Bio: Malnar, George & Mary

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Malnar, Foster, Dolence, Ferlie, Briski, Schiltz, Knaus, Herrick, Cesnik

----Source: Family Scrapbook

George Malnar was born April 15, 1871 in Crnilug, Gorski, Korar, Jugoslavia (Croatia), then called Austria. Mary was born January 22, 1880 in the same village. They were united in marriage in the Catholic Church in Crnilug, Croatia August 11, 1897.

George Malnar came to America around 1902. He worked in Scammon, Kansas (a coal mining town in South Eastern Kansas, Cherokee County). A miner worked very hard as the coal vein was 3 to feet high. Most of the shoveling was done on the knees. Wages were very low and the coal gas was also dangerous. Many miners got burned.

Mary and her first son Matt came to America on April 7, 1904. They left LeHavre France on the French Liner, "La Tourraine". From Scammon, Kansas the Malnar family moved to West Mineral, Kansas which was in the same county. A daughter, Goldie, and sons, John and Emil were born in Kansas.

The family came to Willard April 17, 1914 to settle on the land purchased from the N.E. Foster Lumber Com¬pany through Ignac Cesnik who was the land agent. Land sold at $18.00 per acre for brush and timber land.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Herrick and family and Mr. and Mrs. John Dolence and family accompanied the George Malnar family to Willard. The Malnar family stayed until October but because Mary was sick they returned to Kansas. In 1917 they came again and in the Fall returned once more to Kansas. From Kansas the family moved to Catlin, Illinois. From there they returned for the third time to Willard in 1920.

Finances were very poor, so the winters were spent in Illinois working in the coal mines to help out. The original land purchase was 40 acres, but in 1919 they purchased 80 acres of wild land from John Ferlie of Butte, Montana. For this adjoining land they paid $30.00 per acre.

In the summer the family worked very hard and long hours clearing land to farm. In 1920 there was a long drought lasting all summer. That spring they had dug a well and fenced the whole 120 acres of land. During the summer a fire started near the Rock Dam area. This was fanned by a terrific wind but because the family had water from the well to fight the fire, they were able to save their hay shed filled with hay and possibly kept the fire from spreading further toward Willard.

In 1921 low prices were paid to farmers for their milk which was made into cheese. From 1922 to 1929 prices for dairy products were good, until the stock market crash of 1929. George Malnar died in 1936 and Mary Malnar died in May of 1971.

Matt and Mary (Briski) live in Greenwood. Emil and Genevieve (Schiltz) live in Marshfield, Wisconsin. John is deceased. Goldie (Mrs. Jack Knaus) lives in Milwaukee.