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History Comes Alive: The Anthracite Legacy<\/b><\/p>\n
The expedition wasn\u2019t just about cleaning up cemeteries\u2014it was about reconnecting with heritage. The group visited churches and museums and even helped out at the new Lithuanian Museum, founded by Anne Chaikowsky Skirmantas at the Chaikowsky Funeral Home in Shenandoah.<\/p>\n
A particularly moving stop for the Roots group was the Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton, where Curator John Fielding had arranged for a volunteer to guide the team. The visit began with a focus on anthracite coal, the densest and hottest-burning coal found in the highest concentration in this region. Soon, the group confronted the harsh realities faced by 19th-century Lithuanian immigrants, many of whom worked in treacherous coal mines under dangerous and often deadly conditions.<\/p>\n
The museum showcased artifacts like the diary of Lithuanian miner Stanislovas Patalunas, miners\u2019 work clothes, and photographs, including images of Lithuanian immigrant Jonas Martinkus, who built machinery for the mines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was like traveling back in time,\u201d reflected \u017dalpys, noting how the visit deeply moved the group. Learning about the sacrifices and hardships their ancestors endured gave the participants a renewed sense of gratitude for their own lives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After the museum visit, the group continued to the Lithuanian National Catholic Church in Scranton. Eighty-year-old Jon Yudiskas, whose father helped establish the breakaway Lithuanian congregation, led the tour. The church originally began as Roman Catholic but split off for various reasons, including resistance to handing over its deed to the diocese. Mr. Yudiskas expressed concern that research groups from Lithuania have taken archival documents and have yet to return them. He noted that the most recent group from Kaunas University had taken the only copy of the Lithuanian National Catholic Church Cemetery map. \u017dalpys reassured him that he would try to retrieve the document.<\/p>\n A memorable moment occurred when Julia Kosa-Valien\u0117 discovered Lithuanian-language prayers to the Holy Mother Mary inside the church. Julia inquired whether the congregation still sang and prayed in Lithuanian. Mr. Yudiskas explained that although the community no longer spoke Lithuanian fluently, they still used it on special occasions.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s final stop of the busy day was the Lithuanian National Catholic Cemetery, where Mr. Yudiskas showed them what needed to be done. Although the cemetery appeared better maintained than others, appearances were deceiving. Trees had gradually grown along one end of the cemetery, which, if left unchecked, could have eventually upended graves. The team\u2019s cleanup efforts were both practical and symbolic, breathing new life into these forgotten resting places.<\/p>\n Bells, Prayers, and a Touch of the Divine<\/b><\/p>\n One of the most moving experiences occurred at Our Lady of \u0160iluva Church near Maizeville on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption. In Lithuania, this holy day, known as \u201c\u017dolin\u0117,\u201d blends harvest traditions with celebrating Mary\u2019s assumption into heaven. In keeping with tradition, Asta Matulevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 and Julia Kosa-Valien\u0117, both from the Punskas-Seinai region, crafted wreaths of field flowers and harvest grains to adorn banners depicting Our Lady of \u0160iluva and Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, which \u017dalpys had brought from Lithuania. The Roots participants carried these banners in procession around the closed church as they sang the Lithuanian hymn \u201cSveika, Marija, Motina Dievo\u201d (Hail Mary, Mother of God).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Suddenly, church bells began to ring. At first, the group was puzzled\u2014the church had been closed for some time. They soon realized the sound was coming from a passing coal train. \u201cIt was as if Mary or the coal miners in heaven were sending us a sign of gratitude,\u201d \u017dalpys recalled. \u201cThe moment was so powerful, it gave us all goosebumps.\u201d<\/p>\n A Serendipitous Family Reunion<\/b><\/p>\n For Asta Matulevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117, the journey to Pennsylvania from her home in Lithuania became deeply personal. She had brought a photograph of her great-grandfather\u2019s brother\u2019s son, Vincent Matulevi\u010dius, quietly hoping to reconnect with her unknown American relatives. To her astonishment, the connection was made on the very first day of the expedition. During an interview with a local journalist, Asta shared her family story and showed the photograph. In an unexpected twist of fate, the journalist recognized Vincent\u2019s daughter, Mary, and arranged a meeting. It was a moment of pure serendipity.<\/p>\n That evening, Asta met her long-lost relatives, Mary and her brother George, who are the grandchildren of her great-grandfather\u2019s brother. \u201cMeeting my relatives felt like a miracle,\u201d Asta shared. \u201cI never imagined that I would travel so far from home and find a part of my family I didn\u2019t even know existed.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Mary and George, now in their 70s, do not speak Lithuanian, the emotional bond was undeniable. Their grandfather, Jurgis Matulevi\u010dius, had emigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century to work in the coal mines. The reunion added a profoundly personal layer to Asta\u2019s journey, bridging generations and continents in a way she had never expected.<\/p>\n Asta later reflected on how the Roots experience deepened her understanding of her identity. \u201cThis project opened my eyes to the importance of our history and heritage,\u201d she wrote in her journal. \u201cIt has strengthened my love for Lithuania and my desire to work for its future.\u201d<\/p>\n Digitally Preserving a Lost Legacy<\/b><\/p>\n The expedition also aimed to document and digitally preserve the graves of Lithuanian immigrants. Andrius Trunovas, leader of the cemetery mapping project cemety.lt, photographed over 3,000 graves across eight cemeteries during the trip. His objective was to create a digital map to help people in Lithuania and abroad locate their ancestors\u2019 burial sites.<\/p>\n \u201cThe intention is to make this material publicly accessible, preserving Lithuanian heritage in a digital format,\u201d said Trunovas, whose platform already includes information on 1.5 million burials across 1,300 cemeteries.<\/p>\n In the U.S., he noted, many Lithuanian graves were \u201cAmericanized\u201d with anglicized names, making them harder to identify without expert knowledge. With help from \u017dalpys\u2019s stories and historical context, the team could adequately document the graves and ensure their preservation.<\/p>\n A Community United<\/b><\/p>\n The team also participated in the Knights of Lithuania Council 144-sponsored Lithuanian Days at Catalpa Grove in Barnesville, Pennsylvania, billed as the oldest ethnic festival in the U.S. The Roots project received overwhelming support, with over $1,000 donated on the spot to help fund future expeditions.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it was an incredibly emotional moment,\u201d said \u017dalpys. \u201cSeeing so many descendants of Lithuanian immigrants come together to honor their roots\u2014it brought tears to my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n The Roots expedition is organized by the Lithuanian American Community of the USA and the U.S. Lithuanian Youth Association, with generous financial support from the Chicago-based Lithuanian Foundation. \u017dalpys hopes to continue the project next year, as there are still many graves to restore and stories yet to uncover.<\/p>\n Beneath the Surface<\/b><\/p>\n From a diary entry of Roots participant Andrius Trunovas: Reflections on the Struggles of Lithuanian Coal Miners in Pennsylvania<\/i><\/p>\n In the coal-mining towns of Pennsylvania, once home to the largest Lithuanian communities, the first wave of emigrants arrived between 1870 and 1920. Fleeing the Czarist regime, many settled here and took on grueling and dangerous work in the coal mines. Men\u2014and even children as young as nine\u2014endured harsh conditions, and many lost their lives. Widows were often forced to remarry within days, as they had no other means of support. There are countless stories of men, worn down by the relentless labor, telling their families they would work one last day before returning to Lithuania, only for their wives, who had packed up the family\u2019s belongings, never to see them alive again.<\/p>\n I ended the project week by descending into a 400-meter-deep coal mine. Before the train set off, one of the Americans on the tour asked for a moment to take his medication. I was lucky enough to be distracted by the chatter of a three-year-old boy, who helped take my mind off the anxiety of descending so far underground.<\/p>\n For the first fifteen minutes, I focused on practicing all the breathing techniques I had learned, trying to adjust to the experience. Once I settled in, I started to hear the guide and fully immerse myself in the reality of standing in the very place where Lithuanians once toiled so hard. We descended only to the first level, 400 meters underground, though the mine had four levels in total, with the deepest reaching between 1,600 and 2,000 meters.<\/p>\n This mine had been in operation since 1855, running two 10-hour shifts each day. If a worker was injured at the start of a shift, they were laid on their side and only brought to the surface at the end. No matter the severity of the injury, they were taken home and left on the front porch.<\/p>\n Wages were mostly paid in grocery tickets, redeemable at a store owned by the mining company. Rent for the living quarters was deducted, and whatever little remained was given in cash. Wives often accompanied their husbands to collect their wages, ensuring the money wasn\u2019t spent at the nearest saloon. If a man died, the coal company gave the widow and her family 24 to 72 hours to find another provider. If one couldn\u2019t be found, the family was evicted.<\/p>\n Despite these hardships, Lithuanian communities quickly formed, pooling funds to support needy families, organize funerals, and erect memorials. Over time, they realized the coal mines weren\u2019t the dream they had hoped for, and they adapted. They sent their children to school, found work in light industries, opened saloons and stores, and sold their land in Lithuania to buy larger homes in Pennsylvania to rent out. Lithuanians became known for their frugality, often eating less to save for a better life. They worked hard to sustain their communities and support each other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lukrecijus Tubys This summer, heritage conservationist and cultural explorer Vilius \u017dalpys led another group of young Lithuanians on the fourth annual “Roots” (\u0160aknys) expedition, aimed at restoring abandoned graves of Lithuanian immigrants and uncovering the stories of their ancestors. The group traveled to Pennsylvania\u2019s Anthracite region, known for its historic Lithuanian churches and cemeteries. Described …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":7845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-diaspora","category-events","category-history-before-1900"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7850,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7844\/revisions\/7850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-21-at-11.07.16\u202fAM.png\")
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