The German Minister's Villa, in Three Takes

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Kaunas, Lithuania, October 2010. In the 1920s, the villa was the site of some swanky diplomatic entertaining. It was also home to a Saint Bernard.

Thanks to the Granddaughter of the American Consul for making this photo available to us.

It's not that warm.

Nemunas Delta Region, Panemunė, Lithuania, about 1927. My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, and my Mom enjoy the sand bar.

I love how Mom has a little play bucket.

Another Party at the German Villa

Kaunas, Lithuania, April 26, 1927. The American Consul to Lithuania wrote:

This storm had abated somewhat when Professor Ranzoni and I went to the Morahts' where we were invited for the dinner they were giving President and Mrs. Smetona and the Minister President and Mrs. Voldemaras. Lily was unable to go . . . There were again 13 persons at the table, my second experience of this kind within 24 hours . . . this was the President's first appearance in a private gathering since his election. Mrs. Smetona has always wanted to accept such invitations, but the Foreign Offie steadfastly objected on the ground that it would be improper for the President to appear socially at legations since by so doing, he would be obliged to accept all such invitations, whether he wishes to or not. But Mrs. Smetona finally had her way, as usual. She accepted the Moraht invitation on the condition that the party should be informal; so to keep up the fiction of informality, no invitations were send out and the guests were requested to come in afternoon clothes. Everybody did this but Professor Voldemaras, who wore a Tuxedo. The party was rather stiff at first, but after the first glass of wine, everybody became lively and the animation became greater as time passed. After dinner, the ladies played bridge. Mr. Moraht retired to a quiet corner with the President and talked for over an hour. Professor and Mrs. Voldemaras left and midnight and the President and his wife an hour later. Mr. Moraht compelled the professor and me to stay one. We left at about half-past one after a very enjoyable and interesting evening.

 Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo and narrative available to us.

The German Minister's Villa

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926 or 1927. This is the villa occupied by the German Minister (here's the doggie). The American Consul to Lithuania wrote: 

[September 19, 1926] "At the top of the so-called green hill, where there is a fine view of Kovno, we saw the home of the German minister. It is a detachable wooden house brought from Germany. As there is a great scarcity of apartments here and it is only now that a start has been made in erecting modern and sanitary buildings, the Germans solved their housing problem in a very practical manner—they brought their house with them."

[Otober 25, 1926] "At noon, I returned the German minister's call and this afternoon he [Minister Moraht] and Mrs. Moraht called on us. They are pleasant people and we hope to see much of them."

[October 30, 1926] "From [there], we went to the German Minister's house, which is also on the 'green hill.' It is small and has an unfinished appearance inside because the walls are not papered. The walls and ceilings are of wood painted a dark brown, but there may be rooms with more cheerful colors. Mrs. Moraht said that they have ordered another room which will be sent from Germany in pieces and set up by German workmen who will come for that purpose."

[February 5, 1927] "This evening we had dinner with the Morahts at their villa on the green hill, this being the first party they have given since the house was enlarged and their furniture installed. It is nicely furnished with some fine old furniture and a number of beautiful oriental rugs. The dinner was rather elaborate, beginning with caviar on toast and ending with ice cream. They served excellent German wines and champagne. The cognac, dated 1830, was also German. At about midnight we went to the Hotel Metropole where there was a ball. The place was crowded and everybody seemed to be in good spirits. Mr. Moraht took the party to the Metropole (It took two trips). Mr. Moraht took us home in his car at three o'clock. It was a pleasant and interesting evening."
 
Thanks to the Consul's granddaughter for making this photo and narrative available to us.

At the Opera

Kaunas, Lithuania, March 22, 1927. The American Consul to Lithuania attends the opera. The Consul wrote:

This evening we heard Carmen at the opera with Kovno's best singer, Petrauskas. At one time, he sang with the St. Petersburg opera, but somehow drifted to Kovno after the war [see here and here]. He is an excellent singer and actor. ... The orchestra did well considering its small size. ... The scenery was good, it having been painted by a Kovno artist who went to Spain to find appropriate scenes. We were in the diplomatic box with Mr. and Mrs. Balodis (the Latvian minister), Mr. Oiderman (the Estonian representative, and Mr. Balutis, who is about to be appointed Under Secretary in the Foreign Office which will give him almost the rank of a cabinet minister. ... President and Mrs. Smetona were in the box next to us. ... The theater was completely filled and the audience was most enthusiastic, calling Petrauskas and others before the curtain many times after each act.

Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

Permit

Kaunas, Lithuania, August 3, 1927. The Administrator of the city of Kaunas and surrounding areas issued this permit to the American Consul to Lithuania. The document states, "PERMIT. With this I [the Kaunas Administrator] allow America's Consul Mr. [Robert Wayne] Heingartner, to keep a shooting revolver gun. This permit will be in effect until January 1, 1928."

Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

Season Tickets

Kaunas, Lithuania, January 21, 1927. This is a pass to the Lithuanian National Theater. It was issued to the American Consul to Lithuania. The Consul wrote, "Today the Foreign Office sent me a season ticket to the opera good for two seats in the diplomatic box every night during the 1927 season. We have not been there yet because the opera is far back from the street in the public garden and automobiles cannot drive up to the entrance. In this cold weather Lily does not like to walk out in the cutting night air."

Thanks to the Consul's Grandaughter for making this photo available to us.

My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, bought season tickets to the same theater. Mom remembers attending performances there. Mom also recalls how wives of the Soviet soldiers arrived at the theater after the Russians occupied Lithuania in 1941. Most of the Russian women were of peasant stock, but they had heard they should attend the opera in ballgowns. The woman appeared in the theater lobby wearing satin nightgowns.

Diplomatic Spouse

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926. This is Lily, the wife of the man who served as America's Consul to Lithuania between 1926 and 1928.

Thanks to Lily's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

On the Big River

Nemunas Delta Region, Panemunė, Lithuania, about 1927. My Mom rides in the dinghy with her Parents, Jadzė and Jake. Horses pull carts along the bridge.

A Closer Look (Part 35)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, 1927. This is my Great-Grandmother Zigmunta. Although she married a clever and curious man, Zigmunta remained unhappy. After the war, Zigmunta lived with her daughter, Dora, in the house my Mom's parents had built.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 8)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, 1927. This is Edvardas, my Mom's maternal Uncle. Edvardas was a pianist (like his father, Silvestras). He graduated from the Königsberg Sondershausen music conservatory. After finishing school, Edvardas did not find a job as a professional musician in Lithuania. He instead worked as a secretary at the Army College where his sister Jadzė's husband—my maternal Grandfather, Jake—was an officer.

One evening, when the family gathered for dinner at the home of my Mom's maternal Grandparents, Edvardas complained of a stomach ache. Jake thought the problem was not serious and insisted Edvardas drink a shot of brandy spiked with ground black pepper to alleviate the pain. Edvardas suffered a ruptured appendix and died shortly after that meal. He was 29 years old.

A Closer Look (Part 2)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, 1927. The early photos of my Mom's maternal aunt, Dora, in part prompted me to start this blog. Here's a close up of Dora from a family photo.

A Closer Look (Part 1)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, 1927. This is a closeup from one of the first photos I posted on the blog. This is my Mom's maternal Grandfather, Silvestras. He's the relative she most loved, and Mom talks about him often.

Revisiting Another Image

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1927. Here's my Mom with her Mom, Jadzė. This photo appeared early in the blog's history.

Autumn Yard

Near Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1927. Friends of my Dad's older cousin, Henry, check out the shed.

Together

Lithuania, about 1927. This is the family of Kadis (center). Kadis was the husband of my Dad's twin sister, Jonė.

 

Thanks to Kadis's daughter—my Toronto Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Tender Hands

 

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1927. My Dad's paternal Aunt, Victoria, poses with her older daughter.

Those Melancholy Eyes

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1927. This is my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. This image arrived in the "new batch" of photos my Kaunas Cousin recently sent. It also is a photograph I never seen.

Here's how Tatjana looked about twenty years later, after World War II.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Army Buddies (Part 11)

Probably Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1927. On the right stands my Dad's older cousin, Henry, with his lifelong friend.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Josephine, a Mystery

My Mom's maternal Aunt Dora—whom you may remember as an intriguing figure—sent many family photos to my Mom. Dora stayed in Lithuania after the second Soviet occupation, and she lived in the house my maternal Grandparents had built. In that house, Dora found many snapshots my Mom and her Dad, Jake, had left behind when they fled Lithuania in 1944. Beginning in the late 1950s—after Stalin died—Dora started mailing those photos to my Mom. By now, I've posted most of the images on this blog.

Dora was very good about providing written descriptions on the back of photos, especially when she sent an image from a family plot. So this photo, of a headstone and its family bench, is a mystery because Dora wrote nothing on its back. The inscription tells me that the decedent was Josephine, and Josephine was related to the family of my maternal Grandfather, Jake.

Josephine was 32 years old when she died on November 19, 1927. Was she a sister of Jake and his other siblings, Mary, Cody Jr., Zigmas, and the younger brother who died in a shooting accident? My Mom doesn't recall a Josephine or whether a Josephine was a sibling of Jake's or a cousin. Mom does have a foggy memory—from her childhood—of a relative who delivered a still-born baby and then died after she contracted sepsis.

"Rest in peace, our beloved Josephinette, while you wait for us."

UPDATE: Last year, I wondered, "Whose portrait hangs on that wall?" I now see that it's a portrait of Josephine, and I think it's the same portrait that's on her headstone. The placement of Josephine's portrait in a public part of the house—the dining room—tells me that Josephine probably was the deceased daughter of my Mom's paternal Grandparents, Cody Sr. and Wanda. Josphine was a sister of my paternal Grandfather, Jake.

I was searching that "Customs" post just now for some information I had written last year about Kūčios, and there she was, staring at me from the wall, about an hour after this post published.