Ignatz "James" and Petronella "Patricia" Zilius Records

Here are some of the documents I've been able to find on granddad's side of the family. Note for pictures: once you click on the thumbnail to enlarge, you can zoom in by holding down the "control" button and scrolling up with the wheel on your mouse.

Ignatz Zilius' possible Ellis Island Recod

Text of Document

Ship: SS Oldenburg sailing from: Bremen, April 10th, 1910.
Line 19:
Name in full: Zillis, Ignas
Age: 24, Sex: M, Marital Status: S, Calling or occupation: Laborer
Able to read: Yes, Able to write: Yes
Nationality: Russian, Race or peoples: Lithuanian
Last permanent residence: Russia, Alka (?)
The name and complete address of nearest relative or friend in country where alien came: father .... Zillis, Alka, Russia Father Fortunatz Zillis, Aichu Kaunas
Final destination: Illinois, Chicago.

I'm hopeful that this is the correct Ignatz Zillius (see comments below for update!), but I have run into at least one other Ingatius Zilius living in the Chicago area around the same time. Assuming that it is, here's what I found on the SS Oldenburg, which carried part of our Lithuanian family to America:

     The SS Oldenburg was built in 1890 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. of Glasgow, Scotland for the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co. of Germany. She was 415 feet long, 48 feet wide, and 31.3 feet in depth, and had a registered gross weight of 5006 tons. The steamer had a speed of 13 knots and was powered by a single screw. She had triple expansion engines with cylinder diameters of 31, 52, and 83 inches and a 54 inch stroke that delivered 3600 horse power. The ship had four decks, two masts and one funnel and was equipped with electric lights. She was designed to carry 49 first-class, 38 second-class, and 1900 third-class passengers.

SS Oldenburg

     The Oldenburg was launched on February 11, 1891 and made her maiden voyage from Bremen to Montevideo and Buenos Aires on June 11, 1891. Her first voyage to Baltimore was on February 18, 1892. Her main round trips were between Bremen and New York, Baltimore, and ports in South America. She was sold to Turkey in 1911 and renamed the Ak-Deniz. In 1923 she was scrapped. Other sister ships in this class were the Darmstadt, the Gera, the Karlsruhe, the Stuttgart, and the Weimar.

(Source: Smith, Eugene W. 1978. Passenger Ships of the World - Past and Present, as cited http://www.genemaas.net/ships.htm#SS OLDENBURG:)

Ignatz Zilius 1910 Census Record

Just a couple weeks after arriving in the United States, a 24-year old Ignatz Zilius also appears on Chicago's 1910 census, pictured to the right.

Text of Document

State: Illinois

County: Cook

Township or Other Division of County: ??

Name of incorporated place: Chicago City

Enumerated by me on the 31(?) day of April, 1910.

Street name & number: [I can't read the street name going up the left-hand side of the document or the address numbers].

Line 79: Name: Zilius, Ignas, Relation: Lodger, Sex: M, Color or race: W, Age at last birthday: 24, Marital status: Single, Place of birth of this person: Russ/Lithuanian, Place of birth of father of this person: Russ/Lithuanian, Place of birth of mother of this person: Russ/Lithuanian, Year of immigration to the U.S.: 1910, Whether naturalized or alien: Alien, whether able to speak English (or if not, give language spoken): Lithuanian, Trade or profession: Laborer, General nature of industry: odd jobs, Whether an employer, employee, or working on own account: ?, Whether able to read: yes, whether able to write: yes.

Four years later, Ignatz and Petronella are married:

Ignatz & Petronella's Marriage Certificate 1914

Ignatz Americanizes his name:

Ignatz "James" Zilius Naturalization Name Card 1

Ignatz "James" Zilius Naturalization Name Card 2

James (a.k.a. "Jim") and Petra show up on the 1920 census with their two children, Petronella "Petra" and Bruno (begins on line 79):

Zilius Family 1920 Census Record

Two years later, their third child--my grandfather--is born, Stefan Zilius (granddad later used his confirmation name, Stephen Vincent, chosen based on his favorite author, Stephen Vincent Benet):

Stefan Zilius Birth Certificate 1922

After granddad's birth, his mother dies, possibly in 1924. The 1930 census reflects just James and his three children, Petra, Bruno, & Stefan (this one's a bit harder to read, but they are the 5th family up from the bottom of the page).

Zilius Family 1930 Census Record

James' 1942 Draft Registration Card:

James Zilius' WW2 Draft Registration Card

This is one of my favorite records because it tells us that James owned and lived above a butcher shop on Maplewood. I was able to look up the address on Google Maps (pictured below), but the property has been converted into housing, however, you are still able to picture how the ground floor could have worked as a business entrance (it's the house on the left). 

I found the same "meat market" in a 1936 Lithuanian business directory, and at the time it belonged to Frank Smilgis. Since the business changed hands from one Lithuanian to another, I'm guessing Brighton Park must have been a close-knit Lithuanian community!


www.lithuaniangenealogy.org/databases/il/1936_Chicago

Next time I'll post what I've been able to find from the Jackson side.

-Charlene Elena