Josefa Rusy was born on February 26, 1837 in Cista, Bohemia, Austria, the daughter of Vaclav Rusy and Anna Marie Skalicky. She was baptized on February 28, 1837 in Cista, Bohemia, Austria. She married Petr Polanek on February 10, 1858 in Cista. Together they had seven children; Jan, Hynek, Josef, Anna, Josefa, Ondrej and Otto. On April 25, 1880 she arrived in Baltimore, MD on the "Strassburg". She died on June 24, 1916 in Cicero from senile gangrene. She was buried on June 26, 1916 at Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago.

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