This is, of the course, the single question that bothered me most after writing my most recent post on the Somerton Man. As you’d expect, almost all the Keans/Keanes I found were Scottish or Irish immigrants: but, sticking out like a sore thumb, there was a single British Joseph Kean with two Lithuanian parents. I set out to figure out what was going on there…
Lithuanian emigration
In the century and more before 1918 (when Lithuania reconstituted itself as a freestanding state), Lithuania was a region controlled by the Russian Empire. Its language (Lithuanian) and religion (almost entirely Roman Catholic) both found themselves being increasingly suppressed, as part of Imperial attempts to damp down its nationalist fervour for independence.
When Lithuanians were hit by a great famine in 1867-1868, the response of many was to emigrate: all in all, it lost 20% of its population to emigration from 1868 to 1900 or so.
In the 19th century, one of the most popular places immigrants looked to move to was Great Britain, a country that allowed pretty much anyone in. (This was to change with the 1905 Aliens Act, which gave control over immigration to the Home Secretary, a dragon-nose-snorting feeling of power that seems to define the kind of populist idiot politician who goes for that job.)
So it should be no surprise that, post-1868, Lithuanian émigré communities started to pop up in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, etc. The fifteenth century Catholic Saint Casimir Jagiellon was their patron saint, so processions, chapels and even churches dedicated to St. Casimir also started to appear (around 1900 or so).
I think this forms the basic historical narrative framework to bear in mind when trying to understand the experience and situation of Lithuanian immigrants 1800-1900.
Basic Facts About Joseph Kean
The genealogical archives give us four basic records relating to Joseph Kean:
- His 1922 emigration from Liverpool to Philadelphia on the S.S. Pittsburgh with his wife Frances
- His 1926 application for naturalization
- The 1930 US Census (he is living in Cuyahoga, Cleveland, OH with wife Frances and son John).
- The 1940 US Census (no change there)
They also tell us a few more details about Frances Kean…
- born 24th Mar 1896, died 1st Jun 1970 (when her status was “married”)
- buried in All Saints Cemetery, Northfield, Summit County, Ohio, USA
…and John Joseph Kean…
- born 3rd Nov 1923, died 30 Sep 1969
- buried in All Saints Cemetery, Northfield, Summit County, Ohio, USA
Note that there’s also a Joseph F. Kean (who died 7th March 1983) buried in All Saints Cemetery, but there’s no date of birth or picture, so it’s not yet clear to me if this is the same Joseph Kean we’re interested in.
Joseph Kean’s Family
Joseph Kean’s 1922 immigration record from the S.S. Pittsburgh includes a number of telling details:
- Though he was born in Britain, his race was “Lithuanian”
- Joseph’s occupation was “Miner”, Frances’ was “Housewife”
- Their last abode was “Manchester”
- They were heading for Cleveland, Ohio.
- The next of kin (for both him and his wife Frances) was listed as “Aunt Mrs Majaikas, 59 Lankin Lane, Liverpool” (more on her later)
However, the most interesting thing was a handwritten note that was added to the typed list – “Smirpunas, used for convenience in army“:
So it seems Joseph Kean’s given surname had originally been “Smirpunas” (or something like it), but that he had changed it to “Kean” for convenience in the British Army.
It didn’t take me long to find his parents Jonas and Antonina “Surpunas”, travelling across to Philadelphia at almost exactly the same time (but aboard the White Star Line’s S.S. Haverford), departing Liverpool on 19 Nov 1921.
We can also see miner Jonas Snirpunas (though now from Paeyerus, Russia, and only “48” years old, so obviously it was a very refreshing journey) and Antonina Snirpunas arriving in Philadelphia on 30th November 1921, along with (and here’s a surprise) English-born 17-year-old son William Snirpunas (also a miner). All three’s next of kin is marked as “Cousin Vincent Majackis, of 59 Limekiln Lane, Liverpool”.
From this we can tell that in 1921, Jonas Snirpunas was a Lithuanian-born miner (either 48 or 52, while his Lithuanian-born wife Antonina was 52), who had been living in 91 Station Road, Haydock St Helens. Which, according to Google Maps, now looks like this:
Knowing that his parents had been living in Haydock St Helens then made it easy to find Joseph Kean’s British WWI records. Private Joseph Kean 428778 of the Labouring Corps was discharged with a military pension on 6th March 1919 because of “neurasthenia” (“20%” of which was caused by military service). His address was “91 Station Road, Haydock St Helens”.
It seems that this (eight shillings a week) pension ceased on 24/5/1921, and that the paperwork was “transferred to Foreign & Colonial 5/7/[19]22”. My guess (and it’s only a guess) would be that the end of his military pension in May 1921 may have helped trigger Joseph’s emigration to America later that same year.
Regardless, Joseph’s 1927 petition for naturalization included his birth name (“Joseph Snirpunas”) and his changed name (“Joseph Kean”), and gave his birth date as 19th October 1899. His address was given as 3134 Superior Avenue, Cleveland Ohio. The dates of birth given above for his wife and son are both also confirmed here.
What next for the Snirpunas family?
Just to complete the big fat record dump, William Snirpunas married Johanna A. Feltz, and they had two daughters that I could find:
- Antionette Snirpunas (b. 30 Mar 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, d. Jun 1984), SSN 289200917 – “Sep 1942: ANTIONETTE PETERSON SNIRPUNAS; Mar 1947: ANTIONETTE E GIBBY; Jul 1962: ANTOINETTE E HOGAN; 29 Dec 1987: ANTOINETTE HOGAN”
- Marion Snirpunas (b. 22 Dec 1927 in Cleveland Cu[yahoga] Ohio, d. 10 Oct 2004), SSN 293263472 – “Mar 1947: MARION PETERSON; Feb 1952: MARION BROWN”.
I couldn’t see what became of Jonas or Antonina Snirpunas.
Was Joseph Kean the Somerton Man?
Joseph Kean fits the bill in so many ways: a miner of the right age, a “Britisher”, an immigrant, and with Baltic DNA.
But the archives haven’t yielded all their secrets yet. Knowing his date and place of birth, we can trace his US WWII draft card, which tells us:
| Weight: | 155 [lbs] |
|---|---|
| Complexion: | Ruddy |
| Eye Colour: | Gray |
| Hair Colour: | Blonde |
| Height: | 5” 7 1/2″ |
However, I feel fairly certain that this is also Joseph Kean, SSN 282-05-6088, born 18th October 1899, last residence 44141, Brecksville, Cuyahoga, Ohio, USA, died March 1983 – without much doubt the same Joseph Kean buried in All Saints Cemetery.
So: no, I don’t think that Joseph Kean (né Snirpunas) was the Somerton Man.
Last thoughts, Nick?
For me, the main point of chasing down this rabbit hole was to see if there was any systematic reason why a Lithuanian guy might end up with a name like Joseph Kean – such as the whole supposed “KEANIC” thing (which I never really understood).
In the end, this particular instance seems to have been nothing more complex than an immigrant opportunistically swapping one Catholic immigrant surname for another more pronounceable (and less alien) one to try to blend in in the British Army in WWI. In the big scheme of things, though, I’d be surprised if this was anything more than an outlier.
However, what I did find out was that the US Census records include a lot of detail about parental nationality: and so I wonder if there is a way to search the various US Censuses for all people called Kean or Keane whose mother was Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Finnish, or Polish.
When I tried this out, the closest Lithuanian I could find was Maurice Kean (b. ~1906) and Julius Kean (b. ~1910), whose father Samuel Kean was a Jewish tailor from Lithuania. So, no maternal match there.
No hits for Latvia or Estonia: for Poland, I found a Michael and Caroline Kean (both born in Poland) living in Chicago with all their children.
For Russia, however, I found a Jeremy Kean of 79 Garfield Ave, New London CT (b. 1900 to Benjamin and Rosie Kean, both of Russia); a Nathan Kean (b. 1900 to David and Sarah Kean, both of Russia); and so on and so on.
Essentially, it seems that the pattern being followed by a good number of Russian Jewish families was that they Americanised their names to Kean: and I would be unsurprised if this was usually from Cohen / Kohn / etc.
Of course, the Somerton Man was famously uncircumcised, so it would perhaps seem a little unlikely that he was a Cohen-turned-Kean. But… who can tell?
Nick: A Bit closer to home, I’ve got a couple of John Gordons, one Kearn and t’other a McKlean from Port Adelaide and Norwood, both born late in Queen Vickies reign so almost certainly intact. A Jack Gordon Keats came up but a mite too young for the age criteria cut off, though could well have been named after his neglectful Broken Hill dad. Your last Keenly researched Yankee nominates are interesting to be sure and I’ll tackle them when I get free time.
The nicest thing about a Snirpunas (or other Balt name) becoming a Kean(e) is that it might help explain some inconsistencies in spelling that haven’t sat comfortably with me in the past (and without getting too conspiratorial about aliases).
NB: Smirpunas (as opposed to Snirpunas) is Lithuanian for Emeralds. I don’t know too much about Lithuanian surnames, but I know Latvian surnames often (but not always) relate to trees and nature. A quick google tells me the most common Latvian Surnames are (note, some of these have derivatives that I’ve combined into 1 – names ending with ‘s’ are masculine versions, and those with ‘a’ or ‘e’ feminine ). AFAIK this is largely from a deep pagan background (and sort of ‘oneness with nature).
1) Berziņš (Birch)
2) Ozols/Ozoliņš (Oak)
3) Ivanovs (derived from Russian I assume)
4) Kalniņš (Hill)
5) Jansons (not sure where this fits in….presumably a Scandinavian connection)
6) Liepiņš (Linden)
7) Eglīte (Pine)
8) Arpa (No idea)
9) Balodis/Balode (Dove)
10) Krumiņš (Bush)
…then some Russian (and other) imports before a few more nature ones (Vanags (Eagle), Darziņš (Garden), Zariņš (Branch), Priede (Pine), Āboliņš (Apple/Clover)
NB2: the “iņš” ending is a diminutive form, so Birch would actually be “Berzs”, and “Berziņš” is something closer to “little birch”
see also: https://surnames.behindthename.com/submit/names/usage/latvian
That said, for all their similarities, Latvia and Lithuania are very different places with very different languages and customs (I think (might be talking out of school) some of the difference is Russian influence (Latvia) vs Polish influence (Lithuania) and while Lithuania is heavily Catholic (over 75%, I think), Latvia is more diverse – split between Lutheran (about 35%), Orthodox (~20%) and Catholic (~20%)
Koenig in German is a variation of Keenich or King which progresses to Keane for a bold alternative and of course we always have Keanic of the white tie brigade as a handy alternative if we’re stretched for contenders.
From what I understand in the 19th century and thenabouts – if the intending wife was actually older than the intending husband it was not unknown for birthdates to be massaged for the marriage certificate.
Plain Dealer, 09 Mar 1983
JOSEPH KEAN, of Brecksville, beloved husband of Gladys E. (and the late Frances), father of the late John, grandfather of five, great-grandfather of three. Service will be held Thursday, March 10, at 9:30 a.m. at FAULHABER FUNERAL HOME, 7915 BROADVIEW RD. (AT SPRAGUE) and St Basil Church at 10 a.m. VISITATION WEDNESDAY 2-4 AND 7-9 P.M.
Plain Dealer, 03 Jun 1970
Frances Kean (nee Strongie), 1671 Cataipo Rd., Cleveland, O., beloved wife of Joseph, dear mother of John J. (deceased), grandmother of five, sister of Ann Russell. Funeral services Friday, June 5 at Christ The King Church at 10:30 a.m. Interment All Satins Cemetery. Friends may call at The Jakubs & Son Funeral Home, 936 E. 185th St. VISITING HOURS WEDNESDAY 7-9 P.M., AND THURSDAY 2-4 AND 7-9 P.M.
This is perhaps be a massive coincidence, but … as I have mentioned before the mysterious nit-keeper “Balutz” may have had a connection to Lithuania or Latvia (with all due respect to the hypothesised Greek connection, namely Triantaphillos Balutis).
As Milongal mentions above, common surnames in Latvia include Bal(u)odis. A less common near-homonym, or equivalent, in Lithuania itself is … Balutis (as in the pre-WW2 diplomat Bronius Kazys Balutis and the post-Soviet politician Adolfas Antanas Balutis).
(fwiw Milongal, I suspect Arpa is derived from arpas “winnowing machine”; see e.g. lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arpas .)
Furphy: Balutis from memory, was merely supposition, it being as close to Bulutz as any gangland connected name that came to light. I tried to explain at the time that Balutz was a name used in the US, namely NYC to describe folks interested in volunteering for Kebutz farms in Israel post 1948. Alas no response, not even a negative.
Some of this is old ground, some of this is a different angle (but largely because Furphy’s comments remind me).
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that Latvian has 7 grammatical cases which result in a lot of different declensions. Basically this means that words (not just verbs) change depending on the case to the point where word order is often irrelevant so long as all the words are there in the correct case. This includes proper Nouns, so someone called “Balutis” (pretty sure it’s not a Latvian name, but they’re not shy of messing up other names too) is referred to as “Balutim” (or possibly “Balutam”) in the dative (I think), or “Baluta” in the locative (I think) or “Baluti” in the vocative. I think “Baluts” would likely be valid in some cases – but not sure how to describe it grammatically – sort of an informal form when you’re talking about someone (I think it might be some form of the nominitive case).
But we digress to some degree…..the point is that in some ways the language appears more fluid (or at least less rigid) than what English speakers might be used to.
When it come to name endings** masculine names tend to end with an ‘S’ and Feminine ones with an ‘A’, and depending on the case (and the 2nd last syllable) the masculine form might have ‘is’ rather than ‘s’ – this ties into my vague thing about Baluts above – I don’t really know the exact rule, but Balodis/Balods (or in our case Balutis/Baluts) are so similar that when researching an English site you would check for both of them. I assume this is partly because of language barriers when arriving and subsequently living in an English-speaking country, but I know people with surnames ending in either ‘ns’ or ‘nis’ (and equally ‘rs’ and ‘ris’) – I don’t actually know which is correct, but I know telephone directories have one, and other official records (shipping lists, national archive files etc) have the other. There is, of course, a fairly reasonable explanation even if the people in question have a reasonable grasp of English. It depends how the question was asked, and therefore what case you answer in. Most obviously this would be the difference between “What is your name?” and “What do people call you?” – but I could imagine something a lot more nuanced.
I don’t know if Lithuanian is the same (and if we’re talking Balutis, I think it’s more likely to be Lithuanian – or at least, it doesn’t sound Latvian to me).
So depending on where he’s being searched for Baluts, Balutis (and maybe even some other derivatives) could all refer to the same person.
It also suddenly occurs to me that someone used to a language that adjusts surname endings based on context might also make a Kean/Keane type shift. My only problem with that (in terms of Latvian) is that Keane would be Feminine (and the Latvians would more likely write it Kīne (or pronounce it Ke-a-ne – where the ‘e’ like in left, and ‘a’ is like in ‘hard’).
** Actually in name endings a possessive (that’s not a case….) would see them switch – sort of. if a boy called Juris had a car (mašīna) it would be “Jura mašīna”. Equally if a girl called Ina had a car it would be “Inas mašīna”….but in their ‘normal’ form (for some deifintition of ‘normal’) the ‘s’ vs ‘a’ is close to a rule….
So much much for Balutz being a Hebrew loan word from Long Island then, seems I’m outgunned and I’d certainly not argue with a Lithuwegan native speaker on whys and wherefores of boy’s name endings and the like.
As Lithuanian I can suggest another sounding of surname Snirpunas – this surname in my country is not rare. In English form it will sound “Shnirpoonas”, writer in document didn’t knew about Czesh cap (used in Lithuanian alphabet) over “S” and long pronounce mark above “u”… And yes, Balutis is Lithuanian surname.
Vytautas: thanks for your comment! Yes, I know that the surname should have included the proper diacritics etc, but I chose to report what was actually written down (e.g. “Smirpunas” etc), even when it was inconsistent and/or made no sense. 🙂
This is my great grandfather!
This is my dads grandfather!
David Morgan: Why would a black man from Memphis TN. with slave roots be called Morgan Freeman?…Or an ‘offed’ bookie from Sydney NSW with not a drop of Lithuanian blood be named Stanislaus Keane? Or how aboout a Scottish seaman from Port Lincoln SA., out of New Guinea be called Alan Hamill? … Answer F. Hall.
For what it’s worth there was a Joseph Kean born Apr-June in 1898 at Uxbridge.
And another JK born in Warrington Jul-Sep in 1905
Dear John Sanders,
I’m not sure your referring to. The grave stone featured is my grandfathers, I’ve been there in person. These are my immediate paternal ansecters.
I have birth certificates for both, my dad lost his dad when he was 12 , my great grandfather (Joseph in this article) passed two months before I was born. The 3 great grandchildren the author mentions are my 3 older cousins, there were many that followed me. I’m hoping that you asummed that just because my last name is “Kean” I assumed these were my direct ancestors, I DIDN’T I called my father immediately and he confirmed his fathers gravestone pictured in the article.
The grave stone pictured is my grandfathers, I’ve been at the grave site.