A Closer Look (Part 55)

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. The is Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother Veronica.

Here's the original post.

Related by Marriage: Passing

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 27, 1951. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica, and Veronica's youngest son Stacey mourn the loss of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandfather.

Read here for more about the tradition of photographing funerals.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 44)

Würzburg, Germany, about 1946. Here's Uncle D, the younger brother of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother, Veronica.

Related by Marriage: Bedside

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1959. I wrote earlier (here and here) about the habit of recording illness. This is Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica.

Related by Marriage: Bring a candle.

Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1943. Mr. Irene's Dad pays his respects at the wake of his maternal Grandfather, Michael. The woman holding the candle is Veronica, Michael's daughter.

I wrote about photography at funerals here.

Related by Marriage: A Happier Image

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. Stacy—the younger brother of Mr. Irene's Dad—stands, on the left, with guests on his wedding day.

Related by Marriage: A Gentle Face

Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1935. This is Mr. Irene's Great-Grandfather, Michael. You saw him earlier here. Michael—born in 1895—was the father of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica.

Michael's brother had emigrated to Chicago as a "first waver."

Related by Marriage: Also Served

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, 1942. Mr. Irene's paternal Great-Uncle, Uncle D—the brother of Mr. Irene's Grandmother Veronica—served in the Lithuanian Army during the years of independence (1918-1944). Many men of his generation had military careers.

Uncle D's uniform is identifiable because it has epaulets, and the Lithuanian coat of arms, the Vytis, is on the cap.

Related by Marriage: Almost on the Boat

Post-War Germany, March 26, 1949. Mr. Irene's Dad, standing on the left, joins the relatives with whom he will emigrate to the United States. Standing next to Dad is his brother, Ignas. Seated are Uncle D—the brother of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother Veronica—and Uncle D's wife, Danutė.

The group sat for this portrait on the same day Mr. Irene's Dad and Ignas had this photo taken.

Danutė was the family's source for pickled mushrooms.

Related by Marriage: Happier Times on the Farm

Near , Lithuania, about 1942. Here's another scene from the farm that was Mr. Irene's Dad's boyhood home. Mr. Irene's Dad stands on the far right, with his hand on his hip. His mother, Veronica, is the second woman from the left. Older brother Ignas is in the background—he's the one wearing eye glasses. Younger brother Stacey is the little boy in the front. The man with his elbow on Mr. Irene's Dad's shoulder is the Farm Manager.

After the Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1944, they seized and redistributed the farm property.

The Soviets also emptied the banks of citizens' savings accounts. They considered savings accounts "bourgeoisie."

Related by Marriage: Thinking about home.

Würzburg, Germany, December 7, 1948. This is Mr. Irene's Great Aunt, Danutė. Danutė married "Uncle D," the brother of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica. Here, Danutė, a Displaced Person, poses in Lithuanian folkdress.

Related by Marriage: Summer Picnic

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1961. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Stacey, eats outside with his family and his Mother, Veronica.

Related by Marriage: Small Reunion

Ibutoniai (near Panevėžys), Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, March 4, 1957. Members of Mr. Irene's family pose during a small family reunion. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica, sits at the center of the front row. Her son Stacey, the younger brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, stands in the back row, second from right.

Related by Marriage: Pear Tree

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1962. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica, writes, "I am picking pears from a neighbor's tree."

Related by Marriage: Change of Plans

When Mr. Irene's Dad was growing up, the family planned for him to take over the duties of running the family farm. After Mr. Irene's Dad fled the 1944 Soviet occupation of Lithuania, his mother, Veronica, instead relied on an unrelated Farm Manager to oversee the property—and the collectivization of the farming operation.

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Winter 1964. The Farm Manager of the homestead of Mr. Irene's Dad prepares to go hunting. He's standing near the farm's well.

Related by Marriage: Veronica

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1957. This is Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica. You've seen her also here and here.

Veronica pasted this photo of herself into a handcrafted leather album that she sent to her son, Mr. Irene's Dad.

Related by Marriage: Another Wedding Portrait

Here is the wedding portrait of the marriage of Stacey, the younger brother of Mr. Irene's Dad. I earlier posted some photos of the country wedding here.

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. Stacey and his bride don't look right into the camera lens.

Related by Marriage: Everyone is home, on the farm.

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. Mr. Irene's Dad is the little boy in the front row, on the right. Next to him sits his younger brother Stacey, in the white jacket, and older brother Ignas is on the far left. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandparents, Veronica and Jonas, are directly behind the boys. Other aunts and relatives appear in the background.

Here, again, we see a servant lurking in the background.

UPDATE: Mr. Irene's Dad added some more information about this photo. The elderly woman hunched behind Ignas is the Aunt of Jonas, the paternal Grandfather. So. The members of the family are all seated.

Standing behind the family, left to right, is the Farm Manager, the boys' Nanny, and the Cook. It wasn't unusual for a family of this era to sit for a portrait with the household help. In this case, the "help" ranked pretty high—Manager, Nanny, and Cook. These persons were essentially members of the family. Notice also that the person who likely doesn't rank is in the background.

My Mom cringes when she remembers that the woman, "Magduka,"who served in her Parents' household as a cook / maid slept on a cot in the kitchen and never was included in family meals. Ironically, it was Magduka who taught my mother to knit. My maternal Grandmother, Jadzė, did not know how to knit.

Related by Marriage: Weddings cement family ties.

When Mr. Irene's Parents married, they traveled to Los Angeles to "honeymoon" at the home of Ignas, the brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, and his wife, Ellie.

A few years earlier, when Ignas and Ellie had wed, those newlyweds made a similar trip. Ignas and Ellie travel to Chicago so that Ellie could meet "Uncle D" and Uncle D's wife, Danutė.

"Uncle D" was the brother of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica.

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1953. The new relations gather in "Uncle D's" backyard. From left to right are "Uncle D," his wife Danutė, newlywed Ellie, newlywed Ignas, and Mr. Irene's Dad.

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Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1953. They've arranged themselves by height again, but this time, the shortest point is at the center.

Related by Marriage: Country Wedding

Stacey, the youngest brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, stayed behind in Lithuania after the Soviet Union occupied the country. While Mr. Irene's Dad and his eldest brother, Ignas, adapted to life in the United States, Stacey remained in the countryside and managed the old farm.

Stacey married and raised a family in the same house in which Mr. Irene's Dad and Ignas had grown up.

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica, sits with Stacey's bride, Stacey, and an aunt. The ceremony took place about six months after the wedding of Mr. Irene's Parents.

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Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. The wedding party surrounds the newlyweds. The women wear Lithuanian folkdresses.

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Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. Family members gather for a photo in front of the farmhouse.

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Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1959. Parents of the newlyweds greet the couple with wine, bread, and salt as the couple enters the reception. The three items symbolize joy, work, and tears. A similar custom arises in Polish weddings.