39. Adolf Zeman
He was married and had 2 children.
BIOGRAPHY: He emigrated, February 2, 1870. Point of origin: Bohemia. He petitioned the court to become a citizen in Shueyville, Iowa, September 29, 1875. Vincens was born in Borovnice, Bohemia in 1850. On Ground Hog Day, February 2, 1870, he first saw the American shoreline. Being tired of the Austrian Military rule and the prospect of serving in the army, he came to seek a home in this new country. He came under his uncle's name (either Pracher or Betlach) and brought a yellow trunk all iron strap bound.
He came directly to Cedar Rapids where southwest of town some of his friends were farming. He worked as a farm hand for four years - one of the farmers was Frank Novak who lived near East Amana and the other was the Terry farm 2 mi. south of Walford.
Vincens' first sweetheart was Emma Slezak and they were to be married when she died and, as there were no hearses those days, people had to be hauled on a wagon. He got a nice black team of horses and a new wagon and hauled his first sweetheart to the burial place.
In 1874 he married Emma Stepanek, and as her father had died that year, he worked her farm until 1885. Then they bought a farm of their own, 100 acres in Monroe Township. In 1902 they sold the farm and moved to South Dakota where on July 17, 1902, they purchased 160 acres near Oldham, Kingsbury County, SD from Jonas I. & Eva Peterson, price $5520.00, possession March, 1903.
In 1916 Vincens came to Cedar Rapids, IA on a visit to A. W. Vondracek, and on the way back home intended to stop at Sleepy Eye, MN to visit his two daughters, Tillie and Emma. Taking the Rock Island train and traveling north, the chair car of the train fell into Flood Creek while trying to cross a bridge across the creek about 1 1/2 miles east of Packard, IA. This happened at 3 a.m. on June 2, 1916. Vincens Marek and others were washed out of the coach and all bodies were found three days later. He was buried June 7, 1916 in Blaine Cemetery, Swisher, Iowa at the age of 65. His wife Emma Marek returned to Cedar Rapids, where she died July 24, 1923.
