The life of the immigrant has never been
easy. This is especially true in the case of the Eastern European immigrants
to the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Millions
of people left their ancestral homelands in search of a bright future in the
"promised land" of the new world. All too often though, their
shining dreams of paradise were shattered against the cruel reality that
awaited them - a life of hard labor in a land in which they were relegated to
the status of second-class citizen.
Unable to speak the language and unfamiliar
with the customs of their adopted home, immigrants relied on the Church and
fraternal societies to help them navigate a foreign landscape. The importance
of these two pillars of strength cannot be understated. No history of Croatian
fraternalism in America would be complete without a mention of the important
contributions of a Bosiljevo native;
Ivan Ljubić (anglicized
form - John Lubic) was born 14 June 1854, in the village of Orišje, to Ivan
Ljubić and Barbara Cainar (Canjar). Ivan married Maria Kralj on 31
January 1875, in the parish church of Sveti Mavar Opat, in Bosiljevo. Children
soon followed; Josip was born in December of 1875, Ivan (John Jr.) in 1878,
Amalia (Emma) in 1884, and Vjekoslav (Edward Adolph) in 1887. In
1889, Ivan left his home in Croatia and settled in the mill town of Benwood,
West Virginia, adjacent to the city of Wheeling. Meanwhile, Maria, still in
Orišje, gave birth to Stjepan (Steven) in February of 1890. Not long
afterwards, Maria and all the children departed Croatia for their new home in
West Virginia.
Ivan quickly acclimated himself to his new
surroundings. Unlike most other immigrants, he did not seek employment in the
steel mills of Benwood. Instead, he became a saloon keeper and boarding house
owner. Generally, the saloon keepers and boarding house owners were the
natural leaders in the immigrant communities; Ivan LjubićIvan quickly acclimated himself to his new
surroundings. Unlike most other immigrants, he did not seek employment in the
steel mills of Benwood. Instead, he became a saloon keeper and boarding house
owner. Generally, the saloon keepers and boarding house owners were the
natural leaders in the immigrant communities; Ivan Ljubić
was no exception to this rule.
His daily dealings with his fellow countrymen
made him keenly aware of the dreadful conditions in which so many of them lived
and worked. Witnessing so much misery, he quickly became convinced that
something needed to be done. In 1893, along with other like-minded individuals,
he founded the Croatian Lodge in Benwood, and served as it's president. Soon,
Croatian communities in other cities were forming their own lodges. It did not
take long for leaders in various cities to realize that there would be great
advantages in working together on a national level. In September of 1894,
representatives from 6 lodges met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and formed the
National Croatian Society (later to become the Croatian Fraternal Union of
America). Ivan Ljubić was elected the first president.
The National Croatian Society was primarily an
organization that provided assistance to members and their families in case of
death, disease, accident, unemployment or other distress. But as the
organization grew, it also became the great promoter and preserver of Croatian
culture in the United States. From it's rather humble beginnings in 1894, the
Croatian Fraternal Union of America has grown to become the largest and most
influential Croatian society outside of Croatia, with a membership of well over
90,000 people, and assets in excess of $150 million dollars.
Ivan Ljubić served two terms as president
of the new society - September 1894 to August 1900, and November 1904 to October
1906, a time which saw a rapid expansion of the organization. During this period
his family continued to grow as well. In 1894, son William was born, and in
1898, daughter Genevieve.
On the eighth of April the following year,
Maria Kralj died. In 1902 Ivan married Ida Vogler, a Wheeling native of German
heritage. She bore him three more sons - Albert in 1903, Charles (my
grandfather) in 1906, and Arthur in 1910. In 1906 Ivan left Benwood, and settled
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania where he was once again a proprietor of a boarding
house, the Hotel Ljubic. Around 1920 he left Johnstown for McKees Rocks,
Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), where he died on 7 July, 1923. Today, his many
descendents are scattered from coast-to-coast in the great land that became his
adopted home.
