The Colfax County Press and the Clarkson Herald Consolidated/J. B. Sindelar joins the silent majority

by anonymous

J. B. SINDELAR JOINS THE SILENT MAJORITY

Slowly have the sands of life been flowing in the hour-glass of time for J. B. Sindelar, who, after many years of invalidism, passed to eternal rest at his home Sunday evening. The past ten years he has been in very por health and the last three years, he had been bedfast and death comes to him as a great relief.

The deceased was born on November 11, 1853, in the Village of Iskovice, County of Tabor, Czechoslovakia. When a lad of fourteen years, he and his parents, brother John J., and sister, Josephine, migrated to this new world to share in its opportunities. Their first destination was in Chicago. His parents did not stay there long and proceeded further west, locating in Colfax county. After a residence of three years in Chicago, the deceased arrived on Christmas day at the little sod house of his parents a short distance from where the Tabor church is now located in Lincoln precinct, six miles southeast of Howells. He continued to make his home there, assisting his parents and taking other jobs.

On November 11th, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Kaspar, and this was the first marriage to have been consummated in the first church built at Olean. These records are still in possession of the church. Seven children were born to their union, namely, Joseph, Anton, Emma, William, Emil, Frank and Lambert. Only three children survive their father, Joseph E., Anton and Emma, wife of Robert Studnicka, all of this city. William and Emil died in 1889; Frank, on January 22, 1928, and Lambert, on July 1, 1930.

The deceased and his family made their home on a farm until the fall of 1887, when they moved to town and in company with Jos. Prusa, F. K. Sindelar, Caha Bros. and J. C. Chudomelka, now of Dodge, opened a creamery and general merchandse business on the site where now stands the Bohemian National hall. The deceased disposed of his interests in this enterprise in 1892, and on May 1, 1893, he purchased the Hubert Becker general store, now the site of Suchan Bros. This he continued until the year of 1901, when he turned the business over to his eldest son, Joseph E.

His first wife died nearly thirty years ago, July 8, 1901, and on November 11, 1902, he married Mrs. Barbara Stover, of Omaha. During his younger days, the deceased served for 19 years as local assessor and was the first county assessor of Colfax county, having served one term. For eight years he was state representative of Colfax county. He was one of the founders of the Tabor church and layed the first brick in its foundation and is the last to survive all the other charter members. In the early days of our city, he also served as member of the village and school board and at all times took considerable interest in its welfare.

Mr. Sindelar was a successful business man, honest and upright in his dealings with his fellowmen. Like all the pioneers of our county he had faced the hardships with determination to succeed and he was able to acquire a sufficiency of this world’s goods to insure him and his wife a comfortable old age. A notable coincident in Mr. Sindelar’s life is the date of February 11th. He was born on this day, twice married on this day and his funeral also took place on the same date.

The funeral rites were held this Wednesday forenoon with brief services at the family home and holy mass at St. John’s church, conducted by Rev. J. Drbal and Rev. C. Z. Petlach, the latter of Clarkson and a close friend of the deceased. The remains were then escorted to the Tabor cemetery where they were laid to peaceful besides his first wife. Services at the cemetery were conducted by Rev. A. Folta. The large attendance at the funeral rites was evidence of the high esteem in which the deceased was held. Besides his wife, two sons, Jos. E. and Anton, one daughter, Mrs. Robert Studnicka, and one step-daughter, Mrs. Fr. Dostal, he is survived by one sister, Mrs. John Poledna, and a brother, John J. Sindelar, both highly respected citizens of our city.

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