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| click on image to enlarge |
The family name seemed to evolve as do many migrants names, but whether it evolved or was just plain misspelled on a document is cause for discussion another day.
The 1920 Census Enumeration states the following information:
Anna (also known as Ona) was enumerated in Chicago where she and her husband, Peter, rented
a place to live at 3500 Carroll Avenue. Peter and Anna “Makiskors” were
both age 29. They were born in Russia/Lithuania as were their parents.
Peter worked as a janitor in an apartment building. Their children:
Louise, age 2 1/2,
Eleanore, 6 months,
and Anna, age 7, were all born in
Illinois. (As of this posting this is the only time Anna, daughter of Peter & Anna is named on a record. She isn't listed on her mother's naturalization papers, and if she indeed was a child of Anna and Peter's wouldn't have lived beyond childhood. It's also possible she is a product of an immigrant with little knowledge of English talking to a census enumerator with limited knowledge of Lithuanian.)
Peter had filed the first papers for naturalization. They came to the USA in 1909 according to this census enumeration. A lodger, Rose Urban lived with them. Rose, 24 years old, was Lithuanian, and worked as a tailor at a tailor shop. She had a 2 ½ year old daughter. Only Peter and his daughter, Anna who attended school were listed as having been able to read.
-----
This birth certificate issued
from the state of Illinois is for “Edward Makers”. It was finally corrected when Edward Mackniskas
joined the Army to fight in WWII. The document states Edward is the third child
born to Anna. We know this is incorrect,
as he is known to be the youngest of five, possible six children.
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| document and information source--John Mackniskas |
Peter was just shy of his 40th birthday when he died of what grandson John Mackniskas states was told to him as a heart attack or following a beating for crossing a picket line. (The death certificate tells a different story.) Anna was left with daughters Nellie, Louise, Amelie (also known as Millie), and seven year old son Edward to support.
Last name First sex/race age
cert# date of death county
MAKNICKAS PETER
M/W UNK 6029366
1930-11-01 COOK
city date filed
CHICAGO 30-11-04 from the Illinois
Statewide Death Index 1916-1950
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| click on image to enlarge |
Anna and her husband Peter had been married 19 years when he died on November 1, 1930. He was laid to rest in the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Cook County, Illinois. Peter's headstone reads Petras Maknickas, 1892-1931, followed by 'Amzina Atilsi,' the equivalent to our 'Rest in Peace'. (Note that the year of death on the stone disagrees with the death certificate date of 11/01/1930.)
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The Taylor County Star~News, a newspaper based in the dairy country of central Wisconsin had a little blurb:
September
3, 1931
“Little
Edward Macnitski who spent the summer with the Grinkers went back to Chicago
Saturday night.”
Not only had
Edward lost his father the previous year, but his Aunt Maggie and Uncle William
Grinkevich had lost their youngest son John a few years earlier in 1928. This must
have done both Edward Mackniskas and the Grinkevich family some good.
-----
Though Anna’s husband, Peter, had filed initial
papers for citizenship, he died in 1930 before he, and Anna by default,
was naturalized. Anna pursued this and filed for citizenship. The
papers from her file for naturalization dated January 12, 1933:
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| Click on image to enlarge, right click to save |
The above two pages contain some valuable information regarding dates of birth, marriage, immigration, etc. Since it is Anna’s recollection of events that took place more than a decade before, there is of course room for error. The most puzzling thing it states is that Peter migrated to the USA October 14, 1910 and that they were married in Lithuania on June 15, 1911.
Anna arrived in the USA in September 27, 1911 aboard the
ship ‘Neckar’ which transported her from Bremen, Germany to Baltimore, Maryland. While it wasn’t uncommon for a man to arrive
in the USA first and then send for his wife, this story, though certainly not
impossible, isn’t very likely to be true.
The Cook County Marriage Index
|
Anna married Vincent Manikas in
1941. The name is
so similar to Mackniskas and its numerous variations it makes you wonder whether the names are different spellings of the same surname. Vincent had been married previously to Juozapata
Brioskis, aka “Josie”, and was the father of at least two children. Vincent, like Anna, was a Naturalized Citizen of the USA.
Anna Grinkevich Mackniskas
Manikas had a stroke about 1969 and was taken care of by her daughter Louise Voss
as well as son Edward and family who moved in so they could all help. She did
alright for a few years but eventually died of a heart attack June 17, 1973 while living at 2843 Derrough, known
then as Melrose Park, now as Northlake, Illinois. Anna's earthly remains were laid to rest at the Lithuanian
National Cemetery with both husbands.
Anna was named in her older brother William Grinkevich's obituary as
his only surviving sibling. (William died July 31, 1964.)
As for what became of Anna and Peter’s children:
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| Nellie in photo Edward carried for decades |
Daughter Nellie married a man named Valionus and died
young of breast cancer.
Louise, married Andrew “Andy” Voss. They had one child, Dennis Voss, who died at
the age 14 when his spleen ruptured on Oct 30 1961. Anna and Vincent were living
downstairs in the two flat building on Jackson Boulevard that Vincent owned. Anna’s son Edward, daughter-in-law Marcella,
and grandchildren Kathleen, Barbara, John, and Tom were also living downstairs in
the flat when the tragedy took place. Vincent died not long
afterward. Then Andrew and Louise’s
marriage fell apart due the devastating loss of their only child Dennis. They divorced, later got back together, but
never remarried. Following Vincent’s death Anna sold the house and she and Louise
moved to 2843 Derrough in Northlake, IL. Louise died at the age of 81 on September
19, 1998.
Amelia (Millie)
married a man named Kocharumbus. He was
much older than Millie. Mr. Koharumbus, who
was of Greek heritage, owned a restaurant in Chicago. Their only child, Donald,
eventually changed his surname to Koch. Millie divorced Mr. Kocharumbus as he
was too old for her, as the story goes, and she married John Sharvin, a soldier
out of WWII. Millie died of a heart condition while in her 70’s.
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| Edward Mackniskas, 1924 |
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| Edward in Europe during WWII |
The youngest child and only son, Edward was left handed and had a very mechanical mind.
He was good at electronics as well as auto mechanics and worked as a tool and die maker. Son John remembers his dad always loved music, enjoyed
singing to his kids, and as being a wonderful family man. He died as a result of being hospitalized for
Senior Care Facility acquired infections when he was 82 on November 8, 2005.
He lies at rest in the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Will County,
Illinois.
Thanks to John Mackniskas for information, and photos from his branch of the family.
Contact me at katdan@centurytel.net
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