Honoring our Immigrant Herritage Survey

Full Name

Kristof, Louis H. (submitted by his son, Richard Kristof)

What are your ties to Collyer?

Resident in Sod House Kitty-cornered from Catholic Church. Family farmed that quarter section. Extensive family burials in both Collyer Cemetaries.

Where did you live?

In the Sod House Kitty-cornered from the Catholic Church. (At the South End of Main St.)

Which School did you attend?

Attended both the Parochial School and the Public School. Mattie Connor was the teacher.

What was your religious affiliation?

Not sure - family split between Catholic and Protestant.

Do you have any stories to tell about family hardships resulting from building and oranizing a Collyer Church or Church Structure?

Were your friends and neighbors all of the same religious affiliation?

Your ethnic background/which country did your ancesters call home?

Czech (Moravian/Bohemain)

What language was spoken in the home?

Bohemian/Moravian

Did you experience any problems or barriers caused by speaking a different language?

Barriers due to language after moving to Denver circa 1928.

What ethnic and/or religiuos traditions do you specifically remember growing up with? Does your family still practice the same traditions?

Socail gatherings at old Bosna Hall.

When did you and/or your family move to Collyer?

Family moved to Voda circa 1879-1881 to work on Kansas-Pacific Rairoad and Homestead.

Do you know how "Collyer" was chosen as a home designation? (Why did your family move here?) Did they operate a farm on homesteaded property?

May have moved to Collyer to live in house owned by other family member and Farm. I believe the farm was homesteaded property by Conner Family (Charlie?).

Did you/and or your family operate a business in Collyer?

Did you or your parents serve in the military?

Served as Army Engineer Officer in Pacific Theater, including Guadal Canal and other large Battles. Mentioned one time that he suspected his orders were changed to the Pacific Theatre because the Army was concerned that he could speak a Slavic language and may have been concerned about collaboration.

Were there problems caused by your ethnic background?

Was your family name changed after you arrived in the United States?

What year were you born?

Where was you place of birth?

Why did your family leave their homeland?

What form of travel did your ancestors use to get to their destination?

What hardships did they encounter on their journey?

What Ports of Call did they travel through to get to America?

Which Port of Entry did they come through when they arrived in America?

What possessions did they bring along with them on their journey? Did they have to sell most of their possessions to be able to obtain money for the journey?

How long did their journey take them from their homeland?

What was the occupation of your ancestors?

Did they change occupations once they settled?

Did they face discrimination once they settled in Collyer?

How did they acquire their homestead land or business?

Did there seem to be different social classes among the settlers?

How did the war affect you or your family?

Do you have ties or are you in communication with anyone in your ancestor's country?

Have you ever been back to your ancestor's country?

How did your ancestors integrate into a community? In other words, what was the common thread that brought them together?

Additional Notes:

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