Nikola Tesla: Programme of Celebrations (1976) Page 30

Tesla's Family

Nikola Tesla was born and brought up in the family of Milutin Tesla, an orthodox priest of advanced views, whose ancestors come from the Lika village of Raduča where they probably settled in the 17th century coming from Senj where they had come as fugitives from Turkish rule. The surname Tesla is in fact the nickname of one of Tesla’s great-grandfathers who had markedly protruding teeth like a tesla, i.e. a woodworking tool like an adze. Nikola’s mother Đuka, whose maiden name was Mandic, came from Gračac and was related to the Lika family Budisavljević from which came the author Bude Budisavljević and the wife of President Tito Jovanka Budisavljevic-Broz.

Before becoming a priest, Tesla’s father was a soldier and served in Senj, Smiljan and Gospić. According to some historians he was the most progressive orthodox priest of his time in Lika. In his autobiography Nikola Tesla speaks of him as an educated man, a philosopher and author who had “an amazing memory and often recited texts in several languages”. Milutin also possessed a rich library which as well as stories from oriental and Greek mythology, lives of saints, folk songs and folk tales included works by the German poets Goethe and Schiller and works of the French Encyclopedists Voltaire, Diderot and D’Alambert, the poems of Vuk Karadžić, a collection of Protestant sermons, etc. Milutin was also a follower of the well-known eighteenth-century Serbian author and teacher Dositej Obradović and a great admirer of the poet Njegoš. All this suggests that Milutin Tesla was a man of advanced views and that Nikola, who read all his father’s books, was brought up in a progressive spirit of toleration and brotherhood among peoples.

According to Nikola's recollections his mother too was very gifted and knew by heart complete folk poems, whole passages from Njegoš’s “Mountain Wreath”, etc. Thus Nikola obviously inherited his extraordinary talents from his parents.

Nikola Tesla had three sisters - Milka, Angelina and Marica - and an elder brother, Dane, in whom his father Milutin had placed great hopes but who was killed by a horse.

Nikola Tesla with his family and relatives