My maternal great grandparents immigrated from Lithuania in 1907

OMG you are right … there were 2 guys in Grand Rapids who had rather a lot in common:
They had (more or less) the same name
They were born in Russia/Lithuanaia in the 1880’s.
They died in in Michigan in the 1940's.
They worked in a furniture factory
Both were divorced at least once
They had sons called John and Joseph (of course your guy did have more children)


Between 1912 and 1931 the other ”John” (aka Iwan Petranis) married 3 times in Grand Rapids, but I suspect that your “John” might have married before coming to America as his wife would have had 4 children by April 1910 (1910 Census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RK3-4WX?i=2 (#48)). I suppose that he could have had a set of twins, but it is hard to know with only 2 children of 4 surviving by 1910 i.e Antoni b abt 1907/8 and Mary b Dec 1909.  
Note: The 1930 census ( https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRHX-HZD?i=28 (#35)) mentions that Rose would have been 16 when she married for the first time i.e. abt 1903/4, so most likely before immigration!!!

When I looked at that 1907 passenger list that you mentioned (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GP18-9GHH?i=207 (#10)), there are a few things that made me doubt that it could be your guy…
#1 - As mentioned before, I believe that your guy would have been married before he left Russia/Lithuania in 1907, but this passenger list has “single”
#2 - The guy on the passenger list is going to Chicago ... Yes, he could have travelled to Grand Rapids from Chicago, but I believe that that person was still in Chicago in 1930 because of the “11” in the number above this name (Not 100% confident though).


I haven’t been able to pinpoint your couple’s arrival, but I think that I might have found their marriage ….

Rose Stabingas had other family in Michigan and Pennsylvania and they seem have originated from the parish of Veisiejai (Polish: Wiejsieje; Russian: Veĭsee). FYI only: In this parish is a little village called Petroškai, that might have been the source for your guy’s surname.

You’ll need to find someone who can actually read Russian to check the following, but I believe that this is Rose’s brother Anthony’s 1877 birth:
https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/skan/-/skan/9ffb16978fb8be2b90bdb88e9510f1945d7fd0edf0ce751a55cf1c5d417ff82b (#108)
(FYI His parents were mentioned in his 1832 DC: https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_d0dccdb0-875f-4503-83bf-0ab4e9842c65/)

Unfortunately I can’t check births for the years 1887-1890 because they seen to be missing, but this seems to be John and Rose’s 1904 marriage:
https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/8df9ccb48bb344bf13e29ba392d2530df1db838f217dfc85317ab90b574e7d65 (#19)
(FYI John’s 1942 death mentions that his father’s name was Anthony: https://michigan.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_24caf82f-9fc3-4fb5-ae3c-8a889508bb9a/ )

And a possible child for the couple in 1906:
https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/a2322bd5c0c283bc0a54193eaad7a99967972c59d897a2f5023e1c2834fb9cf0 (#143)

I am working on the marriage. I have used ChatGPT and got a a translation but I have no Idea what wrong but I have found a couple who speak Russian and they are going to try and translate it for me.

PS the image of the certificate looks correct, but the translation seems for something totally different

Yours is much better than my chatgpt. Still waiting for my Russian speaking friends to respond.

Translating these documents is not the real issue, but it is the OCR that struggles with this old written script.

Here is another certificate  ... Rose's 1883 birth: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/e9fc9b4f610dae5154859cc5533fe490a68b6c9fdcdeaf9d184b98e2d49a3b10 (#57)

Note: Because there are various years missing, there is always a chance that a child died and that the family re-used the name for a later child ...

Thanks for your great help. Sylvia can you give us the procedure you used to translate the document? Did you use AI? if so what commands and what AI did you use? (Copilot, ChatGpt?) In your transcription is the items in () your changed or did the AI use them?

Hi Roger,

The (second) translate phase is done with good old Google translate, but I used Transkribus' Russian handwriting models to get printed Russian text . For that 1904 marriage I used 2 models and used the most logical parts of each of them (and even then, some of the results are still a bit funny). To be honest, I was only interested in confirming that I had located the correct couple (via their own names and  also their parents)  ... Any other data in these documents I tend to leave to the people who are researching these families and that's why I always recommend finding someone who can actually read these documents.

Slyvia Can you do your magic on Roses birth? I tried but did not have any success but I am going to keep trying. I can then compare what I got with what you have. Thanks Roger

Another very rough transcript, but enough to recognize Roza and her parents Peter and Agatha:

It took place in Veissi on the second /fourteenth/ of April, Three thousand eight hundred and eighty-three at one o'clock in the afternoon. Peter Stabinis, residing in the village of Petrashki, fifty years old, appeared in the presence of Peter Zabelski, forty years old, and Maciej Stabiigis, sixty years old, both residing in the village of Petrashki, and presented us with a female infant, declaring that he was born in the village of Petrashki on the first /thirteenth/ of the current month and year at eleven o'clock in the morning from his lawful wife Agatiya, née Vilkalagna, forty years old. The infant was given the name Roza at the Holy Baptism of this day by the Priest Vikenty Abraitys, and the godparents were the Franz Babkup and Rozalia Alexandrovich. - This act was read to the declarant and the illiterate witnesses and signed by us. Containing acts of civil status

Again thank you Sylvia. Can you tell me the date of the actual event. I am confused by the second/fourteenth/ of April?

I next need to learn how to properly document what you all have found for me. Spelling of towns, and name. Names get changed in the US. I usually take the name spelling that is closets to the event.

Sylvia I appreciate your help. I sure need it as I am not having any success. Can you help me with the place and date of birth? It looks like this 

It took place in Veissi on the  second /fourteenth/ of April, Three thousand eight hundred and eighty-three

I sound like a broken record, but you need to find someone who can read (19th century) handwritten Russian ... I would have been more useful If it had been some West European document, but East European documents are not part of my skill set.

Reg the location, a week ago I wrote the following:

Sylvia W said:

Rose Stabingas had other family in Michigan and Pennsylvania and they seem have originated from the parish of Veisiejai (Polish: Wiejsieje; Russian: Veĭsee).

All the events that I have mentioned were registered in this parish, but occurred in towns located in this parish e.g. Petroškai

I sound like a broken record, but you need to find someone who can read (19th century) handwritten Russian ... I would have been more useful If it had been some West European document, but East European documents are not part of my skill set.

Reg the location, a week ago I wrote the following:

Sylvia W said:

Rose Stabingas had other family in Michigan and Pennsylvania and they seem have originated from the parish of Veisiejai (Polish: Wiejsieje; Russian: Veĭsee).

All the events that I have mentioned were registered in this parish, but occurred in towns located in this parish e.g. Petroškai