Hi,

Yes the name is used in Serbia and its possible that through immigration Kraljevic changed into Krulewitch. The best way to figure this is out is to look at the immigration papers. I dont know if you are in the US but if so you should check with Ellis Island to see from where they came.

Thanks Sergej,

The problem is that the current spelling of my name (Krulewitch) can be positively traced back to about 1735 to a relative who was from Simnas Lithuania. The name stayed the same all the way to Ellis Island. However, I have some relatives who like to think they are descended from the Serbian hero Marko Kraljevic. Considering we haven't found a link to Marko before 1735 and that as far as I can tell, Prince Marko did not have any children, I think this is very unlikely. To make things even more complicated, the Krulewitch family is Jewish.

I guess I was wondering if my name (and its pre-descendant versions) was at all unique, or if it's really no big deal, just a common Slavic name.

Marc

Marc,

There is no single descendant alive today in patronomical direct line of medieval Serbian families. Most of them are 2nd 3rd < degree. You need to search the archives and look for the following:

1. Who is the first who took the name of Krulewitch, most likely this was done in the 18th century during the Napoleon era,
2. Once you find this person you will need to see what his name was and to see what patronym he used,
3. Once you see the names used then look and see if you can find Serbian names. A typical name e.g. is Dragomir.
4. What is/was their religion? Is there a family saint in question?
5. The Jewish line runs through the mother, it is very well possible that the fathers side is of Serbian descent, but that is speculation.

I dont know if you can give me some insight in the male names of the family. It is possible that the family is Jewish and came from Serbia. There is a pretty large Jewish community in Serbia.

Regards,

Sergej,

All the male names starting at about 1735 sound very Jewish and not a bit Serbian (David, Menahem, Moshe, Harris, Simon...). I'm not sure where to look next. Maybe I'm a Khazar. Thanks for your help.

Marc Krulewitch

Then I dont think there is a link to Serbia unless any of your ancestors is born there. Or if the name is spelled as Krulevich. Either way you will need to find a link to Serbia, otherwise they are from just Lithuania.

Did you try with JewishGen btw?

Yes, it was Jewishgen that started my search into Serbian roots. It was on Jewishgen that someone posted a Krulewitch link to not only Prince Marko but to his father Vukasim, actually calling him Vukasim Kraljevic. I know now this is a ridiculous claim and I sent a note to the person who posted this info telling them as much.

As a result I've learned quite a bit about Balkan politics and I have a much better understanding of what took place in the 90s and why. Also, I learned that during the Nazi occupation the Serbian people refused to cooperate with the Nazis in the murder and deportation of the Serbian Jewish population and that historically the Serbian Jews were considered equal Serbian citizens. Not many countries can claim this heroic status.

I was told that the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have a lot of geneological information as well. Maybe I'll try them.

Prince Marc

Well I would say it is rather ridiculous for the following reasons.

The name of his father was Vukasin Mrnjavcevic, which line died out a long time ago. There are no direct descendants alive. Now if someone today is named e.g. Kraljevic then he/she could be named after the person but for sure isn't related. I would be for sure interested to see some pedigree in which this person can proof the descendancy but I think its just assumption.

Yes the LDS Church has information from Serbia but not from Orthodox and Jewish sources. As far as I know they have not been archives yet. What you could do is contact the Jewish community in Belgrade and ask them if they know something about your surname. That would be the most prudent thing to do, the rest remains, how interesting, speculation.

Sergej,

Thanks again for your information and your kindness.

Marc