Albert Vadenais of Rhode Island

Rhode Island

Little Boy
from AntiqueClipart

#NotMyVidunas

1930 Census RI, son of Joseph and Celina

Albert Vadenaes aka Vadenais is 18 years old, born about 1912.  He lives with his Canadian-born parents Joseph O. and Celina Vadenaes and presumably his siblings Rodolphe, Gracia, Marie, and Gabrielle.  He is a Crunter in the wool mill, and they live at 210 Cottage Street, Woonsocket, Providence, Rhode Island.  I came across this young man during my search on Ancestry.com for Albert Vidunas.  While the spelling of this name is odd -- okay, it is weird -- you COULD argue that it would pronounce as Vidunas.  However, this is the only instance of living in Rhode Island.  Although, it is close to Massachusetts.  Let me do a bit more research ..... loading ..... Okay, got it.  This is not of the Vidunas clan.  I looked at the original census, and everyone except young Albert here was born in French Canada and spoke French.  We can strike this name off of our list.  If this is your ancestor, the hyperlink is above, and the link itself is down below, just in case you want to print this thing out.

Whew!  A google search for "Crunter" is exhausting.

1. Crunter is a surname
2. Crunter is a shy lonely scrawny guy according to the Urban dictionary, and ... eww, don't look that up, please.
3. Crunter is a type of character in Minecraft, and I found reference in WoW, but I didn't chase those down.
4. Lots of mis-references to "Counter"
5. Index of old European occupations here -- http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html
6. Webster's online dictionary has nothing
7. Rootsweb's list of old occupations has nothing -- http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgwkidz/oldjobs.htm
8. Yourdictionary.com got lost
9. I tried searching for jobs in a wool mill in 1930, with no results
10. Let's look at that census again
1. Well, it certainly looks like "crunter" in the census, but it probably is "counter" like brother Rodolphe.  
2. I still cannot find what this occupation might have been.  I did find some interesting information about working in a wool mill here, with link below.  

________________________________________________

Resources:

• Joseph and Celine Vadenais 1930 Census
• https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6224/4547310_00164?pid=4217325&backurl=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db%3D1930usfedcen%26indiv%3Dtry%26h%3D4217325%26indivrecord%3D1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true
• Working in a Wool Mill
• http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newsouth/5493

Back on Track

Christmas is over, and I am back on track.  I had to take a break in order to catch up on my Christmas knitting. This is an example of what I typically make out of my hand spun and home dyed wool yarn.  You can typically expect a weekly-ish post about the Veritable Vidunas Family starting next week-ish.

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