Anne Mary Vidunas Beretsky, part 4 of 8

Anne Vidunas Beretsky 1940s

1940 -- Census, Manhattan, New York City

1940

Anna Vidunas 1940 census
Manhattan Borough, NYC

Here we find her in Manhattan working Private Duty as a Registered Nurse.  She's living with her roommate, Lillian Miller, who is also a Private Duty Nurse.  They are both 23 years old, renting what might be an apartment.  Neither one of them attend school anymore, but we see they had four years of college.  Anna is from Pennsylvania, and Lillian is from Connecticut.  Anna was living in Kingston in 1935.

In Other News:
1940  -- US Army appoints the First Black General; Colour Television opens our eyes 
1941  -- The Manhattan Project begins, lasting four years (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1940s Nurse Uniform pattern

(Robert and Cynthia, 2019)

1942

In Other News:
1942  -- magnetic recording tape is developed; Nuclear Reactor is first built (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

avatar_health077d Grandmasgraphics

(Nilsen, n.d.)

1945

19 February 1945, Death of brother Joseph A. Vidunas (my grandfather)

Her brother Joseph died on 19 February 1945, in Brachelen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, when Anne Mary was 27 years old.  His Find a Grave memorial is here

1 Lt Joseph Vidunas, 1945
Find A Grave memorial 56304836

(War Graves, 2010)

26 August 1945, death of mother Mary Sadausky Vidunas Yorski

Her mother Mary passed away on 26 August 1945 in Kingston, Pennsylvania at the age of 60.  Anne Mary was 28 years old.  Her Find a Grave memorial is here

(Sheffler, 2019)

Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States

1945 - 1953 Harry S. Truman, 33rd President
(Wikipedia -- Truman, 2018)

President Truman Quote: -- "America was not built on fear.  America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand" (Truman, 2018)

In Other News:  -- United Nations meets for the first time; US drops the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; hypertext links things together (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1946

Anne Mary Vidunas and George Beretsky II marry

Ok.  So I know, somehow, that they married about this time.  But I cannot for the life of me tell you how I KNOW they married.  I don't have proof of any kind.  If you know where I can find that proof, let me know by using the contact form on the right.

So, apparently I do have a tertiary form of proof that she was married before 11 June 1946 because of this little article.  She is listed as living on Nesbitt street in Larksville.  We will take a look at that address in the next post.

11 June 1946

(Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1946)

In Other News:
In 1946  -- The Bikini is barely there; The Cold War heats up
In 1947  -- India and Pakistan emerge from ex-British India;  UN partitions Palestine to Jewish and Arab sections; Transistor is developed, leading to my first transistor radio (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

lady+liberty+vintage+graphicsfairy008c

(Nilsen, n.d.)

1948

17 July 1948, Birth of son Donald Beretsky

Donald is my First Cousin once removed.  He was born in Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  We will have that secondary proof in the next post.

In Other News:
1948  -- NATO is formed; Israel is inaugurated as a state; Arabs attack Israel on the same day it is inaugurated; 33 1/3 RPM musical recordings hit the turntable
1949  -- Apartheid policy is held in South Africa; Soviets detonate their first nuclear bomb; 45 RPM musical recordings also hit the turntables (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

Vintage-Wicker-Baby-Carriage-Image-GraphicsFairy

(Nilsen, n.d.)

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe, and consider supporting me on my patreon page

Become a Patron!

----------------------------------------

Resources

Nilsen, B. (n.d.). Grandma's Graphics Avatars. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from Grandmas Graphics: http://www.grandmasgraphics.com/OurTimelines.com. (2018). TimeLines. (Timelines courtesy of www.ourtimelines.com. Timeline formatting and technology copyright © 2000-2018 ourtimelines.com, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED under the Pan-American Conventions.) Retrieved from OurTimeLines.com: http://ourtimelines.com/

Robert and Cynthia. (2019, September 23). 40's Nurse Uniform or Costume Sewing Pattern ... 1940s McCall 7869. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Edtsy -- PurplePlaidPenguin: https://www.etsy.com/PurplePlaidPenguin/listing/586021111/40s-nurse-uniform-or-costume-sewing?ref=listing_published_alert

Sheffler, C., & Sheffler, T. (2019, June 5). Find a Grave -- Mary V. Yorski. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Find a Grave memorial 199786142: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199786142/mary-v-yorski

The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1945, August 27). Mary Sadausky Vidunas Yorski 1945 obituary. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

Truman, H. S. (2018). Harry S. Truman Quotes. Retrieved June 2018, from BrainyQuote: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/harry_s_truman

War Graves. (2010, August 6). 1Lt Joseph Vidunas (1 Oct 1911–19 Feb 1945), Find A Grave Memorial no. 56304836. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Find A Grave memorial 56304836: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56304836

Wikipedia -- Truman. (2018). Harry S. Truman. Retrieved June 2018, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1946, June 11). Anna Vidunas Beretsky 1946 meeting. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

----------------------------------------

Anne Mary Vidunas Beretsky, part 3 of 8

Anne Vidunas Beretsky 1930s

1930 -- Census, 20 Penn Street, Kingston PA
1935 -- Sodality Card Party

1930

Federal Census, 20 Penn Street, Kingston PA

20 Penn Street, Kingston PA

Here we find 13 year old Anna Vidunas living at 20 Penn Street with her mother and step-father Andrew Yorski, brothers Louis and John, and Louis' wife Frances and their two children Louis Jr and Dolores.  That's eight people in what looks to be a very tiny house.

If you look at the family above the Vidunas/Yorski household, you find the Markelonis family.  Martha is Mary Vidunas Yorski's sister who also immigrated from Lithuania.  They lived in the other half of the duplex-type home.

According to Realtor.com, this property was built in 1930, and currently (as of 2010) has six bedrooms and two baths (Klug, 2010).

Vidunas/Yorski family in 1930
google maps

Vidunas Yorski family in 1930
20 Penn Street, Kingston PA
The red arrow is where Anne lived
Yellow is the Markelonis cousins
Google Maps street view, 2012

Historical Insight -- Sears, Roebuck and Company

Anne Mary Vidunas most likely read or shopped from the Sears catalog about this time.

The Sears, Roebuc catalog helped rural families
purchase goods unavailable or too expensive at general stores
Credit:  Historic Catalogs of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1896-1993/Ancestry.com
(Ancestry Historical Insight, 2018)

In 1886, about 65 percent of all Americans lived in rural areas and they were forced to pay high prices at local general stores.  But Richard Sears, a railway agent, used his spare time to sell valuable commodities, such as jewelry, along his route (Ancestry Historical Insights, 2018).

Historical Insight -- The Great Depression

During the Great Depression, Anne Vidunas likely faced hardships like joblessness and scant resources while living in Kingston, Pennsylvania in 1930.

Dust storms wreaked havoc on farms across the American heartland, caused the closure of entire towns, and prompted hundreds of thousands to flee their homes for greener pastures along the West Coast.  Many became migrant farmers in California (Ancestry Historical Insights, 2018).

April 1936, Cimarron County, Oklahoma
Credit:  Arthur Rothstein/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
(Ancestry Historical Insights 2018) 

Americans began withdrawing thier money from banks, causing them to fail.  Industrial production came to a standstill and unemployment skyrocketed.  Unable to pay their bills, hundreds of thousands of Americans became homeless (Ancestry Historical Insights, 2018).

How did this affect Anne?  She was about 15 years old, going to school with her siblings.

1935 Sodality Card Party

The images below are of the party put on by the church's Sodality club.  She was on the refreshment committee.  If you look at the names, you see they are mostly Polish and Lithuanian names.  The church was St. Mary's Lithuanian Church, we will see this church in a moment.  First, we have to figure out what Sodality means.

(The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1934)

(Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, 1934)

Sodality, according to the online dictionary, is "a confraternity or association, especially a Roman Catholic religious guild or brotherhood."  According to Wikipedia, it is "... a form of the 'Universal Church' expressed in specialized, task-oriented [group] ...." (Wikipedia -- Sodality, 2019).

(The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1934)

(The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1934)

In Other News:  
In 1930 -- Pluto is discovered as our ninth planet -- for about 75 years ... Enjoy your status, Pluto! 
In 1931 -- Chinese-Japanese war #2 is fought for about 2 years (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1933

Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President of the United States

1933 - 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President
(FDR Presidential Library & Museum, 2018)

President Roosevelt Quote: -- "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!" (Roosevelt, 2018)

In Other News:  
In 1933 -- Soviet Communist Party purge happens; Armstrong invents FM modulation; Radio Astronomy is developed
In 1934 -- The Longshoreman's Strike -- 35,000 men go on strike for 83 days -- that's a long time to go without food for those families (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1935

Residence 20 Penn Street, Kingston PA

According to the 1940 census (which we will get to in the next post), Anne was living in Kingston at this time.  However, we also have newspaper clippings and yearbook to establish this!

(The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1935)

(The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1935)

Anne M. Vidunas graduates from Kingston High School

(Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1935)

1935 Kingston High School yearbook

(Kingston High School Senior Class, 1935)

1935 Kingston High School

(Kingston High School Senior Class, 1935)

Anne M. Vidunas, Senior Portrait
At last I have a photo

(Kingston High School Senior Class, 1935)

In Other News: 
in 1935 -- The Dust Bowl event scours middle America;  Abyssinian war against Italy lasts for about a year -- they lost
In 1936  -- King Edward VIII (Windsor) begins his -- very short -- reign; Spanish Civil war occurs in which the republican government loses to the Facists ; Helicoptor takes off; The King dies, and King George VI (Windsor) begins, lasting for 16 years (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1937

(The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1927)

This tiny little piece indicates that Anne Vidunas was visiting her mother Mary Sadausky Vidunas Yorski and her stepfather Andrew Yorski at 20 Penn Street in Kingston PA.  Then she went back to nursing school at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC.  

We've already seen this home address above, in the 1930 census.  Let's look at Mt. Sinai Hospital

Mount Sinai Hospital, Manhattan NYC New York
Google Maps

In Other News:
In 1937  -- Nylon is developed by DuPont; Chinese-Japanese War #3 starts, lasting for about 8 years, with China winning. (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

http://ourtimelines.com/hpages/zcjwar3.html

1938

From the book The Forty-Seven Hundred

(Nowak, 1981)

In Other News:  -- Germany annexes Austria (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

1939

1930s Nurse shoes

(Nienaber, 2013)

In Other News:  -- Aircraft Jet Engine is invented by Ohain, leading to my father's job as jet mechanic in the USAF; Digital Computer is developed; World War II starts, and the US will join the fight in another couple of years (OurTimelines.com, 2018)

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe, and consider supporting me on my patreon page

Become a Patron!

----------------------------------------

Resources

Ancestry Historical Insight. (2018). Sears, Roebuck and Company. Retrieved from Ancestry.com: Ancestry.com

Ancestry Historical Insights. (2018). The Great Depression. Retrieved from Ancestry.com: Ancestry.com

FDR Presidential Library & Museum. (2018). Franklin D. Roosevelt. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47600299

Kingston High School Senior Class. (1935). 1935 Kingston HIgh School. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from classmates: https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/70498?page=59

Klug, D. (2010, September 22). 18-20 Penn St, Kingston, PA 18704. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from Realtor.com: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/18-20-Penn-St_Kingston_PA_18704_M34096-04621#photo6

Nienaber, C. (2013, July 23). Vintage 1930s Shoes / Art Deco Shoes / Gatsby Brunch. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from Etsy -- Dronning: https://www.etsy.com/listing/127840590/vintage-1930s-shoes-art-deco-shoes?show_sold_out_detail=1

Nowak, J. B. (1981). the forty-seven hundred: the story of The Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing. New York, NY: Phoenix Publishing. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://dspace.mssm.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/28798/fortysevenhundre00nowa.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y page 68

OurTimelines.com. (2018). TimeLines. (Timelines courtesy of www.ourtimelines.com. Timeline formatting and technology copyright © 2000-2018 ourtimelines.com, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED under the Pan-American Conventions.) Retrieved from OurTimeLines.com: http://ourtimelines.com/

The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1934, February 21). Anna Vidunas hostess for Sodality meeting 1934. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1934, April 28). Anna Vidunas on refreshment committee for card party 1934. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1935, January 24). Anna Vidunas, Altar Girl 1935. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from newspapers.com: newspapers.com

The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1934, April 28). Anna Vidunas on refreshment committee for Sodality Card and Bingo Party 1934. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1935, May 1). Ann Vidunas, Card Party committee 1935. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from Newspapers.com: newspapers.com

The Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1927, September 24). Anne Vidunas RN. Retrieved February 8, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

Roosevelt, F. D. (2018). Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes. Retrieved from BrainyQuote: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/franklin_d_roosevelt

Wikipedia -- Sodality. (2019). Sodality. Retrieved from Wikipecia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SodalityWilkes-Barre Times Leader, t. E.-B. (1934, February 21). Sodality Meeting. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (1935, June 4). Anne M. Vidunas graduates from Kingston High School 1935. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

----------------------------------------

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

Mary Sadauskaite Vidunas Yorski

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News 
(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
Mon, Aug 27, 1945 ·  Page 18

This is the obituary for Mary Sadauskas Vidunas Yorski.  She died at home at 20 Penn Street in Kingston about 6 months and 1 week after that.  Her daughter Anne Vidunas was a Registered Nurse who got her education in New York, two hours or so from Kingston.  She came down to care for Mary.  But, once again, the really new news is her sister Martha Markelonis.  I've been conversing with a cousin, who said that Mary and her sister Martha lived next door to each other.  I did find something like that, but no proof of a sisterly connection until I found this article.  And, here are three other sisters still living in Lithuania.

1920 Kingston Census
Mary Vidunas 71 Penn Street 

 In the 1920 Census, Mary is a widow living with her children on 71 Penn Street in Kingston.  She is not working, her two oldest boys are working either in the Coal Mines or as a messenger for the Telegraph.  The next two kids are in school and the baby stays home.

Mary and Louis arrived in 1905 but are not naturalized by this time.  These two speak Lithuanian as well as English, while the other children speak only English.

71 Penn Street from Google Maps

1930 Kingston Census

This is the 1930 Census.  Mary now lives on 20 Penn Street with Andrew Yorski.  Louis, John and Anna are also living with them, along with Louis' wife Frances and their two children Louis II and Dolores.  Andrew is from Poland and is naturalized.  Mary and Louis are also listed as naturalized.  I think it may be because at that time, women and children were naturalized when the husband/father was.

Andrew, Louis and John work in the Coal Mines.  Joseph is gone in the Army.  Stella is also out of the house.

Interestingly, take a look at their neighbors, the Markelonis at 18 Penn Street.  This is actually the other half of the house.  This is also Mary's sister Martha.  So in one duplex, they had many children including Stella Vidunas and Stella Markelonis; Joseph Vidunas and Joseph Markelonis (who is listed here as Adolph Jr).  They also went by the last name of "Markel" which muddies the water.  But, we may or may not get back to them later.

1940 Kingston Census

In this, the 1940 Kingston Census, we find the family living in the same house, this time with Stella Lowman and grandchildren Mary and Edward.  Andrew still works in the Coal mines.

Interesting, the line above, line 41, is Pamela Jane DeLong.  She is the granddaughter of Adolph and Martha Markelonis of 18 Penn Street.

Penn Street Fire Map 1919

This is the Fire Map for the Penn Street area.  If you find 20 Penn Street, you can see they are within a block of St Mary's RC Church, and the Penn Street School.  I don't know if the kids attended that school, but probably they did.  Also, to the left of the map, is the Kingston Coal Company.  Did the Vidunas men-folk work in this mine?  It would be within walking distance.  It make sense to have the workers' housing that close to the mines.

Penn Street Fire Map 1925

This fire map is from 1925.  Again, you can see that 20 Penn Street is within walking distance of the church and the Penn Street School.  But now there is a new street, with it's own school, Pringle Street School built in 1923.  Again, there is the Kingston Coal Mines.

The Rotterdam, which Mary and Louis Vidunas traveled on

This is the ship that carried Mary and her little son Louis to Ellis Island.

1905 Ships Manifest
Marianna Widenown and son Ludvig

 And this is the Ship's Manifest.  You can see on line 10 Marianna Widenown and her son Ludwig.  They are bound for her husband A. Widenowa on Park Street, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

Again, who knew that Vidunas was spelled this way?  According to people on the FaceBook page "Lithuanian Global Genealogical Society" they found this entry, and everything lines up.  If one takes into account the way the name is pronounced, add in non-Lithuanian people trying to write down the names, and a rushed clerk and we have something weird.


On my to-do list
1. find these three sisters in Lithuania
2. write about Martha Sadausky Markalonis living right next door.
3.  write about immigration proofs
4.  find the naturalization for Mary and Louis.
______________________________________________________

Bibliography

Ancestry.com. (1920). 1920 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from Kingston Ward 5, Luzerne, Pennsylvania : Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com. (2002). 1930 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania: http://interactive.ancestry.com/6224/

4639400_00047/52887690?

backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/47

476789/person/150047140756/facts/citation

/600180305279/edit/record

Ancestry.com. (2012). 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Retrieved from Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania: http://interactive.ancestry.com/2442/

M-T0627-03554-00387/28867852?

backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/47

476789/person/150047140756/facts/

citation/600180433024/edit/record

Google. (2017). Maps. Retrieved from 71 Penn Street: https://www.google.com/maps/place/

71+Penn+St,+Kingston,+PA+18704/@41.2709

39,-75.9036269,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!

1s0x89c510a0c0441fe1:0x396a7e4a96c53ae

e!8m2!3d41.270939!4d-75.9014382

Lithuanian Global Genealogical Society. (n.d.). Facebook Page. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/groups/

lithuanian.genealogy/

Sanborn Map Company. (1919). Kingston including Edwardsville, Dorranceton and Pringle Boroughs, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, July 1919. Retrieved from Kingston-1919_sheet17: https://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/

cdm/compoundobject/collection/maps1/id/

11918/rec/7

Sanborn Map Company. (1925). Kingston including Pringle and Edwardsville, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, June 1925. Retrieved February 11, 2017, from Kingston-1925_sheet28: https://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/

cdm/compoundobject/collection/maps1/id/

27424/rec/6

The Plain Speaker. (1901, December 27). Newspapers.com. Retrieved from Social Page: https://www.newspapers.com/image/

?spot=8825804

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. (1945, August 27). The Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) [database online]. Retrieved from Page 18: Newspapers.com

Joseph Vidunas newspaper articles

OMG!  (I rarely say that phrase, but ... OMG!)

I was given access for a short time to Newspapers.com, the value of which I was very skeptical.  Yet it has provided such a wealth of personal information on my family.  This little branch of the Vidunas line is extremely silent.  No oral history passed down from one generation to the next.  Very little in the way of written information.  Until now.

I want to share a newspaper article I found about my Grandfather Joseph A. Vidunas. He was 1st Lt with the 84th, and the article was printed about 3 weeks before he died. Two different headlines, my favourite is "Vidunas Explores Nazi Town"
"With the 84th Infantry Division in Europe -- Lt. Joseph Vidunas, 201 Penn Street, made a personal reconnaissance of the German town of Wurm two weeks before it had been taken by the Railsplitter Division.
"Lt. Vidunas became separated from his company while it was moving into position at the town of Lindern. Arriving at the battalion headquarters in the town of Beeck, he inquired the way to Lindern. Taking the road pointed out to him, he arrived at a railroad underpass. Realizing that he was not on the right road, he decided to find out where he was.
"Entering the apparently deserted town ahead, he spotted a sentry standing in a doorway. He hailed the sentry, asking for some information. Receiving no answer he decided to try the pass word. As soon as the sentry heard this, he turned and ran toward the rear of the house. Glimpsing his German helmet in the shadows, the lieutenant decided that it was time for him to leave. He did.""Entering the apparently deserted town ahead, he spotted a sentry standing in a doorway. He hailed the sentry, asking for some information. Receiving no answer he decided to try the pass word. As soon as the sentry heard this, he turned and ran toward the rear of the house. Glimpsing his German helmet in the shadows, the lieutenant decided that it was time for him to leave. He did."

from The Wilkes-Barre Record, 24 January 1945, page 17

My dad and I never knew anything about his military career.  Growing up, I had two photos to look at, and wonder at.  As I started my genealogy adventure, I found this.  It says:

 AGPC-G 201 Vidunas, Joseph
(13 Mar 45)  01053411

8 June 1945

Dear Mrs. Vidunas:

I am referring to my letter of 13 March 1945, which confirmed the death of your husband, First Lieutenant Joseph Vidunas, on 19 February 1945 in Germany.

The military authorities have conducted an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding your husband's death and the report has now been received in the War Department.  This report reveals that Lieutenant Vidunas died instantly on the afternoon of 19 February 1945 in his camp area near Brachelen, Germany, as the result of injuries sustained when a pistol which he was handling, was accidentally discharged.  Lieutenant Vidunas was on a duty status at the time of the accident.

Report of death for Joseph Vidunas.
On duty, no misconduct

The Quartermaster General, Washington, D. C., has jurisdiction over matters pertaining to the burial of our military personnel who die overseas and any inquiry, regarding the location of your husband's grave, may be addressed to that official.

There is very little I can say to mitigate your grief or relieve your sorrow but I cannot refrain from tendering my heartfelt sympathy and expressing the hope that you will find comfort in the knowledge that Lieutenant Vidunas died while serving honorably and faithfully in his country's cause.

Sincerely yours,
Robert H. Dunlop
Brigadier General
Acting The Adjutant General of the Army

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
Mon, Jul 21, 1941 ·  Page 6

In this article (which has a spelling error.  Yes, I am THAT kind of person) in the local newspaper, Joseph Vidunas has been promoted to Tech Sgt.  He's finished his training at the Coast Artillery School, lives now at Camp Davis NC, assigned to the Barrage Balloon Battalion.

But, the most exciting part, the really new news for me, is the last paragraph.  Because he had a musical lyre on his lapel, and because the 1930 census has him as a soldier musician, I figured he was in a band.  I wondered what kind of instrument he played?  Well, here is the answer to my question -- he played in the Army Band and orchestra and was an "accomplished musician on the violin, trombone and saxaphone."  My dad was in the Air Force Band and played the Bass Viol and the Tuba.  I guess musicality is in our genes!  Dad never knew about his father's musical talent.  Now, I wonder ... did Joseph also have a camera in his hand?

Suggestions are most definately welcome.  You see, I didn't get this much information working alone.  I have to thank the Lithuanian Global Society on Facebook, my friend Vikki for lending me access to Newspapers.com; my newly found Vidunas cousins; and the facebook group Friends and Family of the 84th Division.  These people gave me snippets (or huge chunks) of information with which I could flesh out the people and the stories, and chase down new information that nobody else seems to know!  Well guess what!  We all know this now.  Feel free to share your information.