Any undertaking to just list the activities, and accomplishments of Josefa Humpal-Zeman pales by comparison to trying to describe each and every one of them.  It is more than worthy of mention that she did all of this before she died at age thirty five.

Josefa Veronika Humpal was born on January 9, 1870 in Susice #57, Klatovy, Plzen, to Josef Humpal and Anna Srnka. (1) (View birth record) Josefa's father was born on January 19, 1825 at Jamny #21, Horni Zahori, Pisek.  (2) Mother Anna was born around 1842.  Josefa's parents were married on January 21, 1863 in Pisek. (3) Several siblings were also born in Bohemia.

The family would depart Bohemia and arrive in the USA in two separate groups.  Father Josef, daughter Josefa, and father Josef's mother, Maria, would arrive in the United States at New York City, on June 8, 1874 aboard the ship Oder. (4)  Mother, Anna, and children, Frantisek and Jaroslav, would arrive at New York City, on July 18  1874, on the same ship, the Oder. (5)  There is an 1880 Census record for the family.  Joseph and Anna, are living at 82 Fisk Street with children; Frank, 17, Josephine, 10, Jaroslav 6, and Rose 4.  Father Joseph is listed as a barber.  His mother, Mary, is not listed with the family. (6)  (Image Mrs. Josefa Humpal-Zeman The Chicago Tribune, Sunday, December 11, 1898, Page 36.)

A number of resources used as references indicate that father Joseph was not very happy in Chicago, wishing for his children to have a strong educational foundation, so the family left for Bohemia in 1881. (7) The year 1881 is also the year that Joseph applied for a USA passport (8).  The reference articles indicate that Josefa received a formal education while in Pisek.

Mother Anna died on July 18, 1883 in Pisek. (9) The family returned to the United States in 1883, arriving in New York City on October 3, aboard the ship Ethiopia. (10) Father Joseph remarried (Mary Kobes) shortly after the family's return, dying just three years later in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, leaving his children, still living in Chicago. (11)  Only a few months after the death of her father, Josefa married Robert Zeman in Chicago, and in a short time Josefa and Robert had moved to Ohio.  Editors Schultz and Hast provide details on their marriage, which lasted only for months, Josefa remaining in Cleveland and embarking on her career in journalism and a promoter of Czech women in all aspects of their lives. (12) The Editors describe the extensive activities of Josefa during her time in Cleveland, including; enrolling in the college for Women of the Western Reserve, helping edit its student paper, becoming active in the women's temperance activities, engaging in various social work activities in the city, and becoming secretary of the Czech Committee for Preparation Works of Czech Women at the Columbian World's Fair.  By 1893, Josefa Humpal Zeman was on her way to Chicago. (13)

1893 and 1894 appear to be very busy years for Josefa.  Editors Schultz and Hast continue to describe the work of Josefa at the World's Fair, including her working on the Bohemian Woman's exhibit with a bit of turmoil involving the mistaken sale of exhibit articles (Humpal - Zeman recovered those sale items). (14)  Two books, published in 1894, list Josefa as a member of the Bohemia Foreign Advisory Council to the Fair.  They also list two presentations Josefa made during the fair.  One, "The Women of Bohemia", and the other, "Woman as a Social Leader". (15)

The doctoral dissertation by Gloria Lee McMillan, provides background information on how the World's Fair laid the foundation for the creation of Josefa's "Zensky Liste".  Josefa collected thousands of signatures supporting the publication of a woman focused Bohemian language newspaper.  With that accomplishment, she received support from a Bohemian woman's insurance association which allowed her dream of such a newspaper to become a reality in 1894. (16)

A very comprehensive doctoral thesis, which focuses on the work of Josefa Humpal Zeman,  by Andrea Ondruskova, published in 2012, lists June 15, 1894 as the publication date for the first issue of Zensky Liste.  From that thesis, using Google Translate, one can get a decent account.  ... Women's Letters magazine was published on June 15, 1894 in Chicago with the subtitle "The Only One Czech magazine, published and edited by women, dedicated to the efforts of women, their activities in family and social life.... (17) The thesis also details Josefa's purchase of a printer for her paper, along with working conditions of the women employed, receiving the same wages as men in the printing field, and finishing work at 5pm and having a tea break. (18 )

Josefa Humpal-Zeman seems to have been energized after participating in the World's Fair, and establishing her newspaper.  In short order she was enrolled in the University of Chicago, became a member of the Hull House settlement, helped write the Hull House newspaper, helped organize and speak at a large convention held at Thalia Hall and contributed an article "The Bohemian People in Chicago" in the publication, "Hull House Maps and Paper".  All of this by 1895. (View the article in PDF Format) (19)