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Lietuvių Išeivija Amerikoje (1868–1961)
S. Michelsonas
A comprehensive survey of Lithuanian immigrant life in America spanning nearly a century (1868–1961), compiled by S. Michelsonas and published by the long-running Lithuanian-American newspaper Keleivis. This volume documents the organizational, religious, press, cultural, and community infrastructure of the Lithuanian diaspora across dozens of U.S. cities and extends coverage to Canada and South America, making it an indispensable reference for Lithuanian-American history. Its encyclopedic scope—covering early colonies, community organizations, press, and regional centers—renders it one of the most ambitious single-volume surveys of the Lithuanian diaspora ever produced.
Published by Keleivis ('The Traveler'), one of the oldest and most influential Lithuanian-language newspapers in America, operating out of South Boston, Massachusetts, lending this volume significant institutional authority. The compiler S. Michelsonas drew on newspaper archives, community records, and direct correspondence with local Lithuanian colonies across the United States, Canada, and South America to assemble this reference work. The table of contents reveals a highly structured eight-part organization covering origins, organizations, press, major city centers, community life, Canada, and South America, suggesting this was conceived as a definitive reference work for the diaspora community. Physical condition appears good to very good based on the images, with clean typography and intact binding visible. The text represents a capstone retrospective of Lithuanian-American life compiled just as the post-WWII DP wave was becoming fully integrated into the existing pre-war diaspora community.
People
Organizations
Time Periods
Suggested Uses
- CITY-COLONY MAPPING PROJECT: Students select one of the Lithuanian American city colonies documented in the book (e.g., Detroit, Chicago, Lawrence MA) and use the text to reconstruct the organizational ecosystem of that colony—churches, newspapers, fraternal societies, schools—then compare to present-day Lithuanian-American presence in that city using online sources. 2. ORGANIZATIONAL TIMELINE: Students extract all named organizations with founding dates and create a visual timeline of Lithuanian-American institutional development from 1868–1961, identifying patterns (waves of founding corresponding to immigration waves, WWI, WWII, DP arrivals). 3. IMMIGRANT NARRATIVE ANALYSIS: Using the introduction (Ivadas) which describes the early immigrant experience of 1868–1914, students analyze the rhetoric of diaspora self-description—how does Michelsonas characterize the motivations, struggles, and achievements of early immigrants? Compare to other diaspora memoirs. 4. PRESS HISTORY DEEP DIVE: The section on Lithuanian diaspora press (Išeivijos Spauda) provides a rare overview of Lithuanian-language newspapers in America; students research one newspaper, find surviving issues, and analyze how the press served as a language-preservation mechanism. 5. GENEALOGICAL GATEWAY: Heritage students use the city-by-city chapters to locate the specific community where their family settled, then use the named individuals and organizations as entry points for archival genealogical research. 6. COMPARATIVE DIASPORA STUDY: Compare the Lithuanian diaspora chapters on Canada and South America with the U.S. chapters to analyze how geography and host-country context shaped diaspora institutional development differently.
Exceptionally high personal relevance potential for Lithuanian-American heritage learners: because the text is organized geographically by city and colony, a student who knows their grandparents settled in Detroit, Chicago, Lawrence, or Worcester can turn directly to the relevant chapter and find named individuals, parishes, organizations, and events that may directly connect to family history. The coverage of 1868–1961 spans three to four generations of Lithuanian-American families, maximizing the probability of overlap with any given heritage student's lineage. The named individuals in organizational lists, editorial boards, and community leadership roles serve as concrete genealogical entry points.
Tier: 1928–1964 unknown renewal — Fair use/TDM. Published 1961 in the United States; copyright renewal would have been required under then-applicable US law (1909 Act, 28-year renewal). No renewal record is visible; renewal status unknown. For TDM/formation use, this falls into the fair use/TDM category. Rights would nominally rest with the estate of S. Michelsonas or successors to Keleivis, both of which are likely defunct or unlocatable. Recommend treating as Fair use/TDM for formation purposes; seek confirmation before full-text public display.