Marinovich’s
By Adam S. Eterovich
Plantations-Mayors-Farmers-Doctors-Actors-Goldminers-Fishermen
Plantation
Antoine Marinovich, planter, Cloutierville, Louisiana.
Mr. Marinovich, whose success as a farmer has been very great, was born in
Croatia on December 8, 1835, and came to America in 1853. Since then he has
made two trips to his native country, one in 1867 and the other in 1878. He settled in Natchitoches Parish in April,
1853, and it has been his home ever since. For thirty years he was engaged in
merchandising in Cloutierville, and he built up a reputation as an honest,
reliable business man which extends far and near. He now resides between four
and five miles below Cloutierville, where he owns a fine plantation of 500
acres, 300 acres of which are under cultivation. He is also the owner of
several other small tracts of land in this parish, and he is now one of the
wealthy and substantial planters of the parish. Upon his home plantation he is
conducting a plantation store, to accommodate his tenants, and he is a proper
representative of the prosperous, enterpising citizens of this community. He
has a happy home where a devoted wife and eleven intelligent children brighten
his days. He and wife and family are members of the Roman Catholic Church, are
estimable citizens, and are alive to all issues of the day. It is unnecessary
to add that Mr. Marinovich is a man of progressive spirit, clear perception,
and that his fellow citizens owe him a debt of gratitude for the advanced state
of agriculture in this locality.
Mayor-Councilwoman-Teacher
Carol Marinovich made history when she became the first
woman to be elected Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas in 1995. Now she has added to
that record by serving her second term in office. A remarkably talented and
determined woman, Ms. Marinovich has devoted her life to public service. Having
earned a BS and an MS degree in the field of Education, she worked as an
educator from the time of her graduation from St. Mary College in 1972 until
1981, when she moved on to an administrative position as a Special Education
Coordinator with the Wyandotte Special Education Cooperative. During the 14
years that she served as an administrator, Ms. Marinovich was twice elected to
the Kansas City Council, becoming the first Councilwoman in Kansas City
history. She has also served as President of Kansas Women's Chamber of Commerce
and President of the Kansas Administration and Supervisors' Association.
Farm-Apple Orchards
Stephen Marinovich family first settled on the West Coast
in the later decades of the last century on their arrival from Dalmatia in
Croatia, and have since contributed much toward developing the area's
agricultural potential. Stephen Philip Marinovich has from the early years of
his career been responsible for the operation of the family farms near
Watsonvllle, California. The first of the family to come to this country were
his uncle and aunt, William and Anna Pulisevich, who arrived in 1879 and
settled in Santa Cruz. There Mr. Pulisevich built and managed an evaporating
plant for drying apples. Mr. Marinovich's father, Frank P. Marinovich, followed
in 1887, bringing his family and first settling in San Jose. In 1889 they moved
to Watsonville. He took out his American citizenship papers at San Jose six
months after his arrival. He and his wife, the former Nicolene Pulisevich, were
the parents of six children-four sons and two daughters. In addition to
Stephen, one cf the daughters is still living. She is Mrs. Paul Miladin of
Watsonville. Another of the sons was Peter B. Marinovich, M.D., a physician who
also served as mayor of Watsonville from May 15, 1951, until his death in
April, 1953. He had three sons, in whose career their uncle has taken a vital
interest. They are: 1. Phillip, who is a music teacher in Castroville. He is
married and the father of nine children. 2. Peter Bill, a graduate of San Jose
State College who is an instructor of physical education at Sonora. He is the
father of six childen. 3. William F., who took his Bachelor of Laws degree from
the University of Santa Clara, and is now practicing as an attorney at
Watsonville. He is the father of one child. Stephen Philip Marinovich was born
in Watsonville on August 24, 1900, and attended local public schools including
Watsonville High School. At an early age he started farming on his father's
property, which had been acquired in the early days of the family's residence
here. Since 1926 he has been entirely responsible for the operation of the
acreage, which has a firm name, F. P. Marinovich and Company. Major products
are: apples and row crops. On January 8, 1926, in Santa Cruz, California,
Stephen Philip Marinovich married Pauline Louise Bronich, formerly of Stockton
and a daughter of Louie M. and Marie (Deranja) Bronich. Her parents, like his, came
from Dalmatia. Mrs. Marinovich was formerly a member of the Y. L. I., and is
active in the Altar Society of her church, the Catholic Daughters, Corolitos
Women's Club, the Garden Club, and Native Daughters of California. The couple
are the parents of two daughters: 1. Ellen Nicholene, born in Watsonville on
February 14, 1928. Stephanie. 2. Anne
Marie, born August 27, 1931.
Medical Doctor-Mayor
P.B. Marinovich born in Watsonville, California,
February 3, 1896. Son of Mr. and Mrs. F.
P. Marinovich, natives of Dalmatia, Croatia.
His father is one of the oldest Croatian pioneers in Watsonville. Dr. Marinovich attended the local public
schools, and is a graduate of Santa Clara University and St. Louis
University. Engaged in practice of
medicine and surgery in Watsonville since 1925 who also served as mayor of
Watsonville from May 15, 1951, until his death in April, 1953.
Hollywood Actor and
Leading Man
John Miljan-Marinovich was born in Lead, South Dakota in 1892
of Croatian parents named Marinovich.
John began his acting and stage career in 1908 and in 1922 moved to
Hollywood to appear in hundreds of films. He was leading man opposite such
stars as Virginia Bruce, and Joan Crawford..
He appeared in such films as “The Plainsman”, in which he played the
part of General Custer, “Twin Husbands”, “Samson and Delilah”, and “The Ten
Commandments”. His last film was “The
Lone Ranger and The Lost City of Gold” in 1958.
Miljan died in Hollywood in 1960.
Goldminers-Fishermen
Notable Namesakes of the Marinovich family were: Andria,
who died in 1833 at New Orleans, Louisiana; Antonio, who was naturalized as an
American citizen in 1845 in Mobile, Alabama; Mateo, Mitchell, Nikola and John,
who were mining gold in the Amador region of California in the 1870-1880’s;
Antonio and Nicola, who were pioneers in the Santa Clara, California orchards
in the 1880’s; Frank, who was fishing in San Francisco Bay in 1860, and
Mitchell, who told the census taker in 1860 at San Francisco he was a Turk!
From
New Orleans to San Francisco, the Marinovichs were making their homes and
raising their families as true American pioneers.