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Note: Our Paser/Paserpskis ancestors lived in the region and Parish of Marijampole. During the Russian occupation after World War II, the town was renamed as "Kapsukas", but was given its original name when Lithuania regained her independence in 1991. The Marijampole Parish records have the information about these families who lived and worked in several different small villages, but remained within the same region.
Dalius Paserpskis, the son of Kazys, our cousins who still live in Lithuania, spoke with an aunt who still lives in the village. She told him that there is only one Paserpskis family, and all by that name are related. They came from Marijampole (Called "Kapsukas" during the Russian occupations) and environs.
From the Lithuania Historical Archives 16 January 2003: "We have found the death records for Kazimieras Paserbskis, the son of Jonas. We did not find his birth record, but the birth registry books for 1853-1856 do not exist. (Note: this is probably the span of years when Kazimieras was born.) We cannot find the marriage records of Kazimieras and Barbora nee Karpaviciute, as the marriage records for 1878-1881 are missing. They were not found in the marriage records of 1862-1877 in Marijampole Roman Catholic Church Registry books."
"We have found the birth records of Barbora and Kazimieras, children of Kazimieras Paserbskis and Barbora nee Karpaviciute. We did not find the birth records for the other (8) children. We examined the birth registries of the Marijampole Catholic Church for 1811-1898 (except for 1826 and 1853-1856, which are missing). We have also examined the birth registries of 1885-1899 for the neighboring Igliauka Roman Catholic Church."
I sent for the official death record for Kazimieras Paserbskis. It was received from the Lithuanian Archives 26 March 2003. Their interpretation of this record is:
"KAZIMIERAS PASERBSKIS (lived in Marijampole, was born in Tabunai village; 62 years old, the son of JONAS PASERBSKIS and MAGDALENA, nee KATILIUTE), died in Marijampole in February 21, 1917 (the cause of death unknown)."
"Mykolas Vasilauskas informed about this death in Marijampole in February 23. (The Priest) Motiejus Brazauskas registered the death
"Kazimieras Paserbskis was buried in Marijampole Cemetery." (Note, since he was reported to be 62 years old when he died, he would have been born about 1855.)
David Zinkavage, administrator of the Lithuanian Genealogy web site, did a short research report on the Paserpskis surname. In his report he says that Paserpskis comes from the Polish Pasierbski. This is a locational form whose root is __pasierb__"stepson." "Stepsonville."
He goes on to say: PASIERBSKI Arms (Coat of Arms) unknown. Name recorded (among Polish Nobility) in 1700. Name derived from Pasierby in the district of Krobsk (west of Poznan).
(source: Uruski)
From this family came: Hipolit-Platon Pasierbski was a Lieutenant in the Polish Insurrection of 1831. He received the gold cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari (equivalent to our Congressional Medal of Honor).
Josef Pasierby, born in Vilnius in 1792, was a Major in the Polish Army in the Insurrection of 1831.
Jan Pasierbski was an officer (Vice-Pdof) in the 4th Podhalian Rifle Regiment in the Insurrection of 1831. He, also received the gold cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari.
(I can't interpret his rank) David concludes his report thus: "Despite the fact that this family is said to be from Poznan, clearly some part of it was settled in Lithuania. It's a pity that Uruski did not know the arms symbol."
It is likely that all who now have the surname "Paserpskis" in Lithuania are from the same ancestry. There may be others with spelling variations still in Poland. When I received information from the Balzekas Lithuanian Genealogy organization, they sent a list of locations where those with this surname were located. They are found in the southwestern part of Lithuania from Kaunas to Marijampole to Druskininkai districts. If I understand the symbols and abbreviations correctly, it seems that there were only twelve of this surname in about 1998.
I have been corresponding with Kazys Paserpskis, Dujotieckio g. 21-23, Kaunas LT3031, Lithuania. He is about 64 years old. He has no knowledge of his ancestry or the history of the family. His father and grandfather and most in their families were sent to Siberia by the Russians after their re-occupation at the end of World War II. His grandfather died on the way to Siberia, and his father died there a few years later. Kazys and his mother were hiding in the forest and were not captured. He has not said how they remained hidden and survived the intervening years. His father and grandfather were sent away "because they loved their country so much."
They were also most likely among the educated people. The Russians had all who were educated earmarked for deportation, and they moved quickly. Many escaped to refugee camps by following the German Army as they retreated. There they waited for many years for authorizations to immigrate to other Western countries. The Russians could thus control the education and training of future children and control the political and economic future of the country. They re-instated the bans on the Lithuanian language, books, religion and culture that had been in effect earlier, but with greater ferocity. All communication with those outside the "Iron Curtain" were censored. If anyone managed to get a permit to visit relatives in Lithuania, they were assigned to a KGB agent, who followed them everywhere. They were not allowed to visit their relatives in their homes--only in public places, and only in the company of the agent. If someone who was a citizen of another country, but who had been born in Lithuania returned to visit, then, by Russian law they immediately lost their second citizenship, and became Lithuanian citizens again. They were not allowed to leave. In this way, because of fear of reprisals, communication between family members was restricted or eliminated, and those that remain have little or no knowledge of their relations.
Kazys knows that one of his father's brothers emigrated to America, but he never heard from him again and has no knowledge of his whereabouts.
(Note: I have not been able to find another Paser or Paserpskis --and various spellings-- who might also have been from Lithuania in various search engines--SP)
The names for Casimir/Kazimieras Paserpskis and Barbara Karpavichius, his wife, were found in George Frank Paser's original U.S. Social Security application
(SSN 336-03-6049). In his Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, George reported that he was born in Manskis, Lithuania. This is a little hard to read, and may say Menskie or Manskie. Therefore this would be where the family was living in 1892 or 1894 when George was born. (His date of birth varies in the "official" documents that I have.) I have not been able to find this city on the piece of map that I have. Kazys could not find it in the road maps that he has. A couple of responses to my query suggested that it might be Minsk (now in Russia) or a village named Menciskes which is about 6 kms SE from Kapciamiestis in the region west of Druskininkiai. I think this latter one is the more likely, it would be a small village, more like the areas described by George to his children--but all are pure speculation, and impossible to investigate from this great distance!
Melda Paser, in her deposition found in the Estate records for Frank Paser, reports that Casimir died about 1917 or 1918 in the vicinity of Suvalku, Lithuania. This area was still under Russian occupation, and involved in World War I at the time. She also reported that Casimir and Barbara had four additional sons and 1 daughter that were deceased before the other four sons left Lithuania for America.
According to family traditions told to George's children, George, Patricia and Kent, the Paserpskis family had a large farm in Lithuania. It was "self-sufficient." All things that they needed were grown or made there, except for salt, which had to be brought in from elsewhere. This would seem to imply that this was more of a small village than a farm. From the records received from the Lithuanian Archives, the family was in the region of Marijampole, at least for the birth of the first two children. They didn't find the later children in the Parish records there. The family had been living in that region for several generations, and most of the recorded events happened in Tabunai Village. I can't find this village on the maps that I have, but it seems that this would be where I would look for land records, if I were in Lithuania. It was a village that was near Trakiskes village, and Kasimer's sons, John and Vintsas were in Kuktai village in Trakiskes Province in Marijampole Region at their last communication about 1970.
It was said that this farm was taken by the Russians during one of the occupations. No one remembers hearing about where the farm was located or at what date this occurred.
A young man named Sarunas Mortuze contacted me in the fall of 2005. He had found a query about the Paserpskis name that I had posted way back in 1998. He said that his father had lived near Jonas and Vintsas in Kuktai Village, and had also owned a FARM that was next to the FARM owned by Jonas and Vintsas that had been TAKEN by the RUSSIANS. This must be the large family farm that George referred to in his stories.
(See my "notes" for Vintasas and Jonas.)
According to the deposition given for the settlement of Frank Paser's estate, Melda Paser, (George's wife), said that there had been nine children--one girl and 8 boys. The girl had died before she was two years old--date unknown. George told her that four of the boys died within a two week period, apparently from some kind of epidemic, and they had all died before the remaining sons left Lithuania in about 1907-1908. (Note: George reported on his application for naturalization that he came in 1910. Jonas gave 1908 as his arrival date in the 1920 Census report for Pennsylvania.) That means that the four sons who immigrated were the last living children of the Paserpskis family. They would surely not have left their parents alone in Lithuania/Russia if there was still a farm in the family.
A more likely event is that a different (and earlier) farm was confiscated, probably by the Czar's orders. The family was reduced to working on the land, as if they were serfs, and forced to turn over their products plus high taxes to the Russians. They may even have been relocated. Either way, they were reduced to living in poverty, and there was no hope of escape without leaving their homeland. Those who came from Lithuania in the early 1900's were usually leaving extreme poverty behind. The men may also have been fleeing from forced conscription into the Russian Army. The young men were all drafted and forced to serve a term of 25 years in the Army--a strong motivation for wanting to leave their homeland!
After 1865, the Russians were involved in a scheme to eliminate the Lithuanian heritage, language, customs, schools, religious practices, etc. Certainly forcing the young men to be in a military organization that might even be required to turn on their own countrymen was a way to help eliminate the "younger generation" who might be rebellious. They could either join the military and probably die in the service, or they could leave the country. Either way, there would be little trouble for the Russians from this generation of Lithuanian sons.
Lithuania was freed from Russia after WW I ended, and remained free until the German occupation at the start of World War II (about 1939). When Jonas and Vincas returned in 1924 to care for their mother, they probably thought they were returning to a permanently free homeland.
The text of Melda's deposition follows: In the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Regarding Estate of Frank Paser, Deceased; No. 6; November Audit Answers to Written Interrogatories Now comes Mrs. George Paser, residing at 9215 S. Melvina Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois, and answers the Written Interrogatories propounded to her by Michael B. Susman, Esq., 77 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois, on November 28, 1969:
1. What is your name? and where do your reside? Answer: (as above) 2. If you knew Frank Paser (hereinafter referred to as "the decedent") state when and where you first met him, how often you saw him thereafter, and when and where you last saw him.
Answer: When I married my husband, George Paser, in 1920, in Chicago, the decedent was a witness to our marriage. This was the first time I met the decedent, Frank Paser. From the date of our marriage in 1920 until the Fall of 1922, when my husband and I resided in St. Clair, Pennsylvania, I saw the decedent a minimum of two or three times a week. Thereafter, my husband and I moved back to Chicago, and from 1922 to 1964, I saw the decedent once every four years or so. I last saw the decedent at his wife's funeral which took place about February 3, 1964. After the funeral, I stayed with the decedent a few days before returning to Chicago.
3. If you knew the parents of the decedent, state their names and addresses, when and where they were married, whether either of them were married more than once, and state the source of your information for all of the answers given.
Answer: I did not personally know the parents of the decedent nor did I personally correspond with them. However, my husband, George Paser, who was the decedent's brother, did correspond with his mother until the beginning of World War II, and also corresponded with his mother after World War II until her death in approximately 1953. It is unknown when the decedent's parents were married but I do know that they were married in Lithuania and that they were married only once and then to each other. The source of my information is discussions with both my husband, the decedent, and correspondence as indicted above.
4. Are you related in any way to the family of the decedent, and if so, how?
Answer: My husband, George Paser, was a full brother of the decedent, Frank Paser.
5. If the decedent had brothers or sisters, of the whole or half blood, state when and where you saw them, how often and under what circumstances you saw them, and if your contact with any of them terminated prior to their death; state when you last saw such persons.
Answer: I met and lived in the same town as the decedent's two brothers, Jonas (which would translate into English as John) and Vintsas (which would translate into English as William or Vincent), from 1922 until they returned to Europe in April 1924. As a matter of fact, I went to New York with them and my husband to see them off when they returned to Europe. From 1922 until they departed for Europe, I saw them at least four or five times each week. They returned to Europe for the express purpose of caring for their mother, Barbara, after the death of their father.
6. If the decedent had brothers or sisters, of the full or half blood and they are known to you, state the name and address of each brother or sister who is living, and the name, date and place of death of each such brother or sister who has died, and state the source of your information for the answers given.
Answer: There are only two living brothers, namely, Jonas and Vintsas, whose address is Kapusko Rafonas Krakisku Apylinke Kuktu Kaimas Lietuva, USSR. (Note: from return addresses on some letters, the correct address was Kapsuko rajonas, Trakiskie apylinke, Kuktu kaimas, Lietuvos USSR.)
In addition, there were a total of four other brothers and one other sister, all of whom are presently deceased. I know from my husband's discussions of his family with me that all of the deceased children died prior to his departing for the United States in 1908. I also know that the one sister died before the age of two years old and that the four brothers all died within a period of two weeks of each other from a disease which my husband stated was similar to "appendicitis." They all died in Lithuania, although the exact place and dates of death are unknown to me. I know that none of the four brothers were married, nor did they ever have or adopt any children. The source of my information is from discussions with my husband, with Frank Paser and with his two brothers, Jonas and Vincas, while they were in the United States. I know that there were a total of nine children born to and none adopted by the decedent's parents.
(I am skipping questions 7 and 8--they are not relevant) 9. If you knew the mother of the decedent, state her maiden and married names, and how you knew her.
Answer: I never met the decedent's mother, but from the sources as indicated above, I know her first name was Barbara. Her maiden name is unknown to me.
10. If the decedent's mother is dead, state the date and place of her death and state the source of your information for the answers given.
Answer: The decedent's mother died in approximately 1953 at Kuktu Kaimas, Lithuania. The source of my information is from letters from the decedent's brother, Jonas, to both my husband and to Frank Paser, the decedent, in 1953. 11. If you knew the decedent's father state his name and when and where you last saw him.
Answer: I did not know the decedent's father and I do not recall his name.
12. If the decedent's father is dead, state the date and place of his death and state the source of your information for the answers given.
Answer: I know that the decedent's father is dead, he having died in approximately 1917 or 1918 in the vicinity of Suvalku, Lithuania. The source of my information is letters received by my husband from his mother, as well as discussions with my husband and the decedent.
(added) None of the deceased brothers or sister of the decedent was married during his or her lifetime, and none had any children.
(signed) Melda Paser State of Illinois County of Cook 6 December 1969
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