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.