“At first we were confused. The East thought wewere West while the West considered us to be East.  Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belonged to neither side, and others that we belong exclusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Ireneus, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth—no one”     (permission - SerbianUnity Congress)

-Sv Sava To Ireneus, 13th Century

(This is my favorite!  - Judy)

 

 

     Oil of Bocar
            a gift from Saveta Ilic
                                                                                                                    -Judy
                                                                                                                          .
 
 

 

Photo Contribution - Don Mayer

 THE ROAD TO BOCAR

(Don Mayer is a friend I met on the Internet while researching the Banat and Bocar.  His German family lived in Bocar and in 1967, his aunt and uncle took a trip to Bocar and Kikinda.  Don has been sharing his photos  so we can all enjoy them!)

• Visit Don's Photo Site to enjoy the family photos of Bocar and Kikinda!

Photo Contribution - Don Mayer

BOCAR
 
 

St. Nicholas

Patron Saint of the Markus Family
 
 

Steven Markus and Sofija Stajic Markus of Bocar

     The Markus Family was from  Bocar (Bocsar), Hungary, now Bocar, Serbia.  Bocar is in the Vojvodina area of Serbia and the earliest date I have found for Bocar is 1211. (From the book, "Bocar")  This area is considered the "Bread Basket" of Europe and most of the people have very large farms.

     Steven Markus and his wife, Sofija Stajic  owned a large farm and raised five children in Bocar - Angelina, Ivanka, Kojo, Djoko and Vlada.  Sofija Stajic, (Soca) died at a very young age and raising this family became the responsibility of the oldest daughter, Angelina. She always said she was very grateful to her Serbian, Hungarian and German  neighbors for helping her learn how to maintain and run an efficient household. We think she was about 12 years old when Sofija Stajic died. Steven Markus (Gedja) lived to be about 100 years of age and was blind in his later years.  (Uncle Emil remembers visiting the Markus family when he was a young boy.)
 

 

    "You must have really
enjoyed the Bocar cousins, who get to attend that
Baroque jewel of a church"
                                                             - Don Callard 04'
 
 
 
 

 

Winter on Petefi Sandora Street in Bocar
                                                                         Photo by Vlada Ilic - 2005

 
 
 

 

     The Manyin  Family, Ziva, Ivanka and Emil, visited the Marcus Family of Bocar by train  when they were in Nemet, Serbia (now Romania) from 1912 -1923  This is the same train station!  The sign on the front of the buildingis "Bocar" is written in Cyrillic and Serbian.

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Ognjanovic Castle of Bocar

 

   Hertelendi Castle of Bocar

Castles of Bocar

      Above are two of the three castles of Bocar owned by the Ognjanovic (Serbian)  and Hertelendi (Hungarian) families.  These families were large land owners in Bocar and outside of Bocar.  The castles and land were confiscated during the Tito era but have now been returned to the original families.

                                                  Photos: Vlada Ilic - 2005

 

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     1 Djoko Markus and 2 Ivanka Markus were the first of the five Markus children to leave forAmerica. They departed Hamburg, Germany on the Ship Graf Waldersee and  arrived at Ellis Island on March 29th, 1906.  The Ship’s Manifest states they were going to live with a sister or cousin, Lina Markus in Philadelphia. Ivanka was 23 years of age at this time and Djoko was 34.

.

Photo permission from "Kin Ships"

Graf Waldersee

     1 Djoko Markus and Persida Stanisavljevic had two children.  Their son remained in Sremski Karlovci and was a physician.  Jelisavetta. (Yelka) was 11  months old when she traveled to America with her mother in 1908. They lived  near the Delaware River when they first arrived in Philadelphia, later near Germantown Avenue and then Third Street near many family members.

     2 Ivanka Markus married Ziva Manyin from Nemet, Serbia, (now Beregsau Mic, Romania) and had one child, Emil,who was born in Philadelphia.  They returned to Nemet, Serbia in theyear 1912 for a visit.  The First World War began and they were not able to return to America.  It would be 1923 before they were able to return and sadly, Ziva Manyin died in Nemet, Hungary. Ivanka had to  return to America with just her son, Emil.

*  3 Vlada Markus remained in Bocar, married and had a son, Milan.  Milan married and had two sons with the name of one son being Zarko.  Zarko has passed away but his son is still living in the original Vlada Markus home in Bocar.  We met the wife and son of the present Markus family.  Names will follow soon!

     4 Angelina Markus married   Milorad Nenadov from the neighboring village of Padej.   They  had a daughter, Ivanka, and lived in Padej until they left for America. Milorad departed first from Trieste, Austria (Fiume) on the Ship Slavonia  and arrived at Ellis Island on February 1, 1907.  The ship’s manifest stated he would be staying with his brother in law, Djoko Markus in Philadelphia. He was 25 years of age.

 *  5 Kojo Markus remained in Bocar, married, Kristina Uvalin*, and raised three boys and a daughter, Tosa, Dusan, Ivan and Kosana. (Kojo lost his life in the First World War.)  Tosa remained in Bocar, married Milicia and raised two daughters, Ivanka and Radinka Markus.  Radinka married Sava Meckic and they live in Bocar today.  We hope to receive more information about the family through our ongoing communication with Sava and Radinka Markus Meckic of Bocar.
 
 
 
 
 

 

Ivan Markus

Photo - from Branka Markus Tomasev - the daughter of Ivan Markus Ivan Markus was a Blacksmith (Kovac) in Ostojicevo  (Tisaszentmiklos, Hungary) - a village close to Bocar & Padej.

 

    "Long ago, the oldest monument of Serb literacy, The Miroslav Gospel (written in the 12th century), together with other relics, found its way to the Serb monastery of Chilandrion, on Mount Athos in Greece. Later, it was  returned to the fatherland, as a gift to the King Aleksandar Obrenovic of Serbia. In the horrors of World War I, it was taken all the way to Corfu  in the saddle-bags of  the Serb army."

.....Serbiainfo

Dedicated to Kojo Markus who lost his life  in the First World War
 
 

In deep respect of the Serbian people, its bravery and suffering,  the American President ,Woodrow Wilson ordered that the Serbian flag be raised over the White House on July 28, 1918.

 

     Angelina Markus Nenadov and her daughter, Ivanka Nenadov, departed Padej for America from Trieste,Austria (Fiume) on the Ship Pannonia and arrived at Ellis Island on October3, 1908.  Angelina was 27 years of age and Ivanka was 6 years of age.The ship’s manifest stated they would be staying with Milorad Nenadov on Phillips Street in Philadelphia.

     On board the ship Pannonia with Angelina Markus Nenadov and her daughter, Ivanka was Djoko Markus’wife and daughter, Persida Stanisavljevic and Jelisavetta. (Yelka) who was 11 months old.  They were from Sremski Karlovci. a beautiful museum  city on the Danube. (Near Novi Sad)      Persida was the daughter of Elias Stanisavljevic of Srem.  She was 41 years of age when she departed for America and had an older son, a Physician, who remained in Srem.  The ship’s manifest  stated Persida and her daughter would be staying with Djoko (George) Markus  in Philadelphia. Djoko, Persida and Yelka (Betty) returned to Sremski Karlovci  in 1922 with the possibility of remaining there.  They met with the  tragic death of their son and returned to America in 1923, on the Ship Homeric.

(Note:  I had trouble reading Elias on the ship's manifest. Elias or Ilias is what it looked like to me. Persida's brother was also Elias or Ilias Stanisavljevic. )
 
 

 

Sharing a note from the Vojvodina Web Team in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

Dear Judy Starsinic,

This statue is on "Bogoslovija Sveti Arsenije",school for Orthodox Priests,and in the background is the Serbian Orthodox Church "Saborna crkva - Sveti Nikola", one of the best Churches in Vojvodina.  Of course, you can use this photo for your family history web page.    -Vojvodina Web Team
 

Jelisavetta (Yelka) Markus - Born 1906 in Sremski Karlovi
Photo - Philadelphia, Pa. circa 1915.

(Frank and Bill Starsinic’s Aunt Betty and the mother of Michael( Mickey) Krisan.
Aunt Betty lives in Philadelphia, Pa. near her son, Mickey Krisan.

  ("I like the little stool she is standing on!")

Many thanks to Mickey Krisan for sharing the information regarding Djoko Markus and Persida Stanisavljevic. Mickey also made a special trip to the family cemetery in Philadelphia to record the information we needed  for our files, contributed the only photos we have of Djoko and Persida, and supplied the details I needed to find most of our family in the Federal Census of Philadelphia, by districts.)
 
 
 

The Djoko Markus Home at 1108 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA  -  August, 2005

This is the Djoko and Persida Markus home in Philadelphia (Northern Liberties) and at one time three generations lived in this large three story townhouse.  Djoko (George) and Persida were the first and followed by their daughter, Elizabeth Markus, Wallace Krisan and their son, "Mickey" (Michael) Krisan who was born in this home. (The first Serbian Hall was a few doors away when the Markus family lived here.)

(Mickey Krisan and I took this photo while on a tour of Northern Liberties in 2005.)  The Nenadov family (Milorad Nenadov, Angelina Markus, Ivanka and Helen) lived at 1121 North 3rd Street but the home was no longer there.
 
 
 
 

 

Eva Nenadov, Helen Nenadov, Dragina
Click on photo to enlarge

     This is the only photo we have of Eva and Helen Nenadov with their beloved Tetka Dragina. She lived in Bocar and immigrated to America where she and her husband, Chico Zivco, lived in New York.  Bill and Frank remember the visits and how much everyone adored her. Tetka Dragina was not related  but they called her "Aunt" because she was such a dear friend. Dragina and her husband, Chico Zivco, left Bocar just after their son lost his life.

 

• SERBIAINFO   Excellent Serbian Information!

A Serbian Village by Joel Martin Halpern   (Columbia Univ. Press, New York 1958)
This book has answered many of my questions and has the clearest explanation of village life in Serbia! jhs