Taurinskas Family Immigration

Lithuanian society in the 1800's was largely agricultural - the typical Lithuanian was a farmer. The country had few large cities, most notably Vilnius, Kaunas and Telsai, which were centers of administration and education. There was little industry.

Some factors that probably affected our ancestor’s decision to get out of Lithuania started at least with the turmoil that was going on in the area right around and in Telsiai. The second uprising was against the Russians was in full swing and many of the local people were getting caught up in the revolt. Quite a large number of the population, especially those who belonged to the gentry and priests, were forced to leave Lithuania. The local Telšiai Bernardine monastery was converted to a prison to hold people until they were taken to Siberia. A wooden church that was a local shrine and the adjacent cemetery were leveled to make way for a neobyzantyne Orthodox church, an execution platform emerged in the Market Square downtown, and all Lithuanian writing was banned. The area had a Jewish influence from Jews who had first come to Lithuania in the early 1720’s to operate the new marketplaces. Their influence grew over the years and they built one of the first universities and the Telšiai Jewish Rabbi School became the most famous world center for studying the Torah. The town continued to grow despite all of the problems, both natural and with the Russians, which continued to happen. Problems like the famine of 1886-7, and the compulsory 25-year military service in the Russian Army. The conditions were bad, and many were fleeing the country.

Lithuanian Immigration

Lithuanian immigrants began to come to the United States in significant numbers in the late nineteenth century when their homeland was still a part of the empire. The majority of the first arrivals could not read or write. Most thought of making some money and then returning home, and therefore displayed little interest in buying land. Instead they sought work in mines and cities. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, they came to the Upper Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin) in increasing numbers. Except for a brief stay in the Boston area, our ancestors followed others to the Chicago area. Many found work in the stockyards, railroads, and on the docks around Lake Michigan. Census figures for this period are unreliable in judging ethnicity, but Lithuanians usually claim that Chicago had about 50,000 of their co-nationals by 1914, making it the largest urban settlement of Lithuanians in the world.

The early immigrants were mostly young men, who tended to live together in boardinghouses. Once an immigrant had collected his basic stake, usually about five hundred dollars, he might return home or more likely send for a bride to come live with him in the new land. Many of those who returned home soon decided that they could not settle back into the rural communities there.

Lithuanian men first socialized in the taverns, where they could learn the ways of the city. There they drew their plans for churches (they were mostly Roman Catholic) and other community institutions, including schools. The first Lithuanian parish developed around St. George’s Church in Bridgeport (1892).

The Lithuanians, however, maintained an especially notable presence, establishing a network of institutions that earned their community the label of Lithuanian Gold Coast. They formed some of the richest savings and loans in the city. The Lithuanian Sisters of St. Casimir founded Holy Cross Hospital in 1928 and Maria High School in 1952. The Lithuanian Youth Center in Gage Park was also a vital component to maintaining an exclusive Lithuanian identity.