Bio: Dolence, John & Frances

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Dolence, Kaucic, Papish

----Source: Family Scrapbook

John Dolence was born December 27, 1879 in Bacne (pre-World War I Austria Hungary) now called Jugoslavia. He migrated to the United States December 4, 1906. Representatives of coal mines met him at the docks of New York, and so he was aided in gaining employment in a coal mine in West Mineral, Kansas.

After getting settled he sent the necessary fare to Frances Kaucic who was born in the same region as John on March 9, 1884. She entered the United States in 1907. They were married on December 9, 1907 in Kansas. To this union were born daughters: Mary, Angeline, Frances and Anna.

As the volume of coal in the mines began to diminish, a decision was made with other families (one was the Jack Herricks) to come to Wisconsin. The trip to Willard was one of three days and two nights by train.

I (Anna) was one year old. My next older sister, Frances pleaded with my parents, "pjemo domov" (Let us go home). We were settled temporarily into a log cabin, owned by Joe Papish, until a house was built on our land. In the Willard area one son John Jr. and a daughter Jen¬nie were born.

The folks resided on the farm until 1946. They then retired to the village of Willard. John Dolence passed away December 30, 1957 and Frances Dolence passed away November 22, 1969.

By: Anna Dolence Perme