E-mail:
niko.kapetanic@du.t-com.hr
Mr. Kapetanic' is a native of the village of Lovorno in the region of Konavle (southern-most tip of Croatia). In the early 1980s he began researching for information on his own village and family. Then he eventually collected information on all the surnames of Konavle. He has authored and co-authored many books on the lineages, demographics, and family histories of the region. A list of his published books and articles can be found here.
A list of all surnames in his database can be found here.
Above is a photo of Mr. Kapetanic' with a chart of all 64 of his ascendant grandparents (to the 6th generation).
Mr. Kapetanic' specializes in the region of Konavle only.
Mr. Kapetanic' has collected all of the information from all of the church records of Konavle. He has also collected much information on Konavle surnames from the civil records in the Dubrovnik Archive (see list of sources, below). This information has all been computerized, so he can tell you very quickly if information on your surname exists and how far back the records go. Many surnames in Konavle can be traced to the 1500s, sometimes to the 1400s.
His services and prices (in US $):
Patrolineal family trees (direct ascendants with the father's surname, plus spouses and siblings): $500
Radial family trees (all grandparents, great grandparents, etc):
8 great-grandparents: $150 16 great-great-grandparents: $250 32 g-g-g-grandparents: $350Small look-ups are based on $20 per hour with a 1 hour minimum. Free quotes are given gladly. For a quote, provide all available information on your ancestor and what further information you wish to know.
It should be noted that as many as 30-40 hours have gone into collecting information on many of the surnames. And this research has already been done.
Payments to Croatia have become difficult since they joined the EU. Personal checks (cheques) are no longer acceptable. Mr. Kapetanic will explain payment methods to you.
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His sources include:
Church records going back to the late 1600s: Matic"ne knjige, Stanja dus"a, vital journals, Bishop's records. These records do not predate 1808 for most of Konavle, but many of them contain information as far back as the late 1600s. For example, a birth or death record may list the father, g-father, and g-g-father.
State Archive records going back into the 1300s: tax rolls, census records, court records, land records, etc.
When writing to Mr. Kapetanic', it's best to use simplified English words and terms. If necessary, Tom Ninkovich can act as liaison.
Mailing address:
Niko Kapetanic'
Put Kupari 5
20207 Mlini
Croatia