Tapestry Design

I haven't posted any updates about the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry since my first post about it, but I've been in intermittent contact with the coordinators. I've been offering my take on the Lithuanian "reverse diaspora" to Scotland, and the subsequent deportations under the Anglo-Russian Military Convention. I've emphasized the importance of the treaty to the fate of Lithuanian community in Scotland because it was really what lead to it's decline. And it actually connects to the diaspora theme better than anything else, considering that people like my great-uncle Kazimiras were Scottish-born and ended up having to leave.

I'm glad to say that they've included it in the design. They even offered to do an entire second panel dedicated to the treaty, but they're short on stitchers and I can't devote the time to it right now. Anyhow they sent a preliminary design and I'm quite happy with it.

Rollin(itis)

I receive the Scotland's People newsletter periodically, and over the last couple years they've been making announcements of newly released "valuation rolls", which are records of property ownership. I haven't paid them much attention because my Scottish-Lithuanian ancestors were almost certainly not property owners. Little did I know, however, the valuation rolls also list tenants of properties!

I've only done a preliminary search so far, but I've found a few. I've turned up Vincent, William, John, and Antanas Kisielius. I'm not certain if any of them is related, but I suspect they are brothers of Kazimiras Sr. John might actually be their uncle. But detailed family information isn't provided on the rolls, so they probably won't help that much. In fact, they seem to only list the head of household.

At first, I wasn't finding anything when I searched for Raulinitis (and its variants), so I decided to have a look using the address where I know they were located for a time, 178 Rose Street. And I found what I believe to be a match. It lists a "Matthew Rollin, miner". It's got to be Motiejus, my great-great-grandfather - correct address, correct time, similar sounding Anglicized name. Again, it doesn't tell me much about the family, but knowing that they also used "Rollin" could be a real help. That means they went by Raulinitis, Rolwich, Rowland, and Rollin, all of which came from the most probable correct version, Raulinaitis.

Something rather interesting it does show, however, is the amount that it cost in rent per year. In 1915, they were paying 9 pounds 5 shillings. But by 1920 they were paying 11 pounds 5 shillings. More than 21% increase in rent in just 5 years!! Bloodly slumlords! From what I understand, people were living in absolute squalor in that area during that time, and to see how they were being squeezed of what little that had really gets me. At least the 1915 roll lists the proprietor, Mary Archibald of Lenzie, so we can know who was leeching off of those who were doing real work. I'd spit now, for dramatic effect, if weren't for the fact that you'd never know and I'd just have to clean it up in a few minutes.

1915 rent £9, 5s.

1920 rent £11, 5s.

The Note from Kazimiras

As I mentioned in this post, Chute's brother wrote a note on the back of a photo shortly after he was abducted by the Soviets.

Kazimiras Kisielius with fellow soldiers, Lithuania probably winter 1940/41.

He was in the Lithuanian military and, as I understand it, he disappeared after the first Soviet occupation that began in June 1940. I showed the photo once to a military historian from Lithuania, and he said it was likely from the winter of 1940/1941 because he was able to identify Russian army tabs on their Lithuanian uniforms. I guess that means the Soviets conscripted or at least subordinated the existing Lithuanian soldiers prior to getting rid of them. I don't know the history well enough to know what is most likely to have happened to him, but I've always assumed he was deported and/or executed. During the first Soviet occupation, thousands of dissidents and potential resistors were sent to Siberia and suffered terribly (read the incredible Between Shades of Gray for more). But there's a chance he was enlisted to fight the advancing Nazi army. I really don't know the fate of these soldiers.

On my trip to Lithuania, however, I asked at the Lithuanian Special Archive (Lietuvos Ypatingasis Archyvas) if they might have information about him. They said it was possible, but that I needed documentation showing direct relation in order to obtain it. Since it was easier to document the connection between Chute and Kazimiras, I helped her to write a request when I saw her over Christmas. I received a bill for €12.52 shortly after the request was submitted, so I know they're working on it.

In the mean time, I've tried my hand at translating Kazimiras's note on the back of his photo.

Reverse side of photo above, written by Kazimiras.

Here's the transcribed Lithuanian to the best that I was able to decipher it:

Pivonija ukmergei

Mano Brangieji!

Su liūdešiu, širdyje aš tariu jums paskutinė sudiev! Nes jau skaitydami šias eilutes, manes tuo metu nebus___. Kaip norėjau, nors valandėls pamatyti jūsu brangius veidelius, bučiuoti jūsu rankeles ir karštai, karštai prispausti prie savo krūtinės bet likimas nubloškė mane, ir tik vien atminimas manasis pasiliks jūsu širdyse. Ne liūdėk, žuvau ar žusio, kaip kariui pridera žūva milijonai, o [ka?/ko?] mano [rieno?] gyvybė proče tai. Sudiev, sudiev mano Brangiausiejs.

Likimas lėmė man gerai ir esu gyvas sveikas.

And this is what I was able to translate with the help of google:

Pivonija [a village?] Ukmergei [a region?]

My dear ones!

With sadness in my heart, I said my last farewell to you! Because you're reading these lines, [manes tuo manes neb___]. How I wished for a while to see your precious [smiles?], kiss your hands and be pressed against your warm, warm chest, but fate threw me and only a mere memory will remain in your hearts. No sorrow, [if I] die or perish, as death befits millions of soldiers, and what [rieno?] my life [proče?] that. Farewell, farewell my dearest.

Then the ink changes color and he adds:

Good fortune I am alive an healthy. 

It's a REALLY POOR translation, I'm certain! But it's really hard to work out hand written cursive when you don't have a base vocabulary to help. And I still can't really make sense of what he was saying. It's almost as if he was writing a message before going into battle that was to be sent if he was killed. But the final line, in the other ink, suggests he survived. I don't know why he would then still send it with all the rest on there. It must have been really upsetting to receive. It was the last the family ever heard from him though, so things must have turned for the worse afterwards.

I really hope the Special Archive is able to tell us something. I think it would mean a lot to Chute to know what actually happened. Here she is talking about when he was taken away and how important he was to her:

Antonina Kemešienė

I've been working hard with my vastly inadequate Lithuanian, assisted by Google Translate, to decode what is written on the death certificate I mentioned in the last post. And I think I've figured out most of it. Here's what I've got:

	Death Day	Age of Deceased	When, where, who died? What disease did they have, or what was the cause of death, given last rights?	Has been married and how many years? What they did and where they were [prisirašiusi]? What was the parish? What was the name of the parents? What is left of the family?	What, when and where buried?
Original	9	45	Tūkstantis devyni šimtai dvidešimts šeštaio metais, Rug[iučio/jutis] devinta diena, Kurgul[eione?] Krekenavos valščiaus, Panevėžio apskrities, mirė Antonina Kemešienė gimusė Beironi[te?], širdies liga.	Ištekėjusi [48?] metu, ūkininkė, prisirašiusi prie Krekenavos valščiaus, Panevėžio apskr[ities] šios parapijos. Kazimiero Beironio dūktė. Šeimynos paliko: vyro Konstanta, sūnus: Juoza 26m, Silvestra 23m, dūkteris: Veronika 21m, Ona 28m, Vincenta 30m ir Petronele 31m.	Kun[?] jos palaidojo Klebonas kunigas Yonas Steikunas 11 rugpiučia špū. Pociuneliu parapijos kapuose.
Translation	9	45	One thousand nine hundred twenty sixth year, ninth day of August, Kurgul[ai?], Kekenava district, Panevežys county, died Antonina Kemešiene born Beiron[yte?], heart disease.	Married [48?] years, farmer, [prisirašiusi?] near Krekenava district, Panevežys county, this parish. Daughter of Kazimieras Beironis. Family remaining: husband Konstantas, sons: Juozas 26, Silvestras 23, daughters: Veronika 21, Ona 28, Vincenta 30, and Petronele 31.	Her body was buried by pastor Yonas Steikunas, 11 August [špū.] Počiuneliai parish under the sod.

This tells me at least a few really interesting things. First, Antonina's father, my 3x-great-grandfather, was called Kazimieras Beironis. That's another generation back that I hadn't yet found anything about. Second, there is another Silvestras! My great-grandmother Ona's brother also had the name. Ona eventually married Silvestras Matulis, which is where I always assumed my name came from, but it appears to go even farther back than that, and on both sides.

Some of it is still unclear because it appears to say she was 45 years old, but was married for 48 years. This matters because one of the things I want to know is if Ona and Petronele are full or half sisters. If Antonina was actually married to Konstantas for 48 years, they probably are full sisters.

To do next:

1. find Antonina's birth record to establish age
2. find Antonina's and Konstantas' marriage to establish length of marriage
3. find birth records of Ona and Petronele to establish if they are full or half sisters

The last thing is that I'm pretty sure that one of the photos I have is of Antonina's funeral. I got it originally from Phyllis. And when I was in Lithuania Raimundas helped me to translate the inscription on the back. It explains that the mother of the recipient of the photo is in the casket. Since Phyllis had it, it must have originally been sent to Petronele by Konstantas. He is pictured to the right of the casket with the recognizable (and impressive!) mustache (topped only by the guy on the far left).

Funeral for Antonina Kemešiene

A Discovery!

I'm not certain how I didn't realize this until just now, but Lithuania's birth, marriage, and death records are available online! They are on the ePaveldas or "eHeritage" site, http://www.epaveldas.lt/. They're not indexed or searchable, but a lot of books are there. Judging by what is available for Počiuneliai, it doesn't look like it's the same inventory as what I found in Vilnius, but at least I'll be able to do some searching of my Matulis and Kemešys roots without having to wait to go back to the archive in Vilnius. Actually, what is on ePaveldas appears to be even more comprehensive than what I found in Vilnius. I'm working on downloading and printing the books already (since they're not searchable, they're much easier to browse in print).

The only thing that will hold me back now is the language. Many are in script Russian, which is about as easy to decipher as ancient runes. Others are in Lithuanian, Polish, and even Latin! Looks like my four years of Latin in high school may bear some fruit after all.

There are 25 Počiuneliai books available on the site:

Births [1782-1901]

• 1782-1801 in Latin
• 1796-1819 in Latin
• 1820-1828 in Latin
• 1828-1834 in Polish
• 1835-1848 in Polish
• 1849-1860 in Russian
• 1860-1870 in Russian
• 1870-1878 in Russian
• 1878-1890 in Russian
• 1891-1901 in Russian

Marriages [1909-1940]

• 1909-1920 in Russian
• 1921-1926 in Lithuanian
• 1927-1933 in Lithuanian
• 1934-1940 in Lithuanian

Deaths [1782-1940]

• 1782-1801 in Latin
• 1800-1828 in Latin
• 1828-1834 in Polish
• 1835-1848 in Polish
• 1849-1866 in Russian
• 1886-1880 in Russian [actually 1866-1880, typo on website]
• 1880-1897 in Russian
• 1898-1914 in Russian
• 1915-1920 in Russian
• 1921-1928 in Lithuanian
• 1928-1933 in Lithuanian
• 1933-1940 in Lithuanian

After only a quick flip through one of the books, I've already found a match. It's for Antonina Kemešiene, the wife of Konstantinas Kemešys (my 2x-great-grandfather). Antonina is who Phyllis identified as her great-grandmother and my great-grandmother's step-mother. I haven't yet been able to translate all the Lithuanian, but I can clearly see Ona and Petronele listed. I'm not clear yet if they are both full daughters or if Ona is a step-daughter, as Phyllis indicated. From their ages, which are listed, I should be able to find their birth records without too much trouble and then be certain.

Počiuneliai Deaths 1926
Antonina Kemešiene

Other siblings are listed there as well, so I should be able to reconstruct the family tree quite quickly and spread out from there. I've really uncovered a gold mine here!

Vytis Pin

Over the holidays, I was showing my mom the photos from my trip to Lithuania last September, and I was telling her the back story to photo of me wearing Soviet and Lithuanian police uniforms. I also explained how I ended up with a little piece of Lithuanian independence memorabilia, and she said I ought to write the story down so that someday, long from now, whoever finds it would understand its significance. The uniforms belonged to my grandfather's niece's husband, Polivas Ladukas.

With Ada Matulyte/Ladukiene and Povilas Ladukas

After we met Povilas and Ada in Pasvalys, they wanted us to come back to Panevezys to show us where they lived. They didn't speak a word of English, but Elena and Vygintas were there to help us. Povilas rightly guessed I would be very interested to see his police uniforms from his time in the Soviet and, later, the newly independent Lithuanian police forces. First he brought out the Soviet hat and noticed that I was looking closely at, and commenting on, the hammer and sickle emblem. It was incredible to me to be holding such a thing, given the historic tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Hammer and Sickle

Medals

Seeing how excited I was about it, he brought out his Lithuanian uniform. This one, of course, had none of the Soviet insignia on it. On the hat, in place of the hammer and sickle, was the emblem of Vytautas the Great, an important Duke of medieval Lithuania.

Vytis

For me, the symbolism was very strong. That emblem represented the freedom of Lithuanians from the oppressive and authoritarian Soviet government. I enthusiastically pointed this out, and then put the hat on my head, puffed up my chest, and strutted around for my cousins' entertainment. I wanted to express, without language, that I understood the significance of it all.

Proudly Lithuanian

My enthusiasm must have made an impression on Povilas because, as we were leaving, he pulled the Vytis emblem off of one of his uniforms and handed it to me to keep. This really meant a lot to me. I wouldn't have ever asked for such a thing, and I was actually somewhat reluctant to see it separated from the rest of the uniform, but I certainly am glad to have it.

Photos from Mom

While I was home for the holidays, I also scanned some photos from my mom's old albums. I won't write much about them now, but I'll include them below.

My mom's mom, Marzia (or "Marteece") O'Neil
Leitner, who I always called Nama.

My mom's dad, Alfred Leitner, who I always called Dampa.

Nama

Mom

Dampa acting goofy.

Dampa's mother, Lona Machlup Leitner

Tevuk pushing my sister Lacy and cousin Jesse around in a wheel barrow.

A "typical country scene" featuring Tevuk's barn in the local newspaper.

East Schodack NY, the village
where I was born.

Tevuk's garden at the farm.

Nama giving Dampa a haircut.

Nama and Mikey the Cat

Dampa with Taffy the Dog

Nama and Dampa in Provincetown, Cape Cod