Daily Writing Challenge


(I am not doing so well with my "daily writing challenge:".  I promise I will try to do better.  My goal is to write approx. 250 words per day.)

Today I would like to tell you a little bit about one family story that "hooked" me and, I believe, really sparked my interest in family history.  My paternal grandfather, Browning Jonaitis, had a sister, Isabella, who passed away when she was 8 years old, from influenza.  When I was young and heard that story, I was intrigued.  I had never heard of anyone dying from influenza.  I couldn't imagine what it was like for my grandfather and his parents and other sister to loose her so young.  That story stuck with me.  Other than the basic facts of her age when she died and what caused her death, I really didn't have much other information. My grandfather didn't speak about it much, in fact he didn't talk about family history much period.  A few years ago I decided I was going to begin searching for Isabella.

I had previously checked the area around my grandfather's grave to see if Isabella was buried near him.  His parents were buried one row over, so I thought it might be a good place to start.  No luck.

Personal Summaries

I am typing "Personal Summaries" of my ancestors, based upon information found in censuses and other documents.  This is an example of a portion of the Personal Summary for my paternal great-grandfather.

Joseph [Josef] Jonaitis (1878-1960)

1920 Census - Census taken January 11^th, 1920. Residence (rented) 2032 11^th Street, Springfield, Illinois (Capital Township, City of Springfield Election Precinct No. 7) Information provided by Joseph Jonaitis (age 41). Joseph Jonaitis (age 41) head of household.  His wife, Mary Jonaitis (age 32), lived with him, along with his children, Joseph (age 17), Adolph (age 15), Brownie (age 8) and Annie (age 4 3/12).  Joseph’s year of immigration listed as 1895.  Mary’s year of immigration listed as 1895.  Both Joseph and Mary are listed as “naturalized”.  Joseph’s year of naturalization is listed as 1900.  No year of naturalization listed for Mary. Joseph was able to read and write.  Mary was not able to read or write.  Joseph’s place of birth listed as Russia and his mother tongue is listed as Lithuanian.  Mary’s place of birth is listed as Russia and her mother tongue is listed as Lithuanian.  Joseph’s parents are both listed as being born in Russia and mother tongue being Lithuanian.  Mary’s parents are both listed as being born in Russia and mother tongue being Lithuanian.  Joseph and Mary are both noted to be able to speak English.  Joseph’s occupation is listed as miner in a coal mine as a wage worker.  Mary is listed as no occupation. All four children are listed as being born in Illinois.  Joseph (Age 17) and Adolph (age 15) are listed as not having attended school at any time since Sept 1, 1919.  Brownie is listed as having attended school since Sept 1, 1919.  Joseph (age 17) is listed as a miner in a coal mine as a wage worker.  Adolph (age 15) is listed as an employee at a watch factory as a wage worker.  Brownie and Annie are both listed as no occupation.  All four children are noted to speak English.

Taking a Trip into the Past - Researching My Family History

I always enjoyed listening to stories told by my parents and grandparents about their childhood, family memories, stories of "the good 'ol days".  I only wish I would have paid more attention when my grandparents and their siblings were living.  But, as is typical for most children/teenagers, I would listen to the stories but not listen well enough to retain many of the details.  Now that I am an adult and have children of my own, I feel like it is important for me to make a record of those stories to pass down to my children so they will know their ancestors on a more personal level.  I feel it is important to not only know names and dates, but to feel a personal connection, to be able to have a glimpse into their day-to-day lives.  This blog will chronicle my attempts to make that a reality.

I will be attempting to trace my paternal grandparents' (Joseph Jonaitis and Mary Radomski) entry into the United States and their lives prior to immigration in, I believe, Lithuania.

A few of the surnames I will be researching are: Loreth, Lorett, Jonaitis, Hays, Burress, Wilson, Blankenship, Radomski, McDowell.  

I invite you to contact me if you are also researching any of these surnames.  Maybe we are looking for the same family line.  Maybe I have information that could be useful to you.  Maybe you have information that could be helpful to me.  Who knows....maybe we are related.