Where we have lived, or where we come from

The Vachuška family has its oldest roots in the village of Sedlo. From the birth record of Vít Vachuška from 1642, it is known that the forefather of the family, Jiřík, and his wife Dorotka, Vít's parents, lived in this small village on the border of today's South Bohemian and Pilsen regions. In addition to Vít, Jiřík and Dorotka had at least three other children, the youngest of whom, Ludmila, was born in 1653. The records also show that two daughters were born in Sedlo to the family of Jakub and Magdalena Vachuška in 1666 and 1667.

The next child in the Vachuška family was born in Sedlo in 1691. Unfortunately, it is not known why no children were born during the intervening quarter of a century. However, the tax records mention an event that may be related to this. In 1667, the house of Jiřík and Dorotka burned down. The loss of life and the exact extent of the damage are unknown today, but it is certain that it was a major fire and that it must have seriously changed the life of Jiřík's family. In addition to Jiřík's house, two other houses burned down in Sedlo in the second quarter of 1667, probably due to a large fire in part of the village. After this event, Jiřík was exempted from paying taxes. The further fate of Jiřík and his family is unknown.

It can be said with certainty that the Vachuškas lived in Sedlo again from 1691 at the latest, when Barbora was born here to the family of Pavel and Kateřina Vachuška. Starting in 1771, the house that was home to the family is known. It was Sedlo 12. Members of the family with the surname Vachuška or Vachušková lived here until the 1880s. In 1864, Sedlo 12 became the home of Rosalie Holoubková, born Vachušková, and her family, and in 1883, Lidmila Vachušková, Rosalie's aunt, died here unmarried. The village of Sedlo was demonstrably the home of the family for 241 years, but most likely for much longer.

From the end of the 18th century, the Vachuška family also lived in Střelské Hoštice, a nearby village. In 1790, Václav was born in Střelské Hoštice to Josef and Magdalena Vachuška. Střelské Hoštice was home to members of the family at least until 1920, which is as far back as the records of digitized sources published to date go. However, it is possible that descendants of the family still live there today.

Members of the family lived in the neighboring villages of Horní Poříčí and Dolní Poříčí from the first half of the 19th century. The registers show that Anna was born in 1838 in Horní Poříčí to the family of Tomáš Vachuška and Kateřina Haufová, born Harašková, and Josef was born in 1847 in Dolní Poříčí to the same family. Starting with Tomáš of Sedlo and Kateřina, these two villages were home to the descendants of the family.

Marked municipalities in southwestern Bohemia with the period during which members of the Vachuška family lived there continuously for a longer period of time according to preserved digitized registers, on Muller's map from 1720.

Note: Compiled based on births, marriages, and deaths of persons with the surname Vachuška/Vachušková in the civil registers digitized by 2025. "Let" in the map means "years"

Map source: Müller's Map of Bohemia. In: Geoprohlížeč Českého zeměměřického a katastrálního úřadu [online]. Prague: Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre [cited 2025-11-12]. Available from: https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

One branch of the family, founded by Jiřík and Dorotka, lived in the villages of Sedlo, Střelské Hoštice, Horní Poříčí, and Dolní Poříčí mentioned above. Another branch lived in the villages of Dobrotice, Slatina, and Lnářský Málkov. The oldest known ancestors in the second branch were Tomáš and Rosina Vachuška. According to the registers, six children were born into their family, with the firstborn Dorota coming into the world in 1748 in Dobrotice. Starting in that year, members of the family lived there continuously until 1838. The last Vachuška to die here was Jan Křtitel, son of Václav Vachuška and Johanna, born Poleníková, whose death is dated to 1838.

The descendants of the family lived in Slatina and Lnářský Málkov. They probably lived in Slatina from 1817 or a few years later. According to preserved digitized records, Slatina was home to the family for at least 128 years, but it is possible that other members of the family lived there even after 1945, when Josefa, born Vachušková, died there. They lived in Lnářský Málkov from 1828 at the latest, as it is known that Josef was born there to Josef Vachuška and Mary, born Augustýnová. According to preserved digitized records, members of the family lived there until at least 1945, as František died there that year. However, it is possible that they still live there today.

Members of the family also lived for some time in Střela, Mnichov, and Lažany. The family of František Vachuška and Marie, born Bernasová, lived in Střela from at least 1800, when their son Karel was born there. The last mention of the family in Střela is the death of Josefa, born Vachušková, in 1877. The family of František and Marya Magdalena Vachušková lived in Mnichov from at least 1834, when their daughter Marya was born. The last event involving a member of the family that took place in Mnichov was the death of Tomáš Vachuška in 1872. He was the same Tomáš who was the first member of the family to live in Horní and Dolní Poříčí. The family of Jakub Vachuška and Anežka, born Hájková, lived in Lažany for a short time, followed by the family of his brother František Xaver and his wife Josefa, born Kůtová. Thanks to these two families, Lažany was home to the family's descendants between 1840 and 1856. Jakub and František Xaver were Tomáš's brothers.

Members of the family also lived for shorter periods in other villages in southwestern Bohemia. These were the villages of Střelskohoštická Lhota, Svéradice, Velký Bor, Zadní Hoštice, Dražejov, Liboč (today's village of Katovice), Hlupín, and Krty-Hradec. Outside southwestern Bohemia, they also lived in Spálov, Dvůr Králové nad Labem, and Vranové.

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