Jacob Method Pivonka was born June 9, 1832 in Moravia, a province of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, now southern Czechoslovakia. He married Antonia Dvorak, who was born in Bohusice, Moravia, in June 5, 1837. They lived in a small village, Chrohenice, also called Vohraznice. Here Jacob ran a sort of inn, which John Pivonka describes in hia writings. All the children were born here and were baptized in the parish chirch (Roman Catholic) in Jaromerice about three miles distant.

Grandfather had three brothers; Frank, who lived in Brno; Wenzel, who lived in Vienna and later came to Kansas with his daughter Louise, who married Joe Dolezal. Wenzel is buried in the Catholic cemetery at Timken, K3., where Jacob Method, his wife and other members of the family are also buried. The third brother, Thomas, was not heard from at all".

J. M. Pivonka brought his wife, his daughter and five sons (the oldest son, Jacob, died at the age of ten months) directly to Kansas from Czechoslovakia in 1880, stopping at Newton, KS. for about two weeks. He then came to Rush County and settled on a farm southeast of Rush Center, the southeast quarter of section 8 in Banner township. He later moved to the southwest quarter of section 24 in Banner township, which he homesteaded. Here they built a stone house and he held the position of postmaster of Ryan, KS. for more than 15 years.

When the youngest son married, Grandfather built a small house a short distance from the stone house, there he and Grandmother lived until his death on March lli, 1916. My brother Charles, my sister Louise and I often walked over there te visit with them. Grandmother stayed on for some time after Grand­fathers death and then came to live with us the last couple years of her life. She walked the mile back to her little house almost every day during that time. One day in the spring of 1920 she must have had a stroke while there. Uncle Ralph brought her back to our house, she lived several weeks but remained bedfast. She died on May 25, 1920.