Neisen Family Photo'

This map shows the location of where my DVORAK family came from in 1881, when they left the Czech Republic which was at that time known as Bohemia/Austria. They left Dudin and went to Hamburg, Germany, where they set sail on the SS FRISIA, to come to America, Land of the Free, and Home of the Brave!

Frank NIESEN- 1836, and Frances BYER- 1839, were my great grandfather, Frank NIESEN's parents, and Francis NIESEN-1816 and Eva NIESEN-1810 were his grandparents

Elizabeth "Lizzie" (nee BACH) and Frank Louis "Shorty)
NIESEN married 29 July, 1896, Chicago, IL

NIESEN family of South Bend, St Joseph County.
I'm not sure on ALL of them, which is which, but in
the photo are: Elizabeth (BACH) and Frank Louis
NIESEN, Eulalia, Charleta, Helen, Mary Elizabeth,
Delores, Eleanor, "Bo" Eugene (Who died of Phenol
Poisoning in 1925), Aloysius Louis, (Uncle Al who
served in the war), Leo, Vincent Joseph, Joseph Leo,
and Laurence (not included) who lived only a few
months.
Those are dad's mom, grandparents, and all his aunts
and uncles on the maternal side.

Three South Bend brothers, William, Richard and James (Norman) DVORAK. about 1935 or 1940.

This is my grandfather I believe to be in South Bend, sometime after
1926. He was living in South bend indiana, married to Eulalia (Niesen)
that year.

This isn't in Indiana, but I just wanted to share with you a photo of
grandpa in 1913 and 2 of his 3 brothers, Frank and Joseph from left to
right. Grandpa is the man on the extreme right, William Joseph Dvorak
age 19, Joseph (Middle) was 25 at the time, and Frank, on the left, was
35. Photo was taken in Muscoda, Grant County, WI, USA

"This is my paternal grandfather, William Joseph DVORAK, 1893-1978, atop his trusty steed in WWI. It might be at Camp Grant, IL, or it might be across the sea in Europe. I really cannot say for sure"

William and Eulalia (Niesen) DVORAK on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1976.

Franky's restaurant, Niles MI, on the occasion of my paternal grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary, in 1976 Back row, Standing: current D.A. Michael DVORAK, my late Uncle Norm DVORAK, cousin Patrick, brother to Michael, My brother Rick, my parents, Margaret DVORAK, and Richard DVORAK Second row from back: Uncle Bill, brother to Richard and Norm, x wife Marilyn, my cousin Peggy, (Uncle Bill and Aunt Marilyn's other daughter Norm's wife Leona, Kathy (Uncle Bill and Aunt Marilyn's daughter), Mike's wife Kathy, Michael and Patrick's sister, my brother Tom, my brother Tim, my sister Judi, Norm and Leona's daughter Pam Third row from back: Joe FERRY (son of Jack and Suzie FERRY), my grandpa and grandma, William Joseph DVORAK and Eulalia Suzanne DVORAK, me (John), Uncle Jack and Aunt Suzie Children in front: Danny DVORAK, (Uncle Bill and Aunt Marilyn's son) Kevin and Bobby, (Uncle Norm and Aunt Leona's sons, Billy DVORAK, (Uncle Bill and Aunt Marilyn's son), Jim FERRY, (Uncle Jack and Aunt Suzie FERRY's son), Suzie DVORAK, Uncle Bill and Aunt Marilyn's daughter, seated in the very front.Jeanie FERRY and Anita and Mary Kay FERRY, daughters of Jack and Suzanne FERRY.

This is a photo of the basement party at my paternal grandparents' house, 1229 Blaine Avenue, South Bend Indiana, in the mid 1940s, we believe. My grandpa, William Dvorak is located to the left center, with white long sleeve shirt on and eye glasses. It looks to be a New Year's Eve party.

This is my dad, Richard, in the Navy uniform, with the Army cap, and my Uncle Norm in the Army uniform with the Navy cap. I guess they thought it would be cute. Dad met up with his brother in Tripoli, Libya. Uncle was driving a Fuel truck down the road and all of a sudden he saw some navy guy approaching. He says to my dad, "Where the hell are you going?"....LOL. I thought that was a cute story. That one is not connected to this photo, just a story that dad passed on to us when he and his brother met in Tripoli during the Korean conflict.

This is John Dvorak as a baby of about 2 years (I think), in my grandma Dvorak's driveway at 1229 Blaine Avenue, South Bend, St Joseph County, IN. Approx early 1957.

Niesen family in South Bend.
This is the NIESEN, DVORAK reunion in 1997. We met at a Holiday Inn in downtown South Bend. I had counted over 100 people at the reunion I believe.
I can actually name MOST of these. I'm the guy in the wheelchair, John Dvorak

John's great uncle from Wisconsin, brother of his grandpa (William Joseph Dvorak) filled out this WWI Draft registration card. But I don't know if he ever entered the great war or not. Great uncle Frank lived from 1878-1936 was born on our Groundhog day, 1878

Brother of William Joseph Dvorak, Joe Dvorak, and pet cat.

(I don't know if this was in South Bend but it might be.)

This is the coroner's report of Vandy DVORAK, my grandfather's brother who was born in Bohemia/Austria in 1881 and lived part of his life in Muscoda, Grant County WI from 1881 on, and died in Janesville, Rock County, WI, on Nov 1-2, 1930 in a manger in a stable of the old Buob Brewery at which Vandy was a painter and jack of all trades at the time of his death at the age of 49.

Article found in Janesville Gazette, Janesville, Rock County, WI, accounting the finding of my great uncle, Vandy Dvorak in a manger in a stable of the old Buob Brewery at Janesville, Rock County, WI, before the body had been identified. Article dated November 4, 1930

This is the last account of the finding of Vandy Dvorak at the Buob Brewery in Janesville, in that town where he was found. There is no more information except to say that in 1900 for some years, Vandy had been incarcerated (for SOMETHING) in the Wisconsin State Reformatory in Allouez, Wisconsin. Being that he was only 19 at the time, this may have been the beginning of his troubles. I had found a census from the prison with his name on it from the year 1900, and he was not found in the censuses with his family in Muscoda from that year all the way up to 1930.

Ruins of the Buob Brewery, Janesville, Rock County, WI. where Vandy DVORAK was found dead, from exposure and alcoholism, on November 4, 1930.

William Joseph DVORAK as a youth, with his mellophone. A relative of the French Horn. Used in marching bands because of its lighter weight and ease of carrying while marching.

Obituary of Vandy Dvorak, born 1881, died 1930, brother of William Joseph Dvorak, resident of South Bend Indiana.

Adding gravestone photos from family in WI
Here, one at a time, are the gravestones of my family, located at St
John Cemetery, Muscoda, Grant County, WI.

First up is my paternal
great grandfather. Wincel K Dvorak, from Bohemia/Austria.

This is my paternal great grandmother (Mary DVORAK) born in Bohemia, Austria, about 1854,( though I have a ship record that reflects that she was born in 1849), and died in Muscoda, Grant County, WI, USA, August 1931

This is a photo from 1948 of my uncle Norm (James) Dvorak, we always called him Norm but he was born James. His siblings: my dad, Richard P Dvorak (living), William E Dvorak (living) and Suzanne Dvorak (Ferry), (living)

Final resting place of Joseph John DVORAK, brother of William Joseph DVORAK.
Joseph was born in Muscoda, Grant County, WI, USA, on July 5, 1888, and died in Muscoda on August 27, 1945. Married to Josephine "Phena" LINSCHEID, born in Muscoda, August 1, 1888, died Muscoda, September 28, 1967

Frank DVORAK final resting place, Muscoda, Grant County, WI, USA, born
Feb 2, 1878, Bohemia, Austria, died March 19, 1936, Muscoda, Grant
County, WI, USA, Brother of William Joseph DVORAK, of South Bend

This is the coroner's record of John's great uncle,
"Bo" Eugene Niesen, who died in 1925 at age 21 of
phenol poisoning.

This is a photo from 1950 of the USS ORISKANY, CV-34,
where my dad was stationed for about 2 years during
the Korean War while my two brothers, Rick, Tom, and
myself, were little.

Old picture postcard showing my paternal great
grandfather, Wencil DVORAK at his workshop in Muscoda,
Grant County, WI, USA, and the bottom photo shows a
close up of the same area at the house where he lived,
with Mary, and his 4 boys.
Wencil worked for the local cemetery carving limestone
into headstones for the gravesites.

Grandpa Dvorak as a mailman!
Problem is I dont know who the other people are in the photo. William Joseph Dvorak is in the middle front row. I'm also not sure what year this is. It could be in the 1950s

This is another one of my grandfather, William Joseph DVORAK's brothers. This is Joseph John DVORAK's WWI Draft Registration Card, from the year 1917, the same year our American "Yankees" went into the war.


Niesen - Highland Cemetery	Eulalia Suzanne NIESEN DVORAK; William Joseph DVORAK

James W. DVORAK	Bo Eugene NIESEN

Joseph L NIESEN	William MORTELL, Charleta (NIESEN) MORTELL

Frank L. (Shorty) NIESEN, my great grandfather, and dad's maternal grandfather	Elizabeth (Lizzie) NIESEN, wife of Frank L. and my great grandmother, a direct descendant of John HACK from Neiderlosheim, Germany, who was a founder of the village of St John, Indiana, Lake County

Philip Mortell, my dad's cousin, and Dolly, who is still with us, this plot is for her future use, of course


Added 12/04/2005	Added 05/15/2008	Added 05/15/2008


WWII Draft Record (05/28/2007)