My grandfather was Frankovich Zugec and my grandmother was Rose Sconier. They were both Croatian immigrants at the turn of the last century and came through Ellis Island. Originally goat herders, they were very poor. The immigration official asked my grandfather (who spoke no English) how much money he had with him and he only had a few coins. The official was disscusted and slammed the few coins onto the floor. They were from near Zagreb and eventually situated in Indiana, Pennsylvania working the coal mines with other immigrants from Hungary, Poland etc. as did all my Uncles. All my 10 Aunts and Uncles lived good lives and some attended University. My Grandfather still kept his old country ways and they found him trying to slit his throat because of the pain of a burst appendix in the bathroom. They caught him but it was too late. When my grandparents first came through Ellis, the official didn’t know how to spell what sounded like ‘Zhugetz’ so he changed it to the English name ‘Zugates’. I legally changed my name back to the Croatian spelling of Zugec in about 1991 during the Balkan conflicts. I am proud of my Croatian heritage and my Catholic faith although I do have reservations about the Church’s role in the harming of the Serbians and especially the Nazi puppet government and the Ustashe. Truly a dark period for me. A few years before my father Edward passed away this year, he visited the family’s village near Zagreb and tried to contact relatives but the village church which would have the records was closed. So, that’s about all I know about my heritage but I’m sure my forefathers would be proud to know that 8 of us offspring were able to
attend University in various disciplines and were gainfully employed and contributed to the greatness of this United States in some way. 5 of my Uncles served in the Pacific during WWII and are all now deceased but we should be all proud as Americans for their service as well as all Americans in that great conflict over the greatest evil the world has ever seen. Well, that’s about it. Your pal, Ante
evelyn / 2-12-2019 / ·
My grandfather was Gregior Zugec, wife was Elisabet. They had 10 children, 2 in Croatia, and the others after arrival where they lived in Pittsburgh PA. He was a carpenter, but died of cancer in 1929. They arrived before WWII. Don’t know anything more, but they lived in Southside in Pgh.
Pamela / 9-27-2021 / ·
My grandfather’s name was Petar and my grandmother’s name was Anjela. They were from a town called križevci. My father immigrated to Australia in his 20s. He is one of 5 children, 4 boys & 1 girl. We have visited Križevci several times over the years.
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My grandfather was Frankovich Zugec and my grandmother was Rose Sconier. They were both Croatian immigrants at the turn of the last century and came through Ellis Island. Originally goat herders, they were very poor. The immigration official asked my grandfather (who spoke no English) how much money he had with him and he only had a few coins. The official was disscusted and slammed the few coins onto the floor. They were from near Zagreb and eventually situated in Indiana, Pennsylvania working the coal mines with other immigrants from Hungary, Poland etc. as did all my Uncles. All my 10 Aunts and Uncles lived good lives and some attended University. My Grandfather still kept his old country ways and they found him trying to slit his throat because of the pain of a burst appendix in the bathroom. They caught him but it was too late. When my grandparents first came through Ellis, the official didn’t know how to spell what sounded like ‘Zhugetz’ so he changed it to the English name ‘Zugates’. I legally changed my name back to the Croatian spelling of Zugec in about 1991 during the Balkan conflicts. I am proud of my Croatian heritage and my Catholic faith although I do have reservations about the Church’s role in the harming of the Serbians and especially the Nazi puppet government and the Ustashe. Truly a dark period for me. A few years before my father Edward passed away this year, he visited the family’s village near Zagreb and tried to contact relatives but the village church which would have the records was closed. So, that’s about all I know about my heritage but I’m sure my forefathers would be proud to know that 8 of us offspring were able to
attend University in various disciplines and were gainfully employed and contributed to the greatness of this United States in some way. 5 of my Uncles served in the Pacific during WWII and are all now deceased but we should be all proud as Americans for their service as well as all Americans in that great conflict over the greatest evil the world has ever seen. Well, that’s about it. Your pal, Ante
My grandfather was Gregior Zugec, wife was Elisabet. They had 10 children, 2 in Croatia, and the others after arrival where they lived in Pittsburgh PA. He was a carpenter, but died of cancer in 1929. They arrived before WWII. Don’t know anything more, but they lived in Southside in Pgh.
My grandfather’s name was Petar and my grandmother’s name was Anjela. They were from a town called križevci. My father immigrated to Australia in his 20s. He is one of 5 children, 4 boys & 1 girl. We have visited Križevci several times over the years.