More Lithuanian Surnames

This is a list of surnames associated with my family, but not related by blood or marriage (at least as far as I know right now.) These are mainly baptism sponsors and witnesses at weddings. If you see a name you recognize, please contact me. I'll be happy to share the informaiton that I have.

Blinstrutas, Bukavicius, Goleniauskas, Golniauskas, Kielsiauskas, Slabasevicius, Caplinskas, Fliadrzinskis, Jakutis, Jankauskas, Laucevicius, Monkevicius, Muzauskas
Sliapovicius, Kaminskis, Kelciauskas, Kelciouskes, Monkevicius
Vaisvila, ubavicius

My Lithuanian Surnames

Here is a list of the Lithuanian surnames found in my family tree, and the villages those names were associated with.

Liaudginai village: Blinstrutas, Bukavicius, Goleniauskas, Blinstrutas
Bukavicius, Goleniauskas, Golniauskas, Kielsiauskas, Slabasevicius, Golniauskas, Kielsiauskas, Slabasevicius

Sutkai village: Caplinskas, Fliadrzinskis, Jakutis, Jankauskas, Laucevicius, Monkevicius, Muzauskas, Sliapovicius


Uznugariai village: Kaminskis, Kelciauskas, Kelciouskes, Monkevicius, Vaisvila, Zubavicius

If you find one of your surnames on my list, please contact me. I'd be happy to share information with you.

My Lithuanian Ancestry

I am dedicating this week to my Lithuanian ancestors--my mom's side of the family. So to begin, here is the coat of arms of the Vaisvila family. I received a copy of this in 1998 from the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, along with copies and translations of documents, including 9 generations of the Vaisvila family.


This is a picture of my maternal grandmother, Antanina Norvaisaite. She was the daughter of Povilas Norvaisa and Juzefa Vaisvila. Antanina was born on 29 September 1891 in the village of Sutkai and was baptized that same day in Pagramantis Roman Catholic church. She married Antanas Skrabulis in Gary, Indiana in 1910. Antanina died in Illinois in 1967.

Unknown Soldiers Photo

My last post of this week of Veterans Day is a photo of unidentified soldiers. I've been told that their uniforms are from the era of the Spanish American War (1898.) I do not know of any of my ancestors, or collateral relatives, who were in the military at that time. This tintype photo was passed down to me by my aunt. It came from our relatives on the Bestick and Brady side. So the 3 soldiers may be friends or relatives of those families in Newark, NJ; Bridgeport, CT; Braintree, MA; New York City or Chicago. I would be happy to share information with anyone who recognizes the soldiers or setting. If you have comments or suggestions about the photo, let me know.

In memory of all the soldiers:

"Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined
Although you died back in 1916
In that faithful heart are you forever 19
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Enclosed then forever behind a glass frame
In an old photograph torn, battered and stained
And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame."

from "The Green Fields Of France"
Lyrics by John Mcdermott

Stanley Mensing, 1948-1969

My cousin Stanley Mensing (also known as Stosh) died in Vietnam. His funeral was very sad.



I don't have any pictures of Stanley in uniform. This is the way I remember him--smiling and friendly when my family was there, visiting my mom's hometown.

A Veteran Named Alvina

This is a photograph of two friends of my mom, Ann Skrobul. Their names were Stella Gordon and Alvina (in uniform.) I don't know Alvina's last name, or what branch of the service she was in. This photo was taken in Chicago around 1940. If you recognize Alvina, please contact me. I have more pictures of her to share with you.

Joseph Jonutis, Veteran

In honor of Veterans Day, here is another soldier from my family tree. This is a photo of Joseph Jonutis, who was a cousin of my mom. Joseph was the son of Joseph Jonutis and Stella Norvaisaite.



Here is a picture of our cousin Joe Jonutis, enjoying a visit to Chicago. Also pictured are my mom's friend Stella Gordon (left,) and my mom Ann Skrobul (right.)