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The Cognevich Family Project

One of the goals of this project is to find a link and establish a tie to the Konjevic family in Montenegro, Croatia or any other country that was once part of the former Yugoslavia.

Please help by adding all known people with the surname "Cognevich" to this project.

1. Štefan (Konjevic) Cognevich (1812 - 1860)
2. Alexandrine Mercise Cognevich Pelas (Huguenard) (1828 - 1908)
3. Simon Cognevich (c.1845 - )
4. Jean Alexander Cognevich (1848 - )
5. Nicholas Cognevich (1851 - 1914)
6. Marceline Victorine Cognevich (Buras) (1855 - c.1914)
7. Marc Cognevich (1856 - 1935)
8. Marie Rose Cognevich (Pelas) (1859-1942)
9. Constantine Simon Cognevich (1859 -1887)
10. Philip Emmett Cognevich (1853 - 1930)
11. Elizabeth Cognevich (Sylve) 1857-1956)
12. Rene Cognevich (1912 - 1981)
13. Simeon Cognevich (1881 - 1954)
14. Anthony Cognevich (1833 - 1908)
15. John Cognevich (1874 - 1949)
16. Dimitry Cognevich (1895 - 1948)
17. Peter Cognevich (1893 - 1913)
18. Louisiana Cognevich Saling (1892 - 1937)
19. Johanna Cognevich Castillon (1890 - 1966)
20. Anna Cognevich Lacoste (1887 - 1962)
21. Alexandrine Cognevich (1885 - 1934)
22. Mary Macaluso (1883 - 1962)
23. Maximillion Cognevich (1878 - d.)
24. Lucy Buras (1876 - 1934)
25. Etienne Cognevich (1872 - 1948)
26. Gustave Cognevich (1900 - 1982)
27. Dewey Cognevich (1898 - 1967)
28. Ella Lincoln (1895 - 1978)
29. Blanche O'Brien (1892 - 1985)
30. Louis Cognevich (1886 - 1962)
31. Marie Lincoln (1882 - 1957)
32. Marc Cognevich, Jr. (1884 - 1966)
33. Joseph Cognevich (1879 - 1944)
34. Josephine Cognevich (1877 - 1960)
35. Annette Cognevich (c.1859 - 1920)
36. Pria Cognevich
37. Francesco Cognevich
38. Antoine Cognevich
39. Hannah Cognevich
40. George Simon Cognevich
41. Stephen Cognevich
42. Annette Cognevich
43. Peter Cognevich
44. John Cognevich
45. Dimetre Cognevich
46. Benjamin Cognevich
47. Barbara Cognevich
48. Antonia Cognevich
49. Ella G Cognevich
50. Dimetry Cognevich
51. Thomas M Cognevich
52. Joseph Cognevich
53. Dennis Cognevich
54. Francesco Cognevich
55. Pietro Cognevich
56. Giovanna Cognevich
57. Francesco Cognevich
58. Michele Cognevich
59. Raffaele Cognevich
60. Hattalia Cognevich
61. Mattea Cognevich
62. Ignoceo Cognevich
63. Steve Cognevich

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• Croatia-in-English
• Croatian American Society
• The Montenegrin Association of America
• Montenegrin Ethnic Association of Australia

The Cognevich-Konjevic family has the distinction of being one of the first and largest families of Dalmatian descent in Plaquemines Parish. Though several Cognevich-Konjevic’s came into the Greater New Orleans area during the nineteenth century, Stefan (Stephani, Steffano,Stephan) Cognevich-Konjevic seems to be the only one to leave surviving descendants. His descendants number over one thousand.

The first record of Stephani found in Plaquemines Parish appears in the Plaquemines Parish Court House conveyance book No. 10, Page 143, entry No. 1716 dated March 1844. This was a record of a purchase of land from Pierre Jean Pierre Buras to Giavani (John) Vidacovich and Steaffano Chognevich (Cognevich). They were purchasing land in Nairn for a citrus farm. 'Stephani was from the Konavle Valley area of Croatia near Herceg-Novi.

Stefani married Mercisse Alexandrine Huguenard before 1848 presumably in Louisiana. Alexandrine, a french woman, was the daughter of Richard and Francoise Remy (or Bremy) Huguenard of Courchaton, Haute Saone, France. Her family owned and operated the village coffee house.

Alexandrine left her home to come to America in the service of a Baroness. Presumably Alexandrine's younger sister, Virginie, either came in service of a noble or came to work for Alexandrine in her home. Alexandrine and Virginie seemed to be the only members of the family to come to the United States. Virginie married Philicien (Felix) Ragas of Buras.

Stefan and Alexandrine had at least six children.

1. Simon, born about 1845, died 1850-1860;
   
2. Jean Alexander, born 27 July 1848, died 1850-1860;
   
3. Nicole, born April 1851, died before 1920. He married Marcelline Victoria Buras on 24 February 1872 at Our Lady of Good Harbor Catholic Church in Buras. They had twelve children;
   
4. Phillip, born September 1853, died 3 July 1930. He married Elizabeth Sylve about 1875. They had five children;
   
5. Marc, born 10 March 1856, died 7 October 1935. He married Maria Rose Pelas on 25 December 1875 at Our Lady of Good Harbor Catholic Church in Buras. They had ten children;
   
6. Constantine, born 1859, died about 1887, no issue.
   

On October 18, 1860 Stephan died due in part to a long illness that caused severe stomach pain. The pain would get so intense that he would go to the back of his orange field beneath a large oak tree so the children could not hear his crying. He died and was buried beneath this shade tree. As time went on other family members and friends were buried beneath the oak. It became recognized as the community cemetery - The Nairn Cemetery. The big oak tree was killed during Hurricane Betsy, but its dead trunk remains. Stephan's tomb still lies the stump of that ancient oak. The inscription on Stephan's tomb is written in French, by his wife, Alexandrine.

The inscription reads in French:

Ici reposent les cendres de mon mari bien aimé Etienne Cognevich né à la Nouvelle Castelle, Bouches de Cattaro en Autriche le 28 Dec 1812 mort le 18 Oct 1860 Placé a les Mames Alexandrines Cognevich

This translates in English:

Here lie the ashes of my beloved husband Etienne Cognevich born in New Castelle, Mouth of Cattaro in Austria the 28 Dec 1812 dead the 18 Oct 1960 Placed by the Madame Alexandrines Cognevich

Note: Novelle Castelle is current day Herceg Novi and Bouches de Cattaro en Autriche loosely translates to Mouth of Kotor in Austria. This represents the Bay of Kotor in Austria which is in current day Montenegro

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Konjević, Konjevića Mala (Vraneši), Bijelo Polje,. Potomci doseljenika iz Konjskih jela, Saldrim, ranije Milikić iz grupe Omalakovića, porijeklom iz Drobnjaka;
Prijevor, Herceg-Novi (17 v.) iz Morače (Kolašin);
Sutorine, Herceg-Novi, iz Trebinja (Hercegovina);
Herceg-Novi, po majci; Podgorica; Ljubić (Šumadija) i kao: Ljubić, porijeklom iz Crne Gore