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| The coat of arms of Srem |
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| The current coat of arms of Sremska Mitrovica |
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| An older current coat of arms of Sremska Mitrovica |
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| An older coat of arms of Sirmium (Roman name for Sremska Mitrovica) |
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| An older coat of arms of Sremska Mitrovica |
Monday, March 18, 2019
Coat of Arms of Sremska Mitrovica
Friday, March 8, 2019
Where Did It All Start?
Before I get too deep into the Milovancev family genealogies, let's talk a bit about where it all started. Remember, Paja and Staka Milovancev, the earliest known patriarch and matriarch of the family, were from Vrbas, Serbia.
Vrbas is a small town in the South Bačka district of the Vojvodina province in Serbia. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. I have never been to Vrbas but would love to go one day.
Paja and Staka's fourth son Jovan (Joca) and his wife Marija relocated to Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia at the beginning of the 20th Century. A post about them will be coming next. Sremska Mitrovica is about 75 km south of Vrbas.
Sremska Mitrovica is the administrative center of the Srem district of the Vojvodina province and is located on the left bank of the Sava River. It has about 40,000 residents. Sremska Mitrovica is about 70 km west of Beograd (Belgrade), the capital of Serbia and is central to the family history of the Milovancev family. I will be making many posts about Sremska Mitrovica and I have thankfully been there a few times in my life.
Not only is Sremska Mitrovica important to the Milovancev family history, but it is a generally important historical city of some note. Sremska Mitrovica's history dates back to 34 B.C. as the Romans conquered the area and settled Sirmium as an important military stronghold. In 297 A.D., Sirmium even became one of the four capitals of what became the four parts of what remained of the Roman Empire. More about this important town soon.
Vrbas is a small town in the South Bačka district of the Vojvodina province in Serbia. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. I have never been to Vrbas but would love to go one day.
Paja and Staka's fourth son Jovan (Joca) and his wife Marija relocated to Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia at the beginning of the 20th Century. A post about them will be coming next. Sremska Mitrovica is about 75 km south of Vrbas.
Sremska Mitrovica is the administrative center of the Srem district of the Vojvodina province and is located on the left bank of the Sava River. It has about 40,000 residents. Sremska Mitrovica is about 70 km west of Beograd (Belgrade), the capital of Serbia and is central to the family history of the Milovancev family. I will be making many posts about Sremska Mitrovica and I have thankfully been there a few times in my life.
Not only is Sremska Mitrovica important to the Milovancev family history, but it is a generally important historical city of some note. Sremska Mitrovica's history dates back to 34 B.C. as the Romans conquered the area and settled Sirmium as an important military stronghold. In 297 A.D., Sirmium even became one of the four capitals of what became the four parts of what remained of the Roman Empire. More about this important town soon.
Who Started It All?
So with whom did the Milovancev family history all start? I wish that we knew going a long way back. Way further than we do now. The farthest back that has been recorded so far (to my knowledge) was to our "Pradeda" Paja Milovancev. He was my father's great-grandfather.
What do we know about Paja? We do not have any pictures of him that I am aware of. We do not know when he was born but we do know where, in Vrbas, Serbia. We also know when he died. He was tragically killed in 1870 by horses in a "suvač", which is a horse-powered dry mill. There are only three remaining in all of Europe, below is a picture of the one in Kinkinda, Serbia.
Paja Milovancev was married to Staka, whose maiden name was Mijatov. Staka died in the 80th year of her life. Paja and Staka Milovancev had seven children, six boys (Aca, Nikola, Djurica, Jovan, Ljubomir and Nenad) and one girl (Milica). Their fourth son, Jovan (Joca) Milovancev would be my great-grandfather. An upcoming post will be about Jovan (Joca).
What do we know about Paja? We do not have any pictures of him that I am aware of. We do not know when he was born but we do know where, in Vrbas, Serbia. We also know when he died. He was tragically killed in 1870 by horses in a "suvač", which is a horse-powered dry mill. There are only three remaining in all of Europe, below is a picture of the one in Kinkinda, Serbia.
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| An example of a suvač in Kinkinda (Source: http://www.kikindskimlin.rs/mlinnekad-suvaca.htm) |
First Post - Why Start This New Blog?
So why would I start a new blog called "Milovancev Family History?" For many valid reasons. First, I want to keep and preserve as much of my family history as I can for my children (and future progeny?) to have once they grow up and hopefully become interested in it. There may also be others who would be interested in reading these posts as well. And I know that other family members and friends have additional insights and comments to share that I am not aware of - these are all definitely welcome.
Much of the written family history is available in the Serbian language mostly thanks to the selfless work of my uncle, Radovan (Rada) Milovancev who lived in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia. Radovan is on the far right of the below picture of some of the "Milovancev Men".
More on Radovan in an upcoming post. These histories are only available in the Serbian language and many members of our family that emigrated out of Serbia and their progeny can neither read nor translate from the Serbian. Nor do they have access to the written materials. I want to make this family history available online and in the English language.
I have collected family items and mementos for many years but much of them are piece-meal and stashed away in several places. I would like to eventually have them all in one central location that is available online.
Lastly, my father, Branislav (Branko) Milovancev of Bath Township, Ohio, United States, passed away a few months ago.
We loved and cherished him and miss him dearly. I am writing these posts in memory of my Tata. He would have absolutely loved this.
Much of the written family history is available in the Serbian language mostly thanks to the selfless work of my uncle, Radovan (Rada) Milovancev who lived in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia. Radovan is on the far right of the below picture of some of the "Milovancev Men".
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| From Left to Right (Milorad, Branislav, Pavle, Jovan, Svetozar, Borislav, and Radovan) |
More on Radovan in an upcoming post. These histories are only available in the Serbian language and many members of our family that emigrated out of Serbia and their progeny can neither read nor translate from the Serbian. Nor do they have access to the written materials. I want to make this family history available online and in the English language.
I have collected family items and mementos for many years but much of them are piece-meal and stashed away in several places. I would like to eventually have them all in one central location that is available online.
Lastly, my father, Branislav (Branko) Milovancev of Bath Township, Ohio, United States, passed away a few months ago.
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| Branislav (Branko) Milovancev |
We loved and cherished him and miss him dearly. I am writing these posts in memory of my Tata. He would have absolutely loved this.
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