He was born in Tanča Gora (known as Tannesberg at time of his birth as it was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). His house name was “Lilkov”, which means it was originally built by Mr. Lilkov. ®25 He had some elementary schooling as he read and spoke Slovenian and learned English. He wrote a fine neat hand, spelled quite well and was adept at arithmetic. He emigrated to the United States in 1890 per the 1910 Ely Census ®26, 1891 per the 1900 Ely census ®27, or 1892 ®25, first to Cleveland, Ohio?, Manistique?, ®25 or Ishpeming?, Michigan for 10 months working in saw mills, then to Ely, Minnesota by 1891. He is listed living in Ely on the 1895 Minnesota Census as a single miner having lived in Ely for 4 years 0 months as of 24 June 1895 (he did not live with any Matkovichs, Lovsins, or Tomazins at that time). On 22 October 1896 he made his Declaration of Intention to become a U.S. citizen before the Clerk of U.S. Court, Duluth, Minnesota. In 1899 he was a miner at the Zenith mine in Ely. The 6 June 1900 U.S. Census lists him as a miner who lived with his wife Johanna, and no children in a house he owned with no mortgage in the First Ward of the City of Ely, Minnesota. Also living with them as boarders were his brother Joseph Matkovich, single, age 21, born April, 1879 in Austria (who emigrated in 1899); Mike Bronskella, single, age 27, born June, 1872 in Austria; Louis Lovshin, age 30, born April, 1870 in Austria (he had been married for 5 years but no wife is listed) and who emigrated in 1899; and a domestic servant, Mary Loushin, age 14, born February 1886 in Austria (she emigrated in 1895). ®27 In 1901 he was a teamster for the Slovenian Croatian Stock Company with his residence on Sheridan Street. He became a US citizen on 9 June 1902 at the District Court, St. Louis County, Minnesota. In 1903 he was a clerk. In 1905 he was a teamster and lived on Sheridan Street in the First Ward of Ely with Johanna and children John and Joseph according to the June 1-7, 1905 Minnesota Census. On that 1905 Census he said he had lived in Ely for 14 years 0 months, so may have arrived in Ely in 1891. ®25 In 1907 his residence was still on Sheridan Street. From 1905-16 he was a teamster and clerk for the R. S. Miller Grocery store in Ely, until it burned and went out of business in 1916. On the 18 April 1910 U.S. Census he owned his home on Camp Street in Ely and lived there with his wife and 4 children. In the house next door lived Frank Loushin, 26 and his wife Mary, 17, both born in Slovenia. He moved to Virginia, Minnesota in 1916 and bought the house (built in 1903) at 314 3rd Street South on 29 May 1917, and lived there with Johanna and son Anthony the rest of their lives (until the last several years in a nursing home). Their daughter Alberta and son in law Benedict Patka and their family lived in the upstairs apartment until their deaths in 1988. In 1917 he was a driver for Jenia Brothers, Virginia. In 1921 he was a clerk. He started a grocery store in 1922 at 207 2nd Avenue South, Virginia, ®25 and operated it at least through 1924. He worked for the City of Virginia Street Department from 1 April 1936 (age 65) then (shop man 1941-54 and laborer 1954-56) to 15 August 1956 when he retired at age 84. He was one of the Founders of the South Slavonic Catholic Union (renamed The American Fraternal Union in 1941), a fraternal benefit society, in Ely, Minnesota on 18 July 1898 and covered by life insurance policy 2210 in the amount of $1000. He belonged to Ely Lodge No.1 from 1898 until he transferred to Virginia Lodge No. 164 on 31 August 1926. He was also a charter member of the Ely Court No. 1027 of the Catholic Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society covered by a life insurance policy for $1000. He also was a member of KSKJ Lodge.

The following is from the Rev J. M. Trunk text published originally in 1912 as Part 8, History of Slovene Communities, and found at http://feefhs.org/slovenia/sidb1/trunk-mn.html
Ely: On 22 May 1887 some men left the community of Tower with their axes trying to reach Ely. But first they had to clean the forest. Among them there was a Slovene. But when the mines were opened, the Slovenes started coming in large numbers. They came from all parts of Slovenia, but most from Lower Carniola (Dolenjska). Among the first to arrive in 1889 were the Rt. Rev. Mons. J. F. Buh, F. Lozar, J. Skala, S. Presern, M. Agnick, S. Banovec and others. Ely, with a population of 4,617, was for sometime an entirely Slovene village.

There are 175 families, most of whom have their own homes. It has been estimated that there are around 1,600 Slovenes. Most of them work in the mines. Among them, however, there are six storekeepers, seven tavern keepers, one insurance agent, a store which sells coal, etc. Very respected among the Slovenes are the Rev. Buh, G. Brozich, R. Bezek, J. Skala, M. Agnich, F. Verant, J. Govze, M. Kaps and others. In recent years the Slovenes have become active in politics. G. L. Brozich, Treasurer of the First State Bank of Ely became City Treasurer in 1912. S. Banovec and P. Pubovec were elected aldermen.

The first Catholic church was blessed by Bishop McGolrick of Duluth on 27 November 1890, with the assistance of the Rev. Buh and Rev. F. Kosmerl, a young priest. As the city was expanding the Catholics built a new church in the most beautiful part of the city at a cost of $18,000. In the steeple there are three bells and a clock which was manufactured in Carniola (Kranjska). The church was blessed on 4 July 190?. Among the parishioners the Slovenes are in the majority. The Rev. Buh worked very hard. The Rev. M. Bilban and Rev. A. Smrekar spent some time in Ely. The children are enrolled in the public schools, but they get religious instructions in the church.

Ely is the seat of the JSKJ which has about 10,000 members. About 12 fraternal organizations have their lodges in Ely. The largest lodges are St. Cyril and Methodius Lodge #1 and the Heart of Jesus Lodge #2 JSKJ. The former has 135 members and the latter has 130 male members and 61 female members. The KSKJ has two lodges: St. Joseph's Lodge #112 and St. Anthony's Lodge #72 and the SNPJ has two lodges also: Falcon and Morning Dawn. CFU has the Lodges of St. Lawrence and St. Ann. There is the Singing Society Bell and the Dramatic Club Preseren. Mr. J. Boljka is the conductor as well as theatre director. Years ago there was a Slovene band here.

Martin said there were eight siblings, and one son (he did not say oldest) who remained behind to inherit the farm and who died in a Russian prison during World War One; five of Martin’s brothers and one sister came to the US. ®28 Could there be a ninth child? What was his name? Or was it Anton, who returned to Slovenia?
Were Mary Loushin and Louis Lovshin who boarded with John and Johanna in 1900 Johanna's brother and sister? Not likely as Mary was born in 1886 and Maria was born in 1875 and Louis is not known as a brother to Johanna. But on the 18 April 1910 U.S. Census John owned his home on Camp Street in Ely and lived there with his wife and 4 children. In the house next door lived Frank Loushin, 26 and his wife Mary, 17, both born in Slovenia.