Mielak / Krzycki / Havlovic / Rerucha Family History

Mielak / Krzycki / Havlovic / Rerucha Family History Genealogy and family history resource hub.

Today, May 17, is the anniversary of the birth of my maternal uncle, Ernest Havlovic. Ernest was born in 1932 to Joseph...
05/17/2026

Today, May 17, is the anniversary of the birth of my maternal uncle, Ernest Havlovic. Ernest was born in 1932 to Joseph and Edith (Rerucha) Havlovic on the family farm in Brainard, Butler, Nebraska, as the 3rd of 15 children. He served as a cook in the U.S. Army from 1953-1955 and participated in Operation Castle thermonuclear bomb tests in the Marshall Islands. Upon discharge, he returned home to the family farm where he spent most of the remainder of his life. I remember Uncle Ernest for his work ethic, Roman Catholic faith, and selfless care for his mother on the family farm. Uncle Ernest passed away on November 29, 2017, at St. Joseph's Village in David City, Butler, Nebraska at the age of 85.

Happy Mother's Day! I am posting a memorable photo from more than a century ago (circa 1912) of 4 generations of mother...
05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day! I am posting a memorable photo from more than a century ago (circa 1912) of 4 generations of mothers on my maternal side starting with my grandmother, Edith Barbara (Rerucha) Havlovic (1910-2000), as a young child. She is being held by her mother, Helen A. (Yindrick) Rerucha (1888-1979). Standing next to her is Helen's mother, Anna (Kozisek) Yindrick (1862-1958). Finally, sitting at the right is Anna's mother, Anna Marie (Vanek) Kozisek (1834-1916). Special thanks to my uncle, Edwin Havlovic, for sharing this photo and identifying those pictured.

Tomorrow, May 4, is the 110th anniversary of the death of my paternal great-grandmother, Mary Ann (Duracinski) Krzycki, ...
05/03/2026

Tomorrow, May 4, is the 110th anniversary of the death of my paternal great-grandmother, Mary Ann (Duracinski) Krzycki, who passed away at age 39 in 1916 from peritonitis shortly after giving birth to her ninth child, Leona Catherine (Krzycki) Czuba on April 28, 1916. Mary Ann was born to Michael Duracinski and Conegrenda (Pyrdal) Duracinski on February 12, 1877, in Poland (then Austrian Galicia) and came to America as a young woman with her family. She married Frank Krzycki at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Duncan, Platte, Nebraska on November 22, 1897. The couple had 9 children: (1) Lillian Barbara (married Michael Fred Mielak); (2) my grandmother Alphonsa Martha (married Peter Michael Mielak); (3) Anna Maria (Sissle); (4) Valeria L. (Kush); (5) Wenceslaus Isidor; (6) Edward Leonard; (7) Phillip Leo; (8) Clara Frances (Trofholz); and (9) Leona Catherine (Czuba). Mary Ann is buried at St. Bonaventure Catholic Cemetery in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska.

Today, April 26, is the anniversary of the death of my paternal grandparents, Peter Michael Mielak and Alphonsa Martha (...
04/26/2026

Today, April 26, is the anniversary of the death of my paternal grandparents, Peter Michael Mielak and Alphonsa Martha (Krzycki) Mielak. In a strange coincidence, grandpa died in 1981 and grandma died 2 years later on the same date. So, I will try to be extra careful today and urge all my relatives to likewise stay safe.

Came across some interesting stories about my maternal 3x great-grandfather, Frank Kozisek (a/k/a Frank Fleming). He wa...
04/19/2026

Came across some interesting stories about my maternal 3x great-grandfather, Frank Kozisek (a/k/a Frank Fleming). He was born on August 21, 1830, in Dolní Hradište, West Bohemia, Czech Republic. He emigrated to America in 1856 and first settled in Wisconsin with his wife, Anna Marie (Vanek). The couple had 12 children including my 2x great-grandmother, Anna Kozisek. During the Civil War, he served in Company I, 31st Wisconsin Infantry. It is reported he changed his name to Frank Fleming because a soldier with that name had been killed and since Kozisek was hard to pronounce, other soldiers began calling him Frank Fleming. He and his children adopted the surname; however, later generations returned to Kozisek. Dealing with marital problems later in life, his soon-to-be ex-wife Anna (my maternal 3x great-grandmother) had him arrested and declared insane in November of 1889. However, a few weeks later another court proceeding addressed whether she had made it up so she could gain control of his property. The following year, it was widely reported he had committed su***de; however, Frank contacted the press to show this was also untrue. He eventually passed away on February 5, 1907 and is buried in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska. See several news articles attached to this post for more details.

Here are some photos I came across of my paternal uncle, Clifford Jerome Mielak. He was the oldest of five children bor...
04/12/2026

Here are some photos I came across of my paternal uncle, Clifford Jerome Mielak. He was the oldest of five children born to my grandparents, Peter and Alphonsa (Krzycki) Mielak on August 19, 1921. Below are some photos of his younger days in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska. He married his wife, Millie, on December 26, 1950, and the couple moved to Grinnell, Iowa in 1956 where he lived until his death on December 19, 1980.

Today, April 5, is the birthday of my great-uncle, Victor Washington Mielak. He was born in 1891 in Lincoln, Lancaster,...
04/05/2026

Today, April 5, is the birthday of my great-uncle, Victor Washington Mielak. He was born in 1891 in Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska as the oldest of 8 children born from the marriage of my great-grandparents, John Mielak and Anna (Marfica) Mielak. He was likely named after John's youngest sister, Victoria, who passed away at age 8 back in Skrzyszow, Poland, in 1885 a little more than a year after John had arrived in America. Victor registered for military service in 1917 and served overseas during World War I until returning home in 1919. He married Maudie Ellen Nelson on March 14, 1925 in Logan, Harrison, Iowa. She had two children, Vivian (Harbottle) Enterline and Lee Harbottle, from a prior marriage. Victor and Maudie lived in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska where he worked with his 4 of his 7 brothers, Michael Fred, Joseph Elmer, Peter Michael (my grandfather) and Lonnie John to form Mielak Brothers painting for many years until his retirement. He died on June 21, 1951, and is buried at the public city cemetery in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska.

This Wednesday, April 1, is the anniversary of the death of my 3x great-grandfather, Anton John Krzycki, who passed away...
03/29/2026

This Wednesday, April 1, is the anniversary of the death of my 3x great-grandfather, Anton John Krzycki, who passed away in1863 in Ujscie, Wielkopolskie, Poland (however, it was then part of the German-controlled partition) at the age of 48. He was born on June 12, 1814 in Ujscie to Stanislaus Krzycki and his mother, Justina Lokomecka. He married Marianna Stopierzynski and is believed to have had 5 sons and 1 daughter. Three of his 5 sons, John, Felix, and my 2x great-grandfather, Peter Krzycki, emigrated to the United States. Photos are attached showing the parish death record of Anton John along with photos of 2 of his American sons, John (top right) and Peter (bottom right).

We located an aerial image (circa 1951) of the home of my great-grandparents, John & Anna (Marfica) Mielak, located just...
03/22/2026

We located an aerial image (circa 1951) of the home of my great-grandparents, John & Anna (Marfica) Mielak, located just north of the old St. Mary's Hospital where they lived (16th & Fulton) from Jan 1910 to Dec 1919 when they sold the 6 lots they owned in the block to the Franciscan Sisters who operated the hospital. They then moved to 1714 9th Street. My grandfather, Peter Michael Mielak, would have lived at 16th & Fulton before leaving for the gold mines of Colorado and then the military service. John's brother, Fred Mielak, and his family lived across the street to the west. The old structures of St. Bonaventure High School (now Scotus Central Catholic) can likewise be seen. My house was built several years after this photo and is located just a few lots west of where the photo cuts off in the East Park Addition which was under development at the time.

The Krzycki line of the family tree that emigrated to Nebraska in 1879 came from the town of Ujscie, Poland. On July 12...
03/15/2026

The Krzycki line of the family tree that emigrated to Nebraska in 1879 came from the town of Ujscie, Poland. On July 12, 1813, my 4x great-grandfather, Stanislaus Krzycki, married Justina Lokomecka at St. Nicholas Church (which was rebuilt in the early 1900's) in Ujscie which was under German control at the time as a result of Poland being partitioned. They had at least 2 children including my 3x great-grandfather, Anton John, followed by my 2x great-grandfather, Peter Krzycki, who emigrated to Nebraska in 1879 with his family including my great-grandfather and Peter's son, Frank Krzycki. One of Frank's 9 kids was my grandmother, Alphonsa Krzycki, who married my paternal grandfather, Peter Mielak.

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