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Vilnius area

Hi,

I've just joined this site. I have avoided serious exploration of my polish/russian/lithuanian ancestors because of language frustrations and location questions. However, I am now determined not to let obstacles stop me from making a good start!

My first question revolves around location. I think I understand about the Polish partition. I do not understand where records might be housed for my relatives. Their immigration documents listed them as Polish/Russian. The few documents I have suggest my grandmother came to the USA in 1907 from a place called Macele. A later church baptism record for her child listed Macelly par Rudnickiej. I believe I am seeing a Latin version of a Polish place name. I am focusing on Lithuania now since I believe she came from Maceliai, parish of Rudninkai, now in Lithuania. She was quite creative with her birthdate, but 1890 may be close. I think I need to start to understand where records might be of a Roman Catholic birth from 1890 in the Maceliai area, which I believe is just south of Vilnius. I started a few years ago at the LDS library in Salt Lake looking thru the few church records they had, for what I believe is the correct area. They did not have the timeframe I need and I looked at dates near 1800 which could include my grandmother's grandparents, but no way for me to make a connection.

Are there any old civil records from this part of present day Lithuania? Since they considered themselves ethnic Poles but were geographically Russian, I am not sure where records might be. I am hoping that the records stayed in one location and did not travel, that might put them in Lithuania.

No wonder I have avoided this family line!

Names grandmother mostly used Monika Jurgielevicz, occasionally used Suchacha

evidence of 2 siblings using Suchacka,(i) name on later immigration (possibly remarriage??)

grandfather Wicenty Bialkowski Staro Trotzski

If anyone is somewhat familiar with the Vilnius area, I am hoping you could point me in the right direction to start looking for Jurgielevicz's born around 1890 just south of Vilnius.

thank you. Ruthi

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karl Alan Craig on August 12, 2016 at 3:57pm

Hi Ruth,

I know your frustrations. However, I've managed to find a good deal of information about my Lithuanian ancestors using a researcher in Vlinius. The state records in Lithuania are quite good, although many were destroyed in the two world wars. They are kept at the Lietuvos Valstybės Istorijos Archyvas (Lithuanian State Historical Archives).

However, I don't think there is any way to access these other than using an accredited researcher, which I organised through a family history expert and tour organiser, Vilius Vašeikis. He can be contacted on:

vilius@lithuaniavisits.com

I have been happily dealing with Vilius for a year now, and he arranged for a search of my family who come from the Vilkaviškis district in western Lithuania (right on the border of modern Kaliningrad, the Russian Exclave). He managed to fill out my grandmother's entire family plus three generations back. The costs were very reasonable.

I am visiting Lithuania in just a few day's time (part of a 2-month holiday in Europe), and Vilius has organised a short 3-day personal tour of my ancestral areas. I'll be happy to review that when I return.

Your family names seem more Polish than Lithuanian, and that is quite possible given that the country has large populations of Poles and Russians. My family were part of the massive emigration from Lithuania of 1890–1910, and went to the mining towns of Lanarkshire in Scotland. In Scottish census records of the time, Lithuanians were universally recorded as "Polish of Russian Nationality", and this reflects the fact that the country was technically part of the Russian Empire, and governed as a Polish province. Nearly a quarter of the population emigrated at that time.

The emigres themselves were part of two distinct groups: Catholic and Jewish. In Scotland, the Catholics went into the mining villages, and the Jewish folk into Glasgow. It will help the researcher know which religion your family was. Until 1904, the Lithuanian language was banned in its homeland, and all records are therefore in Russian, Polish or Latin. The researcher will translate these for you.

I hope the above helps. I have just started building my own family history blog that has some information about my Lithuanian family (Šugžda, Melnikaitis, Vidrinskas, Stepšys). I have articles already posted about naming conventions, the Lithuanian experiences in Scotland, and the alphabet. I hasten to stress that this is still in an embryonic state, but you may find some of the information useful:

www.craig-galt.info

You'll have to navigate about a bit to find the relevant articles for the Lithuanian family.

Good luck with your quest,

(Karl) Alan Craig

Permalink Reply by Ruth Lambert on August 12, 2016 at 6:21pm

Hi Karl,

Thank you for your reply. I will explore the possibility of using a researcher. Were you able to access civil records through the researchers efforts? I know records availability vary with time frames, location and the myriad of disasters that seem to befall vital records. I have not yet found a source that tells me when records were actually required to be kept for different localities.

I will take a look at your blog, as I always enjoy reading other peoples family history presentations. Gives me hope!

Have a wonderful trip. Regards, Ruthi Lambert

Permalink Reply by Karl Alan Craig on August 12, 2016 at 8:21pm

Hi Ruthi,

My researcher found a whole series of birth, marriage and death parish records. I doubt other civil records would exist in such a war-torn country. Here is an example of my GG-Granparent's marriage in 1864 [my notes are in brackets]:

This marriage occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 24th of January, 1864 at 2pm. In the presence of witnesses Silvestras Keblinskas, 27 years old farmer from Gustainiškiai village, and Simonas Gudžentis, 24 years old hired-labourer from Lauckaimis village, a religious marriage was concluded between Simonas Melnikas, 34 years old, born in Katromyslė village of the Kalvarija district, and who resides in Sakalupėnai palivarkas [Sakalupis estate], the son of already deceased Stanislovas Melnikas and Ieva née Stepšytė, and Ona Vidrinskaitė, 22 years old, born and residing at her brother’s house in Lauckaimis village, the daughter of deceased Juozapas Vidrinskas and Magdalena Vidrinskas née Venciūtė living at the son’s house in Lauckaimis village. Three banns were called before the marriage in Vladislavov church, on 10th, 17th and 24th of January of this year. The newly-weds announced that no marriage agreement between them was concluded. The religious marriage ceremony was conducted by the priest Juozapas Marma. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for the illiterates by the priest Kolbauskas.

This demonstrates that if you find parish records extant, there'll be plenty of good information in them. I've uploaded a pedigree tree that is constructed from the information that was found for me: I was very happy.

Cheers,

Karl

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