PLESAK STORY
or
How I hunted PLESHEK´s but caught PLESAK´s
Some of "Pleshek"s descend of "Plesak"s ("Pleshak"s) !

My hypothesis of the "Plesek" ("Pleshek") ancestry place origin
All Plesek´s/Pleshek´s all over the world stem from one small village Hostasovice, Novy Jicin district, Czech Republic It is referred there are more than 40,000 variations of Czech surnames. In case of the equal distribution, some 250 Czech Republic citizens should keep their own specific surname. This thesis is a speculation of course. Some Czech surnames like Novak, Novotny, Svoboda, Dvorak, Cerny, Prochazka, Vesely etc. are spread very much. The first forty the most frequent Czech surnames numbers more than 10 per cent of all Czech population. On the other hand the Czech surnames majority is very infrequent and such surnames are possessed with few clansmen or are connected with specific places only. Such a surname seems to be a surname "Plesek"(english written "Pleshek" as well). The name Plesek is frequent and endemic in Hostasovice village, with some spreading to the neighboring localities, as are e.g. Novy Jicin, Hodslavice etc., but it does not belong to the current names in the whole Czech Republic. The 43 per cent Plesek/Pleskova name holders live in Novy Jicin District (incl. Hostasovice village) according to the Evaluation of the listed telephone numbers occurence.
The first dubitations
All available resources exploitation brought around 360 names into Plesek/Pleskova pedigree. Names "Plesek"(or, English written "Pleshek" as well) were discovered and their linkages were described including some of those in the U.S.A. and Australia. Some of findings were published on www pages and subsequently descendants of Plesek´s from 1881 contacted me. The following investigation on the U.S.A. territory brought a finding that name Plesek/Pleshek is so wide-spread within the U.S.A. that there likely should be more predecessor resources than those from 1881.
Another "Plesek" ("Pleshek") ancestry origin place in "KRISAND near Thabor" ?
Mrs. Karin K. H. from Wisconsin, U.S.A. responded to my www pages with considerable interest to know more about her ancestors named Pleshek and Tomashek, immigrants to U.S.A. from 1869. Her ancestor named "Jacob Pleshek" hailed allegedly from "KRISAND near THABOR" and his wife called "Catherine Tomashek" hailed allegedly from "MEZNA". Both places seems to be situated very far from Hostasovice (distance around 200 km) and what more - in the area where Plesek´s didn´t live and don´t live today...
How to solve such a puzzle ?
The name "KRISAND" isn´t the Czech name (maybe a German one ?). To decipher the right place name seemed to be the key factor for the next work. These were some of anticipations :
A/ "THABOR" seems to be Czech place name "Tabor". It should be the bigger town called "Tabor" in Bohemia, not small villages "Tabor" near Opava/Moravia or "Tabor" near "Trencin".
B/ "KRISAND" should be some crank of the original place name made by translation from Czech/German to English.
C/ There are more places named "MEZNA" (and suchlike) within Czech Republic but the most of them are situated in the region Tabor - Benesov - Pelhrimov in Bohemia. As the population migration was very low through the ages it would be useful to search for those "Mezna" only those are situated very closed to some "Krisand" (or suchlike).
Some of such places :

In which region are the right Mezna and "Krisand" (or suchlike) situated ?
The success in genealogy work strongly depends on the accurate name of place the ancestor moved from whereas the exact date of birth isn´t so important. I was trying to find the "KRISAND" for a very very long time. Very hard work was done. I contacted various genealogists, record offices, geographers, Internet resources ... ...without any success. Krisand was unknown !
Once more : Who is actually wanted ?
Mrs. Karin K. H. sent a very comprehensive family tree to me. This pedigree includes many ancestor´s data after they´re entering America. What information was recorded in the moment of entering the US territory ?
Extract from the Karin K. H. family tree :
1.1/ Jacob Pleshek was born June 23,1830 in Bohemia, died May 19,1917 in Twn of Waukechon, Shawano Cty, Wisconsin.
He married Catherine Tomashek 1865, she was born May 05, 1838 in Bohemia.
Immigrated to the USA in or about August 1869 at the port of New York. His application lists year of birth as 1831 in Bohemia.
He signed the paper "Jacob Plisek" dated 11/07/1892.
Jacob listed in several documents in different ways : Jacob, Jake / Plesek, Plisek, Plesak, Plicek. Died 05/19/1917.

1.2/ Catherine Tomashek, date of birth listed as 04/1839 in Bohemia, died 10/10/1922 in Twn of Waukechon , Shawano Cty, Wisconsin
Catherine listed in several documents in different ways : Tomasu, Tomasek
According to the US Census of 1900 - Jacob and Catherine had 10 children with 7 currently living in 1900.
Their children born till 1868 :
a) Frank Pleshek, born 11/25/1858 in Bohemia, died 11/14/1924 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin
b) Wenceslaus Pleshek, born1862 in Krisand near Thabor in Bohemia, died before 1900
c) John J. Pleshek, born June, 1866 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin, USA (???), died 1946
d) Joseph Frank Pleshek, born June 1868 in Bohemia, died 5/31/1944 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin

2/ Wencel Tomashek was born September 28,1840 in Austria-Hungary, Province of Bohemia near a town of named Mezna.
He died January 20, 1914 in Twn of Waukechon , Shawano Cty, Wisconsin. He married Maria Pribl 1865, she was born April 06,1839 in Bohemia and died February 28,1926 in Twn of Waukechon , Shawano Cty, Wisconsin.
He signed his naturalization papers "Intent only" as Vaclav Tomasak and states he born in Bohemia 1840 and arrived at the Port of New York 5/1869.

3/ John J. Pleshek was born 5/11/1857 in Bohemia, died 10/3/1903 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin
Found naturalization papers "Intent only" and he signed his name John Plisek dated 10/31/1896.
Stated he was born in Bohemia 1858 and emigrated to the US arriving to the port of New York 05/1890.
He married Petrona Kansor, born 1/10/1858 v Bohemia, daughter of Albert Kansor and Theresa , died 10/3/1903 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin.
At least 2 of their 6 children (Anna 1882 and Katerina) were born in Bohemia. On the death certificate for John J Pleshek parents are listed as father - Martin Pleshek and mother - Martin Tomasu.

I tried to contact some Tomashek´s in various "Mezna" or "Mezno" and their neighbourhood - without any success.
I tried to find some Plesek´s/Pleshek´s in some "Mezna" or "Mezno" or "Mezny" and their neighbourhood - no person with such a name lives there.
I tried to find some Plesek´s/Pleshek´s or Tomashek´s in Ship Passenger Lists on WWW - without any success.
In the meantime Mrs. Karin K. H. found Tomashek´s - but in fact "Tomasu´s"
Mrs. Karin K. H. got of her relations´ new information leading to the parentage "Tomasu" and situated this clan origin to the village Mezna, parish Bozejov, district Pelhrimov. The name modification "Tomasu" to "Tomashek" seemed to be outside - but many birth data corresponded to those of Tomashek immigrants to US !
New findings from Passenger Lists
The most later information concerning an immigrant from 1891 were newly proved :
John J. Pleshek, born 5/11/1857 in Bohemia, died 10/3/1903 in Waukechon, Shawano, Wisconsin Stated he was born in Bohemia 1858 and emigrated to the US arriving to the port of New York 05/1890.
Mr. Simicek from Lichnov/Moravia helped me to find very interesting record in the book by Leo Baca.
Leo Baca : Czech Emigration Passenger Lists - Volume VII - New York 1887-1896 :
      PLESOK, Jan, 33
      Petronella 33
      Anna 8, Jan 2, Trume 1/4, Marie 23, Marie 1/2,
      Mezna, Bohemia, California, 16.5.1890
This record can be explained : Some "PLESOK" (later renamed to Pleshek), immigrated with another persons to the port of New York 5/16/1890 by the ship California from Mezna in Bohemia.
This "Mezna" should be the same one from which another Pleshek´s and Tomashek´s immigrated to US in 1869 - the village Mezna, parish Bozejov, district Pelhrimov.

Now it is known already where to search : "Statni oblastni archiv" in Twn of Trebon
It´s rather difficult for Czechs to received some data from Czech Archives. Foreigners have possibility to pay for such a job but usually it is rather expensive. We have to search data in our Archives ourselves without any option to make photocopies. This way is very cheap one but - we have to take occupational leave, to travel to the appropriate region archive, to pay about one half dollar for each archive book and then we can study them ...
A routine work followed. At first I checked by phone if they have the right birth register with Mezna/Bozejov around 1830 to 1890. Next I decided to order my visit in "Statni oblastni archiv" in Trebon. The most important for any search is to know the exact person birthplace. As I knew only the exact leave place of John Plesek ("Plisek") 5/11/1857, his wife Petronella and children, I intended to search for those persons in Mezna/Blazejov registers/matrixes. Next I meant to search for Jacob Plesek (Plisek, Plesak, Plicek) 6/23/1830 and his wife Catherine Tomasek/Tomasu 4/1839 as well anticipating they had have to lived in Mezna/Blazejov. Finally I meant to search for all persons named Tomasek, Tomasu, Tomas and suchlike and Plesek, Plesok, Plisek, Plesak, Pelisek, Pleska, Plicek and suchlike.
I had a good run !
Followed registers were studied :
      BOZEJOV - Volume 7 - Birth Register 1834 - 1851
      BOZEJOV - Volume 8 - Birth Register 1852 - 1875
      BOZEJOV - Volume 13 - Wedding Register - 1845 - 1868
Wanted persons were found and identified by data of birth and wedding and confronted with the data got from US. The research result was rather amazing but unique one :
"Tomashek" wasn´t originally Tomasek but "Tomasu" !
"Pleshek" wasn´t originally Plesek but "Plesak" !
In the moment of entering US territory a person "Tomasu" was renamed to "Tomashek" and another person "Plesak" was renamed to "Pleshek". Without a doubt it was both a lingual barrier and a low literacy of both immigrants and immigration officers which caused such name distortions.
And what about the place name "Krisand" that has suffered me so much?
Nobody knows. It may be a crank of German expression "Kreis Amt" (District Board) or "Kreis Sand" (District Pisek)(Czech "Pisek" = German, English "Sand"). Maybe it is some misinterpretation of the original place name ... Nobody knows, likely for ages ...
Conclusion ( ... or continuation ?)
Sorry nobody of those people hailed from Mezna/Blazejov is likely my relation ...
But ... ? There is some small possibility ....
I know that in the 18th century some veterans from our area made desertion and fled to Pelhrimov area ....
Whoever of those Jan, Ignac, Frantisek, Martin, Frantisek(2), Josef, Jan Tadeas, Josef(2), Jiri, Josef(3) Plesek (PlesVek) can be that one who got lost from my Hostasovice area and from my Family tree and walked to Pelhrimov area (and changed maybe his name to Plesak) ...?

Now you can go to Plesek/Pleshek Home page or to Jakub PLESAK from Mezna and his Family History and basic Family Tree