Category Archives: Lithuanians

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

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

Rev. Stanley Yunker

Posted on October 25, 2014 by editor

Father Stanley Yunker (1894-1975) was pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church for 47 years.

Posted in Churches, Lithuanians, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Lithuanian children at Palmer School, 1910s

Posted on August 22, 2014 by editor

Excerpted from “An Immigrant Childhood,” written by Ann Tisckos Wisnosky and republished on Sandy Baksys’ Lithuanians in Springfield web site.   When we started Palmer School, we were looked upon as “those foreign kids” and sometimes called names. Other ethnic groups … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Education, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Schools and school districts | Tagged | 5 Comments

Slot machine hijacker reforms

Posted on July 25, 2014 by editor

From Sandy’s Blog, News and Profiles, a section of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois: According to Wally Surgis Jr., bootlegging during Prohibition provided the perfect pathway to illegal activity for Lithuanians and other immigrants for whom alcohol consumption and production was … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians | Leave a comment

A blended immigrant family: Treinis/Nevada/Zakar

Posted on July 25, 2014 by editor

From Sandy’s Blog, News and Profiles, a section of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois: Lithuanian coal-mining families in Springfield at the turn of the 20th Century had many hardships — and virtues — in common. Hard work, faith and determination were … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Communities, Ethnic groups, Family life, Lithuanians | 8 Comments

St. Vincent de Paul Church

Posted on July 6, 2014 by editor

The story of Lithuanians in Springfield began with young Lithuanian men who first sought work in the coal mines, then returned home and bought land, started families and hoped for a better future. Other Lithuanian miners, however, remained transients for … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians | 2 Comments

The Mack family and Springfield’s McDonald’s restaurants

Posted on July 6, 2014 by editor

Springfield’s Lithuanian historian, Sandy Baksys, covers the beginnings of McDonald’s restaurants in Springfield in three posts on her Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois web site. Here’s how she led off the first installment: Anybody who’s eaten a McDonald’s hamburger in Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Prominent figures, Restaurants | 1 Comment

The Cara-Sel Lounge

Posted on June 27, 2014 by editor

One of the more colorful Lithuanian-American businesses in Springfield was the Cara-Sel Lounge, Seventh Street and North Grand Ave, operated for 17 years by Tony and Carol Yuscius. Tony (1923-2009) was the son of Lithuanian-born Joseph and Marcella (Radavich) Yuscius. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Coal mines and mining, Ethnic groups, Hotels & taverns, Lithuanians, Restaurants | 2 Comments