Immigration ship manifest on the same ship as Josef and Antonína Zimola (FILOVA)
Josef Fila and his wife Frantiska (KOURKOVA), our 2nd-great-grandparents, immigrated with their daughter, Antonína and her husband, Joesf Zimola. They came to the United States on April 20, 1904. They arrived at Ellis Island on the fastest ship of its time, the SS KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE. You can see that Josef and Frantiska had in their care a niece, 18-year-old Frantiska “Fanny” Cihal, who joined them on their journey.
Go to the Zimola “A Family History” page for more info on the massive ship and its sad ending.
The main branch of the Fila family seems to hail from Radonín. House #8 seems to have been in the family for centuries. House #2 and #20 were all part of the branch by way of marriage. The Fila line also had a branch in the towns of Malé, Panská Lhota and Nová Brtnice. I guess they got around. As mentioned on the Zimola immigration page,
Josef Zimola and his wife Antonína ‘Antonia’ Fila were on this ship, and they brought the Fila parents of Antonína and her sister Marie with them. Marie
was married to František ‘Frank’ Vlcek, and they also immigrated at the same time along with their four children.
As far as I can tell, the elder Filas never purchased any land. They may have assisted their two daughters in purchasing their farms. They lived out their lives on the Zimola family farm with their son-in-law Josef and daughter Antonia.
The other Fila daughter, Marie, and her husband, Frank, seemed to have settled in Omaha and never farmed. According to the 1910 and 1920 US Census, he was a laborer in general work and later at a lumber yard.
Their ancestors live in Papillion, Nebraska. I have never tried to contact them, but it’s now on my list.
From House #8 Radonín, Moravia to
Bremen, Germany to
New York City, New York to
Wahoo, Nebraska