Joseph & Anna Kollars II on the right
Joseph Kolars’ II is the son of Joseph Kolas’ I, even though the last name may have began to change. He applied for a homestead August 20, 1874, at the age of twenty two, and was awarded the homestead of 160 acres on October 12, 1880, Final Certificate No. 1424. Joseph II was not married during this time. As you will notice on the documents the difference in the spelling of the applicants name, but if you study them closely, you will find his actual signature and spelling which is, Josef Kolars’.
The home farm place was recently owned by Ray Mueller and is located Northeast of Crofton, NE. According to Orville Kollars, the farm house is still inhabited and is located on the West side of Hwy 81 across from the Kollars Trailer Court between Crofton, NE and Yankton, SD.
Joe homesteaded this 160 acre farm and and later brought his wife Anna here and to have and raise a family. The homestead act passed by US Congress provided 160 acres free to those who could show improvement within a five year period.
Anna never learned English but still was able to communicate with her family and friends. After Joe’s death, Martin (Anna’s son) moved into the home with Anna and farmed the home-place and helped take care of Anna. Anna also moved in with other relatives later in her life. Orville Kollars remembers Anna always having chocolate kisses available for those who visited.
I have included some info on this website on the details of the Homestead Act of 1862, and it is interesting about the largest land give-away in America’s history. Joseph I and II were a part of this “give-away” but it was anything but free. It is understandable where the hard work ethic and determination the later generations were blessed with came from, because these men and their families worked hard for 5-6 years to get their “free” land.
These official documents were obtained by Todd Kollars at the National Archives in Washington D.C. in October of 2010.