This is the third in a series of three posts about researching Lithuanians in the Chicago area, where many of them settled after immigrating to the United States. (Here is the first post, and here is the second post.)
Most Lithuanian Catholics in Chicago were buried in St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery, which was originally designated as a Lithuanian cemetery. It opened in 1903, and burial cards from that year through about 1988 are available on FamilySearch.
You want to search the Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989 collection on FamilySearch, here: https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/1503083
My recommendation is to start with just the surname. This is because first names were sometimes Anglicized for St. Casimir, particularly in later years, but more often, especially in earlier years, the Lithuanian first name was used. Plus, if you enter only the last name, you'll pull up others with the same last name (or similar spellings) that may be related.
Above is a picture of the home page for this collection. I entered Guokas for the last name, and clicked the Search button. Below is an image of the first part of the results.
There were 38 results in all, some of which were "sounds like" (and Soundex) spellings that were pretty far off. But the exact matches appear first, and I was looking for Juozapas (Joseph) Guokas, my second cousin thrice removed. When you find a person you're looking for (or are interested in), I recommend clicking on the icon that looks like a piece of paper, and clicking on that for the record details. Below is an image of the record details for Juozapas Guokas.
Some things to pay attention to in the record pictured above:
- the top arrow on the right points to the name of the cemetery (here, it is St. Casimir, but some Lithuanian immigrants were buried in other Catholic cemeteries);
- the bottom arrow on the left points to a "Copy Citation" button, which you'll want to do to properly source and document this information in Geni and other genealogy sites; and
- the "View Original Document" button just under the image of the card. That opens the image to provide a larger view, like in the image below.
Some things to pay attention to in the record pictured above:
- the location (grave, lot, block, and/or section numbers) for the grave;
- the home address for the deceased - which might be helpful for finding the family on a census or in a directory;
- the internment date, which may also help you locate an obituary; and
- the age and the burial permit number (which might also be recorded on a death certificate), both of which can help you make sure you have the right person, especially with more common Lithuanian surnames.
I also want to point out the arrow at the far right, which appears when you hover near it - you can click that to look at the next burial card for St. Casimir. I strongly encourage doing that, because these are supposed to be in alphabetical order, and you may encounter another family member. But before you do, make a note of the grave location.
Clicking the next image button brought up a burial card for Kazimieras Guokas, who is buried in the same block and lot as Juozapas, which strongly indicates a relationship. Kazimieras (Charles) Guokas is Juozapas' son.
Clicking on the Next Image arrow on the page with Kazimieras' burial card brought up that of Petronella (Sukys) Guokas, who is his mother and the wife of Juozapas. Note in the image below that she is also buried in the same lot and block, and that she was living in Ohio at the time of her death, at age 70 and nearly 20 years after her husband's death. Besides being an indicator of where to look for a civil death record and an obituary, it's also a hint that another family member was probably also living in Youngstown or at least nearby in Ohio.
Finally, don't forget to also scroll forward. Doing so from Juozapas' burial card brought up that of Julijonas Guokas, who is the son of Juozapas and Petronella, and the brother of Kazimieras, and buried in the same lot and block.
In the image above, also note that there is more than one way to maneuver through these images. Besides the Next Image and Previous Image (pictured, in the middle) buttons, you can also enter an image number in the box at upper left, or click on a different image in the scroll bar at the bottom.
In the case of Petronella, she is listed in this record under the male Lithuanian form of the surname Guokas. But you'll also want to scroll backwards and forwards enough (or do a separate search) for the female Lithuanian forms of surnames. Use https://gen.wooyd.org/lt_surnames/ to help you find those.
In the case of Petronella, she is listed in this record under the male Lithuanian form of the surname Guokas. But you'll also want to scroll backwards and forwards enough (or do a separate search) for the female Lithuanian forms of surnames. Use https://gen.wooyd.org/lt_surnames/ to help you find those.
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You'll also want to use the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Cemeteries "Locate a Loved One" web page, at https://www.catholiccemeterieschicago.org/locate-a-loved-one/ - an image is below. This tool is particularly helpful if you have someone buried after the end date for the burial cards (which is 1988 for St. Casimir, and anywhere from 1986 to 1988 for other cemeteries). Sometimes there are name spelling differences between the cards and these official records, which will also show up here.
You'll need to fill out your first and last name, an e-mail address, and check at least the second box (an agreement that you won't use the information provided "for any commercial purposes or financial gain"). Then click the Request button, and check your e-mail, which will look something like the one pictured below.
You'll need to click the "Locate Your Loved Ones" button in this e-mail to access the system. You'll get a search page like the one below.
I suggest entering just the last name, and leaving the default to search all cemeteries. This system won't bring up alternate spellings, but you can enter as few as two letters in the last name field (and in that case, I'd suggest adding at least a first initial and/or selecting a cemetery, because I got 12,612 results when I entered just Gu for the last name). It will bring up everything that starts with the letters you entered.
Before we get to the results, I want to point out the timer at the upper right. When you get down somewhere around five minutes or less, a window will pop up, like the one below, offering to extend your time, and you'll get 15 more minutes if you click yes. I'm not sure how many times this window will pop up, though.
Below are the results for my search on Guokas. There are only seven, and they are all buried at St. Casimir. I clicked on the view button for my relative Juozapas.
Below is the top part of the page that will next appear. On the left is the information that was also on the burial card, but there's also a link to view the grave location on Google Maps, and another link to bring up a QR code that will also take you to the location on Google Maps. And just to be sure, the location is also shown on a Google map on the right.
In the image above, I also marked the buttons you can click to have this information e-mailed to you (and the web page updates to indicate the email was sent), and a button to download a PDF of the information. Below is an example of the e-mail sent.
Note that the e-mail also includes a link to view the location on Google Maps. Below is an image of what the PDF looked like (click on it to view it larger). You get a section map on the left, a cemetery map on the upper right, the burial record information, and a QR code to view the location on Google Maps.
Note in the image above that I highlighted something that differs from the information on the burial card. This record indicates Juozapas is buried in Section (not Block) 9.
Going back to the record page for Juozapas, if you scroll down the page, you can also access the cemetery map, and download a PDF (which, for this cemetery, is high quality).
Scroll even further down the page, and you'll also find a section map you can download. Unfortunately, for Section 9 at least, this image is a poor quality PNG image and not especially readable. Perhaps they will be updated someday.
And here is a link to the FindAGrave memorial for Juozapas Guokas, which includes an image of the tombstone, which he shares with his wife and the two sons who predeceased him. The engraving is in Lithuanian: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188095962/joseph-guokas
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