Father and son parishoners John (US Army) and Joseph Lidiak (Confederate Army) fought on different sides of the US Civil War.
Both are honored with individual veterans memorials at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, in Hostyn TX.
The waymarked memorial honors John Lidiak, and reads as follows:
"[photo of John Lidiak]
UNION SOLDIER
JOHN LIDIAK
(SON)
JUNE 3, 1846
APR 4, 1916
BURIED AT HOSTYN"
From 'Footprints of Fayette' a publication by the Fayette County Historical Commission on their website: (
visit link)
"Blue and Grey - Joseph & John Lidiak
by Judge Ed Janecka
The tragic Civil War that our nation endured had many stories. It was a war unlike any other, in which fathers fought their own sons and brothers fought their own brothers. Occurrences such as this were not uncommon. One such story happened here in Fayette County.
Joseph Lidiak was a native of Moravia, born on February 12, 1824. In the mid-1800's, he set out for American with his family, including his first John who was born on June 2, 1846. They arrived at the port of Galveston in November of 1860, becoming the first Lidiak's to come to America.
Upon arrival, they took a wagon to the Bluff area. The area that is called Hostyn today was first called Bluff and then later Moravan. The town was officially given the name Hostyn in 1925.
There, Joseph and his family settled in, and he farmed until 1863. He then enlisted in the Confederate Army and became a corporal in Martindale's Company. For most of his training and service he was kept in Texas.
As a favor, John, his eldest son, hauled cotton to Brownsville for a neighbor. On his way back, John met some friends who were enlisting in the Union Army, and after a while, they finally persuaded him to join.
Unaware of his father's enlistment in the Confederate Army, John joined Hammet's Company, the First Texas Cavalry of the United States Army. Having been a resident in the United States for only two years, John found himself fighting on the opposite side of his father Joseph.
Although no records exist that show that the two men fought against one another in the same battle, it is possible that they crossed paths during the war.
Both survived the grueling war and returned home to Hostyn, where they lived together on the family farm. In 1869, John Lidiak helped build Hostyn's first church.
Today, the father and son are buried side by side in the Hostyn cemetery, and both Joseph and John have a cannon dedicated in their honor on the church grounds."