Bio: Horvat, John & Johanna

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Horvat, Godec, Cesnik, Krainz, Klune, Dobish, Tolaney, Henninger, Snedic

----Source: Family Scrapbook

John Horvat was born on December 16, 1880 in Kal, parish of Ambrus, Jugoslavia, area of Dolenskem. He came to America in 1896, coming to Pueblo, Colorado.

Johanna Godec was born in Kal, parish of Ambrus, Jugoslavia, area of Dolenskem on October 19, 1886. She came to America in 1906.
John and Johanna were married in July of 1906. Born to them were 7 children: Mary, John, Joe, Jennie and Louise (all born in Colorado). Helen and Rudy were born in Willard.

When John first came to Aspen, Colorado around 1905, he worked in the gold and silver mines. They thought mining was too dangerous so they started to look for a farm. There was a Slovenian realtor Ignac Cesnik advertising land in Wisconsin, Dad went to see the land, he liked what he saw, so they decided to buy it. They packed up the family and all their belongings and came to Willard by train in April 1916. They had to clear some land to put up a house, shed and barn.

We stayed with another family until the house was built. Mr. Anton Krainz lived a half mile south, he helped build the house, barn and shed. The only roads they had were some trails that loggers made years before. My mother carried water from the neighbors until the well was dug. Everything was done by hand, digging wells and all. Blasted stumps with dynamite. We had one horse at first to do the heavy pulling.
Joe Godec (Johanna's half-brother) came at the same time also from Aspen. They had four grown children: Mary, Anna, Joe and Caroline.

Mary went to West Allis, Wisconsin to work where she met and married Joe Klune. They later came to Green¬wood. John married Mary Dobish and they farmed. John died in April, 1968. Joe died in 1936. Jennie married Joe Tolaney. Helen married Valentine Krainz. Rudy is mar¬ried to LaVonne Henninger. They are farming the Horvat family farm. Louie was married to Anna Snedic. He is deceased.