Eterovic Family

I  have just received the final installment of research into the Eterovic (Terich) family from my researcher in Croatia.  I haven't had time to digest it all, but there are a few things that strike me right away.  First, the names.  Most Croatian names, unlike Irish, English, German, and other European names end in "ich" or "ic."  Among the most recent set of names are those of Calilich, Mengic, Lucrich, Vrandecic, Faraunich, Fortunich, and Craiglievich - names my husband has never heard of. 

All of these new family members were born in the 1700s and 1800s. I always like to look at birthdates, marriage dates, or immigration dates from European ancestors and then think of what was happening in the United States at that time - it puts things in a better historical perspective and makes them seem more alive to me. My husband's 2nd great grandfather, Hyeronymum (his baptismal name in Latin) Martinic, was born in December 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence.  Others were born around the time of the Civil War.  I wonder if, isolated as they were on a small island off the Dalmatian coast, they even knew at that time what was happening thousands of miles away on another continent.  Probably not.

This brings me to another interesting point.  My husband's grandparents emigrated to America in 1904 and 1905.  Prior to that time, every ancestor of my husband's on his grandfather's side of the family lived on the small island of Brac (pronounced "Bratch.")  Today, Brac has only 13,000 residents which makes it less populous than many American towns. But even more interesting was the fact that every one of these ancestors was born, married and died in the same town: Pucisca.  We're talking of one large family, living hundreds of  years in one small town, on one small island in the Adriatic sea.  Then, one day things must have gotten too crowded, jobs were scarce, and the promise of America was calling.  From there, the story is much the same as every other immigrant family, be they Irish, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish or Croatian.

This is one of the reasons why genealogy in America is so fascinating.  Most people are not just researching the story of one group of people, but the stories of many, from diverse lands. It makes the genealogy quest endless.