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Note: George Frank Paser immigrated from Lithuania in December of 1910. His Petition for Naturalization, Volume 367, Certificate #67131 was filed in the Northern District Court in Chicago, Illinois on 27 November 1928. He reported that he left Europe through Hamburg, Germany on 1 December 1910, arriving at the port of New York (Ellis Island) on 13 December 1910. He sailed on the ship Pretoria. (Note: that is also the name of the ship that his brother Jonas came on.) I have a copy of the ship's manifest, where this arrival date is confirmed. The manifest gives his age as 18. (Birth date 1892) He was going to meet his brother, John in Gilberto, Pennsylvania. He had $3.00 with him when he arrived. He reported that he paid for his own passage.
The ship's manifest is on the National Archives Microfilm T-715; Roll 1607; Page 86.
He filed his Declaration of Intent to naturalize on 3 August 1926 in the Northern District Court of Illinois, document #46962. George was naturalized 1 May 1929 at the same Chicago Court. Certificate of Naturalization #3015895.
On his Naturalization records, George reported that his date of birth was
15 November 1892. His death certificate says 15 October 1894. On his application for Social Security (#336-03-6049) he said he was born 31 October 1894. George always told his children that he was sixteen years old when he came to America; however, the ship manifest and naturalization application indicate that he would have been 18 years old when he immigrated.
I sent a copy of the manifest to Kazys Paserpskis in Lithuania to see if he could give any additional interpretations. He said it seems that the family was from Mariampole which was in the Suwalkay governorship during the Czarist Russian occupation. This was a part of Poland. He said that George was probably only able to read and write in Polish, as the Lithuanian language had been banned between 1863 and 1905.
George and his brothers first settled in Pennsylvania. There is a "Miners' Anthracite Certificate" issued to George Paserpckis on 6 Oct 1917, allowing him to work in the coal mines in Girardville,Schuylkill Co., Pa., and the 1920 Pennsylvania Census finds his brother, Jonas Paserpskis living in Girardville, working as a coal miner. In the census, Jonas reported 1908 as his immigration date, and in her deposition in brother, Frank's estate, Melda said that the boys departed Lithuania in 1908. Three of George's brothers, Frank, John and William, immigrated within a few years of each other, but it appears that they each came alone. Possibly one came first and sent money to the "old country" so that another brother could come; and then the two of them sent money back so another could come, etc. Eventually, all four of the living brothers made their way to America.
George and Melda were married in Chicago, although how they came to meet is unknown. By the time they were married in 1920, George may have been working as a tailor. At some time he worked for Hart, Shafner, and Marx. This is also where Melda's father, Alexander Milwid worked. Perhaps this was the link that brought them together. The mystery of how and when they met will probably be forever unresolved.
According to Melda's deposition, it seems that she and George moved to St. Clair Pennsylvania shortly after their marriage, and they saw Frank several times a week. She reports that they lived there until the Fall of 1922, at which time they returned to Chicago. Then she states that she saw George's brothers, John and William several times a week between 1922 and 1924. They must have also been living in Chicago. They must have moved there after 1920. It's possible that George, John and William all moved to Chicago around 1922 from Pennsylvania at about the same time. Apparently Frank, the fourth brother, remained in the area of St. Clair and Harrisburg, in Schuyler County, Pennsylvania for the rest of his life. He died in 1964 in Harrisburg. Many tidbits of family information were gleaned from papers found in Frank's estate records in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. These papers contained the affidavits from Melda Paser regarding George's family in Lithuania, and his brothers who had been in America.
George told his sons, Kent and George, that he saved the money from working in the mines and was able to open his own Tailor Shop in Oak Lawn, Illinois. This would seem to indicate that George and Melda went to Pennsylvania to be near his brother, Frank and to allow George to work in the coal mines.
In 1924, John and William (Vincas) left America to return to Lithuania for the express purpose of caring for their mother, Barbara. After World War I, Lithuania was again an independent state, called "The Republic of Lithuania." If one of the motivations for leaving had been to escape forced conscription into the Russian Army (mandatory in all occupied lands), then it would have been "safe" to return to Lithuania in 1924, when it was no longer under Russian rule. Melda reported that she and George went with them to New York to see them off. (Note: complete deposition will be found under the "Notes" for the "Paserpskis" family.)
George corresponded with his mother until World War II started. Then after the end of the War, he corresponded with her until her death in 1953. Several letters found in the possession of George W. Paser were from Jonas Paserpskis. They are dated between 1963 and 1967. The last known address was:
Lithuania, USSR Kapsuko Rajonas Trakiskiv Apskrutys Kaimas Kuktu George F. Paser told his son, George W., that his family had owned a large farm in Lithuania (dates and location unknown.) The farm was taken over by the Russians (probably in the last half of the 19th Century). They were probably reduced to the level of serfs, and the ethnic Lithuanians were very poor. There was also a series of plagues that were in the lands around 1900. George lost four brothers at about this time. Neither of the two brothers who returned to Lithuania (John and William) married or had children. Frank did marry, but did not have children.
George and his brothers played musical instruments. He played the fiddle. He spoke of playing for weddings and parties in the "old country".
After George and Melda moved to Oak Lawn, Illinois, he opened his tailor shop on 95th Street, the main road through the town. He had a successful business and owned several houses west of town. All was lost during the Depression, and the family moved in with Melda's father, Alexander Milwid, at his home at 9215 So. Melvina Ave. The house was situated on several acres, and included a vineyard, a large garden, fruit trees, cows, horses, and chickens. (This property became Melda's at the death of her father. She sub-divided it and sold lots. It is known as the "Paser Subdivision" in the county records.) During the Depression, George worked for the WPA. After World War II broke out, he worked for the Ford Motor Company, making aircraft parts.
He suffered small strokes beginning in the early 1960's. He gradually became disoriented and demented, and spent the last 22 months of his life in the Illinois State Hospital in Kankakee.
George was an old world patriarch. He was very stubborn and very proud. He was an Elder in the Oak Lawn Community Church, and active in the Masonic Lodge, and the White Shrine. He was secretive about his life in Lithuania, and information about his family life there is sparse and hard to find.
WHY PENNSYLVANIA? A BRIEF HISTORY OF LITHUANIAN COAL MINERS IN PENNSYLVANIA "Coal was discovered in the eastern part of Pennsylvania well before the American Civil War. In 1822, the anthracite coal industry began in earnest when fortune hunters journeyed into the coal fields of Schuylkill, Carbon, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in northwestern Pennsylvania."
"The history of Schuylkill and other anthracite coal counties is filled with "Robber Barons" --individuals who exploited both the lush mountainous topography and the immigrant mine workers. As wealth was extracted from earth's womb into the pockets of mine owners, the coal waste devastated the mountains and the pure streams and rivers. By 1880, 23 1/2 million tons of coal were extracted annually. The mining explosion created employment for illiterate, unskilled immigrants with sparse economic alternatives. At first, the Irish filled the jobs. Eastern Europeans followed. Both groups dreaded working on farms."
"Past horrors of crop failures, famines, ruinous taxes and the degrading memory of serfdom were fresh in their collective memories. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were as many as twenty foreign languages being spoken on the streets of Shenandoah. For a while, Shenandoah had the distinction of having more people per square foot than any other place on earth. Many unmarried Lithuanian immigrants were forced by economics to live in small huts or shacks made from scrap lumber and tin, built on the hillsides near the mines. Others would crowd into cheap living quarters, including barns converted to dormitories."
"Sometimes over a dozen men would rent an abandoned store. For a few dollars per month, they slept on bunks or mattresses arranged along the walls. The owner's wife would wash the men's laundry, perform household chores, and cook her tenants a basic meal each day: bread, meat and coffee. This became known as the "boarding house system" and continued for decades."
"The 1900 U.S. census files for Shenandoah reflect the prevalence of this system within the Lithuanian community. Supposedly 70% of Lithuanians took in boarders. To make ends meet, families picked huckleberries on the mountains and grew cabbage and potatoes. If financially able, they kept some livestock. Because it was difficult, if not impossible, to save enough money to purchase a stove, rye bread was baked communally in a large outdoor oven."
"Even with limited earnings,miners were able to raise their families and educate their children so that the next generation would not have to follow their footsteps into the bowels of the earth. It cannot be emphasized enough: Mining was one of the most, if not the most, dangerous occupation."
"Death in the mines was a regular occurrence. Fine coal dust was always in the damp air of the coal mines, causing untold misery for thousands of workers and ultimately, 'black lung disease.' But, the biggest fear was explosions caused by methane gas build-ups in the crevices of the mines. Whistles would blow whenever a mine explosion occurred, wives and children would wait in fear until the names of the victims were circulated. Then, there was silence. Life was difficult, death tragic."
"When Lithuanian immigrants began to arrive in the early 1880's, safety nets like unemployment compensation, welfare checks, food stamps, and medical assistance were non-existent. Survival meant work, hard work. coal mining, with ten hours of grueling back-breaking labor, six days a week, was considered a privilege to newcomers, grateful to be away from the serf existence and Russian military conscription."
"Since there was no telephone, Internet service or television in the late 1880's, how did word of plentiful employment opportunities spread? Agents from Pennsylvania's Coal and Railroad Companies traveled throughout eastern and southern Europe, seeking cheap labor. Word spread quickly about the streets of America being 'paved with gold.' These stories hastened the Lithuanians to head towards the ports of Bremen and Hamburg, creating a labor shortage in their own land and prompting the Russian government to prohibit lawful immigration."
"Before arriving at German ports, a risky trip had to be made to avoid the Russian army and police. Immigrants would have to sail in steerage, rather than first or second class, due to the meager savings they had with them. Their unventilated passengers' room had double-decker, wide shelves for beds, underscored by a permanent stench. Several persons were forced to share the inadequate accommodations. Although the United States Congress had enacted the 'Passenger Act of 1882,' improvements on the passenger ships came gradually."
"Lithuanians first set foot on American soil, usually in New York, in wooden or leather shoes. Wearing peasant clothing, they carried what few possessions they owned in several suitcases. Each immigrant had to have a few dollars to prove to U.S. Immigration officials that they were self-sufficient."
"When our ancestors arrived in Pennsylvania, newspapers were quick to pass judgment. The press complained about the coal mining counties being afflicted by a new, mixed population. As the newcomers passed through town, speaking in their native tongues or broken English, they soon became the brunt of jokes and laughter. Children were tormented, young adults avoided."
"Several cities and large towns in the Anthracite coal fields attracted Lithuanians. Shenandoah, in northern Schuylkill County was one of the major settlements in the 1880's. It earned itself the nickname, "the Vilnius of North America." While Shenandoah was the county's largest metropolis, it lacked the charm and sophistication of the county's seat, Pottsville, located about 15 miles to the south. Situated in a pocket between rugged mountains which contained the valuable anthracite coal, Shenandoah was confident of its future..."
(The Paser brothers settled in Schuylkill County, near St. Clair.) (Note: Lithuania and Poland were almost synonymous until the division of Europe in 1795.)
It is reported that most of the immigrants from Lithuania and Poland in the years from 1880 to about 1910 were descendants of the former Nobility in those lands.
Count Theodore Topor-Juakubowski, of The Polish Nobility Association, reports:
"It is not possible to understand Polish history apart from a history of the nobility, or 'szlachta', as so much of that history revolved around their activities. The practice of 'primogenitor (where all inheritances went to the oldest son) was practiced among the British. This was not true in Poland and Lithuania. The right to noble title and "knighthood" was passed to each son, and so the class of nobles kept growing geometrically. They were a 'power elite', and shaped the course of the nations by their land ownership, and control of the civil administrations, the military, clergy, agriculture and other businesses."
History books show that they trained in law and politics and were the mounted Knights leading their followers into battles when threatened by outside forces. They alone chose their "Kings" by voting for them. Their fierce independence was part of their undoing, as there was no strong central government which was able to bring together the Knights of the far-flung kingdom for common goals. The nations never had a standing army. The armies came from among the followers and peasants who "belonged to" the individual Knights/land-owners. They were eventually overcome by those nations with strong central governments and large armies.
Many secret societies were formed to maintain the Lithuanian language and to circulate news. Those Poles living in the the "border lands" nearest to Russia were called 'Kresy' in Polish. These were the "noble rabble," as Czar Alexander called that great number of poor or landless nobles. They were hardly distinguishable from the peasantry because of their great poverty, but they were imbued with a great individualism and pride in their ancestry. They remained the patriots of the land. All of these former "power elite" who had been running 500,000 square miles of the former Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth, the nobility of the two nations, were facing ever greater pressure from the Czar. There were many uprisings over many generations, which incited Russia to clamp down even harder after each one.
Emigrating from Russia was as attractive a hundred years ago as it is today. The despotic Russians made it known that these people did not have a place within their empire and made life exceedingly difficult for them. Besides the loss of their land, wealth and status, the Russians imposed a mandatory obligation for all the young men to serve in the Russian Army. No one was exempt. The term of service was for 25 years. The bulk of emigration to America from Poland originated from the Eastern 'Kresy" and these "Kresy" immigrants were virtually all members of the nobility, as there were few Polish peasants in the East. About three-quarters of all Polish-Lithuanian Americans have surnames found in the various authoritative collections of noble names.
At about the late 1800's and early 1900's a series of plagues also swept through Eastern Europe. Many families were decimated or completely wiped out by disease. Mothers pleaded with their young sons to leave and go to America where there was at least a chance for their survival.
During World War II, the Soviet Russians again occupied Lithuania on June 15, 1940. In preparation for the communist regime, all enterprises and stores were nationalized; all societies, private schools, monasteries and their institutions were closed. The economic and cultural life of the nation was paralyzed. On June 22, 1941, the Germans swarmed eastward into Lithuania. Many of the administrative centers and roads were badly damaged in the war. Then there was the second Russian occupation in the summer of 1944, when the Germans were again driven out, with the resumption of the Communist repression. It was not until the late 1950's that many of the cities were finally cleared of the ruins and rebuilding could be planned.
George's brothers, Vincas and Jonas had returned to Lithuania during the years after it was "freed" after World War I. They returned to take care of their mother, Barbara. When the country was overtaken by the German Army in 1939, and then by the Russian "Iron Curtain" after World War II, they were not able to leave again.
Mary Ann Courisky, a cousin on Melda Milwid-Paser's side of the family, lives in St. Louis Missouri. She reports that the Russians moved in as Germany was pushed back and immediately sent all Lithuanians with educations to Siberia. Many fled to Displaced Persons camps in Germany, following the German Army as it retreated. When Americans corresponded with Lithuanian relatives, letters were in a kind of "code." All letters were read by the government officials and the Lithuanian family dared not say anything that might be used against them.
If any Americans visited their relatives in Lithuania, then by Russian law, they lost their U.S. citizenship and became Russian citizens. Any visitors were assigned to a KGB "escort" who went everywhere with them. Visitors were never allowed into private homes--they had to meet and converse with their relatives in public places. This continue until 1990 when the "Cold War" ended, and Lithuania declared her Independence agai
Mary Ann said that the Lithuanian language is based on SANSKRI The Paserpskis and Milvidas families were among the families who were formerly counted among the Polish-Lithuanian nobility. They probably gathered all the assets they could to find a way to pay the passage so their sons could emigrate to America. Since none of them apparently came as indentured servants, it would appear that each had the funds to pay his own passage. They would also have been examined to verify that they had a place to go and that they had some funds or a ticket for getting to their destination.
The Paserpskis sons went to Pennsylvania to work in the coal mines. There are stories that the owners of the mines went to Lithuania recruiting workers. They may have immigrated based on the assurance of employment in the mines. These offers of work were not necessarily honorable. The work was hard and dirty and entailed long hours underground. The pay is not known, but it has been acknowledged that these employers took advantage of the immigrants because of their great need to leave Lithuania and have a means of support once they arrived in America.
At the time of the 1920 census, Jonas Paserpskis, George's brother, was living in a boarding house in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He reported that he was working in the coal mines in Girardville, Pennsylvania. I could not find the other three brothers in that census, either in Pennsylvania, Illinois, or Missouri. I wonder if they managed to "duck" the census taker, since they were probably still afraid that they might be discovered by Russian agents.
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