History
Francis and Barbara Taurinskas
There is not much information known about Paul's parents. It is assumed they lived in the northwestern
part Lithuania near Telsiai, which is about 50 miles from the Baltic Sea and not far from the area known
for its "Amber Stone". The three children that we know of are, Domcele, who married a man named
Eirosius (surname) and had five children, Eugenia, Stephanie, three others with unknown names)
Paul, and a son (name unknown) that died of small pox. It is not known if any of these children except
Paul came to America.
PAUL TAURINSKAS
(August 16, 1875 - December 23, 1940)
(August 16, 1875 - December 23, 1940)
Paul learned the skills of a shepherd on his family's farm. When he was in his late teens, he
found work as a shepherd on the farm of a wealthy aristocratic family (quite possibly from Poland
originally) by the name of Ostrauskas. It was there that he met Victoria Ostrauskaite. Victoria's
parents frowned upon their relationship and disowned Victoria for marrying Paul. Jobs were
scarce and living conditions were grim, so Paul and Victoria decided to go to the America (1895).
Eventually they went to Chicago area, following many Lithuanians immigrants, because Chicago was starting to boom at the time. Paul got a job working for the railroad and they also ran a boarding house which was believed to be located Waukegan, Il just north of Chicago or slightly north in Kenosha, WI. It was in that boarding house that they lived and raised their two children Valeria (dob 1897), and Julius (dob 1898). Tragedy struck Paul and Victoria in 1903, when their son, Julius, drown in Lake Michigan at age five. This was a turning point in their marriage. Victoria ran off with another man named Ramakis from the boarding house. Paul could not manage the boarding house, his job at the railroad, and care for his daughter. The story is that he contacted some relative of Victoria's in Chicago, who helped get her back to Victoria's family in Lithuania. Valeria was six years old at the time.
Paul moved down by Cicero and started another boarding house. Paul ran the boarding house with the help of a landlady. Paul's cousin, Jordan (Joseph) Zubavicius (Zubas), lived there and helped out too. Paul also drove street cars. Paul was quite a businessman. He would hold the money for his boarders who wanted to bring family and friends to America. When they had enough money, Paul would make the arrangements for a fee. Because he always had this money, many presumed him to be well off. One who assumed he was well off was Bessie Petkewicz. Paul got to know Bessie through an introduction from Paul's landlady. Paul took on a job at Western Electric where he was a foreman. They married in March 1908 but Paul continued his affairs with other women.
In May of 1914 they had their first child, a baby girl, Stephania. Later that year, Paul wanted to move to Minnesota (side story: Regina, his "friend", was moving there). Paul bought some land just west of 10th Street and Spruce in Inver Grove Township. Here they built a house there and had five more children: Peter (1916), Josefine (1918), Paul Jr. (1920), Walter (1925), and Charles (1922). The original house caught fire and burned to the ground. The story is, the farm was quite extensive throughout the south end of South St. Paul and even Pigs Eye Island. Paul's cousin, Jordon Zubavicius, had come to Minnesota with Paul and helped work the farm. There were always chores to do.
Many of Paul and Bessie's friends from Illinois would come to visit. Mr. Villius, a man Paul became good friends with, came to visit Paul in Inver Grove a couple of times. Descendants of Mr. Villius have talked about their close friendship. Valeria came to visit after she married John Pasilis in 1916. On one of the visits Valeria's son George, remembers playing in the pumphouse on an extremely hot day and hearing the beer bottle tops popping. They lifted up the cellar door and found Paul's still. When they left, Paul walked up to the car and told John Pasilis that the boys needed discipline (upset from their discovery) and handed John a horse strap. After that they always referred to the strap as "Grandpa". That got the kids attention! On another trip years later he remembers talking with Paul Jr. (later, they would both join the Navy) and having a lot of good times there.
The farm had a huge barn, chicken coup, pump house, orchard, horses, cows, geese, chickens, ducks, goats, and two small ponds on each side of the barnyard. Besides being a truck farmer, Paul also hauled trash for some of the businesses in Inver Grove and South St. Paul. (word has it; during prohibition he also serviced the bars along Concord Street with beer and moonshine he made from that still under the floor of the barn). The government persuaded him to cease that activity. Paul also was a great help to many of the neighbors. Apparently he was quite the carpenter, as he helped many of them build their houses and barns. Paul got sick around 1938 and got progressively worse. About six months before he died, he moved in with Stephanie so she could take him to the doctor. Paul died December 23, 1940 of stomach cancer.
Eventually they went to Chicago area, following many Lithuanians immigrants, because Chicago was starting to boom at the time. Paul got a job working for the railroad and they also ran a boarding house which was believed to be located Waukegan, Il just north of Chicago or slightly north in Kenosha, WI. It was in that boarding house that they lived and raised their two children Valeria (dob 1897), and Julius (dob 1898). Tragedy struck Paul and Victoria in 1903, when their son, Julius, drown in Lake Michigan at age five. This was a turning point in their marriage. Victoria ran off with another man named Ramakis from the boarding house. Paul could not manage the boarding house, his job at the railroad, and care for his daughter. The story is that he contacted some relative of Victoria's in Chicago, who helped get her back to Victoria's family in Lithuania. Valeria was six years old at the time.
Paul moved down by Cicero and started another boarding house. Paul ran the boarding house with the help of a landlady. Paul's cousin, Jordan (Joseph) Zubavicius (Zubas), lived there and helped out too. Paul also drove street cars. Paul was quite a businessman. He would hold the money for his boarders who wanted to bring family and friends to America. When they had enough money, Paul would make the arrangements for a fee. Because he always had this money, many presumed him to be well off. One who assumed he was well off was Bessie Petkewicz. Paul got to know Bessie through an introduction from Paul's landlady. Paul took on a job at Western Electric where he was a foreman. They married in March 1908 but Paul continued his affairs with other women.
In May of 1914 they had their first child, a baby girl, Stephania. Later that year, Paul wanted to move to Minnesota (side story: Regina, his "friend", was moving there). Paul bought some land just west of 10th Street and Spruce in Inver Grove Township. Here they built a house there and had five more children: Peter (1916), Josefine (1918), Paul Jr. (1920), Walter (1925), and Charles (1922). The original house caught fire and burned to the ground. The story is, the farm was quite extensive throughout the south end of South St. Paul and even Pigs Eye Island. Paul's cousin, Jordon Zubavicius, had come to Minnesota with Paul and helped work the farm. There were always chores to do.
Many of Paul and Bessie's friends from Illinois would come to visit. Mr. Villius, a man Paul became good friends with, came to visit Paul in Inver Grove a couple of times. Descendants of Mr. Villius have talked about their close friendship. Valeria came to visit after she married John Pasilis in 1916. On one of the visits Valeria's son George, remembers playing in the pumphouse on an extremely hot day and hearing the beer bottle tops popping. They lifted up the cellar door and found Paul's still. When they left, Paul walked up to the car and told John Pasilis that the boys needed discipline (upset from their discovery) and handed John a horse strap. After that they always referred to the strap as "Grandpa". That got the kids attention! On another trip years later he remembers talking with Paul Jr. (later, they would both join the Navy) and having a lot of good times there.
The farm had a huge barn, chicken coup, pump house, orchard, horses, cows, geese, chickens, ducks, goats, and two small ponds on each side of the barnyard. Besides being a truck farmer, Paul also hauled trash for some of the businesses in Inver Grove and South St. Paul. (word has it; during prohibition he also serviced the bars along Concord Street with beer and moonshine he made from that still under the floor of the barn). The government persuaded him to cease that activity. Paul also was a great help to many of the neighbors. Apparently he was quite the carpenter, as he helped many of them build their houses and barns. Paul got sick around 1938 and got progressively worse. About six months before he died, he moved in with Stephanie so she could take him to the doctor. Paul died December 23, 1940 of stomach cancer.
Photo
Unavailable
Victoria Taurinskas (Ostrauskas*)
(February 2, 1861 - ????)
(February 2, 1861 - ????)
Victoria Ostrauskas was born in Lithuania in 1861 near Ranavas, northwest of Telsiai. She was born
into a wealthy aristocratic family. She met Paul Taurinskas when he was hired to work as a shepherd
on her parent's farm. Victoria fell in love with Paul and despite the strong disapproval of her parents
they got married. They first arrived in New York on April 1891, and a passemger list shows Victoria
arriving another time in New York, June 29, 1896. She may have gone back to Lithuania in 1903 and
returned that same year.
They eventually worked their way to the Chicago area. They ran a boarding house together and although it is not clear exactly where it was located, there is some evidence to suggest it may have been in Waukegan, Illinois or possibly Kenosha, Wisconsin. They had their first child Valeria in 1897, and a son Julius in 1898. Julius drowned in Lake Michigan in 1903 when he was just five. It is believed that this tragedy along with Paul's womanizing caused Victoria to run off with Joseph Ramakis who lived at the boarding house. There is no evidence of Victoria making any attempt to contact her daughter and she was never heard from again. Even her relatives in Chicago and Lithuania never heard from her after she left with Joseph.
Although not conclusive, in 1913, Victoria and Joseph may settled in Pennsylvania and started a new life. They eventually bought a home on Drinkers Turnpike, in a small town named Roaring Brook, just a short distance from Scranton. They had eight children; Joseph (1913), William (1914), Bernard (1916), and Elizabeth (1920), Mathilda (1918) who drowned at age 11, and two daughters names unknown.
Research has uncovered that they worked at and were buried at, the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery where Joseph Sr. and their two sons Joseph Jr. and William worked. They are all buried together except for Bernard (who was a vagabond and died in 1977 in New Orleans) with no spouse or offspring next to them (although that was an acceptable practice at the time for employees of the cemetery). The few Ramakis families in the US today have been contacted and there is no connection to the family.
They eventually worked their way to the Chicago area. They ran a boarding house together and although it is not clear exactly where it was located, there is some evidence to suggest it may have been in Waukegan, Illinois or possibly Kenosha, Wisconsin. They had their first child Valeria in 1897, and a son Julius in 1898. Julius drowned in Lake Michigan in 1903 when he was just five. It is believed that this tragedy along with Paul's womanizing caused Victoria to run off with Joseph Ramakis who lived at the boarding house. There is no evidence of Victoria making any attempt to contact her daughter and she was never heard from again. Even her relatives in Chicago and Lithuania never heard from her after she left with Joseph.
Although not conclusive, in 1913, Victoria and Joseph may settled in Pennsylvania and started a new life. They eventually bought a home on Drinkers Turnpike, in a small town named Roaring Brook, just a short distance from Scranton. They had eight children; Joseph (1913), William (1914), Bernard (1916), and Elizabeth (1920), Mathilda (1918) who drowned at age 11, and two daughters names unknown.
Research has uncovered that they worked at and were buried at, the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery where Joseph Sr. and their two sons Joseph Jr. and William worked. They are all buried together except for Bernard (who was a vagabond and died in 1977 in New Orleans) with no spouse or offspring next to them (although that was an acceptable practice at the time for employees of the cemetery). The few Ramakis families in the US today have been contacted and there is no connection to the family.
Ignacas Petkevic abt 1855-1910 and Rosalia (Gostautas) Petkevic abt 1855-1930
Ignacas and Rosalyn (Rosa Lea) lived in Lithuania where they owned a small farm northwest of
Kaunas. They had four daughters; Veronika, Monika, Casimera, and Bessie and four sons; Ludvik
and three other sons, names unknown. At least four of the children came to America. It is believed
that Monika came over first in 1901, and then Bessie in 1905. Monika went back to Lithuania and
returned with Casimera in 1910. Ludvik came over in 1913. It is believed that he was married but left
his wife in Lithuania. He worked in the mines in Montana where he died in 1917, in the Anaconda
mines disaster, that still is the worst mining disaster in American history (168 men died).
The photos below were sent in a letter to Monika around 1910. It is not known what they needed the passports for or where they would have traveled to needing a passport.
The photos below were sent in a letter to Monika around 1910. It is not known what they needed the passports for or where they would have traveled to needing a passport.
Sample passport from 1907
Actual passport photos 1908
*There exists a postcard written to Monika telling of the eminent death of her parents with a date
that appears to be 1910.
Bessie (Barbara) Taurinskas
(October 21, 1882 - March 28, 1976)
(October 21, 1882 - March 28, 1976)
Bessie was born in the area just west of Kaunas, Lithuania. She was one of five siblings born to her
parents Ignacas and Rosalia Petkewicz. Bessie came to America through New York on April 7th,
1905 at age 23. According to the information on her passenger list she was to go to Haverhill, MA
to visit or work for someone named Dominik Lynkis. She then found her way to Chicago were she
met Paul. The landlady of Paul's boardinghouse introduced her to him. She worked in the boarding
house cooking and cleaning. She was very impressed with all the money Paul had. She later found
out Paul was just a common laborer. She married Paul in March of 1908 and six years later had
their first child, Stephanie, May 15, 1914. Later that year they moved to Inver Grove, Minnesota
where Paul bought some land and built their house. There was a fire that destroyed the original
house but a larger house was built facing east, over looking the south end of South St. Paul.
Bessie had her own garden right up by the house, where she grew flowers and vegetables. The
house was heated by coal and wood. She had a wood-burning stove in the kitchen and she was
always cooking something. The pantry was full of food and she enjoyed feeding anyone who came
to visit. She would cook eggs and sausage or fry up some 'farmers cheese'. The water had to be
carried up from the pump house in the barnyard every day. The outhouse was about halfway down
to the woodshed. She had her 'special' chickens, like 'Chi Chi', the big red, one-legged hen. Bessie
went out to visit her daughter Stephanie in Seattle, Washington and did not want to leave, so there
she lived until she died in 1976.
Paul and Bessie's Wedding Picture
taken in Chicago March 1908
Paul and Bessie on the farm in Inver
Grove shortly before Paul's death.
These are the locations in Chicago's of the Providence of God Church where Paul and Bessie
were married and the location of their house at the time of their marriage. Paul worked for a
electrical company (very possibly Western Electric) just west of these locations.
Paul and Bessie's Marriage registration at the Providence of God Church
The Taurinskas Farm in Inver Grove
THE TAURINSKAS FARM IN INVER GROVE, MINNESOTA (2004)
The two ponds visible in the lower right corner of the photo are the ponds to the North and South from where the barn stood. It has been said that Paul and Bessie's farm extended between Interstate 494 (left) and South Street (right), all the way to the Mississippi River, which you can see toward the top of the picture. Washington Elementary School, where the all Paul and Bessie's children attended school, is in the distant center where the open ball fields are.
The two ponds visible in the lower right corner of the photo are the ponds to the North and South from where the barn stood. It has been said that Paul and Bessie's farm extended between Interstate 494 (left) and South Street (right), all the way to the Mississippi River, which you can see toward the top of the picture. Washington Elementary School, where the all Paul and Bessie's children attended school, is in the distant center where the open ball fields are.
Paul's first wife
Paul's second wife
Bessie Taurinskas' parents
Providence of God Church 2006 after restoration
This is the church that Paul and Bessie were married in.
This is the church that Paul and Bessie were married in.
This is called "The Eye of God"
Taurinskas Family Geneology
Taurinskas Family Geneology
Photo
Unavailable