Hello Mary,

I will check it out asap, but in Serbian you should always use the spelling as listed not the Anglicized version people use once they immigrated.
Do you still have access to the original documents?

Hello Sergej and thank you for the reply.
The only documents I have access to (related to my Serbian relatives) are very old photocopies made of the Extracts of one marriage and one birth. The original extracts were dated 1889.
The attachment from my original post is a picture I took of one of the old photocopies.
Here are the Surnames as I can read them on the marriage Extract.
Чендеш
Гашпар
Гашпароьић
Keep in mind that these surnames are originally in cursive and I had to change to regular print myself...I have attached 2 additional files for your assistance...they are close ups of the original extracts with just the surnames (in cursive) which may be helpful to you.
So basically I am sending you my attempt to understand the Surnames in block print Serbian. AND I am attaching 2 small pictures of the original Surnames in cursive. I hope this will be helpful. And thank you again.
Mary Knapp

Hello Mary,

The correct spelling in Latin should be:
Čendeš
Gašpar
Gašparović

You should use the above spelling in your research as the diacritical signs are very important, they could change the meaning of a word or name.

Now Kosta Čendeš is a rather famous publisher and editor in Serbia Nis in 1883. With him publishing the Niš Herald back in 1884. Now, Kamenica is literally located next to Niš.
So I would direct your efforts to the archives of Požarevac and Niš.

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sr&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=nl&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsr.wikipedia.org%2Fsr-el%2F%25D0%259D%25D0%25B8%25D1%2588%25D0%25BA%25D0%25B8_%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B5%25D1%2581%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BA&edit-text=

Sergej:
Thank you so much for the additional information about Kosta Čendeš and for recommending that I search the archives in Požarevac and Niš. I have looked up online as much information as I could about these archives but there is not very much about their collections, at least that I have seen.
Perhaps my next step is to use the 'archive letter' that is on the website to request that both archives do a search for my surname. Would you recommend that this is my next step?
Thank you again for all your help.
Mary Knapp

Yes, you can use the letter template and see if they react. A word of caution, they may not always reply.

Thank you Sergej
I will write letters to both Nis and Pozarevac. If there is no reply would it be possible for me to go to both Archives in person to ask for help or is this impossible? If visiting in oerson is possible, would I need to have special permission and/or have a person with me who knows genealogy and can speak Serbian?
Thanks again
Mary

Hello Mary,

It is possible to go in person but you should get permission first. I would recommend having a local do the research for you as they can enter without problem. Also, things in Serbia have a different pace then for us in the west. It can take a lot of time to do research, not everything is digital and everything is in Serbian. Its not something you can do on a one week holiday when you are there.

Sergej
Thank you very much for your insight about seeking help from a Serbian local to do research.
In addition, since my last forum post, I have written an inquiry letter about my ancestor named Čendeš (using the online example) and sent one copy to the Požarevac Archives as you have previously suggested. In addition you suggested sending the same query to the Archives in Niš. I looked for an address for the Archives in Niš and the only one I found on our website was this: "Tvrdjava 18001 Nis." Can you tell me if this is the correct address for inquiries to the Niš Archives.
Thank you very much again for your responses and information!
Mary Knapp

Historical archive Niš
Serbia, 18000 Niš, Tvrđava b.b.
tel / fax: (+381 18) 515-608; 515-609, E-mail: [email protected]

That is indeed the correct information.

Hello again Sergej:
I received an answer for my documents search request from the Požarevac Archives concerning my relative named Julija Čendeš

I am attaching the response which I believe tells me to look elsewhere in Serbia for the correct location of the town of Kamenica since there are many of them. Once I locate that I should write to the appropriate Archive for their assistance since the Požarevac Archives have nothing. Is that a fair summary of their message?

As you already know since I don't know where in Serbija Julija was born other than just having the name Kamenica I think it may take a process of elimination before I find the correct one.

Meahwhile I have written to the Niš Archives with the same request but haven't heard back yet.

Thank you very much for any further insights and/or translation help you might be able to provide!

Mary Knapp

Hi Mary,

Yes, but they also mention that they do not have the church records. You will need to contact the Serbian Orthodox and Catholic Church for those. And I would recommend also trying that on top of what you are doing now. And yes I think the process of elimination is the way to go.

But, I am glad to see that they responded. Things weren't always that way, so there is improvement 🙂

Thanks Sergei:
I will look for the information on how to contact the Serbian Orthodox and Catholic churches in the Rodoslovlje research guide so I can see if they have the records I am looking for.
Many thanks
Mary Knapp

If you cant find it let me know.

Thanks Sergej
There is really a host of information on the forum about searching for SOC resources. In general, the ONLINE resources that were discussed in the forum are either extremely fragmentary or cover geographic areas that have a low probability of being relevant to my situation.

As far as going directly to the PHYSICAL source of the documents and collections, i.e., the various SOC temples and eparchies, I gather that collaborating with a qualified genealogical researcher in Serbia with the necessary language and cultural skills may be the logical next step. If so, I believe I would possibly need some guidance on how to proceed.

But overall, the question remains as to the exact location of my ancestral village - Каменица. So before even contacting SOC resources for further assistance, Каменица has to be identified. So I will go back to the maps and as you suggested, through process of elimination, eventually find the correct village by that name. Having heard from the Požarevac State Archives that they have no information, I believe I can eliminate at least the one nearby village by that name. I have yet to hear from the Niš State Archives. If and when I can find more Каменица villages, I will write to the appropriate State Archives and let you know the results.

I would be grateful if you could give me any suggestions on the above planning ideas. And I really appreciate all your helpful emails and suggestions to date.
Thank you!

Mary