Taurinskas Family Timeline

1874... Victoria Ostrauskas is born in 1874 (1861 on the passenger list of 1891*) and Paul Taurinskas is born in 1862 (1862 on the passenger list of 1891*). (On all other documents Paul has consistently stated a dob of 1875 in the Census information. Paul and Victoria both grew up in an area NW of Telsiai, (This was determined from family stories and from letters sent back and forth from Valeria and relatives in Lithuania)
Paul worked with his father farming and raising livestock. (Stories from the family)

Paul and Victoria may have lied about their age when they came over because they were minors and may not have had rights or been allowed to do things if they were under age. Historians have told me that the immigrants of the time lied about such things either to get into this country easier or to avoid being tracked down by the Russians, which was a fear of many Lithuanians.

It is suspected that Victoria's family was originally from Poland. (This is because letters translated by a Lithuanian historian indicate a strong Polish influence. Also, many powerful and wealthy Poles were "encouraged" by the Polish government to go to Lithuania where they ran large farms and businesses after Poland took over Lithuania)

Paul and Victoria meet when Paul finds work on the Ostrouskas farm. (Probable - due to how close they lived to each other - (See maps)(Also family stories)

1882... Bessie Petkevic is born in 1882 (This date is given on the earliest document we have where Bessie states her birth date. The upper years of her various birth dates given, are filled with the birth of her siblings 1886 - 1889). Her birth date is listed in 6 different years on 6 different documents ranging from 1880 to 1892) (Note the Petkevic name. A geneology expert from Lithuania told me there is a very heavy Jewish and Polish influence.)
Paul and Victoria's relationship is frowned upon and eventually leads to Victoria being rejected by her family. (According to the Lithuanian historian, an influential family would never tolerate a union between the elite and a common person. This would be a major "embarrassment" for the family ending in expulsion)

1895... Paul and Victoria apparently did not come to America together but it appears as though they were married before they came here. There is a German Passenger List showing Victoria Taurinska, married, age 22, departing Germany for the U.S. in 1896. Paul's naturalization document gives the year 1895 or 1896 some credibility as to when Paul arrived because you are supposed to be in the U.S. for five years before you can become a Naturalized citizen, which he did in 1900. Paul also has stated in the Census information that he came to the U.S. in 1895. No documentation of this has been found so far. Paul claimed to have been in the Turkish or Russian military and was in North Africa before he came to America. A military historian from Lithuania about Paul's claimed that neither country ever had any military operations in North Africa at the time Paul would have been in them. Russia had a mandatory 25-year military service and Turkey even longer. According to the military historian, "you did not leave until your 2 5years were up, unless you went AWOL. The military would track you down and put you in prison". Plus, his personal timeline makes it hard to fit this military experience in.

1896...Victoria joins Paul who has settled close to Waukegan, IL or Kenosha, WI (These two cities are only 15 miles apart). Many stories claim the boardinghouse was in Waukegan, IL, and it is believed that both children, Valeria and Julius, were born there. Paul's friend, William Supkus, who supposedly knew Paul for five years prior to 1900, as stated on Paul's naturalization document, was living in Waukegan on Victoria St, which the historian told me was known for its boarding houses. The historian also said that there were many boarding houses along the road between Waukegan and Kenosha. As far as Valeria and Julius being born there, the historians in Waukegan and Kenosha told me in those days (1900), Kenosha was a very small, very rough, fast growing town, and did not have many women. Many of the few women that lived in Kenosha went to Waukegan to give birth and then returned. There were better medical facilities and more half wives or birthing assistants if needed in Waukegan. Also they told me that many who lived in Kenosha, received their mail in Waukegan.
In addition to other jobs that Paul was doing they did run a boarding house. There is no evidence of this but there are stories. They may have just managed the boarding house for someone else, maybe William Supkus. William Supkus helped Paul in the Naturalization process.

1897...Paul and Victoria had two children Victoria (1897) and Julius (1898). (No public records exist because they did require records until 1917)

1900...Paul became a citizen in 1900. (There is a Naturalization document to prove this. As stated previously, many men back around the turn of the century lied about their age to become a citizen because you could get in on the some of the land ownership programs if you were a citizen among other benefits.)

1902...Joseph Ramakis came to America from Lithuania and resided at their boarding house. A romance supposedly developed with Victoria.

1903...Julius (age 5) slipped into Lake Michigan and drowned early in 1903. (The stories suggest he slipped on some ice and slid in.) Maybe due to this and/or other relationship problems, Paul and Victoria split up. The story is that Victoria quickly left with Joseph Ramakis (the man from the boardinghouse) leaving Valeria (age 6) with Paul. The story is that Victoria vanished. No one in Lithuania or the relatives in the U.S. heard from her ever again. It is hard to believe that a woman who just lost her son would then immediately leave her only daughter. There is a law that clears the legal aspects of a relationship if one of the people is "missing" for seven years. Victoria and Joseph moved away from Paul, probably to Kenosha initially, which was not far and had plenty of work. The city was filled with many men and very few women at that time and may not have been the place to raise a 6-year-old girl at the time. Joseph probably went there for work because work was plentiful. Paul supposedly took Valeria to some of Victoria's relatives in Chicago (they ran a bakery) to be taken back to Lithuania. Note this: Victoria may have taken her back to Lithuania. Victoria claims to have reentered the US late in 1903 (coincidence...maybe?), according to the Census. It only took 12 to 14 days to cross the Atlantic, so going over and coming back in one summer in quite possible.

1905...Paul apparently relocated in an area called the "near West side" of Chicago where he may have started another boarding house in addition to other jobs he was doing. This same year Bessie Petkewicz came to America, settling in Haverhill, MA. working as a maid for a Jewish family. Bessie had Haverhill, MA and John Salaga (sp? it could be Balaga. The last name on the passenger list document is hard to decipher) as her final destination on her passenger list so you would think she made some type of working arraignment before she left Lithuania. There is a possibility that Bessie's family, the Petkevic family, was Jewish (The writing in letters that were interpreted had a heavy Jewish influence). Apparently the Russians were very anti-Semitic. They killed many Jews "on the spot". A historian claimed that many Jews claimed to be Catholic to escape the harsh treatment from the Russians. Also, right around that period, 1903 - 1910, many European Jews were going to Boston or surrounding cities and Haverhill was one of them. A Haverhill historian stated that that was their largest period of Jewish growth. Bessie finally ended up in the Chicago area near Paul's boarding house. A woman who worked at the boarding introduced Paul and Bessie. Paul was very charismatic (a womanizer actually) and a romance soon developed. They married in 1908 at Providence of God Church in the "Near West Side" area of Chicago a few blocks from their boarding house. We know this from information on their marriage registration at the church. Paul worked at Western Electric as a foreman at that time.

1909...Valeria returns to U.S. on February 14, 1909. (Proof - German and U.S. passenger list confirming departure and arrival. She used the name Valeria Ostrosky (Ostrauskas) and stated she was 15 years old, which is what the stories claim.) She went to Kenosha, WI to search for her mother Victoria. We know she went there because there exists letters to Valeria with a Kenosha address on them. It seems that if she last saw her mother in Waukegan she would have gone there or somewhere close like Kenosha. She later moved to the Chicago area.

1910...Casimera (20) and Monika (22) arrive in America in 1910. (Interesting that they give their place of origin as Lithuania, but their nationality as Polish). They departed from Frankfort and arrived in New York. They listed their destination as Schenectady, New York. They were going to see their cousin Josef Valewajka and unnamed brother at the same address. An interesting point: The name of the passenger right below them on the list was Agata Gedvilaite. Monika married Julius Gedvilas a couple of years later. Also of interest is Monika stated the person she was going to see was her brother Josef Zubas. That name surfaced later as a friend and boarder of Paul and Bessie Taurinskas. In 1941, someone did an inquiry of the passenger list on either Monika or Casimera. It may be because there was a passenger, Ignaci Meslowski (18yo Malauskas), a male, right below Casimera on the list and on the ship with Casimera who, shortly afterward, had a child Anton Meslowski (Meslauskas). Mary Lienonen said her mother talked about a man named Ignaci. Ignaci's brother's name was Anton. Also in this year 1910, Joseph Gudas arrived in the U.S.

1910...For whatever reason, Victoria and Joseph Ramakis move to and settle in Roaring Brook, PA. In 1903-1908, there were many Lithuanians going to Pennsylvania to work in the growing mining industry and I think they followed. There are records indicating their existence there in 1910. It is there that they start a family in 1913. Joseph worked at the cemetery and was later joined by two of his sons. They had three sons and four daughters.

1913...Ludvik (25) (Bessie's brother) came to America. He departed from Hamburg and arrived in New York with a destination of New Jersey. He left his wife Josefa in Lithuania.

1914...Paul and Bessie start their family in 1914 with the birth of Stephania, and moved to Inver Grove, MN, later that year where Paul immediatedly began buying land.

1916...Paul and Bessie gave birth to Peter. Victoria and Joseph gave birth to Bernard. Ludvik died in a mine explosion in Montana (To this date it is one of the worst mine disasters in US history.)

1918...Paul and Bessie give birth to Josefine in 1918.

1920...Paul and Bessie give birth to Paul Jr. in 1920. Paul Jr. Joseph and Victoria gave birth to Elizabeth.

1922...Paul and Bessie give birth to Charles in 1922.

1925...Paul and Bessie give birth to Walter in 1925.

Approximately 1929...Valeria and family visit Paul and Bessie in Minnesota. While there George Pasilis, Valeria's son, remembers butchering a hog with the boys.

1929...another one of Victoria's children, Mathilda (age 11), drowns in Elmhurst Reservoir. She slipped in as her friends watched. They were so afraid of getting in trouble so they didn't tell anyone for hours. Finally they told someone, and a man named Edward Kennedy, who pulled out her body. He would be the man who takes their information for the 1930 Census. George Pasilis told me that when Valeria and family were on their way to visit her father Paul, in Minnesota, they stopped by a bakery in Chicago that was run by Victoria's relative. George and others have said that it was someone from this family that took Valeria back to Lithuania in 1903.

1937...Paul is diagnosed with stomach cancer. He eventually moved in with Stephanie (who lived close by) as his health fails, so she can care for him and take him to the doctor. (It has been said that his relationship with Bessie was extremely strained during Paul's last years, due to his "other" relationships. To add to the problem, shortly after he was diagnosed, sick and still at the farm, a woman supposedly visited him, which angered Bessie.)

1940...Paul died in 1940, where his age was listed at 59, but no where else but on the death documents, where someone other than Paul gave his birth date, does the year 1881 show up as his birth date. He should have been listed at age 65.

Approximately 1942...Shortly after Paul died, Valeria paid another visit to the farm with her daughter Theresa (group picture in the photo album). Valeria always remarked how friendly Bessie was to her and her children.

1976...Bessie died in Seattle, Washington

1978...Valeria died in Chicago, Illinois in 1978.