Memories: Kopajtić
My name is Boris Kopaitic Williams, I was born in Valparaíso, Chile in 1949. My email is [email protected]. Today there are 75 Chilean bearing the surname Kopaitic, formerly Kopajtic, and in the next 4 months there will be 4 newborns more.
The chilean branch of our family starts around 1875, when a young immigrant on an Austro Hungarian flagged ship, disembarked in our northern city of Iquique. At that time this city was part of Peru.
The presence of croatians in this Province is remembered with this column.
The name of this immigrant was Santiago Kopajtic. He was born in Croatia in 1841, and his parents where Mateo Kopajtic and Maria Fabac. On the 22nd of November 1883 Jakov married Juana Mandujano Amaro at a small village called “La Noria”, very close to the nitrate mine where he worked called “Oficina Constanza”. Jakov died on February 28th 1895.
They had only one son, Santiago Kopaitic Mandujano, born in Antofagasta, june 24th 1881.
On the 22nd of march 1910 in the city of Iquique, Santiago at the age of 29 married the 19-year-old daughter of an Irish immigrant, Teresa Maria O´Neill Cumming. Both died at the city of Santiago, Chile. Santiago in 1926 and Teresa in 1965.
From this marriage 4 children were born, Guillermo, Leonor, Boris and Denis. This photograph was taken in 1922
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Guillermo Kopaitic O´Neill, born in 1911 in Antofagasta. Joined the Chilean Navy in 1925 and retired with the rank of Captain on the year 1961. Died in Valparaiso on the 14th of October 1971. Father of 4 sons and 1 daughter, Guillermo, Jaime, Victor, Fernando and Maria Gabriela. Today he has 17 grandsons and 19 great grandsons.
Leonor Kopaitic O´Neill, born in 1912 at Antofagasta, Chile. During her life she worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Undersecretary for the Navy, for more than 30 years. Married to Emilio Jimenez and had no descendants.
Boris Kopaitic O´Neill, born in 1915 in Antofagasta. Joined the Chilean Navy in 1930 and retired with the rank of Captain on the year 1968. Died in Vina del Mar on June 25th 1997. Father of 4 sons, Boris, Santiago, Emilio and Ivan. Today he has 12 grandsons and 15 great grandsons.
Denis Kopaitic O´Neill, born in 1920 at Antofagasta. After his studies of “Mechanical Engineer”, he married Eliana Jimenez Ponce. Died in Vina del Mar on June 24th 1988. Father of 2 sons, Denis and Cristian. Today he has 2 grandsons.