Jan Pribyl (1831-1925) and Ferdinand Pribyl (1840-1915) were brothers who were born in the village of Frenštát pod Radhoštěm (see map , history ) in the province of Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic. In their era, the Czech lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , and living conditions were so poor for the common people that many fled their native lands to join the ever-increasing swell of immigrants who populated the American continent during the 19th and 20th centuries. Most hoped to attai
Jan, his wife Wilhelmina (Boehm), and their 4 children – William, Henry, Bedrich, and Libusa – came first, in 1873, and settled in Fayette County , Texas, a destination for many Moravian immigrants. A daughter, Antonia, was born the following year. Ferdinand and his 2nd wife, Anna (Malčak), with their son Anton, followed in 1885, also settling in Fayette County near Jan. In 1887, Ferdinand moved his family to Halletsville to take a teaching job in a newly opened Catholic school . In 1888 Albert Stockbauer,
Both Jan and Ferdinand fulfilled their dreams of finding a better life and of offering their children a more secure future than would have been possible in Europe. But they also left a legacy for those beyond their immediate family circle. This has come to us in the form of artwork produced by Ferdinand and over 200 intimate letters that were exchanged between the brothers during their periods of separation. The letters tell us not only of the personal lives of the brothers, but are a document of this most