Wiki Navigation

Vap Genealogy

Page last modified 2 years ago

Page Contents

Vap Genealogy

Moravia

Our Vap family roots came from the southern Moravia area of the Czech Republic to the US in the 1880s. Making a living was difficult in their homeland and they came to the US to seek a better life for their families. Most likely other family and/or friends made the journey to the US before them and sent back stories of the better life.

The area they came from is known as the Southern Moravian Highlands. It is just a few miles west of Tisnov, and northwest of Brno. The main village was Dolni Loucky (means "lower meadow"), but the family and relatives have also been found in other area villages like Horni Loucky, Kaly, Ujezde, Rikonin (Vykonin), Olsi, Jilmovi, Podoli and Stepanovice.

View Map of Dolni Loucky area

From notes given to us from Vap families still in the Czech Republic, they say the Vap's had been in the Dolni Loucky area since the early 1600s, but they probably originated from the Nova Rise area going back to the 1200s (Nova Rise is 45 miles west of Brno). There is a town nearby named Vapovice and a river of the same name that are believed to be named after early Vap ancestors.

View Map of Vapovice area

Migration to USA

The main Vap lines that came to the US are descendants of Ignac Vap Sr and Frantiska Mazourova (Mazour). Three children and their families emigrated in the 1880s. While the other 2 children remained in Moravia, some of their descendants came over in 1880s and later years.

1884, Ignac Vap & Frances Vap Borek (siblings) and nephew Fred

Ignac Vap Jr & family, Frances Vap Borek & family, and their 14 year old nephew Fred Vap left Dolni Loucky Moravia and traveled on the ship California from Hamburg Germany to New York, arriving 24-Apr-1884. They settled in the Deweese, Clay County, NE area.

1886, 2 Malon nieces

In March of 1886, Mollie & Anna Malon came to the US bound for Fairfield Nebraska. They were daughters of Fred Malon & Vincencia Vap, a sister to Ignac & Frances. They came to Deweese Nebraska where their uncle Ignac lived. Later that year in November, both the Malon sisters married Psikal brothers from Dorchester Nebraska.

1886, Frank Vap & family

Eventually, word was sent to Ignac's older brother Frank Vap Sr in Moravia that America was a good place and he should bring the rest of his family over. So he brought his family over in the spring of 1886 (probably May). Frank & family had meant to travel to Deweese to join their son Fred, their brother Ignac and the other relatives, but some language differences caused them to miss the train stop. When they arrived at the end of the train line (Oberlin or Herndon KS? maybe Trenton NE?), the station manager found someone that could speak Czech and they eventually connected with Tomas Horinek of Rawlins County KS. Tomas Horinek was also from the Dolni Loucky area and had come over on the same ship as Fred Vap, Ignac Vap & Frances Vap Borek back in 1884.

Frank Vap and family settled near Tomas Horinek in Rawlins County Kansas, north of Atwood. Frank eventually sent word to his son Fred living near Deweese Nebraska to come live in Kansas with the rest of the family. In 1888, 19 year old Fred Vap left Nebraska and joined his father and family in Kansas.

1889, 2 Malon brothers

Frank & Alois Malon, younger brothers to Mollie & Anna, came to the US into Nebraska in 1889.

1894-95, migration to Oklahoma

Many of the Vap families moved to Oklahoma when the new Cherokee strip opened up for settlement. The Joseph Borek family moved there as did 3 of the 4 Malon children. Frank Vap and many of his children left Atwood Kansas and settled there. Remaining in Nebraska was the Ignac Vap family, and Anna Malon Psikal and family. Remaining in Atwood Kansas were 3 of Frank Vap's children: Fred, Alois & Mary Vap Cloe. Two more of Frank's daughters would marry men from the Atwood area and move back there, leaving 5 children in Oklahoma & 5 children in Atwood Kansas.

Summary of Vap Lines in the USA

These are the 5 children (mentioned above) of Ignac Vap Sr and Frantiska Mazour.

Vincentia Vap Malon	4 children came to US, 1 stayed in NE, 3 moved to OK
Frantisek "Frank" Vap Sr.	came to US in 1886, homesteaded in Rawlins Co KS, moved to OK
Ignac Vap Jr.	came to US in 1884, homesteaded in Clay Co NE
Marianna Vap	nothing known about this line
Frances Vap Borek	came to US in 1884, homesteaded in Clay Co NE, moved to OK

Other Vap Lines

Vaps remaining in Moravia

Another Vap line is known still living in the Czech Republic (Ujezd, Zlin & elsewhere). They are descendants of a Tomas Vap. This Tomas is a nephew of our Ignac Vap Sr. Many visitors to the Dolni Loucky area have found the Vap name on headstones in local cemeteries. These are descendants of Tomas Vap (per a family tree given to us by the family over there).

Other Vaps in US

See the Vap migration page for more information on other Vap lines that came to the US.

Contact

Download in other formats:

Plain Text