(Expanded Preview: Vol. 6, No. 2)

SUMMARY OF THE FALL/WINTER 2005 ISSUE OF PROTEVIAI

We have recently finished the Fall/Winter issue of our Journal, _Proteviai_, and we hope our readers will find it interesting and informative. Here's a brief summary of what this issue offers.

The lead article, "LGGS's Vytas Levickis Meets with President Adamkus," documents what may turn out to be the most important thing LGGS has ever done: urge the Lithuanian government to allocate funds to the preservation of documents in the Archives. As Vytas says, "These documents and records represent not only the proud heritage of the Lithuanian State but also our heritage." As genealogy has grown in popularity, these records are being handled more and more; and many are much the worse for wear, in urgent need of restoration, preservation, and copying. Vytas met recently with President Valdas Adamkus and presented him with a letter emphasizing the need for more attention to this problem. It remains to be see what the results will be; but at least Vytas has brought the problem to the attention of one who can do something about it.

Also beginning on page 1 is "My Lithuanian Journal," by Mary Guler, a day-to-day journal she kept during her 2005 trip to Lithuania. It's a long article, filling roughly half this issue; but I could find nothing to cut! Its immediacy and vivid descriptions make you feel you're there with Mary, every step of the way. Each paragraph has some insight or comment that made me say "I didn't know that" or "That's not what I would have expected." I think you'll enjoy Mary's Journal as much as I did. It's entertaining, but packs a deceptively large payoff in terms of practical information.

On page 3 is an article about an online guide to villages and their parish affiliations in the former Archdiocese of Wilno/Vilnius. This source will be of most value to genealogists with roots in northeastern Poland; it may prove helpful, however, to many with Lithuanian roots as well. As a rule, most parish records in Lithuania were removed from the local churches and taken to Vilnius decades ago. Still, knowing which parish served your ancestors' village can aid you in several practical ways. We felt our members would want to know about this service, so they can evaluate for themselves whether to look into it.

On page 15 is an article "Noble Lithuanian Tatars" written by Iwona Dakiniewicz, a Polish professional researcher who is fascinated by the Tatars who came as soldiers to aid the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th and 14th centuries, and were rewarded with estates and privileges. She lists many of the surnames and estates of these noble Tatars. Her sources gave the names in Polish form, but I have added the most likely Lithuanian forms whenever I could determine them. This article may help you connect with some particularly exotic branches of your family tree!

On page 20 is a report by LGGS Membership Director Diane Rooney on LGGS's cooperative venture with the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania to help researchers acess the records of St. Joseph's Church in Mahanoy City, PA. This is great news for many researchers, as these records were previously hard to access.

Also on page 20, LGGS Board Member Tena Puisis gives information on a new LGGS database: "World War I Draft Names and Serial Numbers for Grand Rapids, Michigan." It may not help everyone; but if you have roots in the Grand Rapids area, this one feature may be worth your membership dues by itself.

Beginning on page 21 is "Spotlight on Towns in Lithuania," with translations of information on the towns of Siauliai and Silale. First the names of these places are analyzed by Lithuanian expert Aleksandras Vanagas. This is followed by a translation of the entries for these towns from a massive late-19th-century Polish gazetteer. Typically the entries from this gazetteer include information hard to find anywhere else in English; plus they date from right about the time our ancestors were leaving Europe. So if you have roots in the regions of Siauliai or Silale, these translations may provide you with some valuable historical background information.

We hope you find this issue worth the wait, and wish you the best of luck with your research!

William F. “Fred” Hoffman

Fred Hoffman <wfh@langline.com>
Editor of _Proteviai_