MILATOVICH’S
ADVERTISEMENT V.
MILATOVICH’S STORE
Vincent Milatovich from Dubrovnik had one of the largest foreign
delicacies business in the State of Nevada during the 1860’s. Vincent was in San Francisco in 1859 and had
a liquor business at Marysville, California in 1857. He appeared in Virginia City in 1863 with a
grocery and liquor business at 67 No. C Street.
In 1864 he owned the Ophir Exchange Saloon and then owned his very
successful V. Milatovich provision business.
Vincent located at Reno in 1870 and opened his V. Milatovich Grocery and
Liquor Store. He took an extended trip
to Dalmatia and turns up in San Francisco in 1878 at 1024 Stockton Street as a
Capitalist.
It is not known what his movements were after this date, perhaps
retirement. he was a member of the
Famous Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company at Virginia City in 1867.
A noted writer on Nevada history notes the Milatovich clan in Virginia
City and gives extensive and interesting remarks about the family: (1)
PICTURE V. MILATOVICH- RENO
The Milatovich Association of Virginia City typified the foreign
merchant families. The Milatovich
Grocery Store at 93 No. C. Street and a nearby saloon had, in 1870, been
providing the community with foreign delicacies for almost a decade. In addition to Scotch, English, and Irish
whisky, Jamaica Rum, and French Brandy, the Milatovich’s specialized in French
and Italian wines, truffles, Italian mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, Italian,
English, Holland, Swiss, and California cheese, Dutch sardines and herrings,
Russian caviar, Pagoliano syrup, and dozens of other foreign items to please
the most discriminating epicure. During
the summer of 1869, Vincent Milatovich decided to retire to the sunny Adriatic,
but Andrew, along with other relatives, continued to direct the Comstock
business, including the first apparently the largest winery ever operated in
Nevada.
Andrew Milatovich was and early pioneer to the Pacific Coast. He was a fruit dealer at San Francisco on 252
Dupont Street in 1852. In 1854 he had a
fruit business on 42 J Street in Sacramento.
He was in Marysville, California in 1859 with a restaurant. The 1860 Federal Census listed him as a
Slavonian with a Mexican wife and a son, John.
He was a long time resident of Virginia City in the Fruit business
associated with Vincent Milatovich. He
was an American citizen. he returned to
San Francisco in the late 1880’s and operated a restaurant.
Antonio Milatovich came to San Francisco on his own Brig, Portina, in
1850. I would assume that Vincent and
Andrew Milatovich came with him. He was
a long time resident of the city and was a wealthy capitalist in the
1850’s. He owned over one million acres
of land in Mexico and had made many trips there in the 1860’s. He had an audience with President Juarez in
1864. He was no doubt associated or
related to the Milatovich’s of Virginia City and their successful ventures in
that State. He died in 1901 and was
buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in San Francisco. (2)
1. Wilbur s. Shepperson, Restless
Strangers (University of Nevada Press 1970), p. 31
2. Zajednicar, January 20, 1971,
Pittsburgh