This dissertation describes the historical experiences of Croatian immigrants and their Croatian-American children in the oil-refining city of Whiting, Indiana. It utilizes both traditional and quantitative sources.
The Whiting Croatians came from a single emigration district along the Croatian Military Border. Changes from communal to individual ownership of the land in the 1880s, coupled with a rising population, left the peasants in the area land-short. There was no alternative employment in Croatia, forcing the peasants to emigrate to America.
Whiting developed into an industrial city following the construction of the Standard Oil Refinery (1889). Immigrant males came to the city seeking work. They began as low-paid, unskilled workers; as they ended their careers, many rose to skilled positions. As immigrant women entered the community by 1900, immigrant families appeared. The families preserved many Croatian customs. Most families kept boarders in their homes. The immigrants clustered in three city neighborhoods. They founded a Roman Catholic parish and two fraternal organizations. Americanization affected immigrant speech and diet. Americanization had great impact on Croatian-Americans. Public schools, popular entertainment, military service, and ethnic out-group marriages effectively Americanized the immigrants’ children. Croatian-Americans had higher educational and occupational attainments than their immigrant parents. The Croatian-American community declined as many Croatian-Americans moved out of the aging city.
","abstract_html":"<p>This dissertation describes the historical experiences of Croatian immigrants and their Croatian-American children in the oil-refining city of Whiting, Indiana. It utilizes both traditional and quantitative sources.</p> <p>The Whiting Croatians came from a single emigration district along the Croatian Military Border. Changes from communal to individual ownership of the land in the 1880s, coupled with a rising population, left the peasants in the area land-short. There was no alternative employment in Croatia, forcing the peasants to emigrate to America.</p> <p>Whiting developed into an industrial city following the construction of the Standard Oil Refinery (1889). Immigrant males came to the city seeking work. They began as low-paid, unskilled workers; as they ended their careers, many rose to skilled positions. As immigrant women entered the community by 1900, immigrant families appeared. The families preserved many Croatian customs. Most families kept boarders in their homes. The immigrants clustered in three city neighborhoods. They founded a Roman Catholic parish and two fraternal organizations. Americanization affected immigrant speech and diet. Americanization had great impact on Croatian-Americans. Public schools, popular entertainment, military service, and ethnic out-group marriages effectively Americanized the immigrants’ children. Croatian-Americans had higher educational and occupational attainments than their immigrant parents. The Croatian-American community declined as many Croatian-Americans moved out of the aging city.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zivich, Edward Andrew"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Melvyn Dubofsky","Charles B. Forcey","Sidney S. Harcave"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1977,"date_issued":"1977-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1977-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:35Z","subjects":["Croats","United States","Petroleum industry and trade","Indiana"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/411","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Melvyn Dubofsky","Charles B. Forcey","Sidney S. Harcave"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zivich, Edward Andrew"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Croats","United States","Petroleum industry and trade","Indiana"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/411"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This dissertation describes the historical experiences of Croatian immigrants and their Croatian-American children in the oil-refining city of Whiting, Indiana. It utilizes both traditional and quantitative sources.
The Whiting Croatians came from a single emigration district along the Croatian Military Border. Changes from communal to individual ownership of the land in the 1880s, coupled with a rising population, left the peasants in the area land-short. There was no alternative employment in Croatia, forcing the peasants to emigrate to America.
Whiting developed into an industrial city following the construction of the Standard Oil Refinery (1889). Immigrant males came to the city seeking work. They began as low-paid, unskilled workers; as they ended their careers, many rose to skilled positions. As immigrant women entered the community by 1900, immigrant families appeared. The families preserved many Croatian customs. Most families kept boarders in their homes. The immigrants clustered in three city neighborhoods. They founded a Roman Catholic parish and two fraternal organizations. Americanization affected immigrant speech and diet. Americanization had great impact on Croatian-Americans. Public schools, popular entertainment, military service, and ethnic out-group marriages effectively Americanized the immigrants’ children. Croatian-Americans had higher educational and occupational attainments than their immigrant parents. The Croatian-American community declined as many Croatian-Americans moved out of the aging city.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["From Zadruga to oil refinery: Croatian immigrants and Croatian-Americans in Whiting, Indiana, 1890 to 1950"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Melvyn Dubofsky","Charles B. Forcey","Sidney S. Harcave"],"dc:creator":["Zivich, Edward Andrew"],"dc:description.abstract":["This dissertation describes the historical experiences of Croatian immigrants and their Croatian-American children in the oil-refining city of Whiting, Indiana. It utilizes both traditional and quantitative sources.
The Whiting Croatians came from a single emigration district along the Croatian Military Border. Changes from communal to individual ownership of the land in the 1880s, coupled with a rising population, left the peasants in the area land-short. There was no alternative employment in Croatia, forcing the peasants to emigrate to America.
Whiting developed into an industrial city following the construction of the Standard Oil Refinery (1889). Immigrant males came to the city seeking work. They began as low-paid, unskilled workers; as they ended their careers, many rose to skilled positions. As immigrant women entered the community by 1900, immigrant families appeared. The families preserved many Croatian customs. Most families kept boarders in their homes. The immigrants clustered in three city neighborhoods. They founded a Roman Catholic parish and two fraternal organizations. Americanization affected immigrant speech and diet. Americanization had great impact on Croatian-Americans. Public schools, popular entertainment, military service, and ethnic out-group marriages effectively Americanized the immigrants’ children. Croatian-Americans had higher educational and occupational attainments than their immigrant parents. The Croatian-American community declined as many Croatian-Americans moved out of the aging city.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/411"],"dc:subject":["Croats","United States","Petroleum industry and trade","Indiana"],"dc:title":["From Zadruga to oil refinery: Croatian immigrants and Croatian-Americans in Whiting, Indiana, 1890 to 1950"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:10:35Z"}