The Genealogy & Family History Social Network
Genealogy of Lithuania
Information
A kind of 'digital library' and 'strategy center' for those tracing ancestries in and from present-day Lithuania. I've created Discussion forums based on geographies, as this is the only part of GW where you can reply to each other! Here's a quick jump to all the discussion forums, otherwise, scroll through all the resources until you get to them.
Members: 162
Latest Activity: Jul 7, 2021
Below are some general tips, processes, sites, etc. for doing research. For state-specific or country-specific links, tips and discussions, please scroll down to the appropriate Discussion Forum.
A nice big Map of Lithuania. Lithuania is divided into 10 counties: Telsiai, Taurage, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys, Vilnius, Utena, Siauliai, Alytus and Marijampole. Here's a Wikipedia page of the counties of Lithuania.
Message Boards:
The Lithuanian Genealogy Group on Yahoo: fast-paced, informative, helpful.
Lithuanian Genealogy message board on RootsWeb.
Lithuania on Ancestry
Lithuania (Scandinavian and Baltic States) on Ancestry
Ethnic Race Lithuania on Ancestry
The Lithuanian group on GenForum
"Little Lithuania" genealogy message board on Network 54.
The Lithuanian Global Genealogical Society has a good database of Lithuanian cemetery burials in the USA, among other resources.
Words and Language!
A Lithuanian-English Dictionary (Volume I) from 1915 that you can download an a PDF file. Just click on the 'PDF' under the blue 'Read this Book' button. Here's Volume II, but it's only viewable online.
If you make the jump to searching for records in Lithuania, you might bump up against documents in Russian, Polish and Latin, in addition to Lithuanian. Further, the Russian may be in cursive! The sane thing would be to have a professional researcher find and translate these, but for the brave among us, the Steve Morse site does have a tool that changes Russian cyrillic print to cursive.
Ordering a Social Security Application (USA)
Online Form to request a Social Security application for an ancestor. You want the "Original Application", not the "Computer Extract". Alternatively, you can print off the form and mail it snail mail to the SSA.
Naturalizations (USA)
Basically Naturalizations are broken down to those that occurred before Sept. 27, 1906, and those after. For the former, you will probably need to contact the courthouse for the county in which the person applied for citizenship, or the State Archives. For the latter, you should seek information from the National Archives in Washington, DC (or one of it's satellite locations)
To order Naturalization papers online from the National Archives, you should have the following minimum information on your ancestor:
state in which naturalization occurred
} name of the petitioner
} country of origin
} city and county of residence at time of naturalization
} approximate year of birth
This is the main page for Requesting Reproductions from the National Archives. Naturalization paperwork is a steal, at just $7.50.
The Footnote site has some naturalization records online, but don't get your hopes up. You can search without becoming a member.
An excellent primer on Naturalization papers, including what info can be found depending on when the papers were filed. This is the main page for USA & Canada; be sure to click on "USA" for MUCH more information. And from there, there are links for individual state info at the bottom of the page.
A guide to finding Naturalization papers for your ancestor.
Making use of the LDS Family History Centers before you attempt the Vilnius Archives
Search the catalog by location (assuming you know it) to find what records they've microfilmed. Then make your way to the Family History Learning Center nearest you. If they don't already have the microfilm you want, for a nominal fee, you can order a copy to build your local Center's library. This is especially useful for older records (before 1900), as the LDS are prohibited from filming records in Lithuania these days (at least Catholic ones).
The Archives in Vilnius
Persons searching for information about their or their relatives’ birth, death or marriage (certificates from church and civil vital records books) should apply to:
Lithuanian State Historical Archives
Address: Gerosios Vilties g. 10,
LT 03134 Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: +370 5 213 7482
Fax: +370 5 213 7612
E-mail: istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
Persons searching for other information, such as passports and military service, should apply to:
Lithuanian Central State Archives
Address: O. Milašiaus 21,
LT 10102 Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: +370 5 247 7811
Fax: +370 5 276 5318
E-mail: lcva@archyvai.lt
The Archives in Latvia
You may find that your ancestors spent some time in Latvia, either for work, or as part of a protracted migration. The Latvian Archives have very extensive Genealogical Records (titled Raduraksti) (birth, marriage, death), organized by date and location. There is an English interface, however, there is no ability to search by name, and the records are in cursive Russian, so translation may be an issue.
Emigration/Immigration
To the USA:
The Steve Morse site is perhaps the most used search engine anywhere, though some of the data base it accesses are on Ancestry and require a membership.
Before there was Ellis Island (1892), there was Castle Garden. If your ancestor came through New York before 1892, you should search here.
Searching Ellis Island's site directly might bring up names missed in transcriptions to other sites.
The Bremen Passenger Lists from 1920-1939, from Bremen to the USA, England, South America, Portugal, Spain, etc.
Lithuanian Directories:
118.lt- Includes landlines and cell phones. Has an English-language option, click on "EN" in the upper right corner.
For the Lithuanian language, here's some help:
"Telefonu knyga" is literally "book of telephone numbers". It does not provide listings of cell phones.
"Pavarde" means "Surname"
"Vietove" is "Locality" or "District"
"Bet kuri" means any of the localities in the list
"Ies^koti" is "Search"
"Apibendrinta paies^ka" is a general search, and "Detali paies^ka" is an advanced or detailed search, i.e., by given name, street name, etc., which I do not use since it does not focus so much on the genealogical or historical considerations that I'm primarily interested in and does focus more on locating listings for present-day
individuals.
The list of districts under the little arrow to the right of the box entitled "Vietove" refers to a list of districts (rajonai) that one can search by clicking on the arrow, rather than the entire country.
Since it is a telephone directory, i.e., a directory or list by family name or surname, it can only be searched by surname, not by town or village name or by given name.
g. = gatve, street (the street number follows the street name)
k. = kaimas, village
m. = miestas, town or city
mstl. = miestelis, small town
raj. = rajonas, district (compare to the English word "region")
sen. = seniunija, eldership or elderate, an administrative division larger than a town or city, but smaller than a rajonas. Perhaps, like a township or burough. Sometimes paired with "miestas" to mean something like an area inside a city.
pas^. = pas^tas, post office
The endings "-o", "-u", "-aus", "-os" all indicate the possessive case, meaning "of or belonging to" as in the phrase "city of Vilnius" = "Vilniaus miestas".
Lithuanian Post Office site to find postal codes for sending mail to Lithuania.
Roman Catholic Churches and Records in Lithuania
There's a link for churches by town out there somewhere, and when I find it I'll put it here.
Some birth, marriage and death records have been digitized at Epaveldas. You'll find that they may be in cursive Russian, Polish or Latin (see Words and Language, above). There is a list of which churches in which towns have been scanned (in Lithuanian) which you can find here. It's like playing the lottery...you might get lucky! The search interface itself does have an English version (on the blue bar, all the way to the right). In the third field for "Subjects and keywords", type in "metriku" for the metrical books, and the name of the village, town or city from the list of churches.
Resources for Researching Jewish Lithuanian Ancestors:
JewishGen
There are many, many books addressing Lithuanian Jews in general. This list is from GoogleBooks.
Photos and history of sites of Jewish heritage in Lithuania, including: synagogues, cemeteries, schools and the Chaim Frenkel Palace.
International tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany has records on about 17 million persons (e.g., Holocaust victims and survivors as well as displaced persons (DPs)).
Meanings of Lithuanian Names
A database of surname origins (link is dead, don't think it will ever be back online)
A good listing & explanation of Lithuanian first names.
A list of MALE given names
A list of FEMALE given names
TheLithuanians
Social Networking sites I've used to find living relatives in other countries:
Facebook- primarily in English, but there are a lot of younger folks worldwide as members
Frype- popular in the Baltics, membership is by invite only. I got an invite from my cousin in Lithuania.
Orkut- if you have relatives in Brazil whose ancestors came from Lithuania, this is a must. There are quite a few groups about Lithuanian Genealogy there. I even found a group for my family.
Naza-Klasa- this is primarily Polish (and in Polish), but depending upon where your family was from (i.e. the Lithuanian-Polish border), it might be useful.
Discussion Forum
In Lithuania: Klaipeda County
Started by Richie C.. Last reply by marla jacques Oct 14, 2019. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Klaipeda county, on the Baltic Sea, is made up of two cities, Klaipeda and Palanga, and five municipalities: Klaipeda m., Kretinga m., Neringa, Skuodas m., and Silute m. If your families come from this region, or you just have questions about this…Continue
Contacting the Archives in Vilnius: Instructions, Experiences, Pitfalls
Started by Richie C.. Last reply by Anthony Lumbis Jul 25, 2018. 26 Replies 0 Likes
There will likely come a time that the only logical next step in your research is to contact the Archives in Vilnius. There are smaller Archives in other cities, but by and large, all surviving records have been moved from churches and…Continue
From Lithuania to Scotland
Started by Colin White. Last reply by Colin White Jun 19, 2018. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Hi, This is my first post to Genealogy Wise. I'm interested in tracing as much information as I can about my Grandparents, who came from Lithuania to Glasgow around 1905.They very possibly came from Sunskai in the Suwalki Region, and birth dates…Continue
The Elusive Village in the Old Country: How can I discover it?
Started by Richie C.. Last reply by Richie C. Mar 27, 2018. 26 Replies 0 Likes
Probably the biggest frustration is finding out what village your people came FROM in Lithuania...assuming you know their real surname, of course. How do you go about figuring it out if there's no one left to ask? What strategies, resources, etc. do…Continue
Comment Wall
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Comment by Karl Alan Craig on June 14, 2018 at 6:43pm
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Hi Craig,
I'd be happy to have a quick look for you to see if there's anything I could add. I know how difficult it can be to find places. For instance, Scottish birth records for my great-uncles show a marriage place for their parents as "Vladislaw", which for a long time (see my posts below) I assumed must be the "Vladislava" in the Trakai district on modern maps.
However, this was incorrect. The place was actually "Vladislavov" in the Vilkaviškis district (Suvalki), which nowadays is called "Kudirkos Naumiestis". Modern maps don't show the old name for that town (which has been renamed twice in its history!). various waves of Polish, Russian and German occupation/settlement have really confused the issue.
Cheers,
Alan Craig
Brisbane, Australia
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Comment by Craig Bencie on June 13, 2018 at 10:35am
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I’m looking for a second set of eyes to review something I wrote about my Lithuanian family. I’m trying to find the elusive village or town in hopes of hiring someone in Lithuania. Only I’m not sure I have quite enough information. And maybe need suggestions on what to try before hiring someone. I’ve been at this brick wall for 20 years.
I wrote a letter with some docs imbedded to see if it’s enough.....
Or if I’m missing/overlooking something. It’s in a google.doc and Adobe format.
Any takers?
Thank you
CRAIG
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Comment by Suzanne Kier Himmelreich /Storey on June 7, 2018 at 1:15am
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Comment by Antoinette Marie Rossi on June 17, 2017 at 10:36am
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thanks for the group! I have been busy but I am back!
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I have recently had a good deal of success tracing my Lithuanian ancestors using the services of a family researcher in Vilnius. Vilius Vašeikis runs a ‘Lithuanian Visits’ website (http://lithuaniavisits.com/index.php) and has been able to add 3 generations and several siblings to my grandmother’s family from Lauckaimis, Vilkaviškis (Šugžda, Melnikaitytė, Vidrinskaitė, Simonavičiūtė). He also provides English translations for those records which are usually written in Polish or Russian. Although many records were destroyed during the war, there was still quite a bit to be found.
I have found Vilius to be very responsive in answering emails and helpful in providing additional background information for the area of Lithuania my family comes from – the old Suvalki Governate, right on the border of East Prussia (now Kaliningrad). Also, the costs are very reasonable, and there is no additional charge if records are not found.
If you need help researching your Lithuanian ancestors, then Vilnius will certainly be able to give you some idea of what records might exist for your family, and what costs would be involved. You can contact him on vilius@lithuaniavisits.com
I intend to visit Lithuania for the first time in August or September, and I hope to have Vilius organise a ‘family history tour’ to my ancestor’s villages.
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Comment by Richie C. on November 26, 2015 at 9:49am
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Karl,
I can't find any faults or gaps with what you've laid out, so I really have nothing to suggest or add, unfortunately. Except to say that I too have a Simanavičiute in my tree: my great-great grandmother Rozės/Rozalija Simanavičiute, b. 1844, d. 21 March 1904 in Radžiūnai, Alytaus savivaldybė, Lithuania. However, Simanavičius and Simonavičius are very common names.
Richie C in Chelsea, Massachusetts
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I don't know if the following information connects with anyone in this group, or if there is any advice group members can suggest, but here is what I know of my Lithuanian ancestors:
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My grandmother was Petronėlė Juzė Šugždaitė, and she was born in Lauckaimis, Vilkaviškis in November 1901. I have her birth certificate. Her father was Jonas Šugžda and her mother Petronėlė Melninkaitytė. I know Lauckaimis is close to the border with Kaliningrad.
I believe that two brothers and a half-sister were also born in the same village (kaime). The half-sister was Ona Simanavičiūte (b. 10 Feb 1891), daughter of Petronėlė Melninkaitytė and her first husband Francišcus Simanavičiūte. It appears Petronėlė was about four months pregnant with Ona when she married Jonas Šugžda. Presumably, Francišcus died shortly after Ona was conceived.
Later records indicate that Jonas and Petronėlė were married 6 Sep 1890 at Vladislava, Trakai, which is quite a way to the west of Lauckaimis where all the children were born.
The other (full) brothers were Juozas (b. 12 Dec 1894) and Bronislovas (b. 13 Feb 1898) (information from US immigration records). There may also have been 4 or 5 other births that did not survive.
Sometime after my grandmother was born in 1901, the family left for Scotland where they worked in the coal mines in Bellshill and Bothwellhaugh near Glasgow. Two more boys were born there, but all the boys went on to the USA in the 1920s. My great-grandparents, my grandmother and her half-sister lived the rest of their lives in Scotland.
Death records in Scotland give Jonas Šugžda’s parents as "Jurgis Sugzda" and "Agota Klimaitė"; Petronėlė’s parents were recorded as "Vincas Melninkaitis" and Ona “Widrinskiute” – but I suppose this is is more likely to be Vidrinskaitė or Vidrinskiūtė.
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I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who might have a connection with any of these names, and I'm only too happy to share anything I have.
Karl Craig
Brisbane, Australia
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Comment by Sandy Faust on March 16, 2015 at 12:31pm
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Tom Shaw, the names don't sound familiar to me. Christian Tautkus' father was Gottleib Tautkus, and mother Lizzie Lawrence. But, you have given me a place. To start researching. Thank you for your response.
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Comment by Tom Shaw on March 16, 2015 at 6:49am
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To Sandy Faust...My second great-grandmother was Agatha Tutkus, who married a man by the name of Peter Anton Jesaitis (or Jasaitis), who we believe may have been from Kovno, Kauanas, Lithuania. They were the parents of __ children, most of whom emigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s, including Anton, Petronella, John, Joseph, Andrew, Frank, Vincent (William), Frances and Agatha. Do any of these names sound familiar?
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Hello!! I am new to this site, and to this page. I am researching the surnames of Remkus/Rimkis and Tautkus. I have not been able to find out where in Lithuania my Great Great Grandmother was born. She put Prussia on everything until a later census record, where she put Lith. Through DNA, I found a distant cousin who is researching the same name. She said she was told it was in the Taurage area. I am not sure where to start! Any suggestions?? I have her birth date and the fact that she was married twice, first to a Schultz (my ancestor) and then to a Tautkus.
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