1. LITHUANIA: 1864–1903

by Alan Craig         Download the PDF of this page (9.4 MB)

Sakalupis Estate (Sakalupėnai palivarkas)

The earliest official record we have for our Lithuanian relatives is the parish entry for my great-great-grandparents’ marriage in January 1864. Simonas Melnikaitis and Ona Vidrinskaitė were married in the Catholic Church at  Vladislovov — a town which, since 1934, has been called Kudirkos Naumiestis. This town is in the far west of Lithuania, now in the District of Vilkaviškis, County of Marijampolė; but when our family lived there, it was the Governorate of Suvalki, and part of the Tsar’s Russian Empire. When they married, Simonas was living and working on a farming estate known as ‘Sakalupis’, which lies a bit over 8 km (5 miles) south-west of Vladislovov, and hard by the modern border with the Russian ‘exclave’ of Kaliningrad Oblast. Kaliningrad is a tiny province that today houses the Russian Baltic Fleet, and Europe’s largest military base. The Širvinta River forms the border at this point.

“Banks of the Širvinta”: A fiddle tune I wrote in 1981 to symbolise my connection to Lithuania. It blends the modal scales of the Baltic with rhythms from my Celtic ancestry.

What is now Kaliningrad was, in 1864, Königsberg, an East Prussian province (which included a northern area known as ‘Lithuania Minor’), which was unceremoniously annexed by the Russians after World War II. The native German population were forcibly expelled or murdered, and the Soviets shipped in unwanted Poles from Belarus and Ukraine to fill the gap. The borders in this part of the world have long been fluid. However, Simonas and Ona married just one year before the Lithuanian language was banned by the Tsar, and this record gives us their parents’ names (names in purple are my direct ancestors):

1864 LITHUANIA MARRIAGES: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ¹Source:  MELNIKAS, Simonas & VIDRINSKAITĖ, Ona; Lithuania O.P.R. Marriages; F.1236; Ap.4; B.172; L.77; Nr.4; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This marriage occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 24th of January, 1864 at 2pm. In the presence of witnesses Silvestras Keblinskas, 27 years old farmer from Gustainiškiai village, and Simonas Gudžentis, 24 years old hired-labourer from Lauckaimis village, a religious marriage was concluded between Simonas Melnikas, 34 years old, born in Katromyslė village of the Kalvarija district, and who resides in Sakalupėnai palivarkas [Sakalupis Estate], the son of already deceased Stanislovas Melnikas and Ieva née Stepšytė, and Ona Vidrinskaitė, 22 years old, born and residing at her brother’s house in Lauckaimis village, the daughter of deceased Juozapas Vidrinskas and Magdalena Vidrinskas née Venciūtė living at the son’s house in Lauckaimis village. Three banns were called before the marriage in Vladislavov church, on 10th, 17th and 24th of January of this year. The newly-weds announced that no marriage agreement between them was concluded. The religious marriage ceremony was conducted by the priest Juozapas Marma. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for the illiterates by the priest Kolbauskas.

As this record tells us, my great-great-grandmother, Ona Vidrinskaitė (i.e. daughter of Vidrinskas), was living a little to the north at the nearby village of Lauckaimis with her brother when she married. This village is roughly halfway between Sakalupis and the town of Vladislavov. We also see that Simonas was born in a village called Katromyslė, in the Kalvarija district. This place is not on modern maps, but it is on one from the 1850s, and lay on a bend in the Šešupė River 6 km (4 miles) directly south of Marijampolė, and about 43 km (27 miles) south-east of Lauckaimis as the crow flies.  Once married, Ona moved to Sakalupis with her husband, and at least three of her children were born there: Petronėlė (1864); Juozapas (1867); and Jonas (1874). There are likely to have been many more children, but quite a few records have disappeared, and we can just count ourselves lucky to have these (a list of missing years can be found here). My great-grandmother’s parents were married in January, and she arrived later that year in November:

1864 LITHUANIA O.P.R. BAPTISMS: Sakalupis, Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ²Source: MELNIKAITYTĖ, Petronėlė; Lithuania O.P.R. Baptisms; F.1236; Ap.4; B.172; L.48; Nr.266; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This baptism occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 1st of November, 1864 at 2 pm. Personally arrived Simonas Melnikaitis, 36 years old from Sakalupėnai palivarkas [Sakalupis Estate] where he resides and serves, together with witnesses Jurgis Savickas, 22 years old, and Stanislovas Petraitis, 32 years old, both who reside and serve in Sakalupėnai, and showed a female baby stating that she was born in Sakalupėnai palivarkas on 1st of November, at 2am, by his legal wife Ona née Vidrinskaitė, 32 years old. In the baptismal ceremony, the priest Mykolas Snabauskas granted the name Petronėlė to the baby. The Godparents were Jurgis Savickas and Rožė Šatner. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for illiterates by the priest Kolbauskas.

Nothing is known of the family for the next 20-odd years, but Petronėlė Melnikaitytė reappears in the parish records when she married her first husband, Pranciškus Simanavičius, in September 1886. Pranciškus worked as a farm labourer at ‘Slibinai’, a neighbouring estate to Sakalupis. Slibinai was also the birthplace of a noted Lithuanian national figure, Dr Juozas Bagdonas (1866–1956), who we mention again later on. Petronėlė and Pranciškus were married at the church in Vladislavov (see picture below) in September 1886, and the marriage record tells us that he was born in Kataučizna — a village on the south-eastern outskirts of Vladislavov — and that he was the illegitimate son of Ona Simanavičiūtė. By now, Petronėlė’s father was also a plot-holder at Lauckaimis, and probably no longer working at Sakalupis:

1886 LITHUANIA O.P.R. MARRIAGES: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ³Source: MELNIKAITYTĖ, Petronėlė & Simanavičius, Pranciškus; F.1236; Ap.1; B.77; L.91; Nr.45; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This marriage occurred in Vladislavov on 16th/28th of September 1886, at 11 am, in the presence of witnesses, residents of Lauckaimis village, Juozapas Grigaitis, 46 years old plot-holder, and Juozapas Dekeras, 25 years old son of a farmer. The religious marriage was concluded between Pranciškus Simanavičius, 23 years old, born in Kataučizna village and residing in Slibinai village, illegitimate son of already deceased Ona Simanavičiūtė, and Petronėlė Melnikaitytė, 21 year old, born in Sakalupėnai palivarkas [Sakalupis Estate] and residing in Lauckaimis village, daughter of plot-holders from Lauckaimis village, Simonas Melnikaitis and Ona Melnikaitis née Vidrinskaitė. Three banns were called before the marriage in Vladislavov church — on 17th/29th of August, 24th of August/4th of September, 31st of August/12th of September. The newly-weds announced that no [previous] marriage agreement between them was concluded. The religious marriage ceremony was conducted by the priest Saliamonas Goliakas.

An interesting feature of the records for Lithuania at that time is that they were all written in Polish, or Russian, as the Lithuanian language was banned from 1864 by the Russian overlords. They also show two dates: one from Russia’s Julian calendar, and one from the Gregorian calendar that we use. The Russian Empire was in the process of switching calendars during this period, and all records had to show both forms. In all examples, the second is the correct one for us.

Lauckaimis Kaime (Village of Lauckaimis)

After their marriage, Petronėlė and Pranciškus seem to have lived for a while at Lauckaimis, before moving back to his home town of Kataučizna. We know their first born was Juozapas, who was born before December 1887 (parish record is missing), and was around one year old when their second child, Silvestras, arrived in October 1888. Nearly three months after Silvestras was born, Juozapas died at Lauckaimis — the parish records tell the story:

1888 LITHUANIA BAPTISMS: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis, Suvalki ⁴Source: Simanavičius, Silvestras; 1888 Lithuania Baptisms; F.1236; Ap.3; B.992; L.50; Nr.296; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Transation] This baptism occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 21st of September/3rd of October, 1888 at 3 pm. Personally arrived Pranciškus Simanavičius, 25 years old plot-holder from Lauckaimis village, together with witnesses Juozapas Baltrušis, 26 years old, and Juozapas Dekeras, 28 years old, both farmers and residing in Lauckaimis village, and showed a male baby stating that he was born on 21st of September/3rd of October at 3am in Lauckaimis village by his legal wife Petronėlė née Melnikaitytė, 23 years old. In the baptismal ceremony, the priest Mykolas Gavelis granted the name Silvestras to the baby. The Godparents are Vincentas Prapuolenis and Marijona Prapuolenienė. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for illiterates by the priest Goliakas.

So, in October 1888, Pranciškus was a “plot-holder from Lauckaimis”, but by December he was a “day labourer … temporarily residing in Lauckaimis [but] permanent resident of Kataučizna”. Perhaps Petronėlė had taken her sick child to her parent’s home for help; indeed, that seems entirely possible:

1888 LITHUANIA DEATHS: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis, Suvalki ⁵Source: Simanavičius, Juozapas; 1888 Lithuania Deaths; F.1236; Ap.3; B.992; L.174; Nr.298; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Transation] This death was recorded in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 17th/28th of December, 1888 at noon. Personally arrived Izidorius Petraitis, 38 years old tailor, and Pranciškus Vidrinskas, 38 years old daily labourer, both residents of Lauckaimis village, and stated that on 16th/27th of December at 7 pm in Lauckaimis village Juozapas Simanavičius, 1 year old, son of day labourer Pranciškus Simanavičius and his legal wife Petronėlė Melnikaitytė, temporarily residing in Lauckaimis village and permanent residents of Kataučizna village, passed away. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for illiterates by the priest Goliakas.

No death record has been found for Silvestras, but it seems likely he died before the family left Lithuania in about 1903. However, by May 1890, Petronėlė was pregnant again with her third child, Ona (later known as “Annie”), who was born on 10 February 1891, again in Lauckaimis — and now things get somewhat opaque. Ona was my grandmother’s older half sister, and the matriarch for another side of my mother’s family in Scotland — but she never knew her father. An ‘extract’ of her birth certificate was obtained from Lithuania in 1927 (the original parish document is now missing):

1891 LITHUANIA BIRTH EXTRACT: Vilkaviškio Yskupijos Naumiesčio ⁶Source: Simanavičiūtė, Ona; Vilkaviškio Vyskup Naumiečio (Rom. Cath Parish). Original extract held by Anne Bissett, Birkdale, Queensland.

Ona Simanavičiūtė
born: 10th February 1891
at: Lauckaimis Kaime [Village]
—
father: Pranciškus Simanavičius
mother: Petronėlė Melnikaitytė
—
certified: [Roman Catholic] Parish Pastor,
at: Naumiesčio, 23rd March 1927

The Years 1894–1903

Sometime between 1890 and 1894, Pranciškus Simanavičius departed this world, and Petronėlė married Jonas Šugžda, my great-grandfather. What happened to Pranciškus is open to conjecture; perhaps he was conscripted into the Tzar’s army (a major issue for Lithuanians at the time), or maybe he just died of an illness or injury — no one knows. However, to confuse matters further, the marriage date for Jonas and Petronėlė is given twice in Scottish records as September 6th, 1890 — but, if that date were correct, it raises several questions. To begin with, it would mean Petronėlė was four-months pregnant with Ona when she married Jonas, and her first husband, Pranciškus, could not have died before May 1890 (to have fathered Ona).  This seems an unlikely scenario. Additionally, there is no entry in the 1890 parish records (which are still extant) for a marriage between Jonas Šugžda and Petronėlė. I think we must accept that the September 1890 date is a mistake. The Vladislavov parish records for 1891 to 1894 are missing, but a marriage for  Jonas and Petronėlė in 1893/94 seems probable.

The next event we can be reasonably certain of is the birth of Petronėlė’s fourth child (the first for Jonas): Juozas (“Joe”) Šugžda. Unfortunately, the parish record for his birth is also missing, but from his Scottish marriage in 1917, we learn he was born in 1894, and his U.S. draft registration in 1942 gives us the actual date: 12 December 1894. Also, we know his birthplace from his 1922 U.S. immigration record, which he gave as “Lauskuimiai, Lithuania” — surely a misspelling of ‘Lauckaimis’. This couple’s second child (the 5th for Petronėlė) was Pranciškus, and we do have the parish records for his birth and death:

1896 LITHUANIA O.P.R. BAPTISMS: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ⁷Source: Šugžda, Pranciškus; 1896 Lithuania Baptisms; F.1236; Ap.3; B.926; L.33; Nr.193; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This baptism occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 29th of May / 10th of June, 1896 at 7 am. Personally arrived Jonas Šugžda, 27 years old lodger from Lauckaimis village, together with witnesses Pranciškus Sroginis, 35 years old plot-holder from Lauckaimis village, and Jonas Skučas, 37 years old sexton from Vladislavov township, and showed a male baby stating that he was born on 29th of May / 10th of June at 4 am in Lauckaimis village by his legal wife Petronėlė née Melnikaitytė, 31 year old. In the baptismal ceremony, the priest Jonas Naujokas granted the name Pranciškus to the baby. The Godparents were Pranciškus Sroginis and Ona Sroginienė. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for illiterates by the priest Goliakas.

1896 LITHUANIA O.P.R. DEATHS: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ⁸Source: Šugžda, Pranciškus; 1896 Lithuania Deaths; F.1236; Ap.3; B.926; L.145; Nr.136; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This death was recorded in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 9th/21st of June, 1896 at 3 pm. Personally Jonas Benokraitis, 31 year old, and Pranciškus Vosylius, 32 years old, both plot-holders from Lauckaimis village, and stated that on 8th/20th of June at 10pm in Lauckaimis village, Pranciškus Šugžda, one week old, son of residents of Lauckaimis village plot-holder Jonas Šugžda and his legal wife Petronėlė née Melnikaitytė, passed away. This decree was announced to the audience and signed for illiterates by the priest Goliakas.

As you can see, Pranciškus only lasted a week, and he was the second of five children to die in infancy. From his birth and death entries, we know his father, Jonas Šugžda, was a plot-holder (probably a tenant farmer) in Lauckaimis, and this was confirmed in other records.

Bronislovis (“Barney”) came 18 months later, but we only know his details from his 1924 U.S. border crossing record, which gives his birthdate as 13 February 1898, and place of birth as “Lauckainis, Kaunas, Lith.” — again, ‘Lauckaimis’ is misspelt, but Kaunas was the regional capital. The couple’s fourth child, Vladislovas, was also to die young, and we have his baptism, but not his death record:

1899 LITHUANIA O.P.R. BAPTISMS: Parish of Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis ⁹Source: Šugžda, Vladislovas; 1899 Lithuania Baptisms; F.1236; Ap.4; B.172; L.48; Nr. 55; Vladislavov, Vilkaviškis.

[Translation] This baptism occurred in Vladislavov [Kudirkos Naumiestis] on 21st of May / 2nd of June 1899, at 2 pm. Personally arrived Jonas Šugžda, 30 years old plot-holder from Lauckaimis village, together with witnesses Vladislovas Vasiliauskas, 24 years old son of a town-dweller, and Jonas Skučas, 40 years old sexton, both residents of Vladislavov township, and showed a male baby stating that he was born on 20th of May / 1st of June at 9pm in Lauckaimis village by his legal wife Petronėlė née Melnikaitytė, 34 years old. In the baptismal ceremony, the priest Konstantinas Kudirka granted the name of Vladislovas to the baby. The Godparents were Vladislovas Vasiliauskas and Agota Pačinaitienė. This decree was announced to the audience and signed by the first witness, Vladislovas Vasiliauskas, for the illiterate father, and signed for the second witness by the priest Goliakas.

An interesting thing to note was that the priest Saliamonas Goliakas officiated at all the marriages, births and deaths for our family from 1886 to at least 1899.

Enter Petronėlė “Sarah” Šugždaitė (my grandmother)

Like her older half-sister, Ona (“Annie”), my grandmother (5th for Jonas and 8th for Petronėlė) obtained an extract of her baptismal record in 1927. This record, confirms her parents as Jonas Šugžda and Petronėlė Melnikaitytė, and gives her place of birth as “Lauckaimio Kaime” (‘kaime’ means ‘village’). My granny was the first child of this family born in the new century, but was unlikely to be the last born in Lithuania:

1901 LITHUANIA BIRTH EXTRACT: Vilkaviškio Yskupijos Naumiesčio ¹⁰Source: ŠUGŽDAITĖ, Petronėlė Juze; Vilkaviškio Vyskup Naumiečio (R.C. Parish). Original extract held by Alan Craig, Brisbane, Australia.

Petronėlė Juzė Šugždaitė
born: date 6th November, 1901    
at: Lauckaimio Kaime [Lauckaimis Village]
—
father: Jonas Šugžda
mother: Petronėlė Melnikaitytė
—
certified: [Roman Catholic] Parish Pastor
at: Naumiesčio, 23rd March 1927

But wait! There’s more! It seems there was one other daughter, previously unknown to us, named “Maggie”  (Magdelena ?). I only accidentally discovered her a few years ago in Scottish records from 1904. From her death certificate, we can calculate she was likely to have been born in late 1902 (but more on her later).

So, by November 1902, Jonas Šugžda, a plot-holder, and his wife Petronėlė Melnikaitytė were living at Lauckaimis with at least five surviving children: Ona, Juozas, Bronislovis, Petronėlė Juzė, and Maggie. Jonas’ fourth child (Petronėlė’s seventh), Vladislovas, may still have been alive then, but it’s likely he died earlier. Interestingly, the name “Šugžda” seems quite rare, with few examples found on the Internet; apart from entries for the children above, the name does not appear anywhere else in the extant parish records for Vladislovov — perhaps Jonas had come to the district from another part of Lithuania. We only know, from Jonas’s death certificate in Scotland, that his parents were Jurgis Šugžda, farmer, and Agota Klimaitė (i.e. daughter of Klimaitas). But, sometime after November, this family packed what goods and chattels they had and, without a backward glance, clandestinely departed Lithuania forever.

We next find them in Bellshill, Scotland  ➤

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This chart shows the families of Jonas Šugžda and Petronėlė Melnikaitytė — it also shows the connections for Petronėlė’s oldest daughter (from her first marriage), Ona Zinkevičius née Simanavičiūtė.