The Frank J. Vlchek Papers, 1913-1946 and undated, consist primarily of published reminiscences of Vlchek's life written in the Czech language and the English translation of that autobiography prepared by Fern Long, as well as commemorative scrapbooks of Vlchek's accomplishments and the 50th anniversary of his company, and clippings.
This collection pertains primarily to Vlchek's life in Europe, as an immigrant to Cleveland, Ohio, and to his rise as an industrialist through the expansion of his tool company. The autobiography is a rich source for understanding the experience of the immigrant. The chronicle begins with Vlchek's childhood as one of ten children of a landowner in a small village in the Sumava district of Czechoslovakia. It details everyday life such as farm chores, illness, portraits of villagers, Vlchek's inspiration to become a smithy, and social customs, including courtship and marriage. Vlchek also discusses his travels through Europe in search of work in his chosen profession, his decision to migrate to America, and the actual migration by ship and then train to Cleveland, Ohio, where two of his sisters had previously settled. Cultural assimilation becomes a major theme as Vlcheck encountered differences in food, including his first taste of a banana, language barriers, housing in Cleveland's Zizkov Czech community, work and labor strikes, and physical evidence of materialistic ambition, including the state of the greasy, oily Cuyahoga River. Throughout the narrative, family and friendship ties form a major theme, particularly in Vlchek's reminiscence of his childhood and early adulthood travels as a smithy.