Anybody heard of the surname Zderad?

Question

This name is in my family history. It is Czech and may be shortened from Zderadichka. Little is known to me about this part of the family tree. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Ask your grandparents if you descend from either Franz or Jan Zderadicka. They were 16 and 14 respectively when they came through Ellis Island in 1905 from Mlyny in the Empire of Austria-Hungary. Their ethnicity was Bohemian (common in that day for Czech) on the records. Until the end of WWII, Austria ruled the Czech lands.

They were planning to continue on to Chicago and live on Throop St with their uncle Jan Miska. Franz listed his occupation as a baker.

If this is them, then your search isn't hard. Go to the nearest LDS Family History Center and pull all the films for Mlyny and start educating yourself on the difficulties of reading Czech handwriting. Then you can go through civil registers and church sacramental registers to track them back as long as the records exist.

Answer 2

yes, I checked and do find the name in the 1930 census. If you provide the exact persons, I can send you the original image, which has a lot of info.  Most important is the year of immigration, and if the person is/ is not a naturalized citizen. Once you have those details, we can help you find the original immigration or naturalization records, that will open the doors for you.

I don't always get back to recheck posts... you can send me a note through my profile.