Bohemia Historical Society
The Founding Families of Bohemia
The pioneers, builders, industrialists, and merchants who made a village
1855
The Pioneers
The Vavra Family
Jan Vavra is widely credited as the driving force and primary visionary behind the original settlement. Fleeing autocratic rule in Austria-Hungary, Jan and his peers originally worked as street musicians in New York City. After Jan fell ill, his doctor advised a move to the country for fresh air. He purchased five acres of scrub oak and pine barrens sight-unseen from local landowner Alexander Wallis. Jan’s leadership was so central to the early community that, between 1855 and 1858, before the names “New Village of Tabor” or “Bohemia” were officially adopted, the settlement was informally known by locals as “Vavratown.”
The Kratochvil Family
Arriving on the Long Island Railroad to Lakeland alongside the Vavras on March 5, 1855, Jan and Catherine Kratochvil faced a harsh reality in the wilderness. To survive the early years when their farming funds ran low, the men had to walk to the Great South Bay to work on the estate of Col. William Ludlow for just 50 cents a day. The family achieved a major milestone for the village on April 1, 1858, when they celebrated the birth of the settlement’s very first child, Charles Peter Kratochvil.
The Koula Family
Joseph Koula brought essential craftsmanship to the settlement. A skilled cabinet maker, he was personally responsible for building the first permanent wood-frame structures for all three original pioneer families on Smithtown and Locust Avenues, transitioning the village from temporary encampments to a lasting town. Interestingly, despite his foundational role, Joseph did not stay in Bohemia permanently; historical records show the hardships prompted him to leave the settlement and move his family to Boston in 1862.
The Pilnacek & Stejskal Families
As the town expanded, these families established its vital social hubs. The Pilnaceks operated a popular tavern and bowling alley on the southeast corner of Smithtown Avenue and Church Street, complete with an outdoor dance pavilion that hosted massive traditional pig roasts, drawing busloads of visitors from New York City. The Stejskals ran the famous Central Hotel just north of Blake Street, where they were beloved for serving heaping family-style platters of traditional Czech dumplings, sauerkraut, and pork.
1860–1870
The Builders
The Thuma Family
Few individuals were as central to the daily life of early Bohemia as Joseph F. Thuma (1857–1944). Often described as the village’s “problem solver,” Thuma was a cornerstone of the community who wore many hats to ensure the settlement thrived.
Arriving with the wave of Czech immigrants who settled in the area, Thuma became an essential bridge between the new settlers and the English-speaking world. He served as the village interpreter, translating complex English legal documents and property deeds into Czech to safeguard vulnerable settlers from exploitative land practices. But his service went far beyond language; records show he acted as an informal lawyer, a real estate manager, a school board member, and an election representative to both Suffolk County and New York State. In the days before easy access to medical care, he even served as the community’s “dentist,” helping neighbors remove troubling teeth.
Joseph and his wife, Anna, served as the patriarch and matriarch of a massive family unit, raising twelve children in their bustling home on Union Street, including Joseph, Anton (“Tom”), Julius, Charles, Jennie, Mary, Antoinette, Josephine, Anna, and August.
As these children matured, they systematically married into other prominent founding families, effectively weaving the Thuma lineage into the social fabric of the region. For instance, Anton (“Tom”) and his wife Emma Thuma eventually established their long-standing family home on Ocean Avenue — a historical residence that still stands today as a testament to the village’s deep roots. Furthermore, Adalbert Charles Thuma married Bessie Bild, cementing strong familial ties with the lineage of esteemed local pioneer Bedřich Bild.
Perhaps Joseph’s greatest gift to future generations was his pen. Recognizing the historical significance of the Bohemian migration, Joseph Thuma’s diaries are considered one of the most invaluable records of Bohemia’s history, capturing the day-to-day struggles and triumphs of the village’s founding. He is also credited with authoring the original “History of Bohemia Village,” ensuring that the story of this unique community would never be forgotten.
The Benedict Family
The Benedict family (originally Benedikt) arrived in Bohemia as part of the vital “Second Wave” of immigration. Records indicate that Anton Benedict arrived in 1862, the exact same year as the Karshicks. The two families became closely linked when Mary Benedict married Wenzel Karshick, cementing a bond between two of the town’s oldest households. This early generation helped clear the land and establish the farming roots of the village.
Perhaps the most colorful member of the family was Winnie Benedict (great-grandson of the founder Jan Vavra). In the 1920s and 30s, Winnie was a central figure in the town’s development, owning the lumber yard that once stood at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Church Street.
Winnie is best remembered for bringing a touch of “Old World” architecture to Long Island. He designed and built the Chateau La Boheme (later known as the Normandie Inn) on the corner of Smithtown and Lakeland Avenues, with castle-like turrets designed to resemble the architecture of his ancestors’ homeland in Czechoslovakia.
Winnie was also a dedicated community volunteer, serving as the building committee chairperson for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where he personally contributed to the construction and painting of the exterior. His garage was known as a local gathering spot where town gossip was exchanged around a massive fireplace he built himself.
The Karshick Family
Arriving in 1862, the Karshick brothers put down exceptionally deep roots, maintaining a continuous presence on their original homestead for over seven generations. They were essential to Bohemia’s agricultural and industrial evolution. Karshick Street bears their name today and was later the site of the Math & Hrouda pearl button factory until it tragically burned down in 1947. The family was famously united with another founding bloodline when Wenzel Karshick married Mary Benedict.
1880s
The Industrialists
The Kovarik Family
Jan & Albina
Deeply entrenched in the village’s “Golden Age,” the Kovariks were essential to the cigar industry, often working in both large factories and small backyard workshops (hauziky). The family is forever tied to the town’s patriotic history through Joseph Kovarik, a native son who gave his life in World War I. His immense sacrifice is honored by the Joseph Kovarik American Legion Post 1146 on Hubal Street — built on land generously donated by the Thuma family — which has guarded the village’s war memorials since the 1930s.
The Nohowec Family
Joseph Nohowec
By 1885, the local Czech clubs had grown significantly in both population and political influence. They petitioned the government for their own post office, officially adopting the name “Bohemia” to honor their ancestral homeland. Joseph Nohowec was at the forefront of this civic milestone and was appointed as the village’s very first postmaster. In the late 19th century, the postmaster was one of the most respected and vital roles in any town. Through his work, Joseph didn’t just sort the mail — he officially connected this tight-knit, rural immigrant community to the rest of the United States.
The Adamec Family
The Adamecs were a cornerstone of Bohemia’s evolution from a rugged outpost into a thriving, self-sustaining community. Anton Adamec operated a vital trucking business that connected local nurseries and the M. Foster Cigar Factory to the broader regional market. The family was also fiercely dedicated to protecting the village, with Anton serving as Fire Chief. In 1939, the family’s legacy of service took its most recognizable form when William Adamec Jr. opened the Adamec Funeral Home on Locust Avenue. Prior to this, most wakes in Bohemia were held in family living rooms; the Adamec chapel provided a dedicated, dignified sanctuary. From driving freight to fighting fires to sheltering the grieving, the Adamecs were defined by their dedication to their neighbors.
The Foster Family
While early settlers farmed the land, the Foster family transitioned Bohemia into the “Cigar Making Capital” of Long Island. The M. Foster Cigar Factory, located prominently at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Church Street, was a massive-scale operation. Their “Bohemia Cigar” became a highly recognized brand in New York City. Unlike the small, family-run “buckeye” sheds in backyards, this massive operation provided a steady economic engine that sustained dozens of local families and drew hundreds of new immigrants to the area, right up until the Great Strike of 1912.
The Novotny Family
The Novotny family was instrumental in establishing Bohemia’s spiritual foundation. In early 1887, Joseph Novotny generously donated a parcel of his own land to serve as the building site for a new church and manse. Completed in 1888 and officially dedicated in the fall of 1889, this building hosted religious services conducted entirely in the Czech language, providing a crucial cultural and spiritual anchor for the early pioneers who were adapting to a new country.
The Holecek Family
Alongside the Fosters, the Holeceks were equally vital to the town’s “Golden Age” of cigars. Albert Holecek operated another of the village’s largest and most successful commercial cigar factories on Pearl Street. This factory employed a massive workforce of skilled Czech immigrants, driving the local economy and establishing Bohemia as a regional manufacturing powerhouse before the rise of machine automation changed the industry forever.
The Ruzicka Family
As Bohemia rapidly matured into a bustling village of highly flammable wood-framed cigar factories and densely packed homes, the risk of devastating fires grew exponentially. Prominent pioneer families stepped up to protect the community. Louis Ruzicka was an essential founding member of the 1893 Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1. His civic dedication helped establish Bohemia’s first organized volunteer fire department, transitioning the town from ad hoc bucket brigades to a true emergency response system.
The Kautsky Family
Instrumental in the founding of the town’s emergency services was Louis Kautsky. Serving as the very first secretary of the 1893 Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1, he meticulously documented the early administrative history of the fire department. His careful record-keeping and organizational skills ensured that the village’s rapidly growing infrastructure was protected and properly managed for future generations.
1900s–1920s
The Business Pioneers
The Cervenka Family: The Grocers of Bohemia
Frank, Cyril, and George Cervenka
The Cervenka legacy began with a deeply resourceful move by Frank Cervenka in 1903. When the town’s original 1867 one-room schoolhouse became too small, Frank bought the wooden building at auction for just $100. He moved the structure to the corner of Locust Avenue and Church Street and transformed it into the town’s first grocery store.
By 1923, Frank’s son Cyril had outgrown the old schoolhouse. He hired the local building firm of Benedict and Swanda to construct a state-of-the-art brick market on the same corner. It featured a modern walk-in refrigerator — an incredibly rare luxury that allowed the village unprecedented access to fresh meat and produce.
Cyril was famous for driving his green panel delivery truck around town, but he is most fondly remembered for his generosity during the Great Depression. He kept a “little book” behind the counter, allowing struggling families to buy groceries on credit and pay only when they could. The building still stands today, continuing its legacy of feeding the community as the Locust Avenue Deli.
The Cerny Family
Joseph, Anna, Otakar, and Joseph Cerny Jr.
For generations, the daily rhythm of Bohemia was set by the smell of fresh rye bread drifting down Smithtown Avenue at 4:00 AM. Joseph Cerny was a classically trained craftsman who attended the prestigious Rencove Guild School for Bakers in Europe. In 1932, he and his wife Anna built and opened Cerny’s Bakery at 1165 Smithtown Avenue (at the corner of Kahle Street), bringing Old World, hand-crafted techniques to Long Island.
Unlike factory bakeries, Cerny’s used a massive, coal-fired brick hearth oven that gave their bread its signature thick crust. The oven was so large and hot that during the holidays, locals who had turkeys or geese too big for their own home ovens would bring them to the bakery to be professionally roasted.
Before supermarkets were common, Cerny’s panel trucks drove daily delivery routes through Bohemia, Sayville, and Oakdale, blowing a horn to signal neighbors to come out for fresh houska and kolaches. The family also gave heavily to the country; son Otakar Cerny was tragically killed in action in Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944).
The bakery remained in the family and continued operation well into the 1990s. In recognition of its role as an important business, cultural, and social center for the Czech community, the United States Department of the Interior officially listed the Cerny’s Bakery building on the National Register of Historic Places on August 17, 2020.
The Swanda Family
While the 1850s pioneers cleared the scrub oak and built the town’s first wooden frame shelters, the Swanda family was instrumental in physically bringing Bohemia into the 20th century. As the town’s premier masonry and construction experts in the early 1900s, they were the leading craftsmen behind the village’s modernization.
Often partnering with the Benedict family (forming the local building firm of Benedict & Swanda), the family was responsible for constructing many of the brick commercial buildings that defined Bohemia’s growing downtown. Their expert brick-and-mortar work quite literally transformed Bohemia from a rustic farming settlement into a permanent, bustling hub of commerce and industry.
The Bartik Family
Before the era of supermarkets and telephones, local general stores functioned as the daily “village square.” The Bartik family established one of Bohemia’s earliest and most vital general stores. It was a crucial meeting point where immigrant neighbors gathered to trade news, discuss local politics, and maintain deep communal bonds. The family was also heavily dedicated to public safety; Charles Bartik was among the original founding members of the Bohemia Fire Department in 1893.
The Fischer Family
The Fischers were deeply embedded in both the civic safety and the commercial success of the early hamlet. Joseph Fischer was a driving political force; on January 30, 1893, he formally initiated the motion to create the “Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.” On the commercial front, Ferdinand Fischer — bringing his specialized skills directly from Žirovnice — was a pioneer of the local pearl button industry and later co-opened a staple meat market with Joseph Emer in 1925. The family’s legacy reached a global stage when Ferdinand’s daughter, Rose (Fischer) Emer, was chosen to demonstrate Bohemia’s traditional button-drilling craft at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.