Mary Sedivy Sukup

  General Notes:

Two Infant sons were born and died at birth. They are buried at the family farm that was the homestead place and was occupied by the Laurence Sukup family and now his son Dale Sukup and family.

A Christmas Gathering
The Christmas season is always one in which there are many wondrously pleasant gatherings of relatives and friends. One of these of which we have received the particulars took place at the home of Grandpa and Grandma (Andrew and Mary) Sukup out in the Walnut community on Christmas Day.
The guests started gathering at this hospitable home about 11 o'clock in the forenoon. The first thing on the program was a big dinner and after all had eaten to repletion they gathered around the nicely decorated Christmas Tree and Santa Claus made his arrival and proceeded to hand out a gift to each and every. Following this came card playing and this continued up to supper time. After supper came more card games and other diversions and the hours sped on winged feet. It was in the wee sma' hours of the morning when the happy gathering broke up and as the guests departed for their homes they all vowed they had enjoyed a fine time at the home of Grandpa and Grandma Sukup.
Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. Joe Sukup and children, Elmer, Elsie, Henry, Leo and Eva; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Tikalsky and children Maymie, Clara and Andrew; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Skokan and children, Marie, Ruby and Delmar; Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Dwinell and children Margie, Lorene and Doris; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Jelinek and sons, Ernest and Alvin; Mr. and Mrs. John Sukup and children Rose, Julia, Johnnie, Walter, Adolph and Deloris; Mr. and Mrs. Andy Sukup and children, Fred, Margaret and Arthur; Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Frank and son Vernon; Mr. and Mrs. George Sukup and children, George, Marvin, Mary Ann, and Evelyn; Grandpa Tikalsky; Mr. and Mrs. Edw. Wagner and sons Junior and James and Albert Sukup.

Note: By my quick count....they had 56 people in their house. And the date probably was before 1933. (Lester Frank was born in 1933 and Vera Jean Dwinell was also born in 1933 and they are not listed as present at the gathering)

We have heard that when Andrew Sukup met Mary Sedivy they spoke different dialect of the Czech language and had a hard time communicating. In the end all turned out well. Evelyn Sukup Fuchtman showed a large rolling pin that Grandpa Andrew had made. Evelyn understood that each family got a homemade rolling pin from Grandpa Andrew Sukup. Evelyn still uses hers in the kitchen. It was very professionally made

Couple At Verdigre Wedded Fifty years....1929
Verdigre, Nebr. July 15- Mr and Mrs. Andrew Sukup Sr. Pioneers of Knox County, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Friday, at their home southwest of Verdigre. One of the largest gatherings ever attending a similar event in this community, was present. The day was an ideal one and dinner was served at three long tables set on the lawn. There was a monster wedding cake bearing fifty candles on one of the tables, the others being decorated with garden flowers. A hundred cars were parked about the farm yard.
The guests were well entertained after dinner with various games and ice cream and cigars were served. Mr. and Mrs. Sukup were the recipients of many beautiful gifts and also received a purse of gold coins.
Mr. Sukup came to New York from Karj, Pilsen, Bohemia. From there they went to St. Peter, Mn in 1870, and after two years of work removed to Des Moines, IA and then to Omaha, NE. Mr. Sukup stopped in West Point for a time and then walked to Norfolk and in the fall of 1872 came to Knox County and took up a homestead southwest of here.
Mr. and Mrs. Sukup were married by Judge Paxton of Niobrara, July 12, 1879 at the home of John Sedivy, near Pischelville. Mr. Sukup says that several kegs of beer were disposed of at the celebration on that wedding day. To them were born seven sons and five daughters, all of whom were present at the golden wedding.
The first house that Mr. Sukup erected was a log cabin with a sod roof. This was replaced with a frame house, the lumber being hauled by ox team from Yankton, SD, the nearest trading point at that time. The struggle of the pioneers was a hard one and Mr. Sukup recalls the visit of the grasshoppers, which filled the air and destroyed every growing thing in their path. The drouth also left them destitute, but they did not lose their faith, but worked hard and were well rewarded.
Mr. and Mrs. Sukup were conservative and they prospered. They built one of the finest homes in the vicinity. Mr. Sukup has lived on his homestead for fifty-five years and the home has always been open to the neighbors and weary travelers, no one being turned away. Mr. Sukup is 76 years old and his wife is 67, and both are enjoying good health and are very active. They have accumulated morre than 3,000 acres of land and each son and daughter has received a farm or its equivalent at the time of their marriage. All the children are not married and live not far from the parental home.
Guests were present at the celebration from Valentine, Chadron, Plainview, Lynch, Niobrara, Verdel, Creighton, Center, Pierce, Pischelville, Knoxville, Walnut, Orchard, Venus and Dorsey.
Wenzel Sukup a brother of Andrew who celebrated his fiftieth anniversary four years ago, was also present. (Pulished in Norfolk News)

Knox County Loses another Pioneer as Mrs. Mary Sukup dies - April 2, 1944
Mrs.Mary Ann Sukup passed away April 2 at her home 19 miles northwest of Creighton. She was 82 years of age.
Sixty-five years ago this July Mary Ann Sedivy was married to Andrew Sukup. In the early days of their marriage life they went through all the joys and hardships of pioneer life together when he was Creighton's first "smithy" giving part time to this work and working also on the farm he homesteaded. This farm was their home for more than sixty years. He died in October 1935, three months after their 56th wedding anniversary.
Surviing are four sons John, Andrew, George, and Lawrence and five daughters, Mrs. Joe Skokan, Mrs. Joe Jelinek, Mrs. Ben Tikalsky, Mrs.Lewis Frank, and Mrs. Maurice Dwinell all of the vicinity.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 am. Wednesday at St. Wenceslaus Church in Verdigre, NE with burial in the church cemetery.

Brief Life History of Mary A. Sukup
Mary A. Sukup was born on the 13 day of September 1862 in the village of Prag in Bohemia and died Near Walnut, NE on April 2, 1944 at the age of 81 years, 6 months and 19 days.
At the age of five she came with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sedivy to America and the family settled at first in Chicago where they lived for a short time and in 1867 the family came to Knox County and settled near Pischelville, where she lived until she was seventeen.
On july12, 1879 she was married to Andrew Sukup, a brave young farmer and blacksmith. The couple moved to his homestead where they endured hardships and privations but they had faith in the new country.
To this union were born 14 children, two dying in infancy, a son Albert died when 25 years of age and another son Henry died when 20 years of age. Joe A. Sukup died the last January 1 at the age of 63. Her husband preceded her in death nine years ago on October 15, 1935.
An important milestone in the life of Mary A. Sukup and her devoted husband was on July 12, 1929 when the couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Mary married Andrew Sukup, son of Georg Soukup and Maria Lehanka Soukup, on 12 Jul 1879. (Andrew Sukup was born on 23 Nov 1853 in Hoslau, Germany, died on 15 Oct 1935 in Verdigre, NE and was buried in St. Wenceslaus Cemetery- Verdigre, NE.)