In the beginning, there were actually three families that contributed to the current generation of what is referred to as the Matkovich family. It began with John (Ivan) Matkovich, born in 1889, and his wife Jean (Ivanica) Ozretich, born in 1891. The third family in the story came about when John’s sister Katie married Carlo Broderich. All of this occurred in the country then known as Yugoslavia, which no longer exists on any map.
Yugoslavia was an area about the size of Texas on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy, referred to today as The Balkan States. This area is inhabited by several ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Serbs and the Croats. All three of the families were Croats and lived on an island off the southern coast near Split. The city where they grew up is Grohote, where John and Jean were married in 1916.
The family tree(s) that are shown on the following pages were gathered by various family members, including input from some of the family members living in or near Perth, West Australia. After World War I, many of the men of Yugoslavia left the country either for America or Australia. Jean Matkovich kept in touch with her sister Katie in Perth and their letters have resulted in the revived interest in the extended family.
The various branches of the family are on separate pages with links from and to the parent of each branch. In some instances, the branches themselves have sprouted twigs, which we have endeavored to identify properly. If we have missed anyone or made an error in connections, please feel free to correct us.
Yugoslavia was an area about the size of Texas on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy, referred to today as The Balkan States. This area is inhabited by several ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Serbs and the Croats. All three of the families were Croats and lived on an island off the southern coast near Split. The city where they grew up is Grohote, where John and Jean were married in 1916.