Many Thanks

Peter Neill

My dad’s cousin remembered: Calvaitis (Kalvaitis), Wedrienaitis, Linkaitis, Petraitis.

He came to England in about 1880/1 together with his parents and brother probably due to the persecution of the catholics and Jews by the Russians. They settled in the Cheetham district of Manchester as did lots of other immigrants at that time.

The family first appear on the 1891 census as living in Charter St. Cheetham their occupation is listed as slipper makers. They are also listed under the Surname of Udiski (was this the English version of Judicki?)

In 1897 my Grandfather married my Grandmother Patronia Kayanskiute at the St. Chads Roman Catholic Church in Cheetham. Neither could read or write and signed the marriage register with a cross. Following his marriage they lived at various houses in the Cheetham Manchester area. Why they moved houses frequently is not known, it could be they were dodging the rent man as times were very hard and at that time there was very little money.

On the 1901 census my Grandfathers family are listed as DIXON (could this be that it was more appropiate to have an English surname) by this time they have three children and he is still listed as a slipper maker. They go on to have eight children all together, two of which died in infancy.

In 1909 when my father was born they are still listed as living in the Cheetham area (Verdon Street). I do not know for sure how long they stayed in Cheetham but in approximately 1914/5 they moved to Swinton (Manchester).

My Grandfather then got a job as a coal miner at Pendlebury Colliery which was not far from where they then lived, Worsley Buildings of Bolton Road Swinton. He worked at the mine until his death in 1925.

Sadly I never knew my Grandfather he died some 16 years before I was Born.

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My aunt Mary Udiski was born on the 16th March 1899, she was the eldest daughter of Joseph & Patronia Judicki (Udiski). She never spoke about her early life but one can imagine it was quite hard as her mother went on to have eight children altogether, six of who survived, and money must have been very short.

She married John Kulvincki in 1916 aged 17, (they later changed their name by deed pol to Cullin). She had two Children. John was born 1916 and sadly died in 1917. She then had Joseph in 1918. He was a lovely man, very gentle, and he often played peacemaker between his mother and her sister Ellen who were always falling out over something. Sadly, he died in 1978.

I remember Aunt Mary with great affection, she was always very kind to me. I used to visit their home every Sunday with my father when I was a little girl and we had the most superb dinners; she was a great cook. At Christmas she would make a party for all the family and her friends, some of who were Lithuanian, and they used to chatter away in Lithuanian, which I did not understand at all.

Her husband John was a cabinet maker and during the Second World War you could not get toys very easily so he used to make me things from wood. One year it was a pram and I remember him making me a Blackboard and easel so needless to say Christmas was always special at their house. John also came from Lithuania, he was a gentle man like his son, but I remember he did not speak very good English.

Mary and John lived nearly all their life in Swinton mostly in the same house they were happily married for 61 years. In fact, I attended their golden wedding party at the Bulls Head in Swinton, which was very special; even her sister Ann and husband Hank came from America for it. A great time was had by all.

Mary did visit her sister Ann in America in 1954. She went with her sister Ellen. They travelled on the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth liners. When she was in America, she stayed with My Great Aunt Ann. Mary worked all her life in the cotton mill until her retirement.

Sadly Mary died shortly after her husband in 1977.

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Another member of the family was Pius Pojuner (probably Puodžiūnas), he was chairman at some time of the Lithuanian Club.

By Patricia Hunter, nee Udiski