Hello All! In July, I was lucky enough to travel to Europe to visit the villages of my ancestors. What an INCREDIBLE experience, and I cannot wait to return to visit my many new cousins!! My GGF was born in "Slatinik"...this is clearly stated on his 1905 Ellis Island record, as well as his naturalization papers. I believe he was referring to Drenjski-Slatinik, now Croatia, but I am open to alternative ideas here. My GGF came into Ellis ISland as JOSEF KOVAC (born June 27, 1885, Slatinik), although I knew him as Joseph J. SCHMIDT (he changed his surname back to Schmidt-German equivalent of KOVAC-sometime between 1920-1940). My mother thinks she remembers him telling her that his name was changed at Ellis Island BUT I am not sure that that is accurate and the following is why... In 1909 Josef Kovac/Schmidt's sister LIZA (born May 19, 1887, Slatinik) came over under the name LIZA KOVAC. Also, she refers to her father in Slatinik as JANOS KOVAC. If GGF's surname was changed to KOVAC at Ellis, why would his sister and father be going by KOVAC as well? Or maybe they used KOVAC since Liza was going to stay with her brother, Josef Kovac in Passaic and it was easiest to keep the surname consistent? My BRICK WALL is in locating my GGF's birth record. I scoured the Catholic church books which covered 1885 and 1887 for the Drenje parish when I was in Osijek. No sign of my GGF or his sister! So now my question is...could he have been a practicing Lutheran at that time? Or is Slatinik referring to Podravska Slatina instead of Drenji-Slatinik? I asked a friend who was born in Slatinik in the 1930s if there were any Evangelist/Lutherans living in Slatinik-Drenji that he was aware of, and he thinks not. I do know that my GGF converted to Lutheranism in the USA (again my mother believes this happened AFTER he arrived in the US...but memory can be inaccurate as we all know all too well)! Does anyone out there know anything about the KOVAC/SCHMIDT family from Slatinik who can help me? My GGF traveled on the La Lorraine in 1905 from Le Havre. They departed 1/28/1905 and arrived in New York on 2/4/1905. He traveled with the following fellows from SLATINIK: JOSEF HIRT - age 28- going to Anna Hafner/Hamfer?- Passaic, NJ JOSEF KOVAC -age 19- also going to Anna Hafner/Hamfer - Passaic, NJ(my Great Grandfather) CATERINA SCHNEIDER- age 27- going to Andreas Hafner/Hamfer- Passaic, NJ ANDREW KöNIG- age 18- going to Heinrich Biepel/Biefel?-Akron, Ohio LEONHARD LEHR- age 18- going to Andreas Hafner/Hamfer- Passaic, NJ PETER GUNHEISER (Oumheiser?)- age 23- going to brother-in-law Heinrich Biepel- Akron, OH MARTIN SCHADL- age 25- Stamfer/Hafner/Hamfer- Passaic, NJ P.S. I did find PLENTY of stones in the cemetery in Slatinik that had German given names with the KOVAC surname... P.S.S. My GGF Schmidt DID travel to East Germany in the early 1960s to visit family...he also sponsored a nephew who came over in the 1950s, tho we are not sure where he came from (Croatia or Germany). The point is there were survivors who made it to Germany after WW2. We know nothing more than that. Thank you all so very much for your assistance! Pamela Byrne, Bedford, NH