My Family
My Croatian family roots can most recently be traced back to a lake region of southwestern Bosnia-Hercegovina called Buško Jezero. Nestled in between the Kamešnica and Tušnica mountain ranges, this area lies a short distance away from the two nearby towns of Livno and Tomislavgrad and on the border with Croatia’s popular and beautiful Dalmatian area. The population of the region is primarily inhabited by Croats of Roman Catholic faith and is, at the very minimum, believed to have been the home to my family for almost three full centuries.
My father was born in a village called Kurtovina, near the southern side of Buško Jezero. Prior to the Ivančić family moving here at the turn of the 20th century, every family in Kurtovina shared the same Ćurković surname. Each family’s house was distinguished by a family nickname. Our house or clan name was Taslić. This nickname is derived from my great-great-grandfather (whose name I carry today). He was nicknamed Taslo due to the fact that he was a man who simply liked to count with his fingers. His son, Ante, carried the Taslić (or simply, “son of Taslo”) moniker. Ante’s three surviving sons built a long house (much like a townhouse complex) within the village distinguished by three separate doorways for each of their growing families. Today, this old house is empty but still standing and is simply known as Taslić’s house.
Movements of the family have been widespread over the centuries and their presence has been recorded in many areas. The earliest mention of my family name dates back to the year 1648 when the Venetians liberated the ancient town of Klis from the Ottoman Turks. From here, it is believed that the family then moved into the neighbouring region of Dicmo. According to legend, our earliest known presence dates back to this region of the Dalmatian hinterland, just a few kilometres south of Sinj. This legend is supported by the presence of other Ćurković families living in the area – all of whom currently live in the village of Krušvar today.
Although it is not exactly known when some Ćurković members left the Dicmo area, another family legend states that two brothers left the Dicmo area during the Sinj War of 1714-1718, a time during history when Croats in Dalmatia defended themselves from Turkish attack. The two brothers moved into the Vinica region, an area that was more than likely a frontier or no man’s land between Venetian-controlled Dalmatia and Turkish-controlled Bosnia and Hercegovina.
The Ćurković families of Kurtovina descend from those Ćurkovići that remained in Vinica. The earliest reference to the Ćurkovići in this area (or Bosnia-Hercegovina for the matter!) was recorded in a census of Catholics in Bosnia and Hercegovina between the years 1741-42. There were four Ćurković families living in the Vinica area during this time. It is believed they lived in a village named Pasič where a number of Ćurković families still live today.
Shortly after this initial census, the Ćurković family spreads across to other areas of Bosnia, most notably the Novi Travnik area of Bosnia. The cause of this migration is not known for certain although family legend states that a schism or disagreement in the family resulted in one of the two original brothers moving further inland, into the heart of Bosnia, towards the Travnik area. Today the descendants of this one brother are believed to be living in the Nević Polje region of Novi Travnik. One Ćurković family was found in this area during 1768 census of Catholics in Bosnia-Hercegovina, however, it is believed that the families currently living there today now carry the slightly modified surname of Ćurak.
For the Ćurkovići in Pasič, they too would show signs of migration, albeit within shorter distances. From this village they moved a few kilometres north into the Kazaginac area. It is here that they settled and formed a hamlet that today bears their name: Ćurkovići. Another group of Ćurković members then moved into Kurtovina in approximately the year 1830. Today there is less than 10 people currently living in the entire village.
Due to the economic and political realities existing in Bosnia and Hercegovina during the 20th century, a number of Ćurković families from Kurtovina now live in Canada. The first member arrived to Canada (Quebec City) in 1958. The arrival of him and the others that soon followed then allowed my father to come as well. My father landed in Canada in 1971 and has been here ever since. Today my family resides in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, a city on the western tip of Lake Ontario.
Below is a map outlining some villages in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina where you can find us Ćurkovići: