Three sample texts
from “The Vujovićs
from Uble Čevske”
(Vujovići
iz Ubala Čevskih):
FROM
THE FOREWORD
The first and
minimal requirement of a scientific research method is that the researcher has
solid methodology and interprets objectively his (or her) material (facts).
While working on the Vujovićs
family history, Nikola Vujović adhered to these requirements. In terms of scope and scientific
methodology, his work goes far beyond the significance it has for Vujovićs
clan/family. The manner in which this book was written, the answers it gives to
numerous questions, its critique of certain attitudes and opinions that have
long been accepted as “historical facts” - all make this work a valid
document of Montenegrin history.
From
socio-psychological aspect this history offers a wealth of extremely accurate
comments about the difficult times that this clan lived through, while very few
of its members had the privilege of experiencing a long life and natural death.
Convincing and vivid analysis of the clan’s most prominent personalities
ranges from describing their noble pride to their tendency to look at life with
humour even at its hardest moments.
Nikola Vujović’s
book represents a serious work based on historical facts. It offers us a glimpse
into times we don’t know much about. The author succeeded in removing the
curtain of oblivion from a stage of history, and in connecting into one whole
the fragmented knowledge about these past times, so that readers can follow the
Vujovic clan’s history during four centuries. Before the reader we have an
exciting story, told in the language of facts, convincing to the extent to which
this was made possible by the historical and other sources at the author’s
disposal, as well as his scientific intuition.
Milenko Živković
THE
VUJOVIĆS’ MIGRATIONS AND
CHANGES OF SURNAME
Like other families from Katunska Nahija
the Vujovićs fought mostly
in Herzegovina under the Turkish rule. There they defended the besieged country
and Orthodox population. Whenever possible they would help themselves to various
movable goods such as money, cattle, arms, clothing and so on.
On their way from and back to their barren Katun rocks, their attention
was caught by wealthy villages and valleys around Niksic (then under the Turkish
rule). Disregarding the dangers they directed their first migrations there. They
migrated for various reasons - escaping from blood feuds, as economic migrants
or submitting to the decisions of their rulers, the
Petrović dynasty.
Odo Bajov from the Vujović-beget branch the Milosevićs was the first to move away to Lukovo because of a
blood feud. As his sons grew up he had
built a thriving household. When the time came he found a bride for his
firstborn son. While making preparations for the wedding, news reached him that
the his future daughter-in-law had been kidnapped by the powerful Hasan-aga
Zvizdić, the most prominent cattle exporter from Herzegovina. The aga
intended to merry the beautiful orthodox girl to his son. Odo rushed to the
Zvizdić tower and demanded her return. Hasan-aga refused. Odo challenged
him to a sword-duel to be fought in the centre of Turkish Nikšić in order
to decide the future of his intended daughter-in-law. But aga considered this
somewhat risky; he started to hesitate and plan escape strategies. Glancing at
his son he offered Odo money, land, his friendship – all to no avail. In the
end he returned the kidnapped girl back to her original father-in-law. As Odo
was departing with the girl Hasan-aga asked if there was anything that would
make him convert to Islam.
-
Nothing except spite! - replied
infuriated Odo, leaving the town.
Upon
his return to Lukovo Odo changed his surname to Bajović which is the
surname his decendents inherited. However, these Bajovićs should not be
confused with many others of the same surname but deferent descent, who live
throughout Montenegro and wider. Any questions can be clarified by consulting
the Vujović family tree in this book.
Tadić
is the next surname which originated from Vujović; it came into being in
the village Šipačno near Niksić. Those belonging to this branch are
descendants of Tadija Golub Matijašev from the branch of the Golubovićs
who were economic migrants.
The
Golubovićs from Niksić are probably related to the Tadićs,
the descendants of Tadija Golubov. Neither branch is connected with other
Montenegrin families carrying surnames Tadić or Golubović. If in doubt
it’s best to consult the Vujovic’s family tree, Vujovics-Golubovics branch.
In
and around Nikšić there are two families of different origin carrying the
surname Barović, both originating from the Vujovics. One of them are
the descendants of Baro Srdanov and the other of Baro Dautov Vujović. They
both belong to the Vujović – Savić branch of the clan.
Baro
Srdana Živkova is the grandson of Sava Jankov who engendered the Savićs.
Baro
Dauta Bajova is on the same branch level with Savo Jankov.
Without
the help of the Vujovićs family/clan tree it would be impossible to trace
everybody in this material made more complex by circumstances and the passage of
time. Especially considering that
those Barovićs who didn’t migrate kept the old Vujović surname with
the sub-surname Savić. As an example I mention the descendents of Vuk
Radovanov and Petar Andrijin Vujović, who migrated to Cetinje in the middle
of the 20th century. Numerous other Montenegrin Barovićs are not
related to these two families; their roots are completely different.
The
Lukićs in Serbia (Toplice – Jablanica region) are the descendents of
Luka Šćepanov Vujović – Milošević. Luka was one of the heroes
in the battle of Grahovac in 1858. He captured a Turkish flag which the duke
Mirko Petrović, the Montenegrin commander-in-chief, demanded for himself.
Luka protested, but Mirko agreed with the duke Savo Vujov Vujović
(“…the criminal from Ozegovice”… from the 52nd Note by Petar
I) that Luka should hand over the flag and “wait for his turn” for a
promotion to a more leading position in Čevo. The Duke Mirko was well known
as someone who could not be trusted. Luka waited and waited but “his turn”
did not come. This led him to Cetinje to enquire about the duke’s promise and
see his trophy. Under the trophy he saw a note. Since he was illiterate Luka
asked someone else to read it. The note said that the flag was captured by Jovan
Mašanov Vukotić, a captain from Čevo who was also the commander of
Grand-Duke Danilo’s guard of honour. Furious, Luka started a quarrel with Duke
Mirko. The guardsmen had difficulties calming him down, as he threatened to
emigrate which later he did. Some 150 years later his trophy from Grahovac is
still displayed in Biljarda (the court armoury and the Montenegrin National
Museum); the injustice has lasted just as long.
The Spasojevićs in Lukovo near Nikšić: Rašo, Bajo and Andrija as well as their descendents originate from Spasoje Osmanov Vujović – Milošević who has been mentioned already in this book, otherwise as paternal uncle of Luka Šćepanov. They had to emigrate following the order of Knjaz Danilo around 1855, amongst the so-called “wolves from Katun”, as Montenegrins and their leaders fondly called most courageous men from the Katun region. Danilo’s plan to surround the Turkish ruled Niksic by a “live wall” made up of the bravest amongst the brave, who would constantly harass the Turks and support the Ortodox population, had an outcome which is well known and which, some twenty years later, became a deciding factor in the almost painless liberation of Nikšić from the Turks. The Spasojević brothers have been given very limited space in this book and at the time of writing they have no descendents in Montenegro, while all links have been severed with any in Serbia, so that it is not known how many if any are still living. Other Spasojevićs living in various parts of Montenegro have different roots.
The Nenadićs who originated from the branch of the Golubovićs, were first mentioned, as far as I know, by the poet Radosav P. Vujović, in a relatively accurate family tree completed at the end of 1973. As the descendents of Nenad Baćo Ivanov, they had already used the surname for centuries, but only in oral communication and this information is to be considered as a footnote.
Nebojša Drašković, the author of “Čevsko zaljuće i donji kraj” talks about the Vujovićs on page 504 of his book. He mentions, amongst the new surnames descended from them (in addition to those I’ve already mentioned): Djikanović, Filipović and Dragišić. I am aware of the families that this esteemed author mentions but I did not categorise them in the same way and this short mention should be understood simply as a footnote and an attempt to clarify any ambiguities.
Drasković’s
“Vujovićs (Dragojevićs)
from Čevo” can be found
in this book’s appendix.
All the fore-fathers of all the brotherhoods stemming from the Vujovićs have their places in the clan tree and their descendents can follow their origin without difficulties.
The other Vujovićs who migrated into the surroundings of Nikšić have kept their original surname. Under their original surname the Vujovićs emigrated to the USA, Serbia, Cetinje, Podgorica, The Bay of Kotor, and, led by life necessities, to many other places across former Yugoslavia. They are currently most numerous in Cetinje, The Bay of Kotor, Podgorica, Vojvodina, Kosovo and the USA. However it should be borne in mind that the Vujovićs originating from other Montenegrin regions also reside in these areas. One of the uses of documents such as this book is to clarify such ambiguities.
The most massive exodus happened after WW2 and at the time of writing this book (1992) only 29 elderly households, consisting of one or two persons, still survives in Uble. According to Jovan Erdeljanovic in 1910 there lived 65 families. Of those 6 lived in Ožegovice, 3 in Bašino village, 6 in Dolovsko Korito, 5 in Padine, 5 in Koljevci, 26 in Bijelo Polje, 4 in Presječki Do and 10 in Bijele Poljane. During the two Balkan Wars and WW1 they were able to send a unit of soldiers whose list of names can still be found in the Cetinje Archive. They fought in Skadar, Kosovo, Bregalnica, Bosnia, Mojkovac and they defended Lovćen. On the morning of 13 January 1913, in the assault on Taraboš 25 Vujovićs gave their lives. Almost all the survivors were wounded.
THE
VUJOVIĆS
WHO EMIGRATED TO THE USA AT THE END OF THE 19TH
AND THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Like other Montenegrins, would Vujovićs
emigrat to the USA looking for work and hoping to return to their homeland
wealthy – but none of them succeeded in the latter. The following list does
not include those who went to the US several times, eventually returning to live
in Montenegro.
Most Montenegrin “Americans”, including the
Vujovićs,
obeyed an unwritten rule that whenever the homeland was in danger they would
return to the last man and defend it, suffering many casualties. Those who
survived would most often go back to America. The most numerous and tragic
wartime return of our “Americans” took place on Christmas Eve (Orthodox
Christmas) on the 6th of January 1916. Having reached Italy they
hired the ship called ‘Brindisi’ which brought them to about a mile away
from the port of Media in Albania (San Giovanni di Media). There the ship hit a
mine and was destroyed. Over 330 Montenegrin volunteers met their death there,
from the total of around 500. Their drama was never properly illuminated. King
Nicolas received the survivors; during the audience it was discovered that
amongst them was a Russian man designated as the flag carrier. During the tragic
accident he tied the flag around his waist and untied it before the Montenegrin
King. Nikola I placed the Obilić Medal (for bravery) on his banner; the same day the surviving
volunteers joined the fighting. To commemorate this tragic event in 1929
Montenegrin “Americans” funded the building of a monument named The Lovćen
Sprite in Baja Pivljanina Street, in front of the Vlaška Church in Cetinje.
The following list includes all those who remained to live in the USA and of whose lives and destiny little or nothing is known.
It is certain at the end of the 20th century none of the above mentioned are alive. I do not know if there are any official records in Montenegro of any descendents of the migrants and if so where they are.
. . . . .
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