The surname Schlyter is not a middle European spelling, and understanding how often immigrants names are mis-spelled, I began by making a list of all the ways letters could be combined to create a phonetic spelling, then searched the genealogical databases for a match to his father's time of arrival. Finally one night, I typed in Sliter and found a record of a Lithuanian of the right age and first name arrriving in Halifax in the correct time frame. In the morning, I asked Carl if his father's name might have been Albertas Sliteris, and he began to cry and said, "Yes, yes! That is the name I saw on his passport."
Next, having been told by another researcher that women in Lithuania carry a feminine spelling of their surname, I began searching for Sliteriene and immediately found Zofija, wife of Albert, and boys, Micholas, Albertas and Alfredas; the long lost family. Though Albert had payed passage to Canada for his family and their passports were guaranteed by Carl's grandfather, Karolis Sliteris, the ship's manifest records the passengers as "not embarked", and there is no further record of them. Albert was therefore not free to enter a legal marriage in Canada, and lived with the sorrow of not knowing what had happened to his wife and children.
When I related this information to Glen, Carl's nephew, he became interested and hired a Lithuanian researcher to build a backstory for the family. In this way, grand and great-grandparents were added to the family tree, and also Albert's sister Meta, husband Karolis Kluigas, and son. But there the trail went cold. However, intrigued, Glen and Carl began planning a trip to Lithuania to see the places named in the passports and what the documents had discovered. Meanwhile, I sent out a message on Facebook to anyone with the surname Sliteris living in Lithuania, outlining this story and included a photo of Carl's father as he looked when he came to Canada.
This past April, four years after my inquiry, I received a response from Robertas Pavarde , a young man who lives in Mazeikiai, Lithuania, and who's grandfather came from Kybartai, the birthplace of Carl's father. Throughout Easter Sunday and many times in the next three months, we exchanged information. I began by translating my messages into Lithuanian using Google translate until Robertas told me, "This conversation would be much easier in English!"
Finally, Glen and Carl found a window of time in Glen's busy schedule, and the plans for a trip to Lithuania were finalized. The day came, and Carl flew off to Toronto to meet Glen for their international flight. Twelve hours later they were on the streets of Kaunas drinking beer. They have hired an Lithuania archivist to tour with them this weekend, and they have connected with Robertas.
It seems surreal that a journey which began with tidbits of oral history, is now taking place on the streets and in the towns that were just dots on a map four years ago, and Carl, who did not know the correct spelling of his father's surname, is now driving through these places with a man who not only shares his father's nationality, language and culture but also that very name. Their travels have taken them to meet Robertas' grandfather and grand-uncle, and Agata, the researcher, is with them to help confirm the connection.
It is said that a long journey begins with a single step; in this case, the spelling of a name.
Į Sveikatą!
Carl's journey began with three dog-eared family stories. The first that his father, Albert, always said he was Lithuanian of German parents who had come to Canada with a Polish passport, and had to leave Lithuania because he had lost his uncle's horse in a card game. The second bit of oral history was that his parents, Elsie and Albert couldn't marry because Albert had left a wife and children behind in Lithuania. The third testimony was that at sometime after Albert's death, a Lithuanian relative contacted a family member looking for Albert.The surname Schlyter is not a middle European spelling, and understanding how often immigrants names are mis-spelled, I began by making a list of all the ways letters could be combined to create a phonetic spelling, then searched the genealogical databases for a match to his father's time of arrival. Finally one night, I typed in Sliter and found a record of a Lithuanian of the right age and first name arrriving in Halifax in the correct time frame. In the morning, I asked Carl if his father's name might have been Albertas Sliteris, and he began to cry and said, "Yes, yes! That is the name I saw on his passport."Next, having been told by another researcher that women in Lithuania carry a feminine spelling of their surname, I began searching for Sliteriene and immediately found Zofija, wife of Albert, and boys, Micholas, Albertas and Alfredas; the long lost family. Though Albert had payed passage to Canada for his family and their passports were guaranteed by Carl's grandfather, Karolis Sliteris, the ship's manifest records the passengers as "not embarked", and there is no further record of them. Albert was therefore not free to enter a legal marriage in Canada, and lived with the sorrow of not knowing what had happened to his wife and children.When I related this information to Glen, Carl's nephew, he became interested and hired a Lithuanian researcher to build a backstory for the family. In this way, grand and great-grandparents were added to the family tree, and also Albert's sister Meta, husband Karolis Kluigas, and son. But there the trail went cold. However, intrigued, Glen and Carl began planning a trip to Lithuania to see the places named in the passports and what the documents had discovered. Meanwhile, I sent out a message on Facebook to anyone with the surname Sliteris living in Lithuania, outlining this story and included a photo of Carl's father as he looked when he came to Canada.This past April, four years after my inquiry, I received a response from Robertas Pavarde , a young man who lives in Mazeikiai, Lithuania, and who's grandfather came from Kybartai, the birthplace of Carl's father. Throughout Easter Sunday and many times in the next three months, we exchanged information. I began by translating my messages into Lithuanian using Google translate until Robertas told me, "This conversation would be much easier in English!"Finally, Glen and Carl found a window of time in Glen's busy schedule, and the plans for a trip to Lithuania were finalized. The day came, and Carl flew off to Toronto to meet Glen for their international flight. Twelve hours later they were on the streets of Kaunas drinking beer. They have hired an Lithuania archivist to tour with them this weekend, and they have connected with Robertas.It seems surreal that a journey which began with tidbits of oral history, is now taking place on the streets and in the towns that were just dots on a map four years ago, and Carl, who did not know the correct spelling of his father's surname, is now driving through these places with a man who not only shares his father's nationality, language and culture but also that very name. Their travels have taken them to meet Robertas' grandfather and grand-uncle, and Agata, the researcher, is with them to help confirm the connection.It is said that a long journey begins with a single step; in this case, the spelling of a name.Į Sveikatą!
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