A century-old trade journal shouldn’t be the most gripping thing you’ll hear about this week, but here we are: a 1915 issue of The American Lumberman unlocks the intertwined stories of Chicago’s Czech community in the aftermath of the Eastland disaster. We trace a death notice—Julia Kolar—through a maze of addresses, parish ties, and workplace notes. We then follow the thread to meet another victim, Anna Molitor Kolar, and a survivor, Ellla Kolar, whose voice would carry from Chicago to Milan.
We walk through the exact research steps that make lost lives legible again: cross-referencing historian George Hilton’s Appendix D (Eastland: Legacy of the Titanic), combing the Eastland Memorial on Find a Grave, verifying Czech-language obituaries from Denní Hlasatel (Czech language newspaper), and balancing crowdsourced pages with original citations.
As the puzzle comes together, it reveals the deeper structure of a neighborhood economy built on lumber yards, monthly home payments, and mutual aid. The result is part genealogy guide, part community history, and part recovery of cultural memory.
Survivor Ella Kolar’s arc is a standout. A 1920 passport application shows her heading to Italy for vocal study; press clippings welcome her back for a River Forest reception; and a half-page notice in the Musical Courier confirms representation, bookings, and momentum. Critics in Boston hailed her as a 'newly risen star,' and her Chicago Czech community claimed her with pride. In a way, she sang for all of them.
If you love family history, Chicago history, Czech-American heritage, or the craft of archival sleuthing, this story has tools and heart in equal measure.
Resources:
