Jonas Zvingis and Marijona Davidauskaite - Jewish connection plus Russian Soldier - 3x Grandparents

I had researcher Vincas B do some digging through the http://www.epaveldas.lt/ church records for me. He found the following goodie!

Viekšniai church, same parish in 18 of January, 1883. Priest Antanas Petrošius married Reserve Private Juozapas Žvingis, single, 31 years old ( b.1852 ) from Pluogai? village, son of peasants Jonas Žvingis and Marijona Davidauskaitė, legal spouses and peasant Morta Mileškaitė, single, 22 years old (b 1861) from Mažeikiai village, Viekšniai parish, daughter of Juozapas Mileška and Monika Vaitiekute, legal spouses. Witnesses were Juozapas Degutis, Pranas Milevičius, Stanislovas Januškis and others.

Pluogai might also be Krakei

Juozapas Zvingis is the father of Juozas Zvingis who migrated to the United States in 1914.  Aka Juozapas Zvingis and Marijona Davidauskaite , as well as Juozapas Mileska and Moinka Vaitiekute are my great-great-great-grandparents.

I remember my grandfather Edward Laukaitis, talking with my grandmother Bertha Laukaitis nee Zvingis about her Jewish grandmother.  The name Davidauskaite is a Jewish name in Lithuania, aka it’s a Litvak name.  The American equivalent is Davidson.  The Polish equivalent is Dawidowicz or Davidowicz . I'm betting Marijona is the relative they were talking about.

Also interesting is Juozapas is listed as a Reserve Private in the Russian army.  Lithuania was a vassal state (occupied territory) of Russian from 1795 to 1915.  Conscription of males was mandatory.  In many of the old pictures I have my relatives are wearing entire or pieces of Russian Uniforms.