My Lithuanian Heritage - Laukaitis, Varanauskas, Zvingys, Balvocius and more

Thought some folks might be interested in this.  Below is my Lithuanian genealogy from my mother's parents and back.  Thanks to this list and esp Vincas Bundza who did a ton of the the doc research for me on the epavaldys items..  Yellow items are the immigrants...

o   GEN1 (father) - Edward Anthony Laukaitis, b. 1915 Brooklyn NY USA, d March 8 1991 East Quogue, NY

§  GEN2 (grandfather) – Antanas Vincent “Tony” Laukaitis, born 23 JUNE 1887 -  Šaltinėnai Village, Jieznas Locality, Birštonas City, Nemanu Parish, Kaunas County, Vilnius Gub, Lithuania. Death 11 FEB 1975 • Riverhead, Suffolk, New York, United States of America.

·        GEN3 (great-grandfather) – Aleksandras Laukaitis, b about 1840 Jeiznas locality, Kaunas County, Lithuania. Died 12 April 1920 Nemanjunai, Alytus District, Lithuania

o   GEN4 (2x-great -grandfather) – Antanas Laukaitis.  Born about 1818 Puzonys, Nemanjunai Parish, Lithuania.  Died 7 Dec 1885 Saltinenai Village, Jeiznas locality, Birstonas City, Nemanu Parish, Kaunas County, Vilnius Gubernaria, Lithuania

§  GEN5 (gggreat-grandfather) – Mykolas Laukaitis.  Referenced in docs, dates unknown.

§  GEN5 (3x-great -grandmother) – Rozalija Gecionis. Referenced in docs, dates unknown.

o   GEN4 (2x-great -grandmother) – Leva Slegeviciute.  Birth ABT 1821 • Šaltinėnai Village, Jieznas Locality, Birštonas City, Nemanu Parish, Kaunas County, Vilnius Gub, Lithuania.  Death 2 NOV 1880 • Šaltinėnai Village, Jieznas Locality, Birštonas City, Nemanu Parish, Kaunas County, Vilnius Gubernaria, Lithuania

§  GEN5 (3x-great -grandfather) Antanas Slegevicius.  Referenced in docs, dates unknown.

§  GEN5 (3x-great -grandmother) Magdelena Zukas. Referenced in docs, dates unknown.

·        GEN3 (great-grandmother) Judity “Justina” Mikuleviciute.  Birth ABT 1840 • Jeiznas Locality, Kaunas County, Lithuania.  Death 3 NOV 1904 • Šaltinėnai Village, Jieznas Locality, Birštonas City, Nemanu Parish, Kaunas County, Vilnius Gub, Lithuania

§  GEN2 (grandmother) Cecilia Edwega Varenauskas.  Birth 01 JAN 1890 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania.  Death 28 SEPTEMBER 1952 • 675 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

·        GEN3 (great-grandfather) Konstantinas Varnanauskas.  Birth 1846 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania. Death 23 MARCH 1923 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania.

o   GEN4 (2x-great -grandfather) Laurynas Varanaskaus.  Birth Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania.  Death BEFORE 1923 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania

o   GEN4 (2x-great -grandmother) Eleonara Matelioniute.  Birth Unknown.  Death BEFORE 1923 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania

·        GEN3 (great-grandmother) Morta Jesniute.  Birth ABT 1844 • Mankunai, Alytaus, Lithuania.  Death 13 APRIL 1928 • Sipuleiskiu, Miroslavas, Lithuania

o   GEN4 (2x-great-grandfather) Vaitekus Jeznas.   Birth Cigoniskes, Lithuania.  Death Unknown

o   GEN1 (mother) – Martha Bronislava “Bertha” Laukaitis.  Birth 27 AUG 1918 • Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.  Death 28 DEC 2002 • Whiting, Ocean, New Jersey, United States of America

§  GEN2 (grandfather) Juozas Anthony Zvingys.  Birth 20 APRIL 1883 • Tirkšliai, Mazeikin, Lithuania .  Death JULY 1934 • Laizuva, Mazeikiai, Lithuania.

·        GEN3 (great-grandfather) Juozapas Zvingis.  Birth ABT 1852 • Plugoai, Lithuania. Death ABT 1904 • Tirksliai, Mazeikiai, Lithuania

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandfather) Jonas Zvingis.  Birth ABT 1837 • Lithuania.  Death Unknown

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandmother) Marijona Davidauskaite.  Birth ABT 1860 • Pluogai, Mazeikai, Lithuania. Death Unknown

·        GEN3 (great-grandmother) Morta Mileskaite.  Birth 23 FEB 1858 • Tirksliai, Viekeniai, Mazekai, Lithuania. Death AFT. 1930

o   GEN4 (2x-great-grandfather ) Juozapas Mileska.  Birth ABT 1835 • Viekeniai, Mazekai, Lithuania. Death Unknown

o   GEN4 (2X-great-grandmother) Monika Vaitiekute.  Birth ABT 1840 • Vieksniai, Matzeikai, Lithuania.  Death Unknown

§  GEN2 (grandmother) Martha Balvocius.  Birth 12 MARCH 1893 • Maigai, Vieksniai, Lithuania. Death 11 AUG 1943 • Kings, New York, USA

·        GEN3 ( great-grandfather ) Leonas Balvocius.  Birth ABT 1847 • Maigai, Vieksniai, Lithuania. Death Unknown

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandfather) Juozapas Balvocius. Resident of Maigai, Vieksniai, Lithuania.  Referred to in docs, dates unknown.

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandmother) Ona Perminaite.  Resident of Maigai, Vieksniai, Lithuania.  Referred to in docs, dates unknown.

·        GEN3 ( great-grandmother) Ona Petrauskas.  Birth ABT 1847 • Buknaiciai, Mazeikiai, Lithuania.  Death UNKNOWN • Lithuania

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandfather ) Petras Petrauskas. Resident of Buknaiciai, Mazeikiai, Lithuainia at birth of daughter Ona.

o   GEN4 ( 2x-great-grandmother ) Elena Norkute. Resident of Buknaiciai, Mazeikiai, Lithuainia at birth of daughter Ona.

Ona Zvingaite, my great-great Aunt. Death record from fever....

Death record for my great-great Aunt, Ona Zvingaite / Zvingis / Zvingys....  Ona is Anna in English.  Ona is the daughter of Juozas Zvingis Sr, my great-great-grandfather.  His son and her brother Juozas Zvingis emigrated to the USA 100 years ago.  Zvingis may also be spelled Zvingys.

The record is handwritten Cyrillis...

Ona Žvingaitė, daughter of peasants Juozapas and Morta Žvingis, died 19 years old, fever, in 19 of February, 1904 and buried in cemetery of Tirkšliai parish in 21 of February.    

By verbal story, Juozas Zvingis Sr was drafted into the Japo-Russian war.  He deserted back to Lithuanian.  When he arrived he had back scarlet fever or smallpox.  He and five of the children died from the disease  Ona is probably one of the children that died at this time. 

Zvingys as well as Zvingis - Who'da Thunk

Had dinner with a Lithuanian lady named Virginia this week.  I'd uploaded my autosomal DNA to familytreedna.com and we'd matched out as 4th cousins.  After a few conversations, she was travelling through Florida and we got together for dinner.  I brought along my Uncle Danny.

Humor point.  I'd asked if I could bring my Uncle, and they said sure.  They had a vision of someone 80 years old.  Danny is only 5 years older than me.

So I was showing her my tree, and she pointed out Zvingis in Lithuania would probably be spelled Zvingys in many situations ( the Z would have a hat on it too ).  Interesting.  Going to have to do some doc revisions.

So are we related?  Probably.  Her father was from Tirksliai, Mazeikiai, Lithuania, same as my great-grandfather, Juozas Zvingis / Zvingys.  

And her mother was from Vieksniai, Mazeikiai, Lithuania, where my  Great-Great Grandmother, Anna Petrauskas, as well as my Great Grandmother, Martha Balvocius was from.  

Virginia didn't have a good fell for her family tree beyond her parents.  Quite a few wars and such if you've ever read up on Lithuanian history.  Maybe one day we'll figure it out. Hoping I can get to Lithuania one day and dig in, leaving a real document for my kids.