Hello,

I am one of a number of researchers who believe they can connect to a family originating on or around Cres. This family was called Francovich.

Sometime in the early 1870s, two brothers arrived in North Shields, England. Their names were Stefano and Antonio Francovich. They both married local women.

The marriage certificate (1872) for Stefano indicates he was a ships master, and that his father, Francis Natalle Francovich was a port master.

An 1881 census record appears to show his place of birth as \"Austria, Chorso\".

Some 20 years previously to their arrival, a captain Francesco Giuseppe Francovich was sailing regularly between Newcastle (North Shields) and Trieste, carrying coals. His ship was the Aureo.

We have found captain Francesco Giuseppe Francovich connected to one other ship, the Bark Fides, which was the first ship built for a company now known as Fratelli Cosulich. The Bark Fides was built on Cres.

It appears Francesco married one of Cosulich\'s daughters. We do know that the Aureo got into serious trouble off Dover in 1858.

So there is a lot of evidence for Francovich visits to England pointing to all these Francovichs as relatives, but we cannot make that crucial connection.

We wonder therefore if anyone has come across anything on the Francovich family, or knows of anyone researching them?

We would be delighted to share what we know.

Regards

John Gosling
England.