J. J. Straukas, WW I “doughboy” portrait, 1918.
I recently met with Debbie, Richard and Nancy Kaylor of Riverton to hear stories and see photos of their deceased Lithuanian immigrant grandfather and proud veteran John Joseph Straukas. Several of the most striking photos of John Joseph, born in 1890 in Plunge, Lithuania, relate to his service in U.S. Army Company F, Fifth Battalion, 22nd Engineers, in World War I.
It’s been 100 years since the beginning of that so-called “War to End All Wars,” with its mass casualties and horrific trench warfare–not to mention history’s most prolific use, ever, of chemical weapons. According to Chris McDonald, Ph.D., an author and political science professor at Lincoln Land Community College, World War I cost the lives of 132 Springfield-area men, 11 percent of the total inducted. (See Chris’s book at: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Lying-Four-Sitting-Letters/dp/193613201X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432063137&sr=1-1&keywords=chris+mcdonald ).
John Joseph Straukas draft registration, page 1 (1917, not 1914).
In 30 percent of those deaths, no cause was ever given. Almost 29 percent of the casualties resulted from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that swept the globe like a modern bubonic plague. Healthy, young American soldiers who contracted that flu in their training camps and on troop ships never even made it to the war, as their lungs filled up in just 48-72 hours. Concluding McDonald’s numbers: Just over 16.5 percent of local casualties were killed in action, and another 15.5 percent died of wounds received in battle. Nine percent of casualties were listed as “other,” probably non-combat.
Straukas draft registration, page 2.
A coal miner and skilled carpenter, John Joseph sailed to New York from Liverpool in 1909 on the SS Baltic (reportedly stoking the coal-fired ship’s engines along the way, to pay for his passage). He was living with his aunt Lulu Grigiski (later Riverton’s most famous moonshiner), at the time of his induction. John Joseph and his brother had left Lithuania when it was part of the Russian Empire to avoid 25-year conscription by the Czar. Ironically, just nine years later, he found himself drafted into the U.S. Army, entering service in June 1918, only five months before Armistice.
John Joseph Straukas, age 28, WW I portrait
John Joseph trained at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and sailed to Europe on September 15, 1918. He saw action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive right at the time of Armistice in November 1918, and performed so heroically in combat that he was offered, and rejected, a promotion to corporal. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 1918, and discharged honorably in July 1919 at Camp Grant, Illinois. Years later, John Joseph, who avoided drink, used to huddle at the end of the bar at Butcher Tavern, discussing war experiences with the owner, another World War I veteran.
John Joseph lived a notable life in other ways. According to his Kaylor grandchildren, he could fix or build anything, including his own Riverton home, and was always ahead of his time, for example, digging his basement by the scoop and shovel method, and installing Greenfield wiring. He made all the cabinets and woodwork in the house. John Joseph also always proudly kept a “running” car to take not just himself, but also other miners to and from work in the nearby Denkert Coal Mine. Perhaps the original “designated driver,” John Joseph also used the car to make sure his drinking friends got home safely from any and all of Riverton’s nine taverns.
Top: John Joseph with Model T on his wedding day in Riverton, 1925. Bottom: In leather jacket with 1940s vehicle
John Joseph was married to Esther May Trow (13 years his junior) after a very short acquaintance in 1925. The couple had two daughters: Dorothy Jane, who married Richard Dean Kaylor, and Louise, who married James Whitaker. The Kaylor grandchildren, who mostly grew up on Esther and John Joseph’s Riverton farm, are: Deborah, Richard, Denise, Nancy, Sharon, John, and Tammy.
The Straukas grandparents always kept two gardens: one closer to the house with lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, onions, carrots, and a chicken coop, and a more distant garden with red and sweet potatoes, peas, corn and green beans. After harvest, potatoes were stored in bins in the basement. The kaylor kids remember eating such ethnic foods as pickled pigs’ feet, herring, and “stinky cheese.” Chickens were slaughtered outside and cleaned in the basement.
John Joseph died of black lung disease in 1973. Today, granddaughter Tammy still lives in the house he built. Nancy’s son inherited his great grandfather’s carpentry skills and works as a carpenter for Burasky Builders.
Dedicated to the memory of all the Central Illinois men who served in World War I.
Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois 
Patricia Chepulis Wade, Glenarm, IL said:
Beautifully written! This story nearly mirrors my grandfather’s story. The war photos are so similar and familiar, as is the history of work in the coal mines and the longevity of these hard working men. I wouldn’t doubt that my grandfather, Stanley Petrokas, was most likely acquainted with John Straukas.
GeorgeAnn Madison said:
Nice story. Enjoyed reading it very much. Thank you Sandy.
Terry Engledow said:
John J. Straukas is my Grandfather, my mother is Louise, his second daughter. We lived in the South growing up, so we only visited them once or twice a year. I really enjoyed this article on my Grandfather, as much of this was unknown to me and my sisters. Thank you for honoring him and remembering all of the Central Illinois men who served in WWI. Wonderful article!
sandyb52 said:
Terry, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. This post has been picked up by LTUworld.com Go take a look, and please spread the word among your relatives. The photos really make the story–what a handsome, young man!
Nancy A. Betz(Kaylor). said:
Thank you Sandy, this is something to be proud of, enjoyed it very much.
Arunas Banionis said:
A great story of a Lithuanian immigrant who proudly served his new country during one of the most brutal wars ever known to humanity. Another Lithuanian World War I soldier, my great uncle Kastantas Steikūnas, born in 1890 and known as Kostas, left the town of Balninkai in eastern Lithuania in 1912 to seek a new life in America from the Latvian port of Libau (Liepaja) aboard the SS Czar. He arrived in New York, and records show that he settled in Amsterdam, New York.
My late father mentioned that Kostas later was killed during WW I. No details of my great uncle’s service record could be found. One day on a whim, I purchased the book on eBay, “Illinois in the Great War.” It was the story of the Illinois National Guard, which later became the 33rd Division. Thumbing through the pages I saw history of a great armed force that proudly served in France after America entered the war. I came across the casualty list and was shocked to see the name of my great uncle, Private Kansteon Staikunas, who was listed as KIA on October 11, 1918 during the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. With that spelling of his name, a simple Internet search yielded the information that Pvt. Staikunas was buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery near Consenvoye, France. My brother Algis, who was working in Germany at the time, was able to find his grave. Almost 100 years later, our family was able to find closure to a mystery. Fortunately we also located our great uncle’s burial record, which had a lot of valuable information. Pvt. Staikunas was in the 33rd Division, 129th Infantry, Company C.