Pezdirc

Terezija Pezdirc (my maternal grandmother) is the only one of my grandparents I knew personally, as she was the only one still alive at my birth. She was born in the village Krasinec in Bela krajina. As a young girl, she first went to Ljubljana in search of work, where she worked as a maid, and later established a home and family in Stražišče near Kranj.

Although I knew many of her close relatives – she had four sisters, a brother and a half-brother – her deeper family roots were initially quite unknown to me.

Unexpected Discovery: Family Chronicle

At the very beginning of my genealogical research, my mother handed me an invaluable document: a booklet titled Potomstvo družine Pezdirc - Krasinec 2. Until then, I had no idea such a record existed!

The book was carefully compiled and written by Janez Totter from Črnomelj, who donated it in 2015 to all the families listed within. For a genealogist, such a work is a true little miracle. The booklet served as an excellent guide, allowing me to very quickly find and confirm most family connections in the digitized church vital records on the Matricula Online portal.

Meaning of the Surname

From the book Leksikon priimkov (Janez Keber, 2021):