Information on Kurjak, Croatia from Udbina i njena sela (Udbina and her villages)

I mentioned in an earlier post, people have written books about the villages in the Udbina/Krbava area.  I have ordered copies of those books and now have copies of them.  If someone wants information about them, please contact me and I can get you information that you need.  Over the next few posts, I want to start to share some information from the more recent of these books: Udbina i njena sela  (Udbina and her villages).

In the book, there is a chapter for each village.  It provides information from previous records, including the various censuses they took in the early 1700s and later.  They also give the number of people living in each village before and after the 1995 conflict.  The area took a massive hit during that period.  

I've been translating the information on the chapters that our family is from (Kurjak and Komich) and I just finished the Kurjak chapter.   While there is a lot here (so I'll be returning to this again in future posts), there are a few things worth highlighting here:

1) It looks like one of our ancestors -  Todor Kljaich - was a local leader in the area.  The 

2) Our patron saint is Saint Luke 

3) It looks like our family probably came from Brinje (a city in Croatia that was closer to the coast).
4) It gives the number of people living there over time

What follows is my best translation of the text.  If you would like to get a copy of the original in Serbian, just let me know!

START OF TRANSLATION OF CHAPTER ON KURJAK:

PAGE 1

Kurjak

Temple: The Nativity of the Virgin Mother

Built: 1871. Was destroyed by fire by the Ustasha during WWII and the remains of the walls down to the foundation were demolished by the Villagers of Srednja Gora and Kurjak. 

Church Slava: Nativity (September 21) 

Parish: Srednja Gora for Srednja Gora and Kurjak

Priesthood: See everything under Srednja Gora

Schooling

Before WWII the school for Kurjak and Srednja Gora was in Srednja Gora.  After WWII they established and built a 4-year school in Kurjak.

Teachers after WWII:

Chedo Belich from Slavonije

Ankitsa Berkich from Mekinar

Ibritsa from Bihach

Anka Djukich from Kurjak

Maritsa Stanich from Divosela

Kresho from Nashitsa

Pera Perseda Lonchar (married name = Devchich) from Mutilich

PAGE 2

Djuro Pavletsa from Politsa

Luka Lucha Djukich from Kurjak

Lazo Djukich from Kurjak, Last teacher in the village

[The following is part of a photograph of an ancient document from around 1909]

The Village of Srednja Gora with Kurjak

Numbers: 395 Serbian homes.

Souls: 2,056 Serbian Orthodox individuals.

Marriages: 312 Serbian marriages

Public Buildings: Serbian Orthodox church and a community school

Powers: The district offices and court are located in Udbina.  The tax authority is in Gospich.  The municipalities fall under the Lika-Krbava county, the county government, the school inspectorate, the financial management, and the judicial review court are in Gospich.  The banking and ??? are located in Zagreb.  The headquarters for supplementing the regular army is in Otačac. The headquarters for the home guard is in Karlovac. The headquarters for the popular uprisings is in Gospich.

Post Office: Post office is located in Udbina

There is a parish in place.

Branch: There is a regular parish.  Rade Ilich President, Jovan Vuksan Secretary. Account was closed and approved.

Church: Temple was created in 1871.  It is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, but the Slava [A SERBIAN ORTHODOX TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY] is not held on the same day.  It has a Serbian Orthodox graveyard.  The temple was painted in 1871.

Rectory: A priest, an apartment, but no sessions.  To receive compensation the priest ??? 

Priesthood Leadership: Andrija Medich, Priest, was born in 1854 in Popina (??).  He was set apart by Bishop Tofan Givkovich in 1880.  He has served for 29 years, 18 years in this place.  He speaks Serbian and German.  He has no children.

Former Leaders: Milan Ilich 1896 1879, Stevan Bodjichkovich 1873-1875, Sima Vojvodich 1885-1887, Gideon Ilich 1887-1890, and Andrija Medich.

Parish’s status: Founded in 1869.  The papers (??) were filed in1869 and the water is exact.  There are 395 Serbian Orthodox homes, 312 marriages 2,056 persons, 1136 men, and 920 women.   

School: Community.  It has one building for primary school.  The (head?) teacher is Nikola Gugleta.  In primary school there are 293 kids: 195 boys, 98 girls.  For secondary school 73 kids: 48 boys, 25 girls.

School is in Srednja Gora

Cultural Life

In Kurjak between 1935 and 1940 the Udbina branch of the group known as the “Peasant Cart” had the task of organizing various events, displays, cultural-educational work, and sports contests… Dmitar Basta Dmitrich was president of the branch. 

In the village they also formed the “Serbian agricultural purchasers-consumers cooperative” with Stanish Basta Serdarich as president.

PAGE 3

In the south-western part of the Krbava parish is the Kurjak field which from pre-Turkish times developed a strong settlement. 

The name Kurjak is from the Mogorovich tribe in the 13^th century.  It comes from the prefect/governor – Kurjak (1322-1349).   Today, in the area of the village, there are the remains of the church and the fortifications.  The church was located in the “Tushik (or Tusheis)—ТУШИК (ТУШИЦ)” valley, by the old road that leads from Krbava in Lika. There are also a large number of gravestones carved with different images of crosses, stars, cups and the like.  Some monuments are very large.  The fortress in Kurjak was built on the high, steep cliff, next to the old road, which it protected.  The Turks took the fortress over and housed their forces in it; around the fortress a small settlement developed in which Serbs and Muslims lived together as is seen from the 1577 census.  Glavinich mentions the Kurjak fortress among the lists of Turkish fortresses and says: “That it is on a high hill and is suitable for defense.”  Judging by the name it was built by Kurjak from the tribe of Gushich (or his descendants).

On the east side of the hill – Srednja Gora – in a fertile valley between two peaks, lays the pre-Turkish villages of Kurjak and Srednja Gora.  In the old Kurjak fortress, soldiers from BRINE (БРИЊЕ) and the BRILOSHKI frontier (Serbians) stood guard starting from 1689 onwards.  From 1698, when they began to inhabit the area, the first settlers were from БРЛОГ and КОСИЊ and they served in the frontier army, keeping watch on this fortress.  They were the БАСТА (BASTA) family from КОСИЊ and the ОРЛОВИЋ (ORLOVICH) family from BRINE (БРИЊЕ) from the borders of БРЛОГ.  At that time, Kurjak and Srednja Gora were considered as one settlement, and these early settlers settled in both communities.  In addition to these families, other settlers came in a stream from Knin and Bukovica.  The frontier (Krajina) record from 1701 grouped Kurjak and Srednja Gora together with a total of 34 houses between both communities.  And according to the census of 1712, these were the households in Kurjak:

Basta 19; Djukich 11, 18, 13, 12, 16, 8, 66k; Grubachich 16; Glusheets 5, 1K; Dragoshevich 13; Kallan 12; Klaich 24, 24K; Kovachevich 8; Kresovich 8; Matich 18, 11K; Mitrovich 9; Polats 7; Stankovich 20; Vuchenovich 5.

From this it is evident that Djukich was the largest family that came from Knin. Later many families left the village.   The families that stayed in Kurjak all grew, especially the Djukich family, who represented nearly half of the village.

PAGE 4

List of surnames, their patron saint, and the place where they came, according to the 1712 census:

Surname	Patron Saint (Day)	Provenance
Basta (БАСТА)	Vasily (ВАСИЛИЈЕ)	Kosin (КОСИЊ)
Djukich (ЂУКИЋ)	Mark (МАРКОВДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Grubachich (ГРУБАЧИЋ)	Steven (СТЕВАНДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Glusheets (ГЛУШИЦ)	Nicholas (НИКОЉДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Dragoshevich (ДРАГОШЕВИЋ)	Nicholas (НИКОЉДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Kallan (КАЛАЊ)	George (ЂУРЂЕВДАН)	Brinje (БРИЊЕ)
Klaich (КЊАЈИЋ)	Luke (ЛУКА)	Brinje (БРИЊЕ)
Kovachevich (КОВАЧЕВИЋ)	Nicholas (НИКОЉДАН)	Brlog (БРЛОГ)
Kresovich (КРЕСОВИЋ)	George (ЂУРЂЕВДАН)	Brinje (БРИЊЕ)
Matich (МАТИЋ)	Michael the Archangel (АРАНЂЕВДАН)	Brinje (БРИЊЕ)
Mitrovich (МИТРОВИЋ)	John the Baptist (ЈОВАЊДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Polats (ПОЉАЦ)	Nicholas (НИКОЉДАН)	Knin (КНИН)
Stankovich (СТАНКОВИЋ)	Peter (ПЕТРОВДАН)	Brinje (БРИЊЕ)
Vuchenovich (ВУЧЕНОВИЋ)	John the Baptist (ЈОВАЊДАН)	Knin (КНИН)

According the 1712 census of Lika and Krbava, we see that in Kurjak and Srednja Gora were:

            Porkulob:                   Medak Radakovich

            (Porkulob is a military title for the person in charge of fortifications)

            Magistrate:                        Todor Kljaich

In Kurjak and Srednja Gora on March 17, 1730 we see the following:

            Porkulob:                   Milivoy Radakovich

            Magistrate:                        Todor Kljaich

Families living in Kurjak before August 1, 1995 (with the size of household):

Matich Hamlet: Bogdan Djukich (2), Urosh Djukich (6), Jovo Djukich (2), Milica Matich (5), Geno Matich (7), Djuradj Matich (4), Sava Djukich (2), Marta Djukich (5), Nikola Djukich (2), Bodgeca Djukich (1), Soka Djukich (5), Andjelia Djukich (2).

Kalanj Hamlet: Dane Kalanj (2), Nikola Kalanj (2), Mile Kalanj (3), and Milka Kalanj (4).

Djurich Hamlet: Danika Basta (4), Andja Basta (3), Dushan Basta (4).

PAGE 5

Serdari Hamlet: Iliya Basta (4), Rade Basta (5), Radomir Basta (3), Nikola Basta (3).

Poshatlichi Hamlet: Bogdan Matich (6), Iliya Djukich (6), Geno Djukich (2).

Miladinovich Hamlet: Toma Djukich (2), Nikola Djukich (2), Soka Djukich (6), Andjelia Djukich (2), Jovo Djukich (7)

Lemich Hamlet: Bojo Djukich (4), Niko Djukich (6)

Klaich Hamlet: Nikola Kalich (6), Tomo Klaich (4), Stevo Klaich (7), Nikitsa Klaich (4), Arseniye Klaich (6), Dmitar Klaich (7), Rayko Djukich (7), Micho Djukich (4), Micho and Boya Djukich (2), Dane Klaich (2).

Tushice Hamlet: Geno Djukich (6), Petar Djukich (4), Misho Boshnak (4), Petar Djukich (5), Perka Djukich (2), Iliya Djukich (6).

In Kurjak before August 1, 1995, there were…

-       Households: 49

-       Population: 201

Families that have returned to their homes after 1995 (and household size):

Dushan Shedjo and Stevo Matich (2), Geno and Luba Matich (2), Boro and Bosilka Matich (2), Anka Matich (5), Jovo and Dushanka Basta (2), Sava Basta (1), Radomir Bogdana and Jelko Basta (3), Geno Djukich (2), Mile Djukich (1), and Djuro Klaich (6).

After 1995, the following returned:

-       Households: 10

-       Population: 26

Springs and Wells in Kurjak:

In Matich                  Grabovac and Lower Well

In Kalanj                  The Kalanjs

In Djukich                Upper well

Above Shemele        Plochica, Chemer and Klenovac Yurnovac, Stubal and Kuyenovac

(The information in this chapter was provide by Geno Matich and Dushan Matich Shijo from Kurjak in August 2008)