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