My husband's grandparents traveled here from the island of Brac, Croatia, in the early 1900s. His grandfather's surname was Eterovic, but like so many immigrants who wanted to fit in, he simplified the family name to "Terich." (Frankly, I like Eterovic better.) His grandmother's surname in Croatia was Jescheta, though they spelled it Yeseta in America.
Until recently, the family only knew the names of two generations before that, though there were no birth, marriage or death dates, and there was nothing on any family members who had stayed behind in Croatia. I have done what I could to fill in the blanks. I was given a written history starting with the parents of the immigrants and moving forward to 1982, and I have interviewed my poor mother-in-law until she is exhausted, but there was nothing on the family back in Brac.
So I decided to find out more about this family that once lived on such a beautiful island and who, for reasons I didn't fully understand, decided to relocate to America. So I hired a genealogist in Croatia, and slowly but surely we are building a family tree. We've found the names of three Eterovic's who stayed behind on Brac, and we have the names of their children and spouses. Just yesterday, the researcher was able to find an entire new generation, born in the 1700s, and there are now eight new names on the tree. And we're still looking.
For those of you who are Terich's, here's what I've found:
Parents of Anton Terich (my husband's grandfather) are: Anton Eterovic and Antonia Capkovic
Anton Eterovic's parents: Nicola Eterovic and Girolama (Jerka) Martinic
Nicola's parents: Giorgio Eterovic and Dorothea Martinich
Girolama's parents: Girolamo Martinic and Margaret Faxinnich
Parents of Madalena Yeseta (my husband's grandmother) are: Tomasso Jescheta and Antonia Rosa Mladinich
Tomasso came from Bohemia (modern day Czechoslovakia) so I only have the names of his parents: Matteo Jescheta and Eliza Pohele
Antonia Mladinich's parents" Antonio Mladinich and Roza Bonaccich
Antonio's parents: Giovanni Mladinich and Lucrezia Harossich
Roza's parents: Nicola Bonaccich and Caterina Filippich
(Yes, Nicola is a masculine name)
I can't begin to tell you what a joy it is to find the names of my husband's ancestors that were once unknown. I am hoping we can plan a trip to Croatia soon to find living cousins, and piece together what life was like for his ancestors. Because for me, it is not just about finding names. It is about finding stories, piecing together lives, and understanding the struggles of my ancestors and my husband's ancestors, without whom we wouldn't be here.
Very cool! We should plan a trip to Croatia for sure!! We'd love to go!
ReplyDeleteDear Ellen
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jorge Vera Capkovic and write from the city of Punta Arenas, Chile. Here we use the surnames of both parents so that my mother is named Capkovic.
Searching the Internet I found your blog and I found it interesting to make contact with you.
My mother was born on the island of Brac, specifically in Puscisce and emigrated to Chile in 1924 when she was 4. Before he had done in 1920 my grandfather George Capkovic who recently after four years managed to raise the money to bring his wife, Lucia Rajčević Eterovic, and his daughter.
A few months ago, in June, along with my son could visit Croatia and specifically the island of Brac.
In the text of your blog you mention Antonia Capkovic family who could be my grandfather. Have some additional background about her? Year of birth, place, etc.
I apologize for the English, I'm using an automatic translator
regards
Jorge
Jorge,
DeleteThere is a possibility that you are related to my husband. His great grandmother was Antonia Capkovic, born Sep 1849 in Puscisce. She had a brother named George, born Mar 1842. Maybe your grandfather, George, who came to Chile in 1920, was his son or grandson. You can email me directly at ellenterich1@verizon.net and I may be able to give you more information. I look forward to hearing from you.
Ellen Terich