 Burials
Lot Y-1-31 Burials
Cemetery and Census Record Comparison
Lot Y-1-30 matches the 1900 census of the VLAZNY family at 7716 Greenwood closely.
Annie TRISKA (the focus of this research note) is clearly the same as the Annie TRISKA on the 1880 and 1900 censuses and is explicitly shown on the 1900 census as the mother-in-law of Jacob VLAZNY (in Y-1-30) and thus the mother of his wife Annie (TRISKA) VLAZNY (also in lot Y-1-30) and thus also the mother of Frank TRISKA in lot Y-1-31.
Lillian KRIKAVA was the married daughter of Jacob and Anna VLAZNY. James VLAZNY and Edward B. VLAZNY (the "Bomer" in the 1900 census from his name Bohumil) were also their sons.
The only members of the 1900 VLAZNY household NOT in the lot were Mary, Rosie and "Vousla".
As noted, lot Y-1-31 is the same family, with Annie (???) TRISKA's sons Frank TRISKA and James TRISKA among them.
Conclusion: Anna (???) TRISKA died 1905 and is buried at Bohemian National Cemetery
The records provide almost certainty that Anna (???) TRISKA, the same one shown in the 1900 cenus, died in March 1905 and is buried in lot Y-1-30 of Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago.
There is a major open question whether the 1880 family is the same as the 1900 family or just a coincidence of names. Anna has the same year-specific age in both censuses (46 and 66). But the 1880 census has no daughter Anna who later married Jacob VLAZNY in 1882.
In order to make completely certain, I have ordered the "Denni Hlasatel" 1905 obituary for Anna TRISKA, which will give the speicifics of her surviving family members.
Anna (KREJCI) TRISKA who died 1925 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
There are online trees, one of them very well researched and documented, that show Anna as Anna (KREJCI) TRISKA who died 1925 and is buried in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The best researched tree has her, with a photo, at https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/113950079/person/410182085978/facts
There is no doubt that the Anna TRISKA buried in Cedar Rapids died in 1925 (death record at www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61442/images/101784566_03810?pId=115439) had the maiden name KREJCI since multiple records show that. But she could not be the same Anna TRISKA who died in 1905 and is buried in Chicago. So, who was Anna (KREJCI) TRISKA and did her family connect with the Chicago-buried Anna (???) TRISKA's family?
The Coincidence of Names
The coincidence of names is very strong between the Cedar Rapids family and the Chicago family, and some of those in the Cedar Rapids family were definitely born in Chicago.
Joseph TRISKA was the father, and Anna was the mother in both families.
The 1880 Chicago family had children Joseph Jr (c 1861 Bohemia), Frank (c 1867 Bohemia), Josephine (c 1870 Bohemia) and James (c 1873 Illinois). It is significant that daugher Annie TRISKA (b c 1863 Bohemia) was NOT shown in 1880 when she would have been 17 years old. She did not marry Jacob VLAZNY until 1882.
So, was this 1880 Chicago family really the same as the later Cedar Rapids family and had no daughter Annie and was NOT the same as the 1900 Chicago family?
Temporary End of the Research for now
My conclusion is that the 1880 family did indeed go to Cedar Rapids and is not at all the same as the 1900 family, but time has run out for me to document this further. The tree that confuses the two has excellent records on the 1880 family that definitely point to the mother in that family being Annie (KREJCI) TRISKA who died 1925 in Cedar Rapids and thus clearly is not the Annie TRISKA who died in Chicago in 1905 as mother of the 1900 family. Her obituary should clear this up. I will resume work on this once I have the obituary, which I have ordered.