First Czech Immigrants in Texas

People from Czechy began coming to America for liberty as early as 1633. The first known Czech in Texas was Jiri Rybar, known as George Fisher, who served as customs officer in Galveston in 1829. Others arrived individually for years before letters sent home by the Rev. Josef Arnost Bergman, an 1849 Czech settler at Cat Spring, inspired large-scale immigration. Josef Lidumil Lesikar was instrumental in organizing the first two large migrations in 1851 and 1853, which included family parties recorded on ship logs under the names Silar, Lesikar, Mares, Pecacek, Rypl, Coufal, Rosler, Motl, Jezek, Cermak, Janecek, Jirasek, Kroulik, Tauber, Marek, and Pavlicek. With Pastor Bergman's counsel, many Czechs began farming in Austin County. Additional immigration took place in the 1850s and became even heavier in the 1870s. Czechs eventually spread throughout Texas, gaining recognition for industry, thrift, and cultural attainments. To preserve their heritage, they succeeded in establishing a chair of Slavic Languages at the University of Texas in 1915 and later at other schools, and their ethnic festivals have been held in various cities for many years.

Texas · United States