The Early Ivanauskas Family

The Ivanauskas family was from Lithuania. It wasn’t until June 2, 1902, when Marcelinas Ivanauskas arrived in Philadelphia after immigrating from England. He left England on May 21, 1902, from Liverpool, and it took him 12 days to immigrate to the United States to start a new life. Marcelinas was loyal to St.Casimir’s Lithuanian Catholic Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. St.Casimir’s Church helped care for Lithuanians in Philadelphia and was the central location for Catholic Lithuanians. When Marcelinas came to Philadelphia, he was about 28 years old. He was pulled into a special board of inquiry questioning to determine whether they would admit or deport him back to England. He knew of a former neighbor from England, H. Rottenberg, who lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for 3 years. He was offered work with K. Coyle on Crease Lane, Roxborough, Philadelphia, PA. He was to be paid $12 a month with board and lodging.  He traveled to Philadelphia with his friend Alexander Kosarczuk. Marcelinas lived in Philadelphia for 6 years with his brother Joseph until 1908.

On November 8, 1908, at St.Casimir’s Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marcelinas Ivanauskas married Anna Babrovičiūtė, also known as at the time Anna Norejka, from her first marriage. 

His wife, Anna “Ona” Babrovičiūtė was born on May 3, 1889 in Dargužiai, Varėna, Lithuania. She was the first and last surviving child of Simonas Babrovičius and Marijona Vaškelevičiūtė. She arrived in New York City, New York, on June 3, 1902, after she departed from Hamburg, Germany, on May 24, 1902. Anna was 12 years old and was on her way to Haverhill, Massachusetts. On January 21, 1907, at St.Casimir’s Church, Anna Babrovičiūtė married John Norejka. They went on to have twin sons - Michael and John - who sadly passed away after birth on March 19, 1908, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For Anna, this was not the only time tragedy struck. Her husband, John, passed away on July 8, 1908, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery with his twin sons. At this time, Anna found herself in a new world, vulnerable and alone. In Lithuanian culture, if a woman who became a widow were in financial need, she would often remarry to regain stability, and in this case, just 4 months later when Anna and Marcelinas married. Despite these hardships, Anna's resilience and strength were truly admirable. 

After their marriage, they moved from place to place in the city but remained in Philadelphia. They had five children together: John, William, Michael, Anna, and Stanley. During their time together, the family underwent a name change from Ivanauskas to Veneski, and for John’s family, the Venit’s. 

Their first son was John Joseph Ivanauskas. He was born on September 17, 1909 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John was baptized on October 24, 1909, in St. Casimir’s Lithuanian Church. On September 17, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Veneski married Camilla Timony. They had two children together: John and Patrick. After their son Patrick died as a baby in 1931, very soon after that, John left. The years between 1932 and 1935 are unknown for John. But on April 10, 1936, his son Ronald Sherman Venit was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Ronald was the son of John and Rebecca “Rae” Shecter. John and Rae had three children: Ronald, Barbara, and John. They lived the rest of their lives together. They moved from West Chester to Philadelphia near John’s family home as World War II started. Sadly, on August 4, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Venit passed away. He was buried in Saint Peter & Paul Cemetery in Springfield, Pennsylvania. His wife, Rae, had to live close to 20 years without John. She died on May 20, 1987, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was buried alongside John in S.S. Peter & Paul Cemetery. 

William Ivanauskas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 1, 1911. He was baptized on September 3, 1911, in St.Casimir’s Lithuanian Church. In 1925, William lived in Sullivan County, New York, at St.Joseph’s College. He lived there for a couple of years, and even though the school later became a seminary, he never went entirely through priesthood. When WWII approached, William filed his draft card and was sent to basic training at Fort George G Meade in Maryland on March 24, 1942. William served 3 years, 6 months, and 25 days, of which 3 years and 6 days were overseas in Europe and Africa. He was a part of the Criminal Investigation Division and participated in Operation Torch in Algeria and French Morocco. After he was shipped home and arrived back in the United States on October 13, 1945, 15 days later, on October 28, 1945, in Manhattan, New York, William Veneski married Mary Theresa Callo. Their marriage did not last long, though. On December 16, 1949, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, William married Eva Kratka, who was a survivor of the Holocaust. They went on to live with William’s mother, Anna, and his brother, Michael, at 8014 Madison Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William and Eva had three children together: Jacqueline, Catherine, and James. William passed away on April 24, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His wife, Eva, lived without her husband for 35 years. She passed away on May 8, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Michael Veneski was the third son of Marcelinas and Anna. He was born on June 3, 1914, at 1336 Carlton Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was baptized on June 28, 1914, in St.Casimir’s Lithuanian Church. Just like his brother, Michael also was sent off to war. He was sent to basic training at Camp Lee, Virginia, on October 31, 1941. Michael served with the 592nd Engineers Boat and Shore Regiment in New Guinea. He received two battle wounds, which put him in the hospital for some time during the duration of the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart. He was discharged from the war at the Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, when he returned home. The wounds he received from the battle were not the only things that left New Guinea with him. For the rest of his life, he had PTSD. He never married nor had children. He would live with his mother, brother, and family for the rest of his life. Sadly, Michael passed away on December 7, 1995, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the last surviving child of the Veneski siblings. He was buried alongside his mother, brother Stanley, and Stanley’s wife and stepson in Holy Cross Cemetery. 

Anna Cecelia Ivanauskas was the first and only daughter of Marcelinas and Anna Ivanauskas. She was born on June 20, 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was baptized on August 27, 1916, in St.Casimir’s Church as Anna Ivanauskas/Kvainauskas. Anna lived with her family until the 1940s. She worked as a waitress as she grew up. On July 2, 1941, in St.Raphael’s Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Anna Veneski married Kermit Swiler Peiffer. During WWII, Kermit was a part of the Coast Guard at Lewes Coast Guard Station in Lewes, Delaware, USA. He was discharged on October 1, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kermit and Anna never had children, but cousins of Anna’s mother often wrote about how much fun Kermit and Anna were and how much they loved to party. Kermit died on February 3, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seventeen years later, on May 8, 1994, in Cherry Hill, Camden, New Jersey. They were buried together at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. 

Marcelinas and Anna’s final son was Stanley Joseph Veneski. He was born on March 20, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was baptized in St.Casimir’s Church on May 11, 1919. Like his two older brothers, Stanley entered active service on January 3, 1943, in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. He served 2 years, 11 months, and 16 days in the service. He served 1 year, 4 months, and 26 days of those 2 years overseas in Europe. Stanley participated in the following WWII campaigns: Northern France or Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes Forest or the Battle of the Bulge, and Central Europe or the invasion of Germany and the ultimate victory of the Allies. Stanley was never wounded in battle and was awarded the European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign medal with four bronze stars. He was shipped out of Europe and arrived in New York City on January 6, 1946. He married Margaret Saunders on January 1, 1955, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He gained three stepchildren: William Thomas, Patricia Anne, and Joseph Beirlein. Unfortunately, Margaret, also known as Aunt Peggy, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 8, 1969. She was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery alongside her mother-in-law, husband, and son. Stanley married Jean Anderson around 1984 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He sadly passed away on November 23, 1987, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 

The Ivanauskas family went through many struggles, but they were also able to experience the joy of being with one another and creating a new life in a new place. Marcelinas, or Michael, the name he went by in America, died on December 26, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, alongside his older brother, Joseph. Anna spent the next 29 years living without Marcelinas. She died on April 9, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery with her two sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.