LEOPOLD AND MARY HERZIK BORDOVSKY
PARENTS OF GENE BODOVSKY



Leopold Bordovsky was my great-grandfather and was born October 4, 1863, in
Moravia, Czechoslovakia. He came to the United States when he was about
18.Leopold was a stowaway of a ship that landed in New York. He did odd jobs,
whatever he could find and for some unknown reason migrated to Texas and settled
in Fayette County.
A farmer by the name of Frantisek (Franz) Hersik in Fayette County, hired my
great-grandfather. Franz was born in Belton, Austria in 1826. He arrived in
the U.S. around 1866. He had 5 children. Among them were twin girls, Mary and
Molly. Molly died on the way over from Austria and was buried at sea.
Great-grandpa Bordovsky married Mary Herzik on November 11, 1886, in Dubina,
Texas, in the Cyrell Church by Rev. J. Wronsky.
Somewhere along the line Grandpa dropped the "R" in Bodovsky this becoming
Bodovsky. Bordovsky in Czech means "Hammer".
Great-grandpa farmed 40 acres in Fayette County with a 6 walking plow,
double shovel and a Georgia Stock.
My great-grandparents bought 300 acres between Tioga and Gunter in south
Grayson County in 1894 for $15.00 per acre. Five of their eleven children were
born in Fayett County.
On June 19, 1900, my grandfather, Eugene Thomas Bodovsky, was born. We
called him "Papa". Papa married Ruby Ragsdale on June 30, 1924.
Eugene and Ruby bought the old Bodovsky homeplace from his brothers and
sisters, along with the Tommy Norrris place and the Krugger place that joined
it.
Nelda (Whitworth) was their first child and was born January 10, 1929.
Dolores who was called "Tommy" was born February 6, 1931 and died, by
asphyxiation, in 1950. My mother, Norma Arvella (McKnight) was born March 2,
1934, and married my father Dan McKnight, Jr. in 1949. Their youngest is Jerry
and he was born June 20, 1940.

I barely remember my grandfather, Eugene, as he was killed in an accident
with a train in Gunter, October 5, 1955. He was a cattleman and a very good
man. He was a deacon at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church for many years. Mama
Bodovsky (Ruby) is retired and lives at her home in Tioga. She stays busy by
visiting her friends and taking them on their errands.

Written by Tommy Bob McKnight (in the late 1970's are early 80"s).