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The House - The Family - The Investigation - Experiences
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John And Mary Zalud |
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John Zalud came to America on November 1866 at the age of 16 with his father Ferdinand, mother Katrine and siblings Anton, Maria, Anna and Julie Veronike. His mother died in New Orleans shortly after the family arrived. After her death, Ferdinand moved himself and his large family to Chicago, where they met and became close friends with another immigrant family, the Herdlickas.
John courted and ultimately married Mary Jane Herdlicka in 1875. She already had a child named Anna (Annie) Celia, whom John adopted. He and his new family then moved to San Francisco and shortly after to Tulare County. They lived in the town of Tulare, where they opened a restaurant called Delmonico's. Both of them were excellent cooks.
John and Mary had 3 babies that died in infancy. They are buried in unmarked graves in Tulare. While living in Tulare, they had 2 more children, Edward George in November 1877 and Pearle Priscilla in December 1884. One more child was born after their arrival in Porterville that lived only a few months. The name of the baby girl was Ines Pauline; she was born in April 1892 and died July 1892.
In 1890 the family moved to Porterville where John opened up a saloon and invested in property. He was successful enough to be considered wealthy, the family traveled extensively, acquiring the finest items of that period. Many of the art work, ceramics, collectibles and rugs are from their travels.
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Annie Zalud |
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Annie, a very popular young lady, was chosen Miss Raisin of the San Joaquin Valley in 1893. She often helped her family in running the saloon and cooking. Annie eventually became the wife of William Hubert Brooks, a businessman, in 1898. The marriage came to an end when William was shot and killed in November 1917 by Julia Howe, a woman he had allegedly been harassing. He was killed in the Porterville Pioneer Hotel. It was quite the scandal back in those days. Mrs. Howe was put on trial and acquitted because it was found that his actions contributed to his death. (Click here to see the newspaper article) Annie never remarried and died in April 1962. She and William did not have any children. |
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Edward Zalud |
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Edward or “Ed” as he was known by, was the only son of John and Mary. He helped his father in the saloon business and eventually ran some ranches that the family owned. Ed also had some rogue friends, including local gunman Jim McKinney and Jesse James (who was known to travel in this area). It was rumored that the James Gang sometimes hid out on some of the ranch property. There was also talk that Ed was a “bootlegger” during the Prohibition era. He died at the age of 44 in October 1922 due to a riding accident on his ranch. (The saddle he was in when the accident took place sits in his room) There is some haziness over the circumstances regarding his death that suggest he might have met with some “Old West” justice over some shady dealings. Ed never married and did not have any children.
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Pearle Zalud |
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Pearle attended Porterville schools and eventually became a piano teacher after her studies at the New England Music Conservatory. (Her piano, sheet music, student attendance and payment logs are in the bench seat still in the parlor) She was engaged twice but never married. In 1912, Pearle’s mother died, which left Pearle to care for her father. Pearle was a devoted daughter; they were traveling companions, along with her sister Annie, venturing to Europe, Hawaii, the Far East, often traveling for months. In 1944, John Zalud died, leaving Pearle alone in the big house. She would live for months with Annie in Beverly Hills and then back in Porterville. She continued to give piano lessons, wrote poetry, was active in local civic groups and enjoyed her rose garden and birds until she died in February 1970.
The entire family, with the exception of the 3 infants in Tulare, is buried at the Porterville Cemetery. The plot locations are A-89-2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
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