Someone must have given you some wrong information. The Joseph Sindelar (with many various spellings) family were residents of Ward 4 (not Ward 5) of the City of St. Paul in 1880, and for several years before that. I am not sure where they were in 1870 - I have not checked the census. Ward 4 encompassed a large portion of the western part of the city, and Ward 5 encompassed a large portion of the eastern part of the city, in both 1870 and 1880. The published St. Paul City Directories, clearly trace the family from at least 1873 and later, and during that entire time, the Sindelar's were residents of what was then Ward 4. From at least 1873, to about 1879, the family was living on the Upper Levee, somewhere near Western Ave. - - one of the many Bohemian squatter enclaves during that time. Around 1880, the family moved to No. 11, Toronto Street, (just north of Randolph Ave.), a small frame house, (which would later be renumbered 473 Toronto St.), and lived there for several years. The family does not seem to be listed (under any spelling) in the 1869, or the 1871 volume of the St. Paul City Directory, and there was no directory published in 1872. The Sindelar's appear first in the 1873 volume, living on the Upper Levee. The "Upper Levee" was the flood plain for the Mississippi River, and extended from near downtown St. Paul, westward for a couple of miles, on the east side of the river. Many immigrant families found their first homes on the river "flats" or "levee", as it was known. The name "upper" means that it was land adjacent to the Upper (northern most) steamboat landing in St. Paul, which was located at the foot of Chestnut St. The Lower Landing was at the foot of Jackson St. The Sindelar's would have had neighbors mostly composed of fellow Bohemians, and most of them recent arrivals to the U.S. Some of these early settlements on the levee survived into the mid-1950s, when they were finally cleared away, after being declared "slums" by the city. When they moved to their home on Toronto St. in about 1880, the Sindelar's were taking a giant step up the economic ladder. Although the house was modest, and was one of two small houses, sited on the same small lot, the area was considered a "regular" neighborhood of the city, and not a "squatter settlement" - - like the Upper Levee. By "squatter", I am referring to the fact that the family may have owned the home, but not the land it was sitting on. They likely paid a monthly or annual rent for the land to a local real estate dealer. Within a few years of moving to Toronto St. (about a 1/2 mile from their Upper Levee home) the Sindelar's would have found a nearby Bohemian church to attend, (there were three in the neighborhood), and dozens of Bohemian shops to patronize along West Seventh St. - the main thoroughfare in the neighborhood. Joseph is first listed in the directories as a common laborer, and later as a stonemason. This was quite common for Bohemian immigrants - - most were common laborers, and many were trained stonemasons - who found work in the many neighborhood limestone quarries. By the way - although the name is clearly the Czech name: Sindelar (no punctuation shown here), I found these spellings in the early city directories for Joseph: Shinderhaust, Schinderus, Shindeller, Shinderlos, Shindelos, Shindelar - in the 1873 - 1882 volumes. Hope this helps. [email protected] wrote: > Seeking further information on Joseph Schindelus (various > spellings) born > about 1843 in Bohemia. He married Josephine (maiden name > unknown). > They were living in St. Paul Ward 5 on the 1870 & 1880 > census. > Thank you. > Donna >