Genealogy
karile@balzekasmuseum.org | +1 708-785-8080
The mission of the Balzekas Museum Genealogy Department is to collect, catalog and preserve vital records and documents pertaining to the immigration history of Lithuanian Americans. The origins of this department, one of the Museum’s most dynamic, can be traced to the vision of exceptionally talented volunteers and the energy of dedicated staff members working together to organize voluminous materials. Over the years, this core of devoted individuals took dispersed and remote information from a variety of sources and labored to make it all accessible. Scholars can now utilize these materials to research a number of fields: sociology, demography, and immigration.
Most frequently, however, the resources gathered within the department are used by people researching their family histories. The resources include archives, death notice files, cross-indexed searches, ancestral town information, translations, and a host of other genealogical references. By combining these resources with the guidance of a capable and knowledgeable staff, hundreds of people have discovered the rewards of genealogy – exploring, connecting, appreciating, and identifying with a very personal past.
People requiring assistance with genealogy research assistance from the Balzekas Museum may purchase non-member à la carte (pay-as-you-go) services from the Genealogy department. For more involved research, purchasing a Genealogy Membership is recommended and more cost-effective. Plus, Genealogy Members automatically receive the full privileges of a Family membership to the Museum for the duration of their subscription. The Genealogy membership level is determined by the number of services required. See below
Genealogy Services – Staff Consultations
Karilė Vaitkutė
Genealogy Department Chair
karile@balzekasmuseum.org
Many people of Lithuanian ancestry request assistance from the Museum when they begin to research their own Lithuanian family names or ancestral places of origin. Sometimes the expertise the Museum’s Genealogy Department provides is linguistic in nature. The Museum staff can assist in deciphering historical immigration documents, particularly handwritten records, such as passports and immigration papers. These written materials are not always legible because handwriting styles and the spelling of Lithuanian words have changed significantly over time. For example, prior to World War I, Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire and documents were issued in the Cyrillic script. In such instances, the staff can assist with the translation of these records. If names have been shortened and “Americanized” over time or in circumstances where spelling was altered through transliteration, the Museum staff can help ascertain what the original Lithuanian surnames or place names might have been.
“While we cannot always guarantee that we will find the information you are seeking, we can at least give you enough information to help you focus your genealogical research and avoid some common pitfalls,” says Karilė Vaitkutė, who heads the Genealogy Department at the Museum.
I. BASIC GENEALOGY
$125/YR
Membership includes one surname search and one ancestral town search
- After Member submits genealogical information on his ancestor by filling out our questionnaire, the information is evaluated and further steps are suggested in order to answer the genealogical questions Member has on his ancestor.
- The etymology, differences in spelling, and some grammatical features of the ancestor’s last name are explained.
- Places where people with the name in question used to live in Lithuania are indicated.
- If the location of the Member’s ancestor’s origin is known, we include the map of it. If it is not known we evaluate the possibility of finding the location and suggest what further steps should be taken to find the location and learn more about its history.
- A short history of the changes in the borders of Lithuania is provided.
II. PATRON GENEALOGY
$350/YR
The Patron Genealogy-level includes all the privileges of a Basic Genealogy-level membership, PLUS up to four basic surname searches, for example, the names of four grandparents, and up to four basic ancestral town searches.
This membership level is highly recommended for those who want to research more than one family member: e.g., a husband and wife, or a grandfather and his parents, etc.
Search of Archives in Lithuania
NON-MEMBER À LA CARTE GENEALOGY SERVICES
Non-member genealogy services are available on an à la-carte or pay-as-you-go basis:
- Obituary check: $25
- Obituary translation: $40
- Determining the correct spelling of an ancestral name: $25
- Determining the correct spelling of an ancestral location: $25
- Locating the location on the map: $25 (Many historic communities have disappeared from them map for political or social reasons.)
- Online search for digitized birth, marriage, or death records in Lithuania: $150 (Based upon availability)