Slovenian family tree

The discovery of a handwritten family tree led me to the “old country” of Yugoslavia, now Slovenia, from which my great grandfather, Martin Jakljevic, emigrated in the late 1880s. His village of Metlika, in the Bela Krajina region, is known for vineyards, wine making and sheep breeding and is a mere hour away from the capital, Ljubljana.

Armed with our roughly drawn family tree, I chose to explore this area with a travel companion in 2009 during Metlika’s annual wine festival, the Vinska Vigred, which is held the third weekend in May.

The Internet proved to be a valuable tool for finding distant family members, and I hit pay dirt when I found a family tourist farm in Metlika, Jakljevic Turizem Farm (Grabrovec 1, 8330 Metlika; phone 00 386 7 305 86 85, www.sloveniaholidays.com/eng/tourist-farm-jakljevic).

I called and explained how I was related and was assured they had a room available for my visit. The cost for two nights for the two of us was €40 (near $54), with breakfast.

There was somewhat of a language barrier and I was worried there could have been miscommunication, so I called the Metlika Tourist Information Center (www.Metlika-Turizem.si) and told them the purpose for my visit. Helpful employees knew of my relatives and relayed messages to them and also told me about festival events. They also suggested I meet the parish priest to review family birth records at the church, so I arranged that with him by e-mail.

We arrived in Ljubljana by train from Vienna and stayed at Pri Mraku Guesthouse (Rimska 4, 1000 Ljubljana; phone 386 01 421 9600, www.daj-dam.si) for €108 ($143) a night for two, including a full breakfast.

On Saturday we visited the weekly riverside market in Old Town, seeing produce, local honey and handmade merchandise plus food cooking in big kettles over wood fires. Locals in traditional costumes danced.

Then we met our private guide/driver, Rok Puppis (e-mail [email protected]). For his services and the rental vehicle, it cost €390 ($517) for two days, arranged using the Internet. With his English-speaking skills and an educational background in geography and history, Mr. Puppis was the perfect tour guide.

We met the Jakljevic family at the tourist farm in Metlika and I unrolled the family tree among Martin’s original vineyards. Mr. Puppis translated as we each chimed in with our family history, drinking their homemade wines and eating sheep sausage from their farm.

The elders spoke fondly of a 1987 visit from the first relative from America to come back and said that it was very special for them to have another distant family member visit. After we made corrections to the handwritten family tree, copies were made for everyone.

In the afternoon, we attended the wine festival, enjoying freshly baked breads and roasted meats while listening to Slovenian musical groups. I was surprised how modern the little town was, with newly paved roads, convenience stores and restaurants. We saw World War II monuments throughout the area.

At the church, the village priest had gathered the old birth and baptism records from a backroom. My anticipation heightened as he opened the big books, which crackled with each page turn. My great-grandparents and great-aunts and uncles all were listed. I took pictures of the names and sent them to other family members.

At the local cemetery I saw my elder relatives’ modernized grave sites, which by custom are kept updated so they look as nice as a home.

The family at the farm told us to come back in September or October to help the community harvest grapes and celebrate.

Once home, I bought and used the PhotoShow program ($49) from Roxio (www.Roxio.com) to make an online documentary of the trip. This program is easy to use, and I reached people throughout the USA and Slovenia by e-mail with one click on the link.

Next, I enlisted a friend to memorialize the family tree, pictures and stories online using Ancestry.com. Since then, many family members have contributed their historical family memorabilia and pictures to this permanent repository for the next generation.

M’LISS HINSHAW

Lakeside, CA