3 Replies Latest reply on Apr 15, 2019 2:41 PM by researchservicesnationalarchives

    Searching for Father Stanislaus (Stanislavs) Samo, RC Priest

    Newbie
    lakli Apr 1, 2019 6:02 AM

      I work scientifically on the church history in Estonia and I am vice-postulator in the beatification process for Archbishop Eduard Profittlich SJ, Apostolic Administrator in Tallinn, who died ex aerumnis carceris in 1942.

       

      The clergy in Estonia included Father Staņislavs Šamo (also known as Stanislaus Samo / Stanislaus Shamo), parish priest in Valga,who had to flee in exile to Germany in 1944 in front of the Soviet troops. After working in the Diocese of Regensburg, he moved on April 24, 1950 by ship from Bremerhaven to New York, where he arrived on May 4, 1950.

       

      Arriving in the United States Father Šamo gave the following address: 30 Durland Road, Lynbrook. But unfortunately no further information could be found on him, also not with the help of the local authorities and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre. Also I asked for help via the mailing-lists of the Catholic Conference of Bishops in the United States and Canada, until now without any success.

       

      Father Staņislavs Šamo was born October 30, 1913 in Daugavpils, then Russian Tsarist Empire, from 1918 Latvia. He was ordained a priest on April 3, 1938 in Riga (Archdiocese of Riga). For some years he was chaplan in Rezekne and Cesic before he became parish priest in Valmiera and Valga.

       

      The fate of Father Šamo is also important to me in the face of the beatification process for Archbishop Eduard Profittlich. After 1941, with one exception, all the priests were expelled from Estonia, deported to Siberia for years and also murdered.

       

      I have no idea anymore what sources I can check to clear the fate of Father Staņislavs Šamo. For sure he came to the United States on May 4, 1950. But no sign of him after this date. Who can help?

       

      Thank you very much for your kind efforts.

      Lambert Klinke.

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        • Re: Searching for Father Stanislaus (Stanislavs) Samo, RC Priest
          Jason Atkinson Pioneer
          Jason Atkinson Expert Apr 3, 2019 9:36 AM (in response to lakli)

          Dear Mr. Klinke,

           

          Thank you for posting your request to History Hub!

          Based on the time frame when Stanislaus Samo entered the U.S., the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) likely would have created a record to track his interaction with their agency.  Stanislaus would have been assigned an Alien Registration Number (A-Number) by INS. You may submit an Index Search request to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Genealogy Program to determine what Stanislaus' A-Number was and what kind of INS record(s) exist.  Be sure to include all known name variants, date of birth, country of birth, etc. in your inquiry to insure a comprehensive result.  Once their search is complete, you will have an opportunity to order copies of any records they identify.

          We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!


          [Information provided by Elizabeth Burnes, Subject Matter Expert]

          3 people found this helpful
          • Re: Searching for Father Stanislaus (Stanislavs) Samo, RC Priest
            Newbie
            lakli Apr 10, 2019 3:49 AM (in response to lakli)

            Dear Collegues,

             

            I'am very thankfully for your kind help. With this I could clear the fate of Stanislavs Samo after a research work for more of 10 years!

             

            Stanislavs Samo was naturalized to the US in 1955 and changed his name in STANLEY C. SAMS. He died in 1999.

             

            My question to you: Can anybody with access to SSDI or better SSA Death Master File provide me the exact date of death, the place of death and perhaps the exact place of birth (my knowledge until now: Daugavpils parish, what can mean a lot).

             

            Thank you very much for your efforts!

             

            Lambert Klinke.

              • Re: Searching for Father Stanislaus (Stanislavs) Samo, RC Priest
                Tracker
                researchservicesnationalarchives Expert Apr 15, 2019 2:41 PM (in response to lakli)

                Dear Mr. Klinke,

                 

                Thank you for posting your follow-up request on History Hub!

                Using the National Archives’s subscription to Ancestry.com and we located the following Social Security records relating to a Stanley C. Sams who was born in 1913 and died in 1999.  This may be the person you are researching. Unfortunately, it does not list an exact place of birth. “Unk” stands for “Unknown” meaning that the city or town of birth was not provided to the Social Security Administration.

                U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

                 

                Name:

                Stanley C. Sams

                SSN:

                XXX-XX-1785

                Last Residence:

                21218 Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA

                Born:

                30 Oct 1913

                Died:

                23 Jul 1999

                State (Year) SSN issued:

                Connecticut (Before 1951)

                 

                U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

                 

                Name:

                Stanley Sam [Stanley C Sams ]

                Gender:

                Male

                Race:

                White

                Birth Date:

                30 Oct 1913

                Birth Place:

                Unk, Soviet Union

                Death Date:

                23 Jul 1999

                Father:

                Joseph Sam

                Mother:

                Veronica Romanceics

                SSN:

                XXX-XX-1785

                Notes:

                Jul 1950: Name listed as STANLEY SAM;

                13 Oct 1992: Name listed as STANLEY C SAMS

                 

                We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!