Based on the memories of Judy Smith King
For Judy Smith King, the history of Bohemia is best understood through the lens of family. As she writes in her memoir, “One of the fondest memories in my childhood was when my brother and I would spend time with our maternal grandparents, William and Julia Stochl,” who lived in a bustling home on Church Street.
A Courtship by Lantern Light
The story of the Stochls began in the early 1900s when they met at age 16 while working at the cigar factory on Ocean Avenue. Their courtship was a scene from a simpler time: Judy recalls how her grandfather would visit Julia at her parents’ home on Locust Avenue and then “walk home with his lantern through the woods” to his own house on Smithtown Avenue. They married in 1905, eventually settling into the home on Church Street where they would build their legacy.
A Hub of Commerce and Sweet Treats
The Stochl property was a center of village life. William, who later became the warden at the Suffolk County Jail, ran a bicycle shop in the shed out back. Together, they operated an ice cream parlor and candy store next door. It was a tempting place to grow up; Judy notes that her mother, Gladys, “would eat some of their profits, enjoying an occasional ice cream frappe while visiting with customers”.
The Taste of Bohemia
Life at the Stochl house was flavorful. Judy and her brother would “enjoy Grandma’s Czech cooking,” which included staples like “homemade noodles, ‘piggy-tails’ and rice, liver dumpling soup… and rabbit stew”. Sunday dinners were special affairs featuring roast duck, zeli (cabbage), and knedliky (dumplings).
When not eating at home, they supported other local families. They walked to Cerny’s Bakery for the “best pound cake I ever had” or visited Cervenka’s grocery store to buy provisions from her great-uncle Cyril.
“Looking on the Cemetery”
Weekends were filled with chores and connection. While her brother Fred played with the beagles Grandpa raised to hunt, Judy would join her grandmother to “look on the cemetery” directly across the street. It was a ritual of remembrance: “Grandma would bring flowers and lovingly tell me stories about the families that lived and died in Bohemia”.
Reflecting on those years, Judy quotes her brother Fred, who recently told her that “those days were so much fun and filled with such pure memories”. It is a sentiment that rings true for anyone lucky enough to remember the Old Bohemia.