NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Please keep in mind that I am also learning as I research and I am drawing on many other sources for the information that I will present on this page. I cannot possibly credit every individual from whom I've gotten this information so let it suffice to say that I subscribe to the Lithuania list on rootsweb and there are many people who contribute information to that list that have helped make this page possible. I thank them all collectively.
To subscribe to the Lithuania list on rootsweb, simply send an email to LITHUANIA-L-request@rootsweb.com and send the command "subscribe" in the body of the email. (without the quotes).
~SOME LITHUANIAN WORDS~
MONTHS AND DAYS:
- Jan....sausis
- Feb....vasaris
- Mar....kovas
- Apr....balandis
- May....geguze
- Jun....birzelis
- Jul....liepa
- Aug....rugpjutis
- Sep....rugsejis
- Oct....spalis
- Nov....lapkritis
- Dec....gruodis
- Monday.....pirmadienis
- Tuesday....antradienis
- Wednesday..treciadienis
- Thursday...ketvirtadienis
- Friday.....penktadienis
- Saturday...sestadienis
- Sunday.....sekmadienis
- Labas rytas: good morning
- Labas vakaras: good afternoon/evening
- Laba diena: good day
- Labas: hello, greetings
- Labas visi: Hello all
- Aciu: thank you (pronounced like a sneeze ah-choo)
A LITTLE HISTORY...
Lithuania formed a union with Poland in 1386 when the Grand Duke of Lithuania married the queen of Poland and became King of Poland. This union was renewed on several occasions, most notably in 1569 when the Lithuanian ruling dynasty was dying out and the monarchy became elective.
The Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania was divided among Prussia, Russia and Austria in three stages (1772, 1793, 1795), completely eliminating both countries from the map. The Partitions and occupation was resisted, in 1794, during the Napoleonic Wars (1806-1815) during which Poles and Lithuanians in large numbers fought with France, and in the Insurrections of 1831 and 1863. Lithuania was punished for the Insurrection of 1863 with forced Russification.
The Tsarist regime of the 19th century was no more agreeable than the Soviet regime of this century. Life was very unpleasant under armed occupation, and young men faced the probability of conscription into the Russian army for very long periods of service. 19th century Russia, like 20th century Russia, offered nothing but economic misery to the overwhelming majority of people.
The Tsar was assissinated in 1881, and because of Jewish participation in the socialist/anarchist plot, the Russian government organized pogroms on a very large scale. A vast Jewish emigration ensued. and the Jewish example was followed by their gentile neighbors on a similar scale before very long. It is usually estimated that a third of the population of Lithuania emigrated, mostly to the United States.
There was an aborted revolution in Russia in 1905, when Russia lost a war to Japan. Massive conscription continued, and equally massive emigration up to 1914.
