Immigration from Lithuania

Our first Povelones ancestors in America can be traced back to the early 1900s when Anton and Paulina Povelones first arrived from Lithuania. During that time, due to a great famine as well as Russian persecution, there were a large number of Lithuanians that immigrated into the country. It was recorded that as many as 25,000 arrived every year between 1900-1912. Most settled in the industrial centers of New England, such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Cleveland, and Chicago, with the vast majority being employed in industrial trades, such as factory workers, shop workers, and coal miners.

Great Granddad Anton arrived to the United States on (or around) February 22, 1903. He came in on a steamship from Bremen Germany and arrived at the Port of New York (Ellis Island). The name of his vessel is unknown. He worked as a coal miner in Clinton, Indiana.

Great Grandmother Paulina arrived in New York, Ellis Island, on (or around) July 5, 1907, on the steamship Estonia, which set sail from the port of Libau (or Liepāja), Latvia (the westernmost city of the Russian Empire between 1795-1918).

Based on both Anton and Paulina’s naturalization papers, it appears they not know each other before arriving to America. They departed from different ports and arrived on different dates. Furthermore, Paulina’s papers state that the person in the US she was coming to was her brother, John Mazines.

Sources

• Libau in Latvia, https://www.onlatvia.com/tag/libau
• Libau by Immanuel Blaushild, https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/libau/lib001.html
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Lithuanians in the United States, https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Lithuanians_in_the_United_States