Category Archives: Ethnic groups

Joey Mack, dance man

Posted on January 23, 2015 by editor

Perhaps the most famous Lithuanian-American in Springfield in the 1940s was in show business: Joey Yanaitis (Janaitis or Jonaitis) Mack. Famous in Boston, Rockford, Cleveland, Augusta, Ga., and dozens of places in between from the late 1930s through the 1940s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Social life | Leave a comment

Sangamon County Lithuanians in World War I

Posted on December 20, 2014 by editor

More than 50,000 Lithuanian-Americans fought for the United States in World War I. This remarkable number was later leveraged to lobby U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the newly independent Lithuanian state that emerged from the War’s aftermath. The vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Military | 3 Comments

Artie Matthews (ragtime composer)

Posted on November 7, 2014 by editor

Acclaimed ragtime composer Artie Matthews apparently got his start as a musician in the bars and bordellos of Springfield’s old Levee district. After composing such ragtime classics as Weary Blues — later recorded by, among others, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Arts and letters | Leave a comment

Isidor Yacktis (lawyer, spokesman for Lithuanians)

Posted on October 25, 2014 by editor

As a lawyer to his fellow Lithuanian immigrants in Springfield, Isidor Yacktis (1883-1953) leveraged his higher education and social status to serve as a mediator between his own people and mainstream Americans, to whom the immigrant “hordes” seemed unruly, threatening–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

‘Riverton riot’ of 1906

Posted on October 25, 2014 by editor

In the early years of the 20th century, local newspapers reported Lithuanian ethnicity in crimes of violence, much as media later in the century reported race. However, it’s easy to see why a “Lithuanian” brawl could have seemed relevant to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Ethnic groups, Law enforcement, Lithuanians, Local government | Tagged | Leave a comment

William Washington (African-American history interviews)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by editor

Born in Springfield, William Washington graduated from Lanphier High School and Springfield Junior College.  He held various jobs until he started the Springfield’s Voice newspaper in 1972.  In an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, Washington talked about … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Journalism, Media, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Carmelita Hogan Washington (African-American history interviews)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by editor

Springfield native Carmelita Hogan Washington, a graduate of Feitshans High School and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, worked in human resources at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Sangamon State/University of Illinois Springfield. In an interview for the Springfield African-American History … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Peggie Senor (African-American history interviews)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by editor

Peggie Senor attended Feitshans High School and Springfield Junior College and married Clarence Senor in 1952; they had seven children. She later was ordained as an Elder in her church and served the ministry in various ways in Springfield and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Charles Lockhart Jr. (African-American history interviews)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by editor

Springfield native Charles Lockhart Jr. (1927-2013) played in the Feitshans High School band and Springfield’s Colored Municipal Band, then was a member of the U.S. Navy Band while in the service. Returning from the Navy, he first worked for Allis-Chalmers … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Leroy Jordan (African-American history interviews)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by editor

Leroy Jordan, who moved to Springfield in 1965, was the first Black male classroom teacher in the Springfield public schools. (The first African-American teacher overall was Mae Hammons, who began classroom teaching at Iles School in 1955.) Jordan later spent … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Ethnic groups, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment