Childhood

John (Johann) Jacob Jungwirth was born March 4, 1875 in Tisch, Bohemia. (Bohemia was then part of Austria-Hungary, and John always referred to himself as "Austrian.")

His father was Johann Jungwirth (born c. 1830), but his mother's and younger sister's names are unknown (see photo at left, presumed to have been taken around 1883).

John attended the town elementary school for eight years, from September 17, 1881 to March 4, 1889. He seems to have been an excellent student. Click here to read a transcription of his final report card: Report card

A second family photo (at left) appears to have been taken around 1893, after John went to America.

About Tisch

Tisch (Ktis) is a town of about 500 people in the Sudeten Mountains of Southern Bohemia. It is 82 miles south of Praha (Prague) in the Czech Republic. The town is now known as Ktis. Its coordinates are Latitude 48°55' N, Longitude 14°08'E.

Until World War I, its people spoke German and were primarily Catholic. After the war, in 1919, Bohemia and neighboring areas were drawn into the new country of Czechoslovakia. After the atrocities of World War II, German-speaking residents were expelled from the Sudetenland.