The break down for known Blahnik immigrants shown below by the State that the families settled.

Wisconsin gained it's statehood in 1848.  This occurred about the same time as the serf statues was lifted in Bohemia.  There was a great deal of advertising in Czech and German newspapers encouraging people come to settle this new state.  This is probably why there were so many Czechs coming to Wisconsin between 1850-1880.  In 2011 the White pages the people with the last name of Blahnik had grown to 821 from these 118 immigrants.  One third of these Blahniks were still living in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin had the most Czech immigrants in the 1860 & 1870 census records for the US.  More than half of our Blahnik families did immigrate to Wisconsin and the Midwest, but we have settlements as far away as Canada too.

In 2011 the greatest number of Blahniks in Czech continued to live in this same SW area of the Czech Republic.  Domazlice to Klatovy has the highest population of Blahniks from land line phone records.  In 2011 the land line records in Czech showed 519 listings while the US showed 821 listings.  Wisconsin still showed the greatest number of Blahniks and had increased from 66 immigration families to 303 homes some 150 years later.

A note should be made here about how the numbers gathered for this comparison.  Cell phones are more common in Czech currently than Land Lines are, so it is possible that this is not as direct of a comparison as one might think.  Still, the Blahnik immigrants definitely established themselves on the North American continent.

In 2012 a DNA group was up to see how we might all relate.  The information will be presented by the name of the oldest known ancestor from each Blahnik family.  Currently five different families (Male family lines) have been discovered.

Although 65 Blahnik families were identified at the time of immigration, it was discovered that some of them were related to others and also that some families died out with the Blahnik name (having either no children or daughters only).

DNA and Genealogical attempts to identify our Families

In 2011 there was a Blahnik family reunion held at Blahnik Heritage Park in Algoma, WI.  Blahniks from all over the world were invited to attend.  From this reunion the idea establishing a Blahnik DNA group was discussed.  Three Blahnik men initiated this group and had no common ancestor back to the 1700's.  All three of these men were from a short distance from each other in NE Wisconsin.  They all turned out to be related.  Other Blahnik males joined the Y-DNA group to test for their paternal ancestry line. 

So far, fifteen different male Blahniks from what seemed like separate families took the DNA test which resulted in these five different groups.  The groups are being identified by the oldest known ancestor and the Haplogroup affiliated with them.  The majority of Czechs have an �R� or R1b Haplogroup (roughly 36%).  None of our Blahnik families belong to this group. �R� is often associated with the Celts and the Boii tribe was said to have been pushed over the Alps into Czech (Bohemia) by the Romans. Three of our Blahnik families came from the "I" group mutation while the other two come from "L" and "N".

The Five DNA Haplo Groups
There is an article in the December 2013 issue of Nase Rodina.  That is the Genealogical Magazine from CGSI (Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International) and discusses our Blahnik DNA Project.  The info below expands on some of the DNA groups while a fuller explanation for the Libkov group can be found in this article

1- Haplo I2a or I-P37.2 Lipkov, Bohemia includes families from Czech villages Smrzovice, Kout, Vitovky, Myto (PA) and Loucim, CZ.  Also immigrant locations for  Winnipeg Canada, Algoma WI are included with this group.  This includes both American and Czech DNA samples.  The oldest known ancestor was Ondra Blahnik c1455 Libkov (between Domazlice and Klatovy) -after 1482.  This appears to be the largest Blahnik family both in Czech and North America.  See ancestral migration map below and the known genealogical tree that we currently have available.  There were some branches that split off the trunk earlier which are likely the Kout, Vitovky and Loucim Blahniks.  Though they are connected genetically, the genealogical connection has yet to be found.
LIBKOV BLAHNIKS

2-  Haplo N1C1 or N-M231 has been found for two different families.  There is an immigrant family named Blahnik who settled in Ashland, WI.  Their oldest known ancestor was Jan (John) Blahnik c1825 possibly Chodska Lhota, Bohemia.  There was also a man in Prague,  Czech Republic that match his DNA with this Wisconsin family whose oldest known ancestor was Frantisek c1875 from the Village Trhanov (near Domazlice) Bohemia. 

Mike Glime estimates that these two branches shared the same direct ancestor in the late 1700's.  There is also a third party match with a man whose last name is Stanley.  This means the family split between the Blahniks and this man's family probably occurred before the standard use of last names.  The N Haplogroup is frequently found among the Turks, Russians, Finns, Baltic, Eastern Prussia and even in Russia.  The exact path of this family to Czech has not been determined at this time.  Perhaps the most likely place could be from Eastern Prussia which is close to Czech.  I should be noted that there is an FTDNA direct match with a Mr. Stanley in Slovakia.  The split with the Blahnik may have happened before last names became commonly used.

3- Haplo  I1 or I-M253 belongs to one of the immigrant families that settled in Iowa.  The oldest known ancestor for this group is Georg (Jiri) Blahnik b: in Bohemia estimated birth 1840.  He married Dorothea (Janva) Janca Janda and they lived in Mlynec, Klatovy in the mid 1800�s.

There are a few Blahnik immigrant families that came to Iowa.  One family has been tested so far.  The FTDNA program suggests the I1 lineage may have started in northern France.  It was  found most frequently in the Viking/Scandinavian area of NW Europe and spread from there down to Central and Eastern Europe.  This Haplo DNA marker is not shown in great frequencies in East/Central Europe but is likely how this Blahnik group came to Czech.

4- I2b1 or I-M223 is the Haplogroup for an ancestral Blahnik family from Ledvice.  The oldest known ancestor of this group is Joseph Blahnik 1875 Ledvice, Bohemia.  This family emigrated to France before coming to America in the next generation.  Descendents can be found in IL and WI.

 The basic migration map is similar to both the Libkov Blahniks and the I-M253 Iowa group since they all come within the "I" group mutation.  From the basic "I" mutations they took slightly different paths.  FTDNA suggests that I2b1 may actually have had its roots in Northern France like I1.  This group probably took a similar path as the I-M253 Blahniks since it is a genetic subgroup.   Haplo I2b1 external link. 

5- Haplo L-M61 was found for the group known as the Volduchy Blahniks. The oldest known ancestor was Matej Blahnik b: c1775 Bohemia.  The family lived in  Litohlvy (just east of Plzen) in the early 1800's.  Two generations later Frantisek left from Minnesota USA in 1906.

 The L-M61 is an interesting Haplotype for this Czech family.  One source suggests that 50% of the men living in southern India have this marker.  It should be noted that it is also common in the Middle East among the Turks, Saudis and Pakistanis.  Perhaps the Volduchy Blahnik group  came through the Middle East making their way up to the Czech Republic.  Research continues and this current path may alter.  Certainly India is where most people with this L Haplo are now living .

Not all Blahnik lines have been tested to see how we all connect.

This project is looking for a Blahnik male from the family lines of
1- Jos Blahnik & Tulachka to Kewaunee, WI,
2-  Polenka, Klatovy -Oxford Jct. IA & Chicago, IL, 
3- Another male from a Cedar Rapids, Iowa group. 

A basic $60 test would indicate which of the 5 family lines belong to them.

The Blahnik DNA group is open for more testing.  There are Blahniks in other European Countries as well as other immigrant families who have not been tested.  We invite any male Blahniks (also spelled  Blacknik and Blamick with some American immigrant families) to join and connect with your Czech Cousins.

Feel free to contact this author