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Frank Benjamin Koca

Male 1894 - 1918  (23 years)


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  • Name Frank Benjamin Koca  [1, 2
    Birth 20 Nov 1894  Atlanta Township, Saline County, Nebraska Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Death 29 Aug 1918  Soisson, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Burial Bohemian Brethren Cemetery (AKA Cesky Bratri Cemetery), Fillmore County, Nebraska Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Frank and his brothers ran a threshing outfit in Nebraska.

      Frank was drafted early in World War I. He trained in Camp Funston, Kansas. While in training, he was visited by his brothers, Vaclav and Joe, Frank SOUKUP, Frank, Joe and Emil SVEC, Joe BERNASEK and Charles KRUPICKA. He trained with Company M, 355 Infantry. He was briefly home, due the serious illness of his mother, prior to his transfer to Camp Merritt, New Jersey. He was sent overseas on April 3, 1918. At that time he was transferred to the First Company, 4th Infantry Battalion. In April, 1918, he was transferred to Company C, 128 Infantry. He was wounded near Cierges, France, and wrote his parents from the hospital. He was killed in action a few months later in the Soisson Sector of France. He was buried near Verdun. His parents paid to have his body returned home so he could be buried in Nebraska. Services were held for him in 1921 at the Catholic Church in Milligan, with the American Legion conducting services at the gravesite. Pallbearers were Bohumil KOTTAS, Harry PETRASEK, James SMITH, Fred KOLAR, Anton ELZNIC and William BARTU. Honorary pallbearers were Ada STECH, Agnes KOTAS, Agnes NADHERNY, Agnes SMITH, Mayme KOCA and Mayme ROHLA. The firing squad consisted of Ed CHUDLY, Rudolph SPOUSTA, Ed BREJCHA, Frank BERNASEK, James KASSIK, John KOTAS, Ed LAUN and James LUZUM. Joseph KLIMA and Adolph KOTAS conducted the services. Joe BORS, commander of the local post, had charge of the firing squad. (Milligan, p 337).
    Person ID I19724  Strong Family Tree
    Last Modified 17 Aug 2014 

    Father Vaclav Koca,   b. 9 Jan 1866, Zebnice, Plzen, Bohemia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1 Apr 1950, Milligan, Fillmore County, Nebraska Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 84 years) 
    Mother Marie Bernasek,   b. 25 Mar 1868, Bohy, Plzen-Sever, Plzensk? Kraj, Bohemia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1 Dec 1960, Friend, Saline County, Nebraska Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 92 years) 
    Marriage 9 Jul 1889  Glengary Township, Fillmore County, Nebraska Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    • They were married in the the Koca home, with Frank TENOPIR and Albert BIBA as witnesses. Vaclav's brother Joseph, a widower, was married on the same day in a double ceremony. They repeated their vows in the Catholic Church on January 6, 1891 before it was completely plastered and finished. Attendants were Frank TENOPIR, Frank KOCA, Josephine BECK, and Mary PRIBYL. They farmed in Section 19 of Atlanta Township for many years, buying a home from Frank STECH in Milligan to retire too. They moved into this home in 1923, with their two youngest daughters. In February, 1950, their home caught fire due to a glowing ember from a stove. The were away from home, and arrived with the kitchen floor ablaze. Marie went to get help, and Vaclav attempted to douse the flames. A hole the size of a basket was left in the floor. He died of respiratory problems related to the smoke he inhaled a few months later. His brother Joseph died of pneumonia as well, a few days after Vaclav (Milligan, p 343).
    Family ID F1770  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 20 Nov 1894 - Atlanta Township, Saline County, Nebraska Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 29 Aug 1918 - Soisson, France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Bohemian Brethren Cemetery (AKA Cesky Bratri Cemetery), Fillmore County, Nebraska Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S219] Milligan Centennial History Book Committee HISTORY OF MILLIGAN, NEBRASKA 1888-1988 (Walsworth Publishing, Marceline, MO), 343 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S482] Chromy, Ken & Kathy, 706 Road 19, Ohiowa, NE 68416; Our Bohemian & Moravian Ancestors in Nebraska; Ver. 2007-03-05 14:07:03; http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kchromy.

    3. [S219] Milligan Centennial History Book Committee HISTORY OF MILLIGAN, NEBRASKA 1888-1988 (Walsworth Publishing, Marceline, MO), p 337 (Reliability: 3).

    4. [S219] Milligan Centennial History Book Committee HISTORY OF MILLIGAN, NEBRASKA 1888-1988 (Walsworth Publishing, Marceline, MO), p 343 (Reliability: 3).