Sjeničak landscape photo from https://www.facebook.com/groups/sjenicak/

SAVA MRKALJ (1783–1833), a true pioneer of language reforms that modernized and shaped Serbian language was from Sjeničak.

Sava Mrkalj: "Сало дебелога јера либо азбукопротрес" (Fat of the Thick Yer, i.e. Alphabet Reshuffling ), 1810.

***

SJENIČAK as place of origin in the manifest can stand for any of the three separate nearby villages :

GORNJI SJENIČAK
DONJI SJENIČAK
LASINJSKI SJENIČAK

All three villages were inhabited by ethnic Serbs, according to the official data from the censuses conducted in the first half of the XX century:

http://www.znaci.net/00001/142_60.pdf

- Ellis Island passengers search for *SJENICAK* Town Name - 66 direct hits :

http://stevemorse.org/ellis2/ellisgold.html?

http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/EIDB/engine/gold.php?uid=13406053478281340605362368&referrer=httpstevemorse.orgellis2ellisgold.html&mode=running&time=1340606695449&arrivalPort=ellisgold&firstkind=close&FNM=&kind=close&LNM=&companionkind=close&CNM=&townkind=close&town=Sjenicak&SHP=&prtkind=close&PRT=&SYR=&EYR=&MONTH=&DAY=&SAGE=&EAGE=&offset=1&MRTL=&BSYR=&BEYR=&pagesize=100&CGD=&FLD=name&FLD=yoa&FLD=age&FLD=passrec&FLD=town&FLD=tmanifest&FLD=smanifest&FLD=yob&FLD=image&FLD=annotations&SRT=name&DIRECTION=asc

Race /ethnicity/ nationality listed in ship manifests is incorrect for most of the ethnic Serbs who emigrated from Croatia.

66 passengers from SJENIČAK:

50 are listed in the manifest as *CROATIAN*
 7 are listed in the manifest as *HUNGARIAN*
 4 are listed in the manifest as *SERVIAN*
 3 are listed in the manifest as *YUGOSLAVIAN*
 2 are listed in the manifest as *AUSTRIAN*

- out of 64 confirmed ethnic Serbian emigrants from SJENIČAK  only 4 are listed in the ship manifests as Serbs. 

- How to establish and confirm ethnicity and religion in original records if your ancestors were ethnic Serbs who emigrated from Austria-Hungary:

http://www.rodoslovlje.com/en/documentation/guide-researching-ethnic-serbian-ancestors-austria-hungary

- Search for the surname  or place-name  in original spelling in the Serbian Trade Association "Privrednik" database to see where the Serbian families may have come from.

http://baza.privrednik.net/privrednik.php?find=Sjeni%C4%8Dak&field=mjesto&searching=yes&search=Pretraga&t=0

(click on *Naprijed* for more pages of results)

 
About "Privrednik" database and how to use it :

http://www.rodoslovlje.com/en/documentation/serbian-trade-association-privrednik-merchant-database

Serbian Orthodox Church schematic books based on church censuses have the information in which parishes the family lived in the second half of the XIX century. You can ask for a look up on "Rodoslovlje" forums:

http://www.rodoslovlje.com/en/forum

We  also use the official Victims of War 1941-1945 census for the territorial distribution of surnames in the first half of the XX century as the most accurate original source  for Serbs from Croatia.

For SJENIČAK parish the statistic on the losses of human life  1941-1945 is grim:

DONJI SJENIČAK  - 268 Victims of War 1941-1945, which represents  21,44% of the people living there in 1941. were killed or died as a result of war

GORNJI SJENIČAK - 472 Victims of War 1941-1945, which represents 25,71% of the people living there in 1941. was killed or died as a result of war

LASINJSKI SJENIČAK  - 352 Victims of War 1941-1945, which represents 21,93% of the people living there in 1941. were killed or died as a result of war

The information from the Victims of War 1941-1945 census and other publicly available sources that can help reconstruct family lines and reconnect families from SJENIČAK includes for each individaul victim

surname,
first name,
first name of the father,
nickname if relevant,
year of birth,
exact date of death if it is listed in the official records,
manner of death,
location of death.

Keep in mind that many of the survivors were after the WWII removed and relocated by the communist authorities to Vojvodina province of Serbia and you will probably need to search for relatives over there too:

http://www.rodoslovlje.com/en/documentation/families-relocated-karlovac-croatia

I transcribed and corrected all 64 ethnic Serbian passengers surnames and first names from the ship manifests who show up when searching for SJENICAK Town Name as direct hits :

  SURNAME  NAME       INDEXED AS        PLACE, COUNTRYY    BORN  EMIGRATED

1 BIJELIĆ JOVAN ...ieic, Jovan Sjenicakyorno 1865 1902

2 BIJELIĆ MILOVAN Bijelic, Milovan Sjenicak, Hungary 1895 1913

3 BJELOŠ JOVAN Bjelos, Iwan Sjenicak, Hungary 1877 1912

4 BJELOŠ MILE Bjelos, Mile Sjenicak, Austria 1893 1912

5 BJELOŠ STANKO Bjelos, Stanko Sjenicak, Croatia 1892 1910

6 BJELOŠ STJEPAN Bjelos, Stjepan Sjenicak, Hungary 1888 1913

7 BRATIĆ MILE Bratic, Mike Sjenicak 1894 1921

8 CAREVIĆ MILIĆ Carevic, Milic Sjenicak, Hungary 1874 1912

9 CAREVIĆ MILIĆ Carovic, Nilec Sjenicak, Hungary 1873 1910

10 ĆEKELIŠ PETAR Celielic, Petar Sjenicak, Hungary 1884 1909

11 DANČUO ĐURO Dancus, Gjuro Sjenicak, Hungary 1891 1909

12 DANČUO MILE Dancus, Mile Sjenicak, Hungary 1884 1909

13 DANČUO ĐURO Darizno, Gjuro Sjenicak, Hungary 1892 1913

14 DEJANOVIĆ ILIJA Deanovic, Ilya Sjenicak 1861 1892

15 DOKMANOVIĆ MARKO Dokmanovic, Marko Sjenicak, Hungary 1884 1909

16 DOKMANOVIĆ MILIĆ Dokvonovic, Milic Sjenicak, Croatia 1894 1913

17 JURAS RADE Furas, Rade Sjenicak, Hungary 1882 1910

18   ?   Grdar, Luka Sjenicak, Hungary 1877 1913

19 IVANOVIĆ MILOVAN Gvanovic, Milovan Sjenicak, Hungary 1885 1910

20 JURAS RADE Juras, Marko Sjenicak, Hungary 1879 1910

21 JURAS PETAR Juras, Petar Sjenicak, Hungary 1893 1912

22 JURAS RADE Juras, Rade Sjenicak, Hungary 1882 1913

23 KARTALIJA ANĐELIJA Kartalija, Audjelija Sjenicak, Hungary 1887 1912

24 KARTALIJA ĐURO Kartalja, Gzuro Sjenicak, Croatia 1874 1913

25 ROKNIĆ PAVAO Kokinic, Pavao Sjenicak, Croatia 1882 1912

26 LONČAR JOVO Lancar, Javo Sjenicak, Croatia 1887 1912

27 ŠAŠIĆ SIMO Lasic, Limo Sjenicak, Hungary 1891 1911

28 ŠAŠIĆ MARKO Lasic, Marko Sjenicak, Croatia 1883 1913

29 LINTA JOVAN Linsa, Jovan Sjenicak, Hungary 1890 1909

30 NIŠIĆ NIKOLA Lisie, Nikola Sjenicak, Hungary 1892 1910

31 LONČAR DMITAR Loncar, Dmitar Sjenicak, Yugoslavia 1896 1923

32 LONČAR NIKOLA Lousar, Nikola Sjenicak, Croatia 1869 1909

33 MANOJLOVIĆ NIKOLA Manajlovic, Nikola Sjenicak, Austria 1891 1913

34 MANOJLOVIĆ MILOŠ Manglovic, Milos Sjenicak, Hungary 1875 1910

35 MANOJLOVIĆ PETAR Manojlovic, Petar Sjenicak, Croatia 1895 1913

36 MANOJLOVIĆ VASILJ Manojlovic, Vasily Sjenicak, Ungary 1894 1913

37 MASLEK ĐURO Maslak, Djurec Sjenicak 1870 1902

38 MASLEK MILE Maslak, Milo Sjenicak, Hungary 1891 1909

39 MASLEK KATA Maslek, Kata Sjenicak, Hungary 1882 1909

40 MASLEK MILIĆ Maslek, Milic Sjenicak, Hungary 1868 1912

41 MASLEK MILIĆ Moslek, Milik Sjenicak 1866 1910

42 MRKALJ ĐURO Mrkalj, Gjuro Sjenicak, Hung. 1875 1913

43 MRKALJ NIKOLA Mrkalj, Nikola Sjenicak, Hung. 1893 1913

44 MRKALJ PAVAO Mrkalj, Pavao Sjenicak, Hung. 1877 1913

45 NIKOLIŠ ADAM Nikulis, Adam Sjenicak, Hung. 1888 1912

46 PADEŽANIN Padezan, Lazo Sjenicak, Hungary 1884 1913

47      ?        Poje, Gjuro Sjenicak, Hungary 1890 1913

48 ROSIĆ MARKO Posic, Marko Sjenicak, Croatia 1866 1909

49 PRUGINIĆ RADE Prognnie, Rade Sjenicak 1867 1905

50 ROKNIĆ DMITAR Rokinic, Dusitar Sjenicak, Croatia 1872 1912

51 ROKNIĆ NIKOLA Roknic, Nikola Sjenicak, Hung. 1882 1912

52 ROSIĆ ILIJA Rosic, Ilija Sjenicak, Yugosl. 1890 1920

53 ROSIĆ NIKOLA Rosic, Nikola Sjenicak, Yugosl. 1901 1920

54 ŠAŠIĆ MILICA Sasic, Milica Sjenicak 1873 1900

55 ŠPANOVIĆ SIMO Spanovic, Simo Sjenicake 1885 1912

56 SUZIĆ GLIGORIJE Suzic, Gligorya Sjenicak, Croatia 1895 1913

57 SUZIĆ MILIĆ Suzic, Milic Sjenicak, YougoSlavia 1907 1922

58 SUZIĆ MILIĆ Suzic, Milie Sjenicak, Austria 1892 1912

59 SUZIĆ PAVAO Suzic, Pavao Sjenicak, Croatia 1894 1912

60 SUZIĆ STANA Suzic, Stana Sjenicak, YougoSlavia 1889 1922

61 PRUGINIĆ RADE Troginic, Rade Sjenicak 1866 1892

62 NAHOD MILICA Vahod, Milica Sjenicak, Hungary 1884 1911

63 VUČINIĆ RADOVAN Vucenic, Radovan Sjenicak, Croatia 1894 1913

64 VUJČIĆ LAZO Vujcic, Lazo Sjenicak, Austria 1873 1913

65 VUJČIĆ PETRA Vujcic, Petra Sjenicak, Jugosl. 1896 1920

66 VUJČIĆ MILE Vuscic, Mile Sjenicak, Croatia 1892 1909

(passengers marked with *** - surnames are not found in period records for SJENIČAK.)

As there are many, many more  immigrants from SJENIČAK  whose place of origin spelling is way off and they did not show  up in this search , if you do not know the original name and surname of your ancestors, look for what sounds  alike /was misspelled in manifest in a similar way / was mistranscribed by indexers similarly .  

All surnames and first names were reconstructed from the available sources and period original records for SJENIČAK parish and these three villages. In some cases data from the wider area of VRGINMOST KOTAR ( Vrginmost municipality - renamed to Gvozd today) and bordering parishes was used.

Assistance  and  the continuing help was also kindly provided  by the Epachy of Upper-Karlovac of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the parish priest who is in charge of the rebuilding  of the temple in Sjeničak, father Saša Umićević.

http://www.eparhija-gornjokarlovacka.hr/index.php?lang=en

If your ancestors were from SJENIČAK, or from the Vrginmost municipality, and you are planning to (ever) visit the area as part of genealogical or heritage trip, your best chance for gathering information and finding descendants of the same family will be in  the autumn of 2015. when through the efforts of the eparchy and people of Sjeničak the temple is planned to be finished  and blessed to be open, to coincide with 300 years of the building of the original one in 1715.

 picture of the original temple hram Svete Petke, SJENIČAK from 1715., history of the temple and gathering 2015. appeal for donations, written by the parish priest  father  Saša Umićević  

father Saša Umićević with members of one family "Rodoslovlje" Serbian Genealogy Society assisted, during their visit to the Eparchy of Upper-Karlovac in May 2012.