How to Search for Lithuanian Relatives
Lithuania, once part of Communist Russia, is located in northern Europe on the Baltic Sea. Many Lithuanians immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century, and their descendants often want to make connections to the family members still in Europe. Fortunately, making contact with family in Lithuania is not hard, now that it is an independent country. You may undertake a search on your own or with the help of a professional researcher or family tour guide operator.
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Things You'll Need
- Internet
- Telephone books
- Professional genealogist
- Family history tour operator
Instructions
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Locate Your Lithuanian Relatives
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Write down what you already know about your Lithuanian relatives. Write down everything that you already know about your Lithuanian family. Ask your parents, grandparents and other close relatives for information about relatives who are still in Lithuania. Make a note of the towns and cities in Lithuania where your relatives live now.
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Check online Lithuanian genealogy forums. Search online genealogy forums and message boards for your Lithuanian relatives. Check Facebook and other social media sites for anyone who has your family surnames. Contact people with your surnames who live in the United States, as they may know of relatives in Lithuania that your family is unaware of.
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Check the websites of towns in Lithuania for clues. Look at online newspapers from Lithuanian towns and cities. You may find your relatives mentioned there. Also check the relevant Lithuanian town and city websites for additional information.
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Hire a genealogist to help you, either someone in Lithuania or an American researcher who specializes in Baltic genealogy. He will be able to discover people and make connections in ways that you may not have though of. The genealogist will work with the information that you can provide about your family to contact people of the same surname and determine whether they are your relatives.
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Lithuanian family history tours can help reunite families. You may want to consider booking a family history tour. Lithuania Visits or Lithuanianhistory are among the agencies that now specialize in Lithuanian family history tours. The tour operators can help you locate your relatives as well as arrange a visit to Lithuania to meet them.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure you have a Lithuanian dictionary and phrase book to help you write letters and speak on the telephone. If possible, have an older Lithuanian relative do some of the communicating for you.
Make sure any researcher or tour operator is accredited and check for recommendations.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Castle image by Mindaugas Tamulis from Fotolia.com writing image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com internet image by Attila Toro from Fotolia.com Wooden cottage with thatched roof from Lithuania image by Kamil Korczak from Fotolia.com Map image by Stephen VanHorn from Fotolia.com
