Reviving a Century-Lost Family Connection to My Croatian Family: Bridging 100+ Remarkable Years of History, Heritage, and Heart

Originally published on June 15, 2026 | Last updated on June 18, 2026

Reviving a Century-Lost Family Connection to My Croatian Family: A Cherished Discovery of Heritage and Belonging

After 111 years of separation, she embarked on an emotional journey to Croatia to reconnect with relatives her family had lost touch with for generations. Armed with old photographs, family records, and a determination to uncover her roots, she traced her great-grandmother’s story from a small Croatian village to Wisconsin. What began as a genealogy search soon became a heartwarming reunion filled with family memories, cultural discoveries, and a renewed appreciation for the sacrifices that shaped her family’s history.

by Megan Baker 

Imagine: you are 19 years old, alone on a large ship headed to the United States. You witnessed your mom passing away just a few years before, and your father remarried with more children on the way (three more, to be exact). You are headed into an unknown future. Leaving behind a difficult home life, you have to hope that life in a new land will be just a bit better.

You will have to find solace in a land where your language is not used, the foods you know are not in mainstream cuisine, and you will be the new foreigner in a state that has a major Germanic population. And all you have ever known – your family, friends, your community- have to be left behind.

This is the story of my great-grandmother, who navigated the journey from Croatia to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. She left behind a crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire just a year before WWI. Sarajevo is merely hours from her hometown. When she immigrated to the USA, she decided not to teach her children her language, recipes, or really talk about her family at all. My grandfather and his siblings knew nothing of their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. A major disconnect.

Joining A Croatian Ancestry Group Searching For my Roots

Armed with her birth name, date, and village name, I joined a Croatian Ancestry group on Facebook in 2022. To anyone doing ancestry research, these groups on social media are incredibly helpful! They are full of history experts, language translators, and just local people who are kind enough and willing to volunteer their time in helping us find our roots. The group was able to find the exact village location of my great-grandma’s birth.

In December 2024, I visited my mom’s cousin, who just happened to have found a photo of great-grandma’s house. I uploaded that to the Croatian group. Within a day, a local Croatian found the exact location of that house! I took screenshots of the house and its land to compare them to that old photograph. Yes, exact match! On the Google Map, I saw that it was just down the road from a small museum that displayed the old Croatian way of life.

After a few months of pondering if I should reach out, I mustered up the courage and emailed the museum, introduced myself, my goal, and pleaded for any information. Anything at all. Since I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, where everyone knew everyone, I thought to myself that Kalvarija is a small village enclave. Small villages are always reliant on one another. Someone *has* to know something or somebody. A school classmate, a church goer, a neighbor – anything!

Lo and behold, the woman who runs the museum actually knew my relatives (as in my grandfather’s actual cousins), and we were able to connect! The feeling of joy and elation washed over me. After a few emails back and forth, I had made the decision to fly to Croatia and meet them. The anticipation was building in me. FINALLY. After so many years, I will be able to fill in a family connection that has been lost for over a century.

Meeting My Relatives in Zagreb and Navigating Language Barriers

I arrived in Zagreb and met my relatives right at the exit with hugs and introductions. The language was difficult to navigate at first, but I am grateful for the younger kids being able to translate. It made me feel a disconnect since languages were not passed down in my family. The language barrier made everything awkward at first (as expected), but eventually we broke through and had a wonderful time getting to know one another. One thing I’ve learned from my travels is to never let a language barrier stop you.

My great-grandmother’s home region is not near the touristy sites of the Croatian coast, so I got a great taste of authentic Croatia. Rather, it borders Slovenia, which gives the landscape hills, woods, and fog. A few castles and fort ruins are on hilltops. It’s peaceful, unbusy, and real. My relatives asked many questions about living in the US, and I reciprocated by trying to understand the Croatian lifestyle beyond the sales pitches of beaches.

One conversation on the opening night turned into several conversations about food, life, careers, school, and family. I discovered how delicious Croatian cuisine is! So many bright flavors that represent the Balkans and its longer growing seasons. Very different than the Germanic meat and potatoes. I was a little sad that my great-grandma did not pass down any recipes.

Visiting my great-grandmother’s house

My relatives took me to my great-grandmother’s house, which is located in an enclave just outside the city limits. It was for sale. The home needs desperate love and maintenance as I panned my camera around a dilapidated building and rusty fence. I tried to imagine a plot that was full of life, a vegetable garden, and animals.

Those 19 years my great-grandmother spent in that house came alive to me in a sense. After her father, my great-great-grandfather, sold it, the next family owned it for almost 100 years, where it was built up to host community events like weddings and dances. It was given a second life before it needed to be sold. A quiet community still found ways to gather and socialize, just like my own tiny hometown in Wisconsin.

Going Through my Updated Family Tree Booklet, Reviving a Century-Lost Family Connection to My Croatian Family

The day came when I was introduced to my grandfather’s two cousins (well, half-cousins since they just shared the grandfather). I was led into their home even further back in the Croatian countryside, and we talked about what family history they could remember. Beforehand, I contacted everyone I could from my family branch to give me updated photos and information.

When we sat down for family stories, it was such a pleasure to hand them a booklet of our updated family tree and say, “Here’s your aunt and uncle! That opened up a whole portal of family they never knew existed in the USA! From my understanding (through all translations), they knew my great- grandmother existed (who would be their half-aunt).

Her father left her land for inheritance in his will to be split among her and her brothers. Since she was in America, she had no intention of returning. Therefore, she sold it to a cousin. They had no further information about her or any of her brothers, either (their half-uncles). I knew at least two people who immigrated to the USA, but I also had no further information to give them.

I stayed for almost 3 hours trying to gather as much information as possible. They were sincerely welcoming and happy that I reached out to meet them and that I am interested in preserving my heritage. We had left the home and went to the museum I had first contacted, which started it all. I put my arms around for a big hug to the lady who connected me to my family! Truly, I was grateful!.

Family Trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park

My visit ended with my relatives taking me to Plitvice Lakes National Park. This park is absolutely stunning and only about a 75-minute drive from my great-grandma’s home city. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew this natural beauty existed. Plitvice Lakes has only been a designated national park since 1949 (she left in 1913).

I wondered if she knew the beauty of greater Croatia beyond her home region. I’m sure she’d be surprised by how many people flock to Croatia today, due to its nature, waterfalls, and world-famous coastline. But the drive on the way to the park made me pause for more reflection. I saw so many abandoned buildings and dilapidated homes, many of which looked to be full of bullet holes. Croatians are proud of their country and want peace after the tumultuous years of war.

Scars today still show up on what life in Croatia used to be like. No wonder people left over the decades to find peace in other lands. My relatives who stayed are a testament to the Croatian grit and perseverance.

Being surprised with a Croatian cookbook in English

I was so sad to say goodbye at the conclusion of my trip. My relative sent me off with a large bag of gifts to share with my family back home – candies, coffee mugs, and so many other trinkets I was glad to give away. My absolute cherished memory was that they remembered how much I talked about loving Croatian food, so they surprised me with a Croatian cookbook in English. I feel much more connected and feel like a whole world just opened up.

I am currently planning a family trip with my mom and her siblings to visit the land of their grandparents (their grandfather came from Slovenia as well). It’s such an important reminder that they immigrated to find peace and stability. We’re lucky to have the lives we have in Wisconsin.

We don’t have to leave because of a looming war and poverty, and I think it’s important to recognize the sacrifices of their grandparents by getting to know our family who stayed. I’m excited to introduce everyone so they, too, can grasp our Croatian (and Slovenian) roots, and they’ll take home a wider perspective of the world, as travel has always gifted me.

Megan Baker, travel coach and retreat leader, is the founder of Link2Cultures, helping individuals and groups deepen their cultural understanding through intentional travel and immersive retreats.

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