The name of the household at Zilje 14 is meant to distinguish it from the Žalci next door, indicating that the Brdari household is a bit more uphill (from Old Slavic brdo meaning hill). The Brdari can also be called the Žalci Brdarski, which corroborates the fact that the surname of the household used to be Žalec. However, the 1879 status animarum names this household as the Mežnari (from german Messner), indicating the head of the household at the time might have been the sacristan for the church of St. Anthony. The surname change occurred ca. 1890 when Peter Balkovec (Maradinov) and his wife Marija Balkovec (Gornja Baljkovska) moved into the household.
The oldest record we have found to date for a person from this house is for Nikolaj Žalec. He married Barbara. Together, they had at least 3 children, including:
1A. Matija Žalec, m. 1769 to Ana Horvat.
1B. Johan Žalec, m. 1774 to Helena Jaketič.
1C. Peter Žalec, m. to Helena Pavlakovič — they lived at Zilje 13.
Johan Žalec [1B] and his wife Helena Jaketič had at least 9 children, including:
2A. Barbara Žalec b. 1775, m. to Peter Moravec (Moravčev).
2B. Johan Žalec b. 1787, m. 1803 to Katarina Balkovec — they remained at this house.
Johan Žalec [2B] and his wife Katarina Balkovec had at least 7 children, including:
3A. Doroteja Žalec b. ca. 1804, m. 1825 to Jurij Tomac from Pribanjci.
3B. Jurij Žalec b. 1807, m. 1830 to Marija Vranešič (Dolnja Vranešičeva) — they remained at this house.
3C. Johan Žalec b. 1810, m. 1845 to Marija Jaketič (Perušičeva) — they remained at this house.
3D. Marija Žalec b. 1822, m. 1844 to Jurij Čemas (Peričin).
3E. Ana Žalec b. 1824, m. 1850 to Jurij Jaketič (Lugarov) — they lived at Zilje 41.
3F. Barbara Žalec b. ca. 1826, m. 1846 to Nikolaj Malešič (Bračkov from Podklanec).
Jurij Žalec [3B] and his wife Marija Vranešič had 8 children, including:
4A. Helena Žalec b. 1833, m. 1852 to Nikolaj Karin (Gornji Karinov from Podklanec).
4B. Marija Žalec b. 1835. At this time, it is unknown what happened to her afterwards.
4C. Katarina Žalec b. 1837, m. 1863 to Jože Žugelj (Žugljov).
4D. Peter Žalec b. 1839, m. 1863 to Ana Žugelj (Žugljova) — they remained at this house.
4E. Nikolaj Žalec b. 1841, m. 1871 to Marija Čemas (Izklančeva).
4F. Barbara Žalec b. 1844, m. 1869 to Johan Medved (Medvedov from Podklanec).
4G. Jurij Žalec b. 1848, m. 1906 in Spahići 11.
4H. Magdalena Žalec b. 1850, m. 1876 to Jože Balkovec (Hajdukov iz brda).
Johan Žalec [3C] and his wife Marija Jaketič had 3 children, including:
4I. Jože Žalec b. 1846, m. 1876 to Marija Čemas (Čemasova).
4J. Ana Žalec b. 1848, m. 1870 to Jurij Čadonič (Stegneč).
4K. Ivan Žalec b. 1850, m. 1907 to Magdalena Balkovec (Maradinova) — they lived at Zilje 49.
Peter Žalec [4D] and his wife Ana Žugelj had 2 children which died in infancy.
Ana’s sister, Barbara Žugelj (Žugljova) was married in Balkovci and had only one living child, Marija Balkovec. When Marija Balkovec (Gornja Baljkovska) married Peter Balkovec (Maradinov), they moved into this house.
Peter Balkovec and his wife Marija Balkovec had 5 children:
5A. Peter Balkovec b. 1891, died at the age of 25. At this time, it is unknown if he was ever married or had children.
5B. Barbara Balkovec b. 1893, m. Gregor Čadonič (Gornji Stegneč).
5C. Jože Balkovec b. 1901, m. 1924 to Ana Čadonič (Dejankina)1 — they remained at this house.
5D. Marija Balkovec b. 1906, m. 1927 in Klanec 7.
5E. Franc Balkovec b. 1909, m. 1938 to Ana Čadonič (Dejankina)1 — they remained at this house.
1. Franc Balkovec married the widow of his brother Jože after he died in Canada in 1937.