Giuseppe Simičić Simicich

According to parish records, Giuseppe Simicich was born on the island of Olib in present-day Croatia on 1 April 1846. He was baptized there at St. Anastasia (Sv. Stošija) on 7 April 1846. His parents, Matteo Simicich and Mattea Ghericich, were farmers in Olib. During this period, Olib was referred to by its Italian exonym, Ulbo. We do not know why Giuseppe left Olib for Mali Lošinj. The Austrian Empire had a naval presence in Mali Lošinj, so there may have been more job opportunities there. Giuseppe held multiple professions there as he and his wife, Maria Budinich, raised their children. He is listed in parish records as a farmer, sailor, porter, butcher, and shepherd. Maria and Giuseppe married sometime before 1880. They did not marry in Olib or Mali Lošinj, according to parish records, so it is likely they married in Veli Lošinj since she was born there. Unfortunately, church records for Veli Lošinj for this period are missing from the Archives in Croatia. According to Mali Lošinj parish records, Giuseppe and Maria had nine children born there: Simeon/Samuel (b. 1880; d. 1958, Queens, NY) Maria/Mary (Legaz; b.1882; d. 1920, Seattle, WA) Giuseppina/Josepha (Nicolich; b. 1885; d. 1956, Genoa, Italy) Giovanna/Jennie (Budinich; b. 1887; d. 1977, Seattle, WA) Matteo Maria (b. 1889; d.1890, death likely in Mali Lošinj, but there is only an annotation in the baptism) Matteo/Matt and Mike (b. 1892; d. 1966, Seattle, WA) Giuseppe/Joseph (b. 1894; d. 1963, Harrington Park, New Jersey) Antonio/Anton (b. 1896; d. 1971, Jersey City, New Jersey) Elizabeth (Battistuta; b. 1898; d. 1968, Hoboken, New Jersey) Giuseppe died in Mali Lošinj on 15 June 1934, according to State death records at Croatia's Archives in Zagreb. Giuseppe's birth and death are recorded at Sv. Martin Cemetery on the headstone for Matteo Niccoli (Nicolich), his son-in-law. The headstone lists Giuseppe's birth as 7 Apr 1846 (his baptism date) and his death as 11 Jun 1934. Also listed on the headstone is Giuseppe's wife, Maria Budinich Simicich, b. 3 May 1859, d. 19 Jun 1929. Maria was born in Veli Lošinj and died in Pula, so her inscription may be a memorial for her. Additionally, Giuseppe's daughter, Giuseppina (Matteo Niccoli's wife), is named on the headstone, but her baptismal record indicates she died in Genoa, Italy, in 1956. Like her mother's inscription, hers may be a memorial to her alongside her family. **Credit for headstone information: Grant Karcich, author, Kvarner Cemeteries: on the islands of Lošinj, Susak, Unije, and Ilovik (Printed at Asquith Press, Toronto, 2015). Credit to familysearch.org and to the Archives in Zagreb for referenced baptismal and death documents from Croatia.