Tapestry Update

As I mentioned, I was very disappointed to learn last June that the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry did not include the panel to which I contributed parts of my family story. Several months later, though, I learned that it was only delayed, not abandoned, and work was continuing! I was really pleased to get that news. Today I met with one of the other contributors who is doing much of the actual stitching so that I could stitch in my family names, Kisielius and Raulinaitis, myself. I only had a short time, so I didn't actually get to finish (and some of my work was a bit dodgy so might need repaired), but at least I got to put a hand in. I'm looking forward to seeing it complete.

The latest design sketch.

My great-grandfather's side.

My great-grandmother's side.

As far as I got.

A Connection?

I also found several further entries in the Glasgow poor books connected to the Kisielius name, including this one: Mariona Zatareckaite / Kisieliene. I'm, as yet, uncertain if she is connected to the family, but there a some things that make me think it is possible. First, she lived at 54 Rose Street. Second, her mother's name was Marianna Adomaityte, which could mean that she was related to Konstantinas Adomaitis (the first husband of Marijona Kisieliute).

Her 1917 application for poor relief states that her husband, Antanas Kisielius "died about 11 years ago in Russia". She had married him "about 15 years ago in Russia". In the residences section it says "about 6 years from Russia", which I take to mean that she arrived in Scotland in 1911. Does she turn up on the census? Who is she with?

There was no Antanas Kisielius listed in the immediate family group on this 1938 death certificate. So that could mean he was more distantly related. Or that he wasn't listed because he was already deceased. Or it's also quite possible there's no connection at all!!

Political Separation

When I was looking through the poor books at the Glasgow City Archive, I came across the following letter. It was in the file of another Lithuanian dependent whose husband had been sent away under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. It's not connected to my family at all, but in a way, I feel like it represents the plight of all the families that had men who were denied re-entry after the Convention.

Page 1

Page 2

Glasgow Poor Books, Marijona

Marijona Kisieliute was the sister of my great-grandfather, Kazimiras Kisielius. She lived in Scotland at the same time as him, and married Konstantinas Adomaitis (aka Adomaviczia, Adomaviezic). Her application to the Parish of Govan (Glasgow) came later because she was initially on the poor role of Bothwell Parish, where she resided with Konstantinas. By the date of this application, 22 April 1920, she had moved in with Sofija's side of the family (at 178 Rose Street) just a few months before Sofija was repatriated. Very interestingly, the Raulinitis group had started using "Ralwitch" by this point. Given that the "special roll" ended around this time April or May 1920, I suspect she was trying to save money by moving in with family.

Application (D-HEW 17/843)

Husband sent away. Initially paid by Bothwell.

The home visit was on 26 April 1920. The language saying that she is "separated" and that her husband "left to join [the] Russian army" is misleading. He was forced to leave and they were only "separated" because somebody else did the separating. Konstantinas appears to have been with Kazimiras when he was sent away in Sept 1917.

Home Visit

Marijona apparently worked in a distillery on Muirhead Street (Glasgow?) and was on the (special roll) for Govan from 24 June 1919 to 27 April 1920. 8 Pitt Street and 3 Pitt Street are listed as previous residences, and there is a note that one of both was a company house. Presumably it was miner housing, which should would have been kicked out of when her husband was sent away. Perhaps this is why she had to move in with the Rolwichs? It's also noted that she might have stayed with the "Yankilunas" family. What's the connection there? Her husband was apparently "known in Mossend as 'Adam White'". I assume this was derived from him saying his name was Adomavicius, which was heard as "Adam Avicius" and then just assigned an easier surname.

Residences

An interesting note shows that they (Konstantinas and Kazimiras) were in contact from Lithuania after their deportation. A letter from Kazimiras states that Konstantinas was with him at his and her parents. Strangely, the sentence is unfinished, stating that "she is willing to go there as soon as she can get _____". I wonder what kept her from going. I would assume it was money, but I think others (including Sofija) were "repatriated" (read: deported) at government expense. Marijona eventually does re-marry in 1936 to Juozas Valaitis, having had a child with him in 1926. On her second marriage certificate she is listed as a widow. Did Konstantinas die? Or was she just not willing to go back and join him?

Communications from Lithuania

Second Marriage

Some additional, duplicate information:

The full document is here.

------------------

UPDATE:  I contacted the archivist at the North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre, which holds the poor books for Bothwell Parish, and requested that a search be done for Marijona. She found a match in the index, but told me that the book has unfortunately not survived. This is the information she had in the index:
          Ref Book: CO1/23/115
          Marijona Adamavegia
          Record No. 10,723
          Date of Application – 19th October, 1917.
She also checked the index for Kisielius/Kisieliute and Raulinitis/Raulinaviciute from 1916-1923, but found no matches.

Glasgow Poor Books, Sofija

I'm just now getting back to the poor relief records for my great-grandmother and her sister-in-law that I found last September at the Glasgow City Archive. The records confirmed that my great-grandfather had indeed been sent away under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. But I didn't get around to posting the other information that these documents contained.

My great-grandmother, Sofija (aka Zose, Yose, Jessie, Sophie), made the application on 9 Oct 1917, just one month after she had married and about 10 days after Kazimiras was sent away. The initial application was declined.

Except he didn't "leave" her. He was sent away.

Application

Application "refused, able bodied, no dependents".

Just a month later, however, an addendum was attached indicating that she was pregnant with my great-uncle Kazimiras Jr, and the application was approved for a payment of 8/- per week (that's 8 shillings).

Nature of applicant's "infirmity": pregnant.

8/- per week, Aliens Roll

The application also provides some information about Kazimiras. He was sent away on 29 Sept 1917, and had been earning £3 per week as a coal miner at the time. It says "From Russia 6yrs", which I take to mean he had been in Scotland for 6 years (possibly explaining why I couldn't find him on the 1911 census). The way things are written is confusing, but it switches back to Sofija and explains what she pays to lodge with her mother and father (must be the case because it also confirms that Kazimiras's parents are "both in Russia").* She is residing with her mother and father and 3 children (her siblings, Annie, Peter, and Margaret). It states that they paid 18/9 (18 shillings, 9 pence) rent per month, and she paid 9/- (9 shillings) per week for board and lodging. Also noted is that she was a member of the Pearl Society, which I was told is usually noted because there was an expectation that such organizations were expected to provide support. I wonder if I can find any information about the Pearl Society.

Notes about Kazimiras and Raulinaitis family.

Micheal and Katherine Kisielius, "both in Russia".

The second page of the application is the record of the home visit, which took place on 12 Oct 1917. It lists the address, which I've seen many other places, 178 Rose Street. But it adds the note "2 up R", which I take to mean two floors up, on the right. It's a shame the building has been demolished. I would really have loved to go back there. It does list "Wilna", "Russia" (i.e. Vilnius, Lithuania) as place of birth, as I have already confirmed. And she is listed as "Howife" (housewife?) and munition worker. I was told there were several munitions factories in the area, but it would be hard to know which one. They did tell me that they (the Glasgow City Archive) does hold a collection of photos of WWI era women working in these factories, so maybe I'd be able to identify her.

Home Visit, 12 Oct 1917

Photo from Veronica Thomson of her mother Ona Kisieliute
She noted it was possibly the "Moran-Nichol" munitions factory.

Ona again (on right).
Veronica didn't know who the person on the left was. Possibly Sofija?

The "home visit" page suggests that she's only been resident at 178 Rose Street for 5 weeks (that would be since Kazimiras was sent away). I know from the census she was there in 1911, but I don't know where she was in between. The record also states that she only knew Kazimiras for three months before marriage, which seems to suggest that they suspected this was a marriage of convenience. By that time Kazimiras probably did know he was being deported. The odd note on "settlement", I was told, was a matter of determining which parish would pay the poor relief. Unmarried women were said to be "settled" at their father's residence. Married women were said to be "settled" at their husband's residence.

Residence

It's also good to know that my direct ancestor was not a "lunatic" or an "idiot":

Good genes.

Some changes to the status of Sofija's poor relief are also noted. By January of 1918, she was taken off the poor roll and placed on a "special roll" (receiving a benefits increase to 12/6). I know there was a lot of back and forth between authorities about whose responsibility the Lithuanian dependents were going to be (see documents here). I wonder if there is a separate book somewhere that contains these "special roll" entries. I think the special roll was eventually canceled because she returns to the poor roll (and decreases to 10/-) in May 1920. I think I recall that the national government decided it would no longer support dependents of the men they'd deported under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. This must be it. Finally, it shows that she was "repatriated" (read: deported) on 6 Sept 1920. What is really incredible about this is that not only was she forced out, her Scottish-born son went too.

Later Notes

The full document is here.

---
* of course, "Russia" is actually Lithuania, since Lithuania was under control of the Czar at the time.

Catholic Archive

I paid a visit to the Scottish Catholic Archive today. Finally. It's right here in Edinburgh, but I've never found the time to get there. They have very limited hours during the week and by appointment only.

All records in Scotland after 1855 are kept in a civil register (which is held at Register House at the National Archives of Scotland and digitized on the Scotland's People website). Records before 1855 were only kept by the churches. So if your family was Catholic, the Catholic archive holds pre-1855 records of their baptisms, banns, and burials (equivalent to births, marriages, and deaths), plus some other scattered notes on things. These pre-1855 records have been digitized, however, and are accessible on the Scotland's People website. The Catholic Church also holds records of post-1855 events, but these have not been consolidated at the Catholic archive, meaning that if you want to see them you must travel to the individual church where the event was registered!! This means the Catholic archive isn't much use to the average visitor. I went anyway.

The archivist was able to help me identify the churches and the people I need to contact about information I'm looking for. The main thing I want to see is a marriage record for Marijona Kisieliute my great-grandfather's sister, her first marriage to Konstantinas Adomaviczia in 1914. The civil record shows that one of the witnesses had the name Kisieliene. The first initial of the first name is either U or A. My hope is that the Catholic record will list the full name. This could link me to another of the Kisielius brothers. I've seen others in the records, but haven't been able to document any connection yet. This is probably held at Holy Family church in Mossend. I've emailed the priest requesting a look.

Kisieliene

Another record I'd like to see is Marijona's second marriage to Juozas Valaitis in 1936. Both are listed as widows on the civil document. My hope is that document will list additional information about the death of her previous husband (I imagine some documentation of death would need to be provided). I actually suspect he was not dead. In the poor relief records that I found, I discovered that Konstantinas was with my great-grandfather when he was sent away under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. I think he couldn't get back here either. Eventually she re-married. This record was originally recorded at St. John's Church in Glasgow, but St. John's was consolidated into Blessed John Duns Scotus, which should have the record books for St. John's.

Konstantinas is in Lithuania

I also asked about the baptism record for Kazimiras Kisielius Jr from 1918. It was registered at St Luke's, but St Luke's no longer exists, and I was told the records should also be held at John Duns Scotus.

I asked about the marriage of Kazimiras Sr and Sofija Raulinaite from 1917, which was registered at St Luke's.

And I asked about the baptism of Sofija, which I don't actually think happened here. Contrary to what Chute told me, and contrary to what she actually seemed to believe, she was born in Vilnius. She must have been very young when she arrived (since she doesn't seem to have remembered it), so there's a chance she could have been born there and baptized here. The Lithuanian record proves she was born there, but the German records show that she claimed to have been born in "Glashof, Britania".

Birth of Sofija Raulinitis, 17 Aug 1901
(microfilm 604-20-289, pg333v-334z, no 757)

She's even got her birth year and birth month wrong!

Some Reflections

These are some reflections on the information that was in the documents from Germany.

One of the documents (TD2285115.pdf, pg 6-7) was a register of people in the village of Plattling, Germany. Tevuk appears on the list at 25 Preisingplatz on 24 May 1945. There's a really interesting entry in Wikipedia about a battle that took place on 26 April 1945. I wonder if Tevuk was there and if he witnessed any of it (I wish I could ask him!). I also wonder if the building at 25 Preisingplatz is still there (google doesn't have streetview for this little village). There was a concentration camp at Plattling as well, which appears to have held more than Jewish prisoners. Is this possibly the Nazi camp that Tevuk told about? Or was he in hiding at 25 Preisingplatz? I recall vividly his stories of being on the verge of starving. There's also a story about a stolen pig, hidden on the second floor from Nazi soldiers in the family folklore. I wonder if it was at 25 Preisingplatz. The Wikipedia entry for Plattling also mentions a ceremony held for American veterans in May 2011, so there's clearly a strong local history community in this village. I wonder if they might be able to help. I should look into it more.

Chute shows up in records from the villages of Klingenbrunn and Spiegelau with the family of her first husband, Vytautas Apanavičuis. He's not listed with them, so they must be from after he had died in Dec 1944. Both villages are about 60km from Plattling, so I'm not certain where she met Tevuk. She is registered by herself in Bamberg (from Oct 1944 to June 1945), which according to the documents in TD2284935.pdf is where Vytautas was in the hospital until he died. There is a marriage record for her and Tevuk on 27 Aug 1945 in Munich. There is no record of Tevuk being in Bamberg.

By December 1945 they are in a displaced persons camp in Wolterdingen with Kitty and Chute's parents. There's a card showing that they emigrated to the US on 15 June 1949 by flight, with 1-year-old uncle Charlie. Chute would have been pregnant with my dad.

The DP Registration cards for both Chute and Tevuk (TD2285114.pdf, pg13; TD2285115.pdf, pg10) show they were at "Assembly Center No.: 6dpac". I wonder where this is. Is there more information about this place? Possibly a written history? Their "Displaced Person Statistical Cards" (TD2285114.pdf, pg17; TD2285115.pdf, pg12) both show that they were at "251 D.P. Assembly Centre, Wolterdingen n.Soltau".

Documents from Germany

This post is going to take the form of running notes as I make my way through the documents that I received from the International Tracing Service in Germany (a service set up to help victims and descendants victims of WWII trace their families).

Document TD2285114.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- letter continued
• pg 3- shows that Chute was still with the Apanavičius family on 20 Aug 1945 in Klingenbrunn. Vytautas is not listed, I know already that he had died on 13 Dec 1944.
• pg 4- same
• pg 5- I can't seem to find anybody on this list
• pg 6- shows Chute is with the Apanavičius family, but there is no date. Location is Spiegelau / Grafenau. Says she is a "näherin" (seamstress!). Birth date is listed as 5 Jan 1921, rather than the 15th. And it says she was born in "Rodamme", which I believe is actually Rudamina. All the same information is recorded for the Apanavičiai.
• pg 7- shows Chute in Bamberg on 30 Sept 1947. Birth is listed as 15 Jan 1921, Rudamina, and "usual place of residence" is Kaunas. Date of sojourn (in Bamberg?) is 13 Oct 1944 to 5 Jan 1945. Also listed are Evaristas Apanavičius and Biruta Apanavičiute, but their "date of sojourn" does not overlap and I'm not certain if there is a connection. **
• pg 8- shows marriage of Chute and Tevuk in Munich, 27 Aug 1945. Tevuk born 15 Jun 1923, Krekenava. Former residence "unbek[annt]" (unknown).
• pg 9- shows marriage again, but lists Chute first. Chute born 15 Jan 1921, Ru[d]amina. Former residence "unbek[annt]" (unknown).
• pg 10- Marriage Certificate:  lists Tevuk as "Landwirt" (farmer) and Chute as "Schneiderin" (dressmaker). Shows Tevuk born in Krekenava district, but says "beurkundung nicht nachgewiesen" (certification not detected?). Shows Chute as Apanavičius, geb. Kisielinte [sic]. Shows Chute born in Ru[d]amina district, but says "beurkundung nicht nachgewiesen".
• pg 11- second page of marriage certificate
• pg 12- document from marriage ceremony at St. Ludwig's in Munich, 2 Sept 1945. Shows Tevuk born 15 May 1923 in "pociunitiai" and Chute born 15 Jan 1921 in Rudamina. Also show Chute as Apanavičiene / Kisielinte [sic]. **
• pg 13- Chute's displaced persons registration card. Shows her as Marija Matuliene. Gives "claimed nationality" as Lithuanian, birthplace as Rudamina. Shows mother and father, and gives last permanent residence as Vilkaviskis. She does not claim to be a prisoner of war. Card is dated 13 Dec 1945. **
• pg 14- reverse side of card. Interesting information about "physical condition" and immunization.
• pg 15- duplicate card, also dated 13 Dec 1945, but handwriting is different.
• pg 16- reverse side of duplicate card
• pg 17- Displaced person statistical card for "Marija Matuliene, born Kisieliute". Card is dated 28 Jun 1948. Country of citizenship is Lithuania, last habitual residence is Lithuania. Born in Rudamina. Current location is 251 DP Assembly Centre, Wolterdingen n.Soltau. Stamped "emigrated to USA on 15 Jun ?? by flight". **
• pg 18- reverse side of card. Occupation is "dressmaker g-23".
• pg 19- Appears to be a passengers list for the flight to the US. The plane appears to be called "Youth Argosy". It left Hamburg on 15 Jun 1949. Matuliai are listed on the reverse.
• pg 20- passenger list continued. Listed are Chute, Tevuk, and wee Gediminas. Sponsor is listed as NCWC. Destination is listed as Londonderry, NH.
• pg 21- DP card. Shows Chute was born in Rudamina. Says "was in Br[itish?] zone / Germ."

Document TD2285115.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- letter continued
• pg 3- list of Lithuanians residing in Plattling. Tevuk listed on reverse
• pg 4- reverse of above. Shows Tevuk listed as "worker", residing in Hohenrainberacke. No date on document (pg1 says it was during the war).
• pg 5- register of people "who were temporarily or permanently stationed in the community [of Plattling], but are no longer in residence".  Shows Tevuk was there, dated 12 Mar 1947.
• pg 6- register of people, handwritten, very difficult to read (pg1 says he registered at 25 Preisingplatz in Plattling on 24 May 1945). He is listed on the reverse (pg7).
• pg 7- reverse of above. Tevuk is #182. First name is rather illegible, but appears to start with a W, not a V (maybe "Wacis", as it would probably sound as he said it). Appears to list "Krekinava" [sic] twice. Dated 24 May 1945. Last column illegible. The wikipedia page for Plattling describes a battle which took place on 26 April 1945. Presumably Tevuk was there, or possibly in the Flossenbürg concentration camp. Must look into this more.
• pg 8- Tevuk's displaced persons registration card. Gives "claimed nationality" as Lithuanian, birthplace as Panevežys. Shows mother and father, and gives last permanent residence as Krekanava. He does not claim to be a prisoner of war (I wonder what this means. Is not claiming to have been a prisoner of war, or is he not claiming to be a prisoner of the Americans). Card is dated 13 Dec 1945, same as Chute. **
• pg 9- reverse side of card. Information about physical condition and immunization.
• pg 10- duplicate card, also dated 13 Dec 1945, but handwriting is different.
• pg 11- reverse side of duplicate card
• pg 12- Displaced person statistical card for Tevuk. Card is dated 28 Jun 1948, same as Chute. Country of citizenship is Lithuania, last habitual residence is Lithuania. Born in Kurgulai district of Panevezys. Current location is 251 DP Assembly Centre, Wolterdingen n.Soltau. Stamped "emigrated to USA on 15 Jun 1949 by flight". **
• pg 13- reverse side of card. Occupation is "farmer D-1".
• pg 14- DP card. Shows Tevuk was born in Panevezys. Says "was in Br[itish?] zone / Germ."

Document TD2285116.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- Displaced persons registration card for "Kazys" (Kazimiras) Kisielius. Gives "claimed nationality" as Lithuanian, birthplace as Vilkaviskis. Shows mother and father (Mykolas Kisielius and Katarina Arminaite), and gives last permanent residence as Vilkaviskis. Card is dated 14 Dec 1945, the day after Chute and Tevuk. They have apparently rejoined by this point.
• pg 3- reverse side of card. Information about physical condition and immunization is blank.
• pg 4- it's not clear what this card is, but lists his and Sofija's birth dates (14 Mar 1891 and 17 Aug 1902, respectively). Sofija was actually born on that day in 1901. It says they are "untraceable", and has the following number "IRO 266792". I don't know what this is.

Document TD2285117.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- Displaced persons registration card for Sofija Kisieliene. Gives "claimed nationality" as Lithuanian, birthplace as "Glashof [Glasgow] Britania" [this is wrong, but it does suggest that she didn't realize that she had actually been born in Lithuania]. Shows mother and father listed as Jurgis Laurynaitis (strange that is should be Motiejus Raulinaitis) and Jeva Gurevičiute. Gives last permanent residence as Vilkaviskis. Card is dated 14 Dec 1945, same as Kazimiras, and the day after Chute and Tevuk. Says she can also speak Lithuanian, English, German, and Russian!! The "remarks" line says she "does not wish to return of present". Certainly not, it wasn't long before that her son was disappeared by the Soviets.
• pg 3- reverse side of card. Information about physical condition and immunization is blank.
• pg 4- duplicate of TD2285116, pg4.

Document TD2285118.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- Displaced persons registration card for Katarina Kisieliute. Gives "claimed nationality" as Lithuanian, birthplace as Vilkaviskis. Shows mother and father (listed as Kazys Kislielius and Sofija Raulinaityte). Gives last permanent residence as Vilkaviskis. Card is dated 19 Nov 1945, nearly a month before the others.
• pg 3- reverse side of card. Information about physical condition and immunization.
• pg 4- duplicate displaced persons registration card, handwriting the same in this case.
• pg 5- reverse side of duplicate card.

Document TD2284935.pdf:

• pg 1- letter from ITS, listing the documents included in the packet
• pg 2- card showing treatment of Vytautas Apanavičius in Würzberg Hospital from 8 Sept 1944, illness not indicated
• pg 3- card showing treatment in Würzberg Hospital until 9 Oct 1944, illness not indicated
• pg 4- card showing treatment in Bamberg Hospital from 9 Oct 1944 to 13 Dec 1944
• pg 5- grave registration in Klingenbrunn. Shows he was born 28 Mar 1921 in Kaunas, he was residing in Spiegelau. Cause of death is recorded as "herzschlag" (heartbeat?), 13 Dec 1944. Location of grave is "Friedhof Spiegelau". Says "Sterbeurkunde wurde bereits am 16.8.1946 übersandt" (Death certificate already sent on 16 Aug 1946).
• pg 6- duplicates much of the same grave registration information.
• pg 7- duplicates the same again

** if not sending all documents with citizenship application, these are probably the best to send

Finally!!

I've finally heard back from the International Tracing Service in Germany that holds records about people who were in forced labor camps during (and displaced persons camps after) WWII. My initial request was way back in January. There's loads of information, and it'll take me quite a while to look through it all (especially since I'm going away on a work trip for three weeks tomorrow, and I haven't even gotten back to the poor relief records yet). But I think these documents will have the records I need to apply for Lithuanian citizenship. Very excited to have a look.

Poor Relief

I have my first bit of hard evidence that my great-grandfather Kazimiras Kisielius was, in fact, sent away under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. I've suspected this for some time now, but I haven't been able to find anything documenting it. Over the weekend, I found it in an entry for my great-grandmother in the "poor books" held at the Glasgow City Archive.

D-HEW17/804 (186675)

It states that Kazimiras "went to join the Russian army" on 29 September 1917 and "left her unprovided for", suggesting that is was his choice and that he didn't bother making arrangements for her in advance. Quite the contrary, he was sent away without a choice and with little advance notice.

Another thing in the file is her signature (in her own hand!), which confirms another mystery. She signs her name "Jessie Kisielius", meaning she definitely did use that name, and she had a child out of wedlock at the age of 16!

In her hand.

There's lots more information in the document, but it'll take me some time before I can get it posted here (particularly because the copies are poor and the writing is difficult). I also collected some other documents, including poor relief records for Kazimiras' sister Marijona and three other Kisielius women (who could possibly be wives of brothers). Further to that I made copies of military tribunal records of service exemption hearings. There could be something very interesting in there.

The full record of Sofija's poor relief application is here.

Glasgow City Archive

I contacted the Glasgow City Archive (at the Mitchell Library) about the records they hold about the poor, and I asked about looking into my great-grandmother Sofija ("Sophie", "Zose", "Jessie") Kisielius, who (I suspect) was left destitute when my great-grandfather was deported to Russia under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. They got back to me very quickly with a match, and I have ordered the books to view on-site this coming Saturday. The archivist was able to search the index and came back with this:

Name	DOB	Birthplace	Year of application	Reference
Yose Kisielius (Raulinavicule)	1898	Lithuania	1917	D-HEW17/804 (186675)

There's a couple more variants to the name. And the birth date is off by a few years, but I've got little doubt it's her. The year of application is precisely when Kazimiras would have been sent way. It's also confirms Lithuania as her birthplace, which I discovered last year, contrary to Chute's memory.

There will be more information when I go to see the actual records. This is what the archivist said:

The poor relief application contains the original petition made by the applicant, a record of the assistance provided as well as a note of any subsequent applications made. It varies from application to application as to how much information is included.

Making Meaning

In Lithuania, a second-cousin-in-law, Vygintas, is a very talented musician and artist. He's studying at the Vilnius Art Academy for a PhD. His specialty is blending the visual with the aural. Among his very interesting projects is one where he takes famous Lithuanian poetry and literature and puts it's through a series to translations using Google Translate. He usually follows a path on a map, a journey that a person might travel, and then uses the translator to put the words into the language of each place. In the end, he translates that back into Lithuanian, and the product is almost always something of terribly corrupted grammar and greatly reduced meaning. He then records it being read and creates a score to go along with it. It's a really fascinating process, and something I found inspiring.

It reminded me of when my grandmother, a few years back, did her best to translate Kudirka's poem, the Tautiška Giesmė, that is now the anthem of Lithuania. It ended up being a really emotional moment of longing for a lost homeland -- there were tears and she could barely make it to the end. It was moving for me because I understood how much those words meant to her, and though little of the translation was grammatically or literally correct, the meaning came through strongly.



Vygintas's project inspired me to play with Kudirka's words in a way that is related to my family history. I decided to take the poem on a journey along the route that my grandparents traveled as they fled the Soviet invasion (or at least the route that I believe they traveled). I know that they fled Lithuania to Germany (Munich and a displaced persons camp in Wolterdingen). From there they eventually made it to the United States. Beginning with the original Lithuanian, I translated it into each language along the way. First from Lithuanian to Russian, to represent the first Soviet invasion in 1940; then from Russian to German, to represent the Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944; then back to Russian, to represent the second Soviet invasion; then from Russian to Polish, Polish to Czech, and Czech to German, to represent the journey on the map they probably took; and finally I translated it into English. The result follows:

Lithuanian Lietuva, Tėvyne mūsų, Tu didvyrių žeme, Iš praeities Tavo sūnūs Te stiprybę semia. Tegul Tavo vaikai eina Vien takais dorybės, Tegul dirba Tavo naudai Ir žmonių gėrybei. Tegul saulė Lietuvoj Tamsumas prašalina, Ir šviesa, ir tiesa Mūs žingsnius telydi. Tegul meilė Lietuvos Dega mūsų širdyse, Vardan tos, Lietuvos Vienybė težydi!

Russian Литва, наша родина Земля героев, В прошлом ваши сыновья Нарисуйте силы. Пусть ваши дети ходят Только пути добродетели, Пусть они работать в вашу пользу И благосостояние народа. Май солнце Изгнать всю тьму, И свет и истина Наши шаги. Пусть любовь Литвы Запись в наших сердцах Ради тех, в Литве Единство цвести!

German Litauen, unser Vaterland Land der Helden, In der Vergangenheit, eure Söhne Kraft schöpfen. Lassen Sie Ihre Kinder gehen Nur der Pfad der Tugend, Lassen Sie sie zu Ihren Gunsten Und das Wohlbefinden der Menschen. Möge die Sonne Verbannen Sie alle Finsternis, Und das Licht und die Wahrheit Unsere Schritte. Lasst die Liebe von Litauen Rekord in unseren Herzen Aus Gründen der in Litauen Einheit blühen!

Russian Литва, наша родина Земля Героев, В прошлом, ваши сыновья Рисование власть. Пусть ваши дети Только путь добродетели, Оставьте их в вашу пользу И благосостояние народа. Май солнце Изгнать всю тьму, И свет и истина Наши шаги. Пусть любовь Литвы Запись в наших сердцах Ради Литве Блок цветение!

Polish Litwa, nasza ojczyzna Ziemia Heroes W przeszłości, twoi synowie Rysunek moc. Niech dzieci Tylko droga cnoty, Zostaw je na swoją korzyść I dobrobyt ludzi. Niech słońce Wygnać wszelką ciemność, I światła i prawdy Nasze kroki. Niech miłość Litwy Rekord w naszych sercach na Litwie Zablokuj kwitną!

Czech Litva, naše vlast Země Heroes V minulosti, vaši synové Odebírá energii. Nechte děti Pouze způsob ctnosti, Nechte je, aby ve svůj prospěch A blahobyt lidí. Nechte slunce Vyhnat všechny tmu, A světla a pravdy Naše kroky. Nechte lásku Litvy Záznam v našich srdcích Litva Block květ!

German Litauen, unser Vaterland Land Helden In der Vergangenheit, eure Söhne Nimmt Energie. lassen Sie die Kinder Der einzige Weg zur Tugend, Lassen Sie es zu Ihrem Vorteil Eine menschliche Wohlfahrt. lassen Sie die Sonne Verbannen Sie alle Finsternis, Ein Licht und Wahrheit Unsere Schritte. Lasst die Liebe von Litauen Rekord in unseren Herzen Litauen Block Blüte!

English Lithuania, our homeland country heroes In the past, your sons Takes energy. let the children The only way to virtue, Leave it to your advantage A human welfare. let the sun Banish all darkness, A light and truth Our steps. Let the love of Lithuania Record in our hearts Lithuania Block bloom!

My final step was to take this corrupted version generated by Google Translate and put it into my own English, a loose translation that represents, in a way, me trying to make sense of my cultural heritage. The whole thing is a process of meaning-making, of trying to understand the place my family came from. It represents the loss of meaning and the effect of accumulated history on culture and identity. Here it is alongside the official English version, which by the way is not a literal translation either.

Google's English Lithuania, our homeland country heroes In the past, your sons Takes energy. let the children The only way to virtue, Leave it to your advantage   A human welfare. let the sun Banish all darkness, A light and truth Our steps. Let the love of Lithuania Record in our hearts Lithuania Block bloom!

My English Lithuania, our homeland! National heroes, In the past, your sons were strong. Show their children the only way to virtue, Your advantage will lead   to human welfare. Let the sun banish all darkness, Shine light and truth in our footsteps. Let the love of Lithuania be etched in our hearts, Lithuania grow strong!

Official English Lithuania, our homeland, Land of heroes! Let your sons draw their strength From our past experience Let your children always follow Only roads of virtue, May your own, mankind’s well-being Be the goals they work for May the sun above our land Banish darkening clouds around Light and truth all along Guide our steps forever May the love of Lithuania Brightly burn in our hearts. For the sake of this land Let unity blossom.

My grandparents made sure that I knew where we came from and they made sure I grew up with the greatest pride in those roots. There's no doubt that what I understand Lithuania to be is different to those whose families never left, but it wasn't all lost. I still very much identify with my Lithuanian roots.

Edinburgh Gazette

The Gazette is an incredible resource!! Especially now, since it has been digitized for the 21st century. Apparently it was recently revamped, top to bottom. They've got a couple of excellent videos that explain what it's all about.

What is it?


How do you search it?


I've only scratched the surface using the search, but I got three hits for Kisielius right away. It looks like two Kisielius brother were involved in baking. I've come across Varpas before, I believe. And I've certainly come across Vincent and Anthony, though I've never conclusively linked them to the family. I'll need to see what I can turn up.

Varpas Baking Company

It appears that a couple years later "Anthony" (Antanas) became a naturalized British citizen. Maybe I can request naturalization records.

Naturalization, 1931

And finally, on 22 October 1935, there's something about a "Trust Deed" that I don't understand. The notice is written by G.C. Paterson, and says that Anthony granted the deed. Is he the creditor? Or is he the debtor?

From the Edinburgh Gazette, 22 October 1935, pg 882

North Lanarkshire

I took a trip to the North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre today to have a look into the miners photo that I mentioned before. While they weren't able to answer everything I wanted to know (e.g. who is pictured), they were able to tell me they got the photo from a "Mr Frank Dullick". They also had a fair bit of local history material on the Lithuanian community. The person working the desk was really helpful and was able to provide a lot of good leads.

A Match

Mr. Frank Dullick

Mr Dullick actually came up a few times. He appears to have been an active member in the Scottish Lithuanian Social Club. Turns out he's mentioned in the Lithuanians in Scotland book by John Millar, according to which his name was actually Frank Džiodulikas. A newspaper clipping in the collection also mentioned him with regard to a Radio Scotland program about the Lithuanian community that aired way back in 1980, on the 19th of February, to be exact. I'd really like to see if I can find that.

From page 56

On BBC Radio Scotland

It's not clear from what was in the file whether or not Mr Dullick was related to anybody in the photo, or if it was just in his possession. They had two files on the Lithuanian community: one that was mostly general history and another that was specifically about family history. They also had a microfilm name index for people who appeared in the Motherwell Times. There were no entries for Kisielius or Raulinaitis, but I did find an article on Peter Rolwich and a couple possible matches for Cassells.

Motherwell Times, 20 Aug 1981

They've got a subject index for the same paper as well, that has multiple entries under "Lithuania". It's probably worth looking at more, not so much for family history, but just for general interest.

There were copies of the various academic papers that I've read mentioned before (Rodgers 1982, Rodgers 1983, White 1975, White 2004), but there were others that I hadn't heard about (Lunn 1979, Rodgers n.d.). I haven't read them yet, but I will. I also came across a few things that mention the Anglo-Russian Military Convention, so I'll need to look into that more.

On the website it mentioned that they have the poor relief records as well, but I was told they can only be viewed during weekday hours. Although, my great-grandmother Sofija would probably not be in that book. She'll probably be in the one for Glasgow, which I was told should be at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. I was told they may even have some police or alien registration records. I'll definitely need to make time to check up on those. The Police Museum in Glasgow might be another place to check, *if* the records even exist.

Another new lead is the Edinburgh Gazette (supposedly available online), which published name changes in Scotland from around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. They must have wanted to keep tabs of potential revolutionaries!

Finally, I was told that I would need to contact the Social History Curator, but I should be able to see the Lithuanian objects that they've got in their collection.

That's quite a lot for only going to ask about a photo! Why didn't I go earlier?

Archive Response

While we were in Vilnius, we also took the opportunity to check the archive for the documents necessary to exercise the "right of return" and apply for Lithuanian citizenship. We visited both the Central Archive and the Historical Archive and viewed some documents, but ultimately requested for a couple searches to be done on our behalf. Last Friday I received the first response, and I've been trying to decipher it ever since. I finally resorted to some help from Elena. There's some really interesting (and some uncomfortable) information there!! The short of it, though, is that the documents held at the Central Archive aren't quite enough for the application yet: they show that močiute was resident there after 1940, but not that she was a citizen. Hopefully the request we made for her birth certificate will show this.

Response from the Central Archive

The interesting (and somewhat chilling) part of the letter says that močiute's first husband served in the "Vermachte" or Wehrmacht - the Nazi military!! It's not clear if he enlisted voluntarily or was conscripted during the occupation. I really hope that it is the latter. I know that he was a police officer, so hopefully they were simply folded into the ranks when the Germans arrived. The wikipedia entry on the Wehrmact does say that "the 'voluntary' nature of such recruitment was often rather dubious, especially in the later years of the war". Nevertheless, this reflects the rather uncomfortable fact that many Lithuanians welcomed the Nazis as liberators because they had chased out the Soviets.

I don't know if the record stating all this was made by the Germans (keeping track of their troops) or the Russians (compiling a hit list of enemy collaborators), but either way the family was marked. The document this letter is referring to is the reason my grandmother had to leave Lithuania. Otherwise she most certainly would have been deported to Siberia when the Soviets eventually returned.

The next part of the letter says that there are no other documents stating that my grandmother lived at that address (135 Vaidoto gatve, Kaunas), for example when the 1942 census was taken. Which means she must have been married after 1942 and should, thus, appear on the census with her family in Vilkaviškis or in Kaunas (with an aunt, I believe).

The final part of the letter gives the census details for the rest of the Apanavičius family, which affirms that I've got a match. Močiute's best recollection of the Apanavičius family is pretty darn close. It makes me want to contact them. The best I know is that they settled in Ohio (or was it Chicago?) - anyhow, I have it in močiute's old address book.

Apanavičius family as recalled by močiute.

TRANSCRIPTION:

In Vilnius labor exchange archive section about people whose relatives worked for police or vermachte ... during 1941-1944, there is a card for Apanavičienė Marija, born 1921, lived in Kaunas Vaidotas gatve 135. It is said in file that her husband (name not included) is serving vermacht.

Based on: F. R-626, ap. 1, b. 335, 1. 37.

NOTE: There are no more documents confirming that Marija Apanavičienė lived in Kaunas, Vaidotas gatve 135, or that she was Lithuania citizen in archives, [based on the details] you gave.

Documents about census before year 1940 the archives does not have.

According to Lithuania statistics archive, national census of Lithuania general area in 1942 May 27th, in Kaunas city, A. Panemunė land, Vaidotas st. 136, residents Jurgis Apanavičius household was:
- Jurgis Apanavičius, born 1889 in Kaunas, shop owner-assistant, head of family
- Marijona Apanavičienė, wife, born 1907 in Kaunas, Pažaislis, working member of the family
- Vytautas Apanavičius, son, born 1921 in Kaunas, finance manager (working place section says "Battalion")
- Algimantas Apanavičius, son, born 1928 in A. Panemunė
- Elvyra Apanavičiūtė, daughter, born 1932 in A. Panemunė
- Reimundas Apanavičius, son, born1934 in A Panemunė
- Marijonas Apanavičius, relative, born 1924 in Kaunas.
All persons of Lithuanian nationality (F.R-743, ap. 2, b. 2001)

The Man Who Bought a Horse

While we were in Pasvalys, Juozas Matulis (our grandfather's brother) told us a very interesting story that I'm not certain I'd ever heard before. There were several years that the family in Lithuania thought our grandfather was dead. He explained that not long after Vacys was taken by the Nazis, the family received word that (from a Lithuanian friend?) that he had been killed somewhere near Kaunas. And years passed before anything to the contrary came through. Juozas told us that it was in 1953 that the family received a letter postmarked from United States with a single sentence: "The man who bought a horse in [a specific year] is writing you a letter". They knew exactly what it meant - he had survived and made his way to America - but there was no way for the authorities to determine who it was.

The primary reason he had to flee was because the Soviets would have pegged him as an enemy. Despite being forced into labor by the Nazis, the Soviets would have made no distinction and deported him (and possibly the whole family) to Siberia. He couldn't go back or allow the Soviets to know he'd ever existed. It took him 5 entire years of living in the United States before he even decided to send that cryptic message. It had been about 10 since they'd seen him.

Here's a video of Juozas recounting the story for the camera. Unfortunately I can't (yet) understand it and translate here:

(Sorry for the bad audio, I accidentally deleted the second channel)

I know that he eventually was assured that it was safe to send communications because letters, postcards, and family photos were exchanged. But he lived under fear of the Soviets even 5000 miles away. His paranoia in later years is entirely understandable given these experiences.

I just wish he was still living so that I could get his recollection of the story. I may have even gotten pieces of it before, but without the bigger context, the fine details get lost. I recall clearly him talking about the brutality of the Nazis and the starvation conditions in which they were kept. And I remember him telling stories about sneaking out at night to steal food, in full knowledge that they'd be killed on the spot if they were caught. I wonder if he actually escaped for good, and engineered the whole story of his death to protect his family. Did he ask a friend to report to his family that he'd been killed? Where'd he go after that? And when did he decide that he would flee the approaching Soviets? Sadly, all the firsthand knowledge of this is now lost. I've got just one cassette of him talking, recorded by Nick, which might hold some clues. Now I've just got to find a tape deck!

This whole story, though, makes me wonder about močiute's brother Kazimieras. Her mother always believed that he was alive and would someday come find them. I always thought that belief was maintained because nobody ever got closure on his killing, but now I wonder, is there a chance he survived, assumed another identity, and never contacted the family for fear of putting them in danger? It's far-fetched and unlikely, but not impossible. If he didn't survive until independence, maybe it never would have been revealed.

Return to the Homeland

I'm just back from a return trip to the homeland. This time I brought two cousins from New York. They came over to Scotland at the start of the month, and we all traveled over to Lithuania a few days later. It was a really great time. We did a lot of the same things as I did last year (including meeting a lot of family!), plus a few extras like a journey to Nida, the Hill of Crosses, and caught a couple national basketball games. Jesse (my cousin), not be confused with Jessee (my partner), is a filmmaker, so we also did some shooting to make a short documentary. The plan is to expand it, later on, into a full length movie.

Meeting the Rolwich clan
(Jesse, Martin, Nick, me, Brian)

Festival Time

Portobello Beach

Calton Hill

First stop in Lithuania was Klaipeda and Nida to get a feel for the coastal area and spectacular environments. It was a quick trip, but very nice.

Dunes

Nida

Baltic Sea

We spent most of our time in Vilnius with second cousins, Elena and Vygintas.

Waiting on cepelinai with Elena and Vygintas

Old Town, Vilnius

The view from Elena and Vygintas's top floor flat.

We also met Sandra, another second cousin from another branch of the family.

Film Crew

Waiting of more cepelinai at my favorite place Dvaras Restoranas
(Elena, Sandra, Jesse, Nick, Vygintas, me)

And we took in the sights, such as the famed Vilnius TV Tower and Trakai Castle.

We made a trip to the hallowed grounds of the
Vilnius TV Tower, site of the January 13th events.

Beautiful day at Trakai

Trakai Castle

And back to Vilnius for the night.

Squeezed into the wee elevator on our way back up to V&E's.

Soviet style housing.

Interviewing Vygintas's brother Gytenis.

We also went to see Rumšiskes, an open-air village museum that has a collection of relocated, late 19th and early 20th century homes. They would have been much like the one my grandfather was born in. Unfortunately, we got there rather late and had intermittent downpours, so we didn't actually get to see that much of it. Another visit is definitely in order.

Probably not unlike the house in which Tevuk was born.

Rumšiskes
(Nick, Elena, Jesse, Vygintas)

We stayed nearby at Vygintas's family's place, which was a really nice spot outside of the city. Part of the reason we went there was to get the opportunity to interview his grandmother, who spent 10 years in exile in Siberia. Such an incredible woman. Her memory is quite clouded now, and her stories are circular, but so cheerful in spite of what she endured. She's quite happy now, and we didn't ask her to talk about anything that would have been traumatic (she no doubt witnessed brutality and starvation). Mostly she talked about the bears, which would intrude on their village and eat their berries. The possibility of bear encounters was clearly something that troubled them, as she repeated the story many times. It was a literal danger as well as a metaphorical one, given the symbolism of the Soviet Bear.

We made a circuit up north, as well, to see all the relatives: Pociuneliai, Mitriunai, Pakiršinys, Pasvalys, and Panevežys. We also stopped at Šiauliai to see the Hill of Crosses. It was a long day, and we met quite a few more people than I met last time.

Family branch stemming from Tevuk's brother, Valiukas.

Me, Jesse, Adolis, Nick, Kristina, Elena, Arunas

Nick, Adolis (Tevuk's brother), me, Jesse

Elena, Jesse, Danute, Juozas (Tevuk's brother), Arunas, Nick, me

Juozas and Adolis look like they could be twins, but I believe there's a couple years between them. Last stop before returning to Kaunas was Panevežys to see Ada, Tevuk's neice, and her wife Povilas.

Elena, Nick, Povilas, me, Arunas, Ada
Jesse

Of course we need to try on Povilas's Soviet and Lithuanian police uniforms.

Taking in the sights around Kaunas.

Filming in Old Town, Kaunas

Not quite the pose that močiute was in when she sat here some 70+ years earlier.

That's more like it.

Loreta Matuliene

Old Town, Kaunas

And we couldn't miss Arunas's workshop Potomkinas. When I went there last year, I knew that Jess and Nick would find it incredible, and sure enough they did. It's a massive space with a mish-mash of all sorts of art, projects, meditation space, construction, and junk (marvelous junk!).

Potomkinas

A magical place.

I love the look of some of this old stuff.

I think this would polish up nicely.

And of course Arunas took us on some of his "small excursions" to sites around the city, including the Second Fort, which is an old Imperial Russian emplacement that was bombed by the Germans when they invaded (during WWI).

Arunas looking godly at the Second Fort

Old Town, Kaunas

We saw two basketball games while we were there too, one at the start against Ukraine, and one on our last night against Slovenia. It was really something else! I especially wanted to see the game against Ukraine because of the current political situation. There is strong solidarity between the countries because Lithuanians understand what it's like to be the target of Russian aggression. There was at least a couple Ukrainian flags being flown in the die-hard Lithuanian fan section.

Solidarity

The second game we saw was even more exciting. We had much better seats - just ten rows up from the floor and directly behind Sabonis and Marčiulionis, who were in attendance (not to mention Algirdas Butkevičius, the current Prime Minister). Sabonis frequently attends games as head of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, but Marčiulionis was there to receive recognition for recently being inducted to the NBA Hall of Fame. It was a hard fought win, and the atmosphere was electric. Loreta came with us for this one, and I'm pretty sure we made a real fan out of her. We all had a really good time.

Sabonis and Marčiulionis!!

Darjus Lavrinovič

Mantas Kalnietis

Jonas Valančiunas

Big stars Sabonis and Marčiulionis awarding up-and-comer Valančiunas
with tournament MVP

Kalnietis accepting the team trophy for going undefeated in the
friendly tournament.

Team Photo

It was a fantastic trip, and it's astonishing how close of a bond you can form in such a short time. Jess and Nick both commented on that as well. It was as though we'd spent years together. They all really made us feel welcome.

Farewell!
(Nick, Loreta, Jesse, and Bella)

Vilnius from above.