My great-grandfather Constantinos Karinauskas carried an amber necklace with him when he boarded the ship to Ellis Island, forever leaving behind his family in Lithuania. These amber beads are called gintaras in Lithuanian, made from ancient resin. This necklace was a reminder of his roots - the Baltic pine forests and family traditions going back many generations.
Constantinos made the decision to change his name to Charles (Charlie) Cavanaugh. He wanted to fit in with the Irish immigrants living in Ohio, where he settled down and married an Irish woman named Clara Whitty. Charlie kept the beads close, and eventually gifted them to my grandmother, Dorothy Cavanaugh. Now my mom keeps them in her jewelry box.
It’s interesting how amber preserves bits of history from long ago. This necklace preserves a little bit of family history in the same way. It’s a small reminder of my great grandpa’s roots and his story of struggle and survival to find a better life. And I’m living proof that he had the fortitude to migrate to the states, learn a new language, and start a family in a new place. I’m happy and proud to touch these beads and remember that his Lithuanian roots are my roots too. This necklace reminds me that while my family’s story is uniquely Lithuanian, it is also part of the larger American story: people leaving behind one life, carrying what they can, and building another.
 

– Charlie Seybold

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more