Vap Family History
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The primary Vap lines that emmigrated to the US were children of Ignac Vap Sr. & Frantiska Mazour of Dolni Loucky in southern Moravia. In April 1884, Ignac Vap Jr. & family, his sister Frances (Mrs. Joseph) Borek & family, and nephew Fred Vap traveled on the SS California with final destination of Fairfield, Nebraska (also on the ship was Tomas Horinek & family of Dolni Loucky). These families settled in the Deweese area and homesteaded.
Eventually, word was sent to the family in Moravia that America was a good place. Additional family members made the long voyage to the US. In 1886, Fred's father Frank Vap Sr came over with his family. Frank planned on meeting up with his siblings in Clay Co. NE, but due to language difficulties, they did not make it to their destination and instead finally disembarked near Rawlins Co KS. They met other Czech families (including Tomas Horinek) in Rawlins Co KS that came from the same area in Moravia, so Frank Vap and family stayed and settled in Rawlins Co KS. Frank eventually sent word to his son Fred living in NE to come live in KS with the rest of the family and Fred joined them in about 1888.
After about 10 years in KS, Frank, his wife & 7 of his 10 children moved to Ponca City in Kay Co OK to acquire new land when the "New Strip" (Cherokee lands) in Oklahoma opened up. Some other Czech families from Rawlins Co KS also went there. So they left KS about 1895. Sons Fred and Alois Vap, and daughter Mary (Mrs. James) Cloe stayed in Rawlins Co KS. In time, daughters Minnie & Anna eventually married men from Rawlins Co KS (Joseph Pettera & Frank Pitner), and so moved from Oklahoma back to Rawlins County, KS.
Sources
- Kevin Vap (click to reveal email)
