SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS AND VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES
Adam S.
Eterovich
On
December 12, 1862, Marco Zenovich, age 29 years died in a mining accident in
Virginia City and Marco Milinovich was shot to death on July 4, 1862 in his San
Francisco Hotel. Both men were returned
to San Francisco via Sacramento and buried at Croatian-Slavonic Terra Cemetery
by the Slavonic Illyric benevolent Society of San Francisco, organized in
1857. The Society had a branch in
Sacramento and had many members in Nevada.
This was the first known incident of social organization or assistance
in Nevada of Croatians. (1)
The
Serbian Society has some representation in the late 1870’s and 1880’s that
eventually centered in Ely. This Society
did not grow to any appreciable numbers.
It is known that some Nevada pioneers did marry or use the facilities of
the Russian Orthodox Church in San Francisco prior to 1900. (2)
The
Croatian pioneers participated in many Nevada and general American social,
sport, and beneficial organizations.
They did not “colonize” into groups, but, quite to the contrary,
appeared in many amusing situations and social occurrences. The Volunteer Fire Companies and Brigades had
a very serious social function of protection of property plus arranging many
purely social events. The responsible
element in each community participated.
The
Yugoslav did participate in many affairs in-as-much as he was engaged in
business and was a permanent part of the community.
A few of
the organizations and participants are listed:
Lander
Guard (3)
Military and Civic Call, Austin, June
13, 1867
Nikola Barovich on Committee
Grand
Mason Reunion
March 11, 1875, Gold Hill. Spiro Vukovich participated.
Italian
Benevolent Society
In October of 1876, Marco Medin was on
the Invitation Committee.
St.
Patrick’s Church Ball
On March 12, 1870 V. Vuscovich, Alex
Mandich, Mitchell
Vucanovich, and Nikola Trianovich were
on Hamilton
Invitation Committee. Nikola Gugnina was on the
Shermantown Committee.
INSERT AD
ST. PATRICK’S BALL
Virginia City
Engine Company No. 1 (5)
On January 3, 1867, Nikola Gugnina, M.
Lovely and S.
Mitrovich were members of the Virginia
Fire Department.
Ancient
Order of Freemasonry (6)
Virginia Lodge #3, organized on
January 1863, had as a
visitor at the meeting of May 1863 Sam
Zenovich.
Society of
Reese River Pioneers
Was organized on the 11th of June
1873. It is comprised
of males who were residents of the
Reese River Mining
District prior to the 31st of December
1864. Nikola
Barovich and 85 others.
St. Patrick’s
Ball Committee (7)
On March 18, 1867 in Austin, Nikola
Barovich was on the
Invitation Committee in honor of St.
Patrick!
Knickerbocker
Engine Company No. 5 (8)
V. Milatovich, J. M. Coshina, and A
Mandich were members
of this fire company in Virginia City
on January 3, 1867.
Esmeralda
Engine Company No. 1 (9)
In honor of Washington’s Birthday, C.
Novacovich of Aurora
and John Chiatovich of Lida Valley
were on the Committee
for the benefit of the above fire
company on February 2,
1878.
Independent
Order of Odd Fellows (10)
Tybo Lodge, No. 28, of Tybo, Nye
County was instituted
April 17, 1877, with the following
named charter members:
John Gregovich was one of original
ten.
Virginia
Engine Company No. 1 (11)
Martin Grosetta, M. Millinovich, and
C. Lenovich were
members in 1863 and Nikola Gugnina, M.
Lovely, and S.
Milrovich on February 6, 1867.
White Pine
Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 (12)
On May 18, 1869 in Treasure City The
First Annual Ball was
held with committee members Alex
Mandich, Martin Coscina,
and Nikola Trianovich.
Order of
Knights of Pythias (13)
In March 1873, the First Lodge of the
Order was formed
in Nevada, at Virginia City, under the
name of Nevada Lodge
No. 1.
Peter Gugnina plus twelve others were charter
members.
Hyman
Engine Company No. 1 (14)
in Shermantown, October 19, 1870. Nikola Gugnina was a
member.
Virginia
Exempt Fire Association (15)
Organized as November 26, 1876 with
Marco Medin and Spiro
Vucovich as members of Engine
Companies Numbers 4 and 5.
1. Sacramento Daily Union, July 20 1863.
2. Nona Parkin, Carrespondence.
3. Reese River Reveille, June 13, 1867.
4. Gold Hill News, March 3, 1875.
5. Daily Territorial enterprise, January 3,
1867.
6. Thompson and West, History of Nevada
(Oakland, 1881).
7. Reese River Reveille, March 18, 1867.
8. Daily Trespass, February 2, 1878.
10. Thompson and West, History of Nevada
(Oakland, 1881).
11. Daily Trespass, February 6, 1867.
12. White Pine News, May 18, 1869.
13. Thompson and West, History of Nevada
(Oakland, 1881).
14. Inland Empire, October 19, 1870.
15. Bancroft Library, By Laws on File.