Frequently Asked Questions

Before asking

1. Before posting use the "search" option on the forums to see if anyone posted something on the surname that you are looking for,
2. Check the article section for articles that can answer your questions,

By following these points you will rule out double posts and asking questions that people asked before.

The big ask

1. Give your post an apropiate title. Something descriptive that helps other to recognize what you are posting. Titles that are not suitable include : "Help, I have a problem", "Quick, urgent help needed" ,
2. Explain what you want. Questions like: " I need all information on the origins of the Djordjevic family" are questions that we can't answer. Think about refrasing it into: " I need information on the Djordjevic family that I traced back to Kragujevac in e.g. 1816".
3. Provide as much information as possible: surname, first name, date and place of birth, family saint and religion. This will enable us to help you better.
4. Please do not ask questions through the Private Message option. These are public forums where people help each other out. If you're not sure where to post, then choose the forum that you think most suitable; if needed, a moderator can move the thread to the area deemed most suitable, no harm done.
5. Double posts will be deleted straight away without notice.
6. Please try and avoid hijacking a thread because the original question closely matches yours. It's always far better to start a new topic than cut into someone elses and start to take it away on a tangent - this is confusing for all and makes replying difficult.
7. Be patient and polite; no one here is paid to help and we all have other lives to live.

Please act with courtesy towards all members of the forum - it will pay dividends in the quality of the help that you receive, and a little thankyou for problems solved never hurts.

After Your Ask:

1. If you don't get a response in 48 hrs or so, then it's possible that others can't see or understand the problem. Think about rewording the post or offering more information.
2. If you find a solution to your problem, let us know so that others can learn from your knowledge .
3. Help others. You don't need to have the solution, sometimes just suggesting something else to try will help.

After the answer

The SGS runs this site and offers most services for free to the public. However we do need to pay for running this site and that is why we ask membership fee's for our membership action. If you don't feel you are capable of doing research all by yourself you should become a member of the SGS. Membership is cheap and lasts a year. We can help you with:
* small translations,
* letters to the archives,
* phone help,
* you can upload files on the forum,
* you can post more detailed information that you don't want to post in our secure member forum,
* and we develop new items each month to make research easier,

Become a member

It is very important because it tells you where you need to look. E.g. the Catholic Church has its own books just as much as the Serbian Orthodox Church has. Also with Serbian families there are Family Saints which differentiate families that have the same surname.

Religion does not define/determine ethnicity.

Some time, Serbia's archives are not microfilmed and not availible online due to data protection laws. This means you need to go there in person, write them or have someone for you to do research. As the latter is costly we advice people to join the SGS. The more members join, the stronger the effort becomes and members can help each other as we are all volunteers.

There are several tools on the internet, one of them is e.g. Google Translate. Although not 100% accurate it can help you on the way.

You can post on the forums asking people for help, or you can become an SGS Member. We do small translations for members and have a letter template e.g. that you can use to contact the archives.

You always start with yourself. You write down you name on a pedigree chart (you can download this from our site), and then you start with the names and date of birth of your parents. After that you do the same with the information of your grandparents on both names. You never do it the other way around, for several reasons which are explained somewhere else on the site.

Please make sure that you write down the names with the Serbian symbols such as "šđžčć" as there is a world of difference between names with or without these symbols. After you have collected as much information as is possible it is time to start looking at the archives.

Membership in the SGS allows you to do more on our site then regular visitors can do. You get access to the member section and you can do the following:

• - Letter templates to write to the archives,
• - Translations on the SGS forums,
• - Possibility to post confidential info on the SGS forum which is not a public forum,
• - family page,
• - SGS magazine with the latest news and updates from Serbia concerning genealogy and heraldry,
• - contacting other members to assist you in your research,
• - archival network
• - attaching files to the forums
• - and more,

Most of the members in Serbia hardly use the internet because they have the luxury to live close to an archive of church parish. The membership with online resources is moslty used by international members however we have seen an increase in Serbian members due to the new features we are offering now and in the near future.

What does the SGS use the membership fee for?

To keep this site running costs money. All membership fee's are being spend to keep the site running. With a simple fee of 25 Euro's per year you can use the services we offer. The fee is low compared to other sites, this is also because the SGS is a non-profit organization. Since we work with volunteers we basically keep the site running through the membership fee's.

So is SGS membership for me?

If you need more help then a simple information request then the answer would be yes. All forums besides the SGS forum are public forums on which we give general information and where people can post general inquiries. If you need help with translating letters and books, contacting the archives, need someone to call a relative for you in Serbian etc. then membership is the best solution for you. Your contribution will help us to contribute more for the online resources. We always warn people that the archives of Serbia are not microfilmed, research takes a lot of time because of this.

Before asking

1. Before posting use the "search" option on the forums to see if anyone posted something on the surname that you are looking for,
2. Check the article section for articles that can answer your questions,

By following these points you will rule out double posts and asking questions that people asked before.

The big ask

1. Give your post an apropiate title. Something descriptive that helps other to recognize what you are posting. Titles that are not suitable include : "Help, I have a problem", "Quick, urgent help needed" ,
2. Explain what you want. Questions like: " I need all information on the origins of the Djordjevic family" are questions that we can't answer. Think about refrasing it into: " I need information on the Djordjevic family that I traced back to Kragujevac in e.g. 1816".
3. Provide as much information as possible: surname, first name, date and place of birth, family saint and religion. This will enable us to help you better.
4. Please do not ask questions through the Private Message option. These are public forums where people help each other out. If you're not sure where to post, then choose the forum that you think most suitable; if needed, a moderator can move the thread to the area deemed most suitable, no harm done.
5. Double posts will be deleted straight away without notice.
6. Please try and avoid hijacking a thread because the original question closely matches yours. It's always far better to start a new topic than cut into someone elses and start to take it away on a tangent - this is confusing for all and makes replying difficult.
7. Be patient and polite; no one here is paid to help and we all have other lives to live.

Please act with courtesy towards all members of the forum - it will pay dividends in the quality of the help that you receive, and a little thankyou for problems solved never hurts.

After Your Ask:

1. If you don't get a response in 48 hrs or so, then it's possible that others can't see or understand the problem. Think about rewording the post or offering more information.
2. If you find a solution to your problem, let us know so that others can learn from your knowledge .
3. Help others. You don't need to have the solution, sometimes just suggesting something else to try will help.

After the answer

The SGS runs this site and offers most services for free to the public. However we do need to pay for running this site and that is why we ask membership fee's for our membership action. If you don't feel you are capable of doing research all by yourself you should become a member of the SGS. Membership is cheap and lasts a year. We can help you with:
* small translations,
* letters to the archives,
* phone help,
* you can upload files on the forum,
* you can post more detailed information that you don't want to post in our secure member forum,
* and we develop new items each month to make research easier,

Become a member

Serbian law states that we cannot offer bulk archival data. This means that we only offer data that our members put online. We do intend to offer more online archival data such as newspapers and other public records that do not fall under this law.

You can edit your own posts, if you lost your login info we are sorry but we do not edit or delete posts unless they are in violation of our site policy/

Unless you are a SGS member, and unless you have filled in your address info and other contact information that we can use to verify that you really are you say you are the answer is "no".

That is because the forums are the place to ask questions about surnames. Submitted questions about surnames will not be answered.

You can find articles by using the "Search" function on the website. You can also search the forums by going to http://www.rodoslovlje.com/phorum/search.php

Make sure that your browser is set to accept cookies. Without this feature you cannot login. If your browser is set to accept all cookies you might want to clear the browsers cache and retry. If you see any error notifications on the screen you should contact us via the contact form.

You can register at our website by clicking at the "Register" link in the left hand menu that you can see under the login box. The link location for registration is: http://www.rodoslovlje.com/member/signup.php

Registration for the site is free, this means you can post at the forums and post comments on the different articles that can be found on our website. If you want to use more of our site's functions we advice you to become an SGS Member. You can always upgrade your account by clicking on the "My Subscriptions" link in the left hand menu or by navigating to http://www.rodoslovlje.com/member/member.php after you have logged in.

STATUTES

Name, goal

Article 1

1. The name of the society is the Serbian Genealogical Society / Srpsko Rodoslovno Društvo.
2. The society was created on the 24th of October 2002, and has been engaged for an in definitive amount of time. The SGS is the legal successor of the Serbian Genealogical Foundation.
3. The society’s year is the same as the calendar year.

Article 2

1. The society’s goal is to promote and stimulate genealogy and related sciences in the broadest sense of the word in Serbia-Montenegro and the rest of the region. To supply resources both online and offline for the general public and members.
2. To assist the archives in promoting and assisting in genealogical research in the broadest sense of the word.
3. The creation of genealogical databases in cooperation with the archives of Serbia and other related institutes in accordance with the law of the state of Serbia.
4. The society does not have a financial gain and serves the general interest; it therefore remains politically independent, and will provide in objective research.
5. The society can not accept donations from political institutes that can jeopardize the independent and objective status of the society.
6. The society is not affiliated with any church or religious denomination, in order to maintain its objectivity.
7. To assist in reuniting families that have been scattered due to the civil war in the former-Yugoslavia.
8. The society also provides for humanitarian aid in the broadest sense of the word.

Article 3

The society tries to achieve these goals through the following means:

a. publishing a magazine;
b. Organizing congresses;
c. Setting up a system to validate genealogical researchers;
d. Assisting members in their genealogical research for their own ancestry;
e. Cooperating with other related organizations nationwide and internationally to achieve this;
f. By receiving donations;
g. All other legal means that can assist in achieving the society’s goals.

Ordinary members, members, fellows, honorary fellows.

Article 4

1. The society knows ordinary members, members, fellows, honorary fellows.
2. Only natural/legal persons can become a member of the society.
2a. Ordinary membership is for those who do short term membership. Members can be a single person or a complete family that intend to be part of the society for a longer term/life.
3. Fellows can be natural/legal persons or institutes.
4. Honorary fellows have no obligations besides the standards used within the SGS when it comes to the house rules. They have the same rights as normal members do unless it is specifically otherwise stated in the statutes.
5. The Board of Directors keeps the members files in which the names and addresses of all members have been registered. The Board is authorized to test a nomination for membership in a general assembly to ascertain if the person passes the stated criteria

We receive many requests if we as a society can do research. As we have stated many times on the forums and other subsequent pages the society does not do hired research. The main reasons for this are that we are not a commercial orgnanization, nor do we have the resources for this. As a society we seek to empower people to do their own research. The logic behind this is that people become more aware of their cultural heritage and it claims a sense of ownership. Other reasons for not doing research are that citizens of Serbia are free to access the archives whenever they want. However, for foreigners there are restrictions. One must first obtain permission of the Serbian Government before one can access the archives.

The SGS has many members, of which many help each other on a voluntary basis. We encourage this as it fortifies the genealogical community. However, it is perfectly allowed for SGS members or people registered as users on this site offer paid services. Please note that SGS members are expected to adhere Serbian Law and the society's statutes. By not doing so this may lead to a cancellation of ones membership. The SGS as an organization cannot be held responsible for any disputes.

The answer is a simple "no". None of the medieval nobility have direct male heirs that remained armigerous until today. A coat of arms is not tied to someone's surname.

You can file a request for both the design and the registration of a coat of arms at the Serbian Heraldry Society the White Eagle. You can reach them via their website at http://www.beliorao.com

Please be aware that the Serbian Heraldry Society only registers coats of arms for people that are linked in some way to the territory of the former-Yugoslavia.

1. Does my family have a coat of arms?
No, most families in Serbia and the region were not armigerous due to the fact that the Ottoman Empire ruled the area. However certain families did get arms granted in service of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In general most families don't have a coat of arms because it was a privilege held in medieval times by noble families.

2. How do I make sure my family does or doesn't have a coat of arms?
The only way to make sure is to do genealogical research. Genealogy is a science based on facts so by doing research you will be able to discover if your family did or didn't have a coat of arms. So before you start looking to get a coat of arms designed by someone make sure to do your genealogical research.

3. My name is Brankovic, am I an heir to the medieval house of Brankovic?
No, of the Serbian medieval nobility there are no documented direct heirs. It is possible that you are in some way related to medieval nobility, but as we have mentioned several times, thurough genealogical research must be done to be able to bring any such conclusion. Your name probably derived from an ancestor who adopted a surname. In this case, it would be Branko.

4. I did my genealogy and found out that I am related to someone who had a coat of arms, can I adopt and use these arms?
No you cannot. You can contact us for more information.

5. What is the use of a coat of arms today?
Today there is no use of it. Heraldry is a system that originated from medieval times and used on a practical way on the battlefield for families to distinguish themselves. It gives no extra status to your family because we don't live in a feudal society. There are a lot of noble European families that never had arms.

6. Does my clan/brotherhood have a coat of arms?
Traditionally in Serbia clans and brotherhoods do not have coat of arms.

7. I want someone to design a coat of arms for me, who should I contact?
The Serbian Heraldic Society the White Eagle is the only party that has the appropriate know how and skill to design arms for you. Besides that the organization has already designed most of the civic and new family arms in Serbia.

8. Does Serbian Heraldry use marks of cadency?
No, Serbian heraldry like other European mainland heraldry doesn’t use marks of cadency.
This is mainly a English system and is foreign to Serbian heraldry.

9. What is a good source to review traditional arms?
Siebmachers is one of the most respected sources one should consult. The edition is online on our site but not available yet to the public. Requests can be made however but costs are attached.

10. What is the meaning of this coat of arms in question?
Most likely the meaning is obscure without the original grant. There are people that claim they can interpret a coat of arms by its design but this is speculative.

11. I read that colours on the arms have meanings, is this true?
No, this is a fairytale. As mentioned in the previous point the designer of an arms might appoint a special meaning to a colour but there is no such thing as a general way to interpret the colour to e.g. a quality.

12. So do I need a coat of arms?
No, your genealogy is more important then a coat of arms. If you have traditionally inherited a coat of arms it is a beautiful thing but there is no need for you to design a new coat of arms. As stated before 99% of the families in Serbia have no arms. It would be wise to spend money and efforts on collecting other items of value for your heritage such as photos, documents and other items.