In Lithuania: Klaipeda County

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Max Gerald Heffler on December 31, 2009 at 7:29am

My mother in law was born in Memel, now Klaipeda. Just spent much of the last week with her and my father-in-law in Philly.

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on December 31, 2009 at 12:30pm

My 3rd cousin lives in Klaipeda. He's a musician there. That's the only one of my Lithuanian families that I've been able to trace out of the USA.

Permalink Reply by Saul Anuzis on January 20, 2010 at 9:20pm

My father's side of the family is from Kretinga & Kaunas...family name Anuzis. I'm just starting to put together what I have "on paper" from immigration records and my folks papers.

I look forward to sharing information and hopefully helping others in the group.

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on September 1, 2010 at 12:25pm

Saul,
Kretinga appears to still be a hotbed for this name, with about 1/4 of all listings in Lithuania from the phone directory. Have you tried writing to any of them?

Permalink Reply by Janice Reynolds on November 19, 2012 at 2:08pm

Hi, my grandfather Hans John August Gerull was born in Memel back in 1895 when it was Prussia.  He left the country around the time he was 14 when his father sent him to work on ships, he never returned and ended up in Boston.  During WWI a Friedrich Gerull was interred in Canada and later sent back.  I have a copy of a post card that was in my grandfathers papers that was sent to Friedrich by his (Friedrich's) brother Heinz who is pictured on the front.  I believe both Friedrich and Heinz were my grandfathers brothers because there is no reason why he'd have it otherwise.  My grandfather corresponded with one of the brothers,(my mother believes it was Friedrich and that he may have had 2 daughters) up until WWII after which no correspondence ever came.   Is there any way to get birth records?  I know it is probably next to impossible to find out what happened to his brothers but I did come across two brothers Heinz and Jurgen Gerull who were democratic socialists and imprisoned by the Russians  who I'm wondering if possible they could be related.    I don't know if anyone on here is from Germany and might know a little about these two and who their parents were and where they were from.  I'm wondering if it's possible my grandfather's brother Heinz was their father.  

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on November 21, 2012 at 12:28pm

Janice,

I looked at the big list of Memelland names (above).  Gerull and it's variances seems to have been a very common name in those parts.  I'd suggest combing through and seeing if you can make any connections.  Nothing obvious popped out to me.  With a name like Hans John August, your grandfather could be listed any number of ways.

http://www.ortsfamilienbuecher.de/namelist.php?nachname=GERUL&o...

-Richie C in Chelsea, MA

Permalink Reply by Janice Reynolds on November 21, 2012 at 2:38pm

Thanks, I had seen that.  In the meantime written to the Social Security office to get a copy of the exact application my grandfather made out and hopefully it will state his parents exact names.  We only *think* it was Friedrich and Marie based on my mothers recollections but she's 83 and they could be wrong.

Permalink Reply by marla jacques on October 14, 2019 at 3:13pm

I've finally tracked down my gg grandfather to Memel (seated in pic) but when I tried to find Raus on a historical surname database, there was none. I realize its a German or Germanized name but now given the amount of Kraus's on there...hhmm it could be that or possibly Raustys? 

 Raus as a place name fits, given its right across the Baltic in South Sweden. I'm grasping so if anyone can throw me a tip, I'd love it!