A word of caution

The surname Vidunas comes in all sorts of spellings.



But the one variation I came across is not part of this family.  There is "Viduna" living in Chicago who come from Chekoslovakia Bohemia.  Unless a Vidunas moved there at some time and this is indeed a variation of our name, it is best to ignore this spelling.

Now, of course, if someone wants to take that project on, I think that would be a great thing.  Do you know if a Vidunas moved to Bohemia from Lithuania, then moved to the Chicago area?

Don't Worry

To the Vidunas family following this post, don't despair.  Life is a four-letter word and gets in the way of the really important stuff. 

Hang in there, the adventure continues as soon as possible

Ronald Reagan advertises for Chesterfield
from weird_vintage_ads_39

.

Obit Sunday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918-1991

Obit Sunday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918-1991

1991

Constant Vidunas of Morrisville, Bucks County PA died 26 October 1991, according to the Social Security Death Index.  His social security card was issued before 1951 in Pennsylvania.  In the Social Security Applications and Claims Index, his parents are listed as Konstantas and Nellie Rateta Vidunas, that he had no disability, and that his name was changed in 1936 as Constant Joseph Vidunas, and in 1991 as Constant Vidunas.

Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1991 gravestone
Section 9-B; site 872;
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery

(Quenzer, 2010)

He is buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville, Lebanon County PA; Section 9-B, Site 872.  Find-a-Grave Memorial # 61453491.  According to abbreviations.com, the AMMH1 on his gravestone means Aviation Machinist's Mate (hydraulic Mechanic) Petty Officer 1st Class.

Is Constant Joseph Vidunas your Vidunas ancestor?


Bibliography;

Quenzer, D. (2010, November 11). Constant J. Vidunas, Jr Memorial # 61453491. 

              Retrieved August 17, 2017, from Find-a-Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/

              fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=61453491&ref=acom#

Miscellaneous Monday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918-1991

Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918 - 1991

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

1959

I think this article shows that "Constanti" and Catherine Vidunas of 62 Grandview Ave got a permit to build a block garage worth $400.  His wife was Cathrine E. Markulin 1915-2013, they were married January 1943.

Constant and Catherine Vidunas 1959 permit
Levittown Times (Levittown PA), 3 August 1959
downloaded from Newspapers.com March 2017

1962

Constant J. Vidunas is one of several selected for Jury Duty.  In this article, we find his occupation is as a steelworker, and he lives at 62 Grandview Avenue, Morrisville PA.

Constant J. Vidunas for Jury Duty
The Bristol Daily Courier (Bristol, PA)
13 September 1962, page 13
downloaded from Newspapers.com March 2017

Constant Vidunas 1962
62 Grandview Avenue, Morrisville PA
2017 Google Maps

Constant Vidunas 1962
62 Grandview Avenue, Morrisville PA2013
Google Maps Streetview, July 2017

Social Saturday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918 -1991

Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918 - 1991

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

1957

Constant Vidunas is on a committee in Morrisville.  The pre-lenten card and novelty party is held at the Holy Trinity church, a party sponsored by the PTA (Parent Teacher Association).  He is apparently on the Tickets committee.

Constant Vidunas
The Levittown Times (Levittown PA
6 March 1957, downloaded 2017
from Newspapers.com

1957

Constance Vidunas is one of several men admitted as new members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post.

Constance Vidunas
Morrisville PA 1957
from Newspapers.com

1958

Constant Vidunas is a member of the Fairless Works male chorus during the 1958 Christmas season.  They are dressed in Dickens-era costume, singing at "hospitals, plant offices, and civic groups."  Constant is the middle gent in the white hat.

Constant Vidunas (white hat)
The Bristol Daily Courier (Bristol PA)
29 December 1958, page 16
downloaded 10 March 2017 from Newspapers.com

1960

Mrs Constance Vidunas is a member of the Holy Trinity School PTA of Morrisville PA.  

Mrs. Constance Vidunas
The Levittown Times (Levittown PA)
25 April 1960 downloaded 2017
from Newspapers.com

Obit Sunday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas III 1945

Constant Joseph Vidunas III 1945

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

1943

Constant Joseph Vidunas II and Catherine Markulin married in January, in Cook County Illinois.  They later had three children, Paul, Constant III, and Anne.

1945

Constant Joseph Vidunas III is born and died less than 2 months later.  This little boy was born prematurely in Greensburg PA in February, and he died at the hospital in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA.  I assume this would be his birth hospital, as well.  The address is listed at #16 Forbes Road, Westmoreland PA.  He is named as a Junior, rather than the Third, probably because the name is not exactly the same as his grandfather Kostantas.  However, the Lithuanian name and the Anglicized name are the same, therefore I consider this boy is the third Constant.  He was premature, and the doctor attended him from the moment of birth to his death.  He probably never even left the hospital.  He died of diarrhea which he'd had for five days.  

The informant's signature appears to be his mothers' authentic handwriting.  He had a Catholic burial in Greensburg PA.

Constant Joseph Vidunas III 1945 death certificate

(Ancestry.com, 2014)

Constant Joseph Vidunas III 1945 Gravestone

(Franny, 2013)

Ancestry.com. (2014). Constant J. Vidunas 1945 death certificate. Retrieved from Pennsylvania Death Certificates 

              1906-1964 [database online]: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5164/42410_2421406272_0839-

              02065?pid=605427389&backurl=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?

             indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D5164%26h%3D605427389%26ssrc%3Dpt%26tid%3D47476789%

             26pid%3D150047174799%26usePUB%3Dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid

Franny. (2013, November 6). Constant J. Vidunas III, memorial # 119908800. Retrieved August 17, 2017, 

              from Find-A-Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=119908800&ref=acom

Military Monday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918-1991

Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918 - 1991

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

As far as I can tell, he is not a relation of mine.  However, I still labour under the delusion that all Vidunas people are related, since there just aren't that many of us.

1940

Constant Vidunas enlisted into the US Navy.  This is his draft card.  He apparently lived with his father Konstantas Vidunas at 105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.  He worked for the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corp at the plant in Vandergrift.  He was age 22, was born 28 May 1919 in East Vandergrift PA.  

Constant Joseph Vidunas
WWII Draft Card part 1
1940 from https://www.fold3.com/image/546380449

He was tall and lean, weighed 180 pounds and was over 6 feet tall.  He had blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion.  He registered for enlistment in Vandergrift on October 1940.

Constant Joseph Vidunas
WWII Draft Card part 2
1940 from 
https://www.fold3.com/image/546380449

The next three screenshots are of that house address as it currently is.  I don't imagine the house has changed that much in the last 50 years or so.

105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA

(Google Maps, 2017)

105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA

(Google Maps, 2017)

105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA

(Google Maps, 2008)

1942

Constant Vidunas Joins the Navy.  He is one of 53 local men to join the Navy, and is living in Vandergrift PA.

Constant Vidunas joins the Navy 1942
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh PA)
7 Feb 1942 page 4

1942

This article indicates Constance was in the Navy Air unit.  "The group ... represented the largest contingent of fledgling air officers to be enlisted here by the Navy."  He lived in Vandergrift.

Constant Vidunas 1942 Navy Air Unit
Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh PA)
6 February 1942 page 32
downloaded from Newspapers.com March 2017

 Bibliography for those not cited directly in the blog:

Google Maps. (2008). 105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA street view. 

            Retrieved August 17, 2017, from Google Maps Street View: https://www.google.com/maps/place/105+Hamilton+Ave,+Vandergrift,+PA+15690/

            @40.6032693,-79.5590521,3a,75y,298.94h,94.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp-

            nVlBAGlE18bz7Op8nORg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834b081cf

            43cf05:0xe667763851bb3f14!8m2!3d40.6034253!4d-79.559

Google Maps. (2017). 105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA Satellite View. 

            Retrieved from Google Maps Satellite View: https://www.google.com/maps/place/105+Hamilton+Ave,+Vandergrift,+PA+15690/

            @40.6033481,-79.5593964,41m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834b081cf43cf

            05:0xe667763851bb3f14!8m2!3d40.6034253!4d-79.5594025

Google Maps. (2017). 105 Hamilton Avenue, Vandergrift PA Standard View.         

            Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/105+Hamilton+Ave,+Vandergrift,+PA+15690/

            @40.5958591,-79.5830758,14.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834b081cf43cf05:0xe

            667763851bb3f14!8m2!3d40.6034253!4d-79.5594025

Yearbook Wednesday -- Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918-1991

Constant Joseph Vidunas II 1918 - 1991

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Constant Joseph Vidunas, aka Konstanta, was born in 1918 to Kostanta Vidunas age 38 and Adelaide Rakita Vidunas age 25.  He married Catherine Markulin in 1943, they had two children.  He died in 1991 and is buried in Annville PA.

As far as I can tell, he is not a relation of mine.  However, I still labour under the delusion that all Vidunas people are related, since there just aren't that many of us.

1936

Here is the lower page of the Vandergrift PA yearbook showing Constant Joseph Vidunas, age about 18.  I think he looks a lot like my own son at that age.

Constant Vidunas 1936 Yearbook Vandergrift HS
(Ancestry.com, 2010)

Ancestry.com. (2010). Constant Vidunas 1936 Yearbook

       Vandergrift PA. Retrieved August 17, 2017, from US 

       School Yearbooks 1880-2012 [database online], 

       Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/

      1265/31060_061663-00029/83783420?

      backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-

      tree/person/tree/47476789/person/150047174799

      /facts/citation/600181248365/edit/record

No Relation Thursday -- Constance Vadunas born about 1917

Constance Vadunas 1917

Yet another unrelated Vidunas, this female is found in the 1930 census for Pittsburgh, Allegheny County PA.  She was about 13 years old, lived with her widowed mother Valeria Vadunas, and her siblings Edward age 16, Albert age 15, William age 11, Joseph age 8, Harry age 6 and Ellen age 5.  The lived on 1925 Sidney Street in Pittsburgh, and both parents were Lithuanian immigrants.  

1925 Sidney Street, Pittsburgh PA
Google Maps 2017

In looking at my Ancestry.com entries for her, I find some discrepancies.  I have entered that her father Paul Vidunas died sometime before 1940 (I have since amended this to read before 1930, to reflect Valeria's widowed status in that census).  Her brother Anthony "Gus" died in 1950 when she was about 33. Brother Jerome died 1958, Joseph died 1967, Albert died 1977 and mother died 1982.  Sister Helen/Ellen died 1992, brother William died 1995, Edward died 2003.

1925 Sidney Street Standard View
Google Map 2017

I don't have any record of her marriage, nor of her death.  Nothing about her life.  Oh, yes.  The name in the census is written as Vadunas, but I don't let that worry me too much.  Here's why.  If you say the name Vidunas, with an accent, it can come out as Vadnas quite easily.  Sometimes the owners of the  names themselves weren't too keen on proper spelling until about 1940s or so.  

1925 Sidney Street Pittsburgh PA Street View
Google Maps streetview October 2016
downloaded August 2017

Can you imagine living with 6 children in this kind of housing?  Is Constance your Vidunas?

Wordless Wednesday -- Cecil and Lois Howell Vidunas Willoughby Residence 1956

Goldsboro, North Carolina, City Directory 1956
US City Directories, 1822 - 1995 [database on-line]
Ancestry.com

This is a Wordless Wednesday post, except I can't be wordless.  I have to explain.  The address is 409 W. Mulberry, which I seem to recall Dad telling me about.  Cecil is her husband at the time, and his occupation is US Army.  Did he know Joseph Vidunas?  I wonder how they met?




Here is an overview of present-day Goldsboro.

Add caption

This is the block view of the address, again it is present day.

409 W. Mulberry Street, block view

Close up of the lot listed as 409 W. Mulberry street.  It looks like the house is no longer there, that there might be the partial foundation in the front?  The house on the right is 407, and it has a garage in the back.  The lable upper left says 406, but it is still 409.

409 W. Mulberry Street, street view

Google. (2012, June). 409 W. Mulberry Street, Goldsboro NC. Retrieved 2017, from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/@35.38

            59704,-78.0020948,3a,60y,7.21h,80.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8r4IckCp5UQYv-

            hgJdGEDg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89ac014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57

            ed47bb84!2s409+W+Mulberry+St,+Go

Google. (2017). 409 W. Mulberry Street, block view. Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/@35.38

           48494,-78.0033225,171a,35y,31.72h,49.08t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89ac

           014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57ed47bb84!8m2!3d35.386246!4d-78.002078

Google. (2017). Goldsboro North Carolina. Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/409+W+Mulberry+St,+Goldsboro,+NC+27530/

          @35.3568792,-78.0100613,3550a,35y,4.56h,44.14t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!

           1s0x89ac014155d4a1b1:0xb564bf57ed47bb84!8m2!3d35.386246!4d-78.002078

Family Friday -- Charles Otto Vidunas 1949-2006

Charles Otto Vidunas is the only child of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.  His accomplishments during his life are amazing, to say the least.  More so because he was blind.  When I re-started my ancestry search using the internet, I kept coming across this name.  He intrigued me from the start.

The preamble to a story run in the Indiana Gazette in 1979 is a good beginning to this story.

Perhaps we sighted people inadvertently form a mental picture of a "blind" person.  But to get the true impression, read Tom P. Mittelhouser's story on Chuck Vidunas, employee cafeteria manager at the Indiana Season-all plant.

Vidunas' outlook on life and his mastery of recreational and other goals supposedly reserved solely for the sighted is a fresh approach to our problems, big or small.  -- (Newspapers.com, 1979)

1979

Chuck Vidunas and co-worker at Season-all's Employee Cafeteria

(Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)

Chuck isn't just the worker-bee, here, he is the manager.  His attitude about it is "Hey, I'm just like you -- I just can't see, that's all!"  He is not only a successful business manager, but also one of the best blind chess players in America, an accomplished computer programmer, certified technician in CPR; a better-than-average bowler.  You know what?  That's not the same as me, at all!  I can't claim any of those things other than CPR.

Apparently, he's been blind since birth with some sort of retinal degeneration which was only going to get worse as he got older.  He was born 1949 in Pittsburgh.  Oops, that shows that I should actually read these articles before I spout off.  He was one of eleven children, not the only one as I originally thought.  His dad William worked as a meat-cutter during tough times.  His mother was devoutly faithful, and she took him to a healing service at about age 4 or 5.  At the moment the healer announced that there was a young boy with an eye problem, he turned around to his mother with astonishment, saying "Mommy, my eyes are burning!"  Turns out, the retinal degeneration stopped getting worse, and as of 1979 the doctors still are unable to explain the remission.  He had a small amount of vision left for which he was very grateful (Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)

.  

Juvenile Macular Degeneration

This condition is inherited, and is sometimes called macular dystrophy.  The macula is a light-sensitive part of the retina responsible for central vision, allowing for fine details.  It is caused by one of three disorders, all of which share similar characteristics, all are rare, and as of 2017 there is still no treatment to prevent vision loss. -- (Boyd, 2015)

He was at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children from age 5 to 17 or 18.  During this time, he played in varsity wrestling, was President of the Key Club, and he became a champion chess player.  

Hey, you're only handicapped if you feel you are.  -- Chuck Vidunas, (Newspapers.com, 1979)

After graduation, he became a qualified computer programmer.  After this, he learned food management at a business program for blind persons.  He started by managing several employee cafeterias in several Pennsylvania areas, but each one closed soon after that.  "They used to call me the Undertaker."  Finally, he was at the Campus Sportswear cafeteria for over a year, then found his "forever" home at Season-all.

Chuck Vidunas 1979 manager Employee Cafeteria

(Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)

His biggest challenge was when a new plant employee would show up in the cafeteria for some coffee, and had a hard time when Chuck gave out change for a single buck when he paid with a 10$ bill.

Sure, I can't see very well, but I know and understand people.  maybe I can see other people better than they think I can.  -- Chuck Vidunas, (Newspapers.com, 1979, p. 27)

1989

Charles Vidunas installed as President of the White Township Lions Club

(Newspapers.com, 1989, p. 16)

 1990

Chuck Vidunas, outgoing Lion's Club President 1990

(Newspapers.com, 1990, p. 6)

1996

Charles Vidunas in weight loss campaign 1996
.  (Newspapers.com, 1996, p. 4)

Charles participated in this program, a fund-raiser targeted to sighted people so they can raise money for the Indiana County Blind Association.  For 63 days participants work to lose weight, with sponsors paying a certain amount for each pound lost.  All proceeds benefit the blind and visually impaired.  This has been an annual event since 1986.

2000

Charles Vidunas competes in National Blind Chess Players' Championship

(Newspapers.com, 2000, p. 16)

In this championship, Charles played for three days of matches.  Players compete in divisions according to experience, with Chuck the winner for Class E.  People from all over the US participated, 18 legally blind players.  These players used specially designed chess boards and pieces to help them identify their pieces and their locations on the board 

2007

(Newspapers.com, 2007)

Bibliography

Boyd, K. (2015, October 14). What is Juvenile Macular Degeneration? Retrieved from Juvenile Macular Degeneration: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/juvenile-macular-degeneration

Newspapers.com. (1979, January 13). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.

Newspapers.com. (1989, June 13). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.

Newspapers.com. (1990, June). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com: date indexed as 3 October 1989

Newspapers.com. (1996, April 11). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.

Newspapers.com. (2000, July 10). The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.

Newspapers.com. (2007, January 24). Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania). Retrieved from Newspapers.com.

Obit Sunday -- Charles Vidunas 1949 - 2006

Chuck Vidunas series, part 1

mini pedigree from Ancestry.com LifeStory

This is the first of a couple of posts on Charles Vidunas, done with permission of his wife, done as an homage to honour his life.  He was the only son of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.  I haven't found any connection to my own line, but I still suspect that all US Vidunas lines ARE connected.  There just aren't that many of us, after all.

We start with his headstone, and I'll let the newspaper notices say the rest.

Charles "Chuck" Vidunas gravestone 2006

Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
from Newspapers.com
Sat, Dec 24, 1988 ·  Page 14
The CORRECT date on the newspaper is 14 July 2006,
not as it is indexed

Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
from Newspapers.com
Indexed Sat, Dec 17, 1988 ·  Page 4
the CORRECT date is 8 July 2006 as noted on the newspaper,
not as it is indexed

Charles Vidunas Obituary
Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania) ·  Sat, Dec 17, 1988 ·  Page 4
(the CORRECT date is 8 July 2006)

Charles Vidunas, age 57, died Friday, 7 July 2006 after three months illness

He was born 24 January 1949, Pittsburgh's North Side, the son of William and Mary Neely Vidunas.

Mr Vidunas was a member of the First Church of God in Indiana, a former member of the White Township Lions Club, having served as president, a member of the United States Chess Federation, Untied States Blind Bowlers, Pennsylvania Blind Vendors Association, and a former coach for the Season-All softball team.

He was a graduate of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pittsburgh, and Computer Systems Institute with a computer science degree, also in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Vidunas was self-employed as owner and operator of Indiana Sportswear Cafeteria for two years, and Season-All Cafeteria for 17 years.  Most recently, he owned and operated CV Vending in General United States Mail facilities in the North Side of Pittsburgh.

He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, who embraced life with zeal and lots of ambition.

Miscellaneous Monday -- Vidunas' guests at Dinner Party

This is a newspaper article about a family who entertained several guests at dinner one night.  I wonder, as I go through all this information, who were these people that there were so many articles and mentions about them in the newspapers?  I think they were just ordinary miner families, and I suspect these newspapers did a lot of public relations pieces because it kept people buying their papers.  I have no clue, actually.  My guess is definately not evidence based practice.

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
Thu, Aug 5, 1937 · Page 11
Downloaded on Feb 8, 2017 from Newspapers.com 

Moving on, it reads:

Mr and Mrs Adolph Markoe of 18 Penn street, Kingston, entertained at dinner Monday night for Mr and Mrs Walter Pelsky and children Jean and Charles of Providence, R.I.  Other guests were Mr and Mrs Andrew Yorski, Mr and Mrs Lewis Vidunas, Mr and Mrs John Vidunas, Mr and Mrs Frank Swalina, Mr and Mrs Lucian Chehosky, Betty Marko, Adolph Marko, Constance Bell, Ann Karp, Ann Milanch, George Davis, James Brennan, Anthony Amber, Sally and Alice Marko of New York City.

 Adolph Marko was a complete surprise when Louis Vidunas first told me about him.  Louis is a second cousin of mine, who has contacts with more Vidunas kin than I do.  He had heard but hadn't had proof, that Adolph Markelonis and his wife  Martha were relatives of August and Mary Sadausky Vidunas.  That was very surprising.

It took a lot of research, but I found the relationship ... Mary and Martha are sisters.  I'm not sure when Martha came to America from Lithuania, but toward the end they lived in the other half of the duplex that August and Mary Vidunas lived in.  These were not big houses, I think.  I was told that both sets of children essentially raised themselves.

18 and 20 Penn Street as of 2012
Markelonis lived on the left, Vidunas lived on the right

(Google Maps Streetview, 2012)

So, lets see what we can find out from this little article.

• The name Markelonis was often shortened down to Marko or Markoe, later on to Markel.  Many families did this to help assimilate into American culture.
• 18 Penn Street is the other half of the duplex
• There were 26 adults at this party.  I wonder how big are these duplexes, really?
• Who is the Walter Pelsky family from Providence RI?  Are they related somehow?
• Attending are Andrew Yorski and wife Mary Sadausky Yorski
• Mary's son Louis (spelled Lewis) Vidunas and wife Frances Greboski Vidunas
• Mary's son John Vidunas and his wife Mary Vasilewski Vidunas
• I don't know the Swalina family nor the Chehosky family.  A point of research would be to check the 1930 census and the 1940 census to see if they are neighbors.
• Betty Markelonis (spelled Marko) and Adolph are the children of Adolph and Martha Sadausky Markelonis, and are single, I think, as are Sally and Alice who apparently live in New York City.  Their cousin Ann Vidunas was a nurse in New York City by 1940, perhaps they were staying with her?
• I don't know the rest of the guests

So, there is indeed a relationship to the Vidunas family, albeit a roundabout way.  It still counts.

Do you have any corrections or suggestions?  Please feel free to contact me, the form is on the right.

Google Maps Streetview. (2012, April). 20 Penn Street, Kingston PA. Retrieved May 23, 2017, from Google Maps Streetview:  https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2697213,-75.9004284,3a,85y,

            231.28h,93.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_mdVGSDm2uxeZKt2r51hXQ!

            2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Newspaper Wednesday -- Ambrose Vidunas 1893-1962

Ambrose Vidunas 3-Generation Pedigree
from Ancestry.com

The Plain Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania) ·  Wed, Apr 21, 1954 ·  Page 21
Downloaded on Mar 11, 2017 from Newspapers.com

It started with this newspaper clipping I found as I searched for every instance of Vidunas in Newspapers.com.


Ambrose Vidunas.  He bought property on 213 East Green street, West Hazleton.

Below are Google Map views of his house as it looks today.  It probably didn't look that much different then.

213 East Green Street, West Hazelton
Google Maps 2017

213 East Green Street, West Hazelton
Google Maps 2017

213 East Green Street, West Hazelton
Duplex on left of white house
Google Street View, 2017

 Ambrose also went by Vidun, as evidenced by his WWII Draft Card.  Here, in 1942, he was living at 213 E. Green Street in West Hazelton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  He was 49 years old, was born 29 November 1893 in Lithuania.  Guess I'll have to find his immigration records.

He worked for the Lattimer Coal Company in Lattimer, Luzerne, Pennsylvania.  It seems to be his own signature.  Interesting, the Mrs. Rose Jenkus is his sister Rose Vidunas Chenkus.  She was living with her husband on 46 Jefferson Ave, West Hazelton.  Ambrose was tall at 5'11" weighing in at 157 pounds.  He had gray eyes, gray hair and light complexion.  He had no physical deformities.

Ambrose Vidunas WWII Draft Card, 1942

This is Ambrose's death certificate.  He was 68 years old, working as a Bartender.  His name was listed as "Vidunius."  He was living at 329 West Green Street, West Hazleton, was married but the informant, Mrs Joseph Boris of 329 W. Green Street cannot remember his wife's name, but only knew they had separated.  She did not know his parents' names.  He died of Anthro-Silicosis and Emphysema, made worse by his pneumonia.  He is buried at Sts Peter & Paul Lithuanian cemetery in Hazleton.

Ambrose Vidunas death certificate 1962

Below is his obituary, found in Ancestry.com and was downloaded from Newspapers.com.  It reads:

Ambrose Vidunias, 239 West Green Street, West Hazleton, died at 7:20 a.m. yesterday at St. Joseph Hospital where he had been a patient since Sunday.

Born in Lithuania, he resided most of his life in West Hazleton.

He was last employed as a bartender at Chenkus' Cafe, West Hazleton

This would be his sister's cafe, by the way

The deceased was a member of Ss. Peter and Paul's Lithuanian Church

 Surviving are a daughter, Mrs (Helen) Boris, West Hazleton, wife of Justice of the Peace Joseph A. Boris; one granddaughter; two great grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Rose Chenkus, West Hazleton; three brothers and two sisters in Europe.

The funeral will be held from the Pusti Funeral Home, 480 West Broad street ....  Interment will be in the parish cemetery.

This provides the answer as to who Mrs Boris is on the death certificate.  How sad that she did not know her grandparents' names, even, nor this man's wife.

Ambrose Vidunas obituary 1962
found on Ancestry.com, clipped from Newspapers.com

Here is the video discussing this information