Over the summer, I processed a collection of a Croatian immigrant family. The patriarch of the family, Frank Slivac immigrated to the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 1901. Frank moved to the Keweenaw Peninsula and worked in the copper mines there. That is where Frank met his future bride, Barbara Krupic, another Croatian immigrant and rumored to have ties to the Croatian-American mafia. They had their first child Mary soon after.

            The stress of raising a child without family around finally got to Barbara. She decided to return to Croatia with Mary, and Frank would stay in the US and work in the mines. Frank came back to Croatia for a period of two years, and they had two more children, Dragutin “Charles” and Donna. Frank left for Michigan after Donna’s birth.

            In early 1912, Barbara and the children were going back to the US, but were turned away from boarding the ship because Frank forgot to sign his part of the paperwork. The ship they were supposed sail on that day was the RMS Titanic. Barbara and the kids returned to Croatia and she never attempted to go back to the US. At the Keweenaw National Historical Park archives, there is a picture of Barbara and the kids that was supposed to be used to board the Titanic.

            When Charles was 21, he decided to immigrate to the United States and move to Michigan to work in the mines with his father. However, by the time he arrived his father was working as a farmer in the Upper Peninsula. So Charles headed to the Keweenaw by himself. A couple of months later, his father died in a house fire. It was rumored that the fire started after Frank passed out from drinking with a cigar or cigarette. Also that same year, his mother passed away in Croatia.

            Soon after, Charles met Frances Gasparovich and they married in 1942. Together they had two children. Charles continued to work for the mine until he retired in 1968. Charles and Frances financially helped ten of his nieces and nephews to immigrate to the US. They let them stay at their house until they were financially independent or enrolled in college.

            After researching dates and names, and looking at the documents, I felt like I knew this family and I felt connected. So it was a nice way to spend a summer.

           The copper mine shaft pictured below is Osceola #13, in Calumet, Michigan, the shaft the Charles worked at.