"Historia est magistra vitae" – Cicero
"History is the teacher of life"
Genealogy – my path to understanding family history
I have carried out genealogical research since 1993. Over more than three decades I have built up a genealogical database of more than 60,000 people, I carry out archival and DNA genealogy research, and I study the genealogies of Lithuania's noble families, the history of the Anykščiai region, and the biographies of volunteers of the wars of independence.
How my genealogical research began
My interest in genealogy began back in my school years. When I was in the 11th grade at the Jonas Biliūnas Secondary School in Anykščiai district, I had the opportunity to choose some of the subjects taught. I liked history lessons very much, so I chose cultural history.
The teacher of this subject, Raimundas Guobis, encouraged us to take an interest in our own region and its history. One of the homework assignments was to prepare our own family's genealogical tree. At the time, this task seemed to me rather unusual. Once home, I began asking my mother, and later my grandparents, about my roots and ancestors. I managed to find out and write down some things and put together my first family-tree chart. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day. Even so, it was precisely this school assignment that became the start of a long path of genealogical research.
First steps in searching for family roots
Some time later I wanted to find out more. I again began asking my grandparents about our ancestors and family history.
My grandfather, Steponas Strazdas (1919–2007), knew little about his father Jonas. His father, at the age of 53, married for the second time, to Uršulė Gliaudelytė. It was into this family that my grandfather was born – he was the youngest child. Jonas Strazdas's first marriage produced twelve children, the second – six.
My grandfather did not say much about his father's first marriage, so he recommended I visit his half-cousins on his mother's side. That is how I began collecting genealogical material on the Strazdas and Gliaudelis families.
In the summer of 1995, during my student holidays, the parish priest of the Skiemonys Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Eugenijus Staleronka, gave me the opportunity to look through the old parish registers. With great interest I set out to search for the roots of the Gliaudelis family. Later I also began researching the family of Uršulė Gliaudelytė's mother, Barbora Jucytė.
While researching my family's history I also visited the parish of St Joseph in Leliūnai and examined this parish's old registers. Later, the registers of the Burbiškis Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also came to occupy an important place in my genealogical searches.
Grandmother Stanislava Repečkaitė's family lines
My grandmother Stanislava Repečkaitė (1927–2016) knew considerably more about her roots than her husband Steponas Strazdas.
I began drawing up genealogical charts of her families: the lines of the Repečka, Platkevičius, Bakura, Leita and other families.
As a schoolboy and a student, I cycled around all the neighbouring parishes where our relatives lived. Later, during six years of study at the Lithuanian Institute of Physical Culture in Kaunas (today the Lithuanian Sports University), in my free time after lectures and bodybuilding training I travelled around Kaunas and its surroundings, gathering material about my families.
Research at the Lithuanian State Historical Archive
In 2000 I moved from Kaunas to Vilnius and continued working as a trainer. In my free time I continued to take an interest in local history and my own roots, and I visited distant relatives living in Vilnius.
After a while I found myself at a dead end in my genealogical research. In 2005 I turned to the Lithuanian State Historical Archive for the first time. After three years of archival research I obtained a great deal of new information about my family.
In 2011 I turned to the Lithuanian State Historical Archive once again. The research carried out confirmed that my ancestor Uršulė Platkevičiūtė Repečkienė descended from noble families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Platkevičius, Usavičius and Pesliakas families.
This discovery became one of the most important results of my genealogical research and encouraged me to delve even more actively into the genealogy and heraldry of Lithuania's nobility.
Genealogical lines of my father's family
In 2012 I also took up research into the genealogical lines of my father, Algimantas Bimba (1952–2015).
I began gathering information on the history of the Bimba, Bikelis, Nasevičius and other families. I also researched the genealogical lines of my father's mother, Pranciška Daškevičiūtė Bimbienė (1921–2007): the Daškevičius, Grigalka, Rakauskas, Rusteika and other families.
Later these studies expanded to encompass dozens of interrelated families who had lived in the Anykščiai, Utena, Molėtai, Švenčionys, Ukmergė and other regions of Lithuania.
Later genealogical research
At the end of 2017 I "opened up" yet another line of my family on my mother's side – the Strolia family. This genealogical chart currently holds more than 7,300 people.
In 2018 I began gathering genealogical information on the Niaura and Masys families.
In 2019 – the genealogical lines of the Augustinas, Andrikonis and Diečkus families.
In 2020 – the genealogical line of the Apeikis family.
In 2021 – the genealogical line of the Tyla family.
In 2022 – the genealogical line of the Katinas family.
Research was later continued on the Gudelis, Gliaudelis, Bakura, Leita, Platkevičius, Repečka and many other families.
My genealogical database (as of 26 June 2026)
At present, the genealogical database I am building holds more than 60,000 people. These people are linked to one another by kinship ties, and the material gathered covers the family history of the Anykščiai region, Aukštaitija and other regions of Lithuania from the 17th–18th centuries to the present day.
The largest genealogical charts:
the Strolia family – more than 7,302 people;
the Deveikis family – more than 5,370 people;
the Bimba family – more than 3,220 people;
the Gliaudelis family – more than 3,217 people;
the Strazdas family – more than 1,875 people;
the Platkevičius family – more than 1,282 people.
The database is constantly being expanded with new archival sources, registry entries, documents, photographs, kinship ties and family accounts.
Surnames of my direct ancestors
In the genealogical charts, my direct ancestors are marked with the personal Bimba coat of arms.
Ancestors from my father's family (38 families)
Adamovskis, Bareikis, Bendorius-Grigalka, Bikelis, Bimba, Bogačius, Bružas-Mackevičius, Daškevičius, Deveikis, Gaidys, Giruckis, Grigalka, Gudelis, Guobys, Gylys, Haidukas, Jasuda, Juodis, Juodvalkis, Jusis / Jusys, Kanapienis, Karvelis, Katinas, Kaušila, Kratulis, Lozovskis, Nasevičius / Nosevičius / Snukiškis, Peliachovskis, Rakauskas, Rožys, Rusteika, Sniegena, Stasiūnas, Šakalys, Šleivys, Tyla, Valiukonis, Vėjalis.
Ancestors from my mother's family (34 families)
Andrikonis, Apeikis, Augustinas, Avsiukevičius, Bakura, Balčiūnas, Diečkus / Jurginis, Dūda, Gliaudelis, Gudelis, Jucys, Juodelis, Katinas, Leita, Masys, Matušonis, Nargėla, Niaura, Pesliakas, Petronis, Platkevičius, Repečka, Riauba, Staniulis, Strazdas, Strolia, Šiukščius, Šilinis, Titenis, Tyla, Usavičius, Vitkūnas, Zagurskis, Žemaitis.
Descent along the direct paternal line
My family's direct male line has, at present, been traced back to the middle of the 18th century.
Algimantas Bimba → Edvardas Bimba → Antanas Bimba → Ignacijus Bimba → Kazimieras Bimba → Justinas Bimba → Gabrielius Bimba.
This genealogical line is especially important not only in traditional genealogy but also in DNA genealogy, since it is precisely along this line that the Y chromosome is passed down from generation to generation.
Descent along the direct maternal line
My family's direct female line:
Albina Strazdaitė → Stanislava Repečkaitė → Apolonija Repečkaitė → Uršulė Platkevičiūtė → Juozapota Bakuraitė → Juozapota Leitaitė → Ona Subaitė.
This genealogical line makes it possible to learn about my mother's family history and the role of women in the history of the family and the region.
DNA genealogy: genetic research into my origins
Genealogical research traditionally relies on written sources – parish registers, population censuses, estate inventories, archival documents, maps, photographs and family memory. These sources make it possible to trace the lives of ancestors, their relationships with one another, and migration over a period of several centuries.
However, in the 21st century genealogical research has been complemented by a new field of science – genetic genealogy. DNA testing makes it possible to look far deeper than written sources allow and to examine human ancestry over a span of dozens or even hundreds of generations.
Seeking to supplement more than three decades of genealogical research, I had genetic testing carried out at the company FamilyTreeDNA. Both my direct male line (Y-DNA) and my direct female line (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA) were tested.
Y-chromosome DNA research
The Y chromosome is passed down from father to son almost unchanged. For this reason, Y-DNA testing makes it possible to trace the direct male line of descent, which in many European countries usually coincides with the line along which the surname is passed down.
In my case, this genealogical chain is:
Gabrielius Bimba → Justinas Bimba → Kazimieras Bimba → Ignacijus Bimba → Antanas Bimba → Edvardas Bimba → Algimantas Bimba → Remigijus Bimba.
Y-DNA testing established that I belong to haplogroup I. This haplogroup is considered one of the oldest surviving male genetic lines in Europe. Researchers believe that its origins reach back to prehistoric European populations who lived even before the end of the last Ice Age.
Seeking to determine my genetic origin more precisely, I had an extended Big Y test carried out. This test analyses millions of positions on the Y chromosome and makes it possible to establish an extremely precise place on the worldwide Y-chromosome genealogical tree.
The initial results placed my line in haplogroup I-FGC47183. However, genetic genealogy is a constantly developing field of science. As the number of people tested increases worldwide and new genetic data appears, the genetic branches in the FamilyTreeDNA and YFull databases are periodically refined.
My genetic line was later refined and moved to a narrower, newly identified branch: I-FGC47194.
Such an update to a haplogroup does not mean an error in the testing but, on the contrary, greater precision. As more people are tested, it becomes possible to identify new genetic branchings and to identify common ancestors more precisely.
According to current data, my genetic branch I-FGC47194 is very rare. At present, only a few representatives of this line have been found in worldwide databases.
The known places of origin of this branch are: Lithuania, Poland, and the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation.
This shows that the common roots of this genetic line may be related to historical migrations of populations of Eastern and Central Europe.
According to current FamilyTreeDNA estimates, the common ancestor of haplogroup I-FGC47183 lived approximately around 50 AD, while the formation of the higher-level branch I-FGC47153 reaches back to around the 2nd century BC.
Since relatively few Big Y tests have been carried out worldwide, it is likely that this genetic branch will be further refined in the future. New research may help to determine more precisely the migration routes of my direct male line and its genetic ties with other European families.
Mitochondrial DNA research
In 2017 I also had a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test carried out.
Unlike the Y chromosome, mitochondrial DNA is passed down from a mother to all her children. However, only her daughters pass it on further. Therefore mtDNA makes it possible to research the direct female line of descent.
My direct female genealogical chain is:
Ona Subaitė → Juozapota Leitaitė → Juozapota Bakuraitė → Uršulė Platkevičiūtė → Apolonija Repečkaitė → Stanislava Repečkaitė → Albina Strazdaitė → Remigijus Bimba.
The test established that I belong to mitochondrial haplogroup: H5a1g1a.
This genetic branch belongs to the broad haplogroup H, which today is the most commonly found mitochondrial DNA group in Europe.
It is believed that haplogroup H spread across Europe after the last Ice Age and is related to the migrations of early European populations. Today, various branches of H make up a significant part of Europe's genetic heritage.
My more precisely determined branch, H5a1g1a, is much rarer. It makes it possible to identify shared female ancestors more precisely and provides additional information about the deeper origin of the female line.
The connections between genetic and documentary genealogy
DNA testing does not replace traditional genealogy, but it significantly complements it.
Archival sources make it possible to identify specific people, their life dates, family ties, places of residence and social standing. Genetic testing, meanwhile, makes it possible to look at much older periods, which no written sources any longer reach.
In my genealogical research, DNA analysis has become an additional scientific tool, making it possible to better understand the origin of both the direct male Bimba line and the direct female Strazdas, Repečka, Platkevičius, Bakura and Leita lines.
Genetic testing has also provided the opportunity to compare documented genealogy with biological inheritance. In this case, documentary and genetic data complement one another and make it possible to reconstruct family history more consistently.
Therefore, today my genealogical research covers not only archival and historical material but also genetic-genealogy data. Such an interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to look at one's origin both through the life stories of specific people and through humanity's genetic past, reaching back millennia.
Genealogies of notable figures from the Anykščiai region
I take an interest not only in my own family's history, but also in the genealogies of notable people who came from the Anykščiai region.
One such person is Steponas Kairys (1878–1964), a signatory of the Act of Independence of 16 February 1918, a public and state figure, an engineer and scholar, and a professor.
I research his father's genealogical line, Tumasonis (Kairius), as well as his mother's line, Puzinas.
I am also interested in the genealogies of other enlightened figures of the Anykščiai region, their origins, their kinship ties, and their place in the region's history.
Volunteers of the Anykščiai region
One of my directions of research is the biographies and genealogies of the volunteers of the Anykščiai region who fought in Lithuania's wars of independence of 1919–1920.
I am especially interested in the volunteers of the II and III Kurkliai manor, formerly in Kurkleliai village, Skiemonys volost:
Bronius Babelis (1901–1973);
Kazys Pesliakas (1901–1945);
Antanas Inčirauskas (1889–1966);
Juozas Grimašauskas (1896–1946);
Jeronimas Šovinis (1898–1936);
Jonas Vitkūnas (1900–after 1928).
The biographies and genealogies of these people help to better understand the lives of the participants of Lithuania's wars of independence and the histories of their families.
Bishops of the Anykščiai region
The Anykščiai region has given Lithuania and the Catholic Church more than one distinguished clergyman.
I research the genealogies of the following bishops of the Anykščiai region:
Paulius Antanas Baltakis OFM (1925–2019);
Antanas Baranauskas (1835–1902);
Antanas Karosas (1856–1947);
Juozapas Kukta (1873–1942);
Teofilius Matulionis (1873–1962);
Liudvikas Povilonis MIC (1910–1990).
Genealogical research makes it possible to better understand these people's family origins, social environment and ties to the Anykščiai region.
Genealogy and heraldry
My many years of genealogical research practice naturally encouraged me to take an interest in heraldry as well.
Researching noble families, their genealogical ties and historical sources opened up the opportunity to delve into the heraldic traditions of Lithuania and Europe. Today, genealogy and heraldry are closely related fields in my work, complementing one another and making it possible to better understand the past.
Over time, genealogical research became the foundation for broader work in the fields of genealogy, heraldry and vexillology.
How many ancestors do we have?
Have you ever wondered how many people contributed to our coming into being?
In every earlier generation, the number of ancestors theoretically doubles:
Parents – 2
Grandparents – 4
Great-grandparents – 8
2nd-generation great-grandparents – 16
3rd-generation great-grandparents – 32
4th-generation great-grandparents – 64
5th-generation great-grandparents – 128
6th-generation great-grandparents – 256
7th-generation great-grandparents – 512
8th-generation great-grandparents – 1024
9th-generation great-grandparents – 2048
10th-generation great-grandparents – 4096
11th-generation great-grandparents – 8192
12th-generation great-grandparents – 16,384
Of course, in reality, because family lines cross (so-called genealogical collapse), the true number of ancestors is smaller, but these figures make it possible to grasp what an enormous chain of people stands behind each one of us.
That is precisely why, to me, genealogy is not only a search for individual people or surnames. It is an attempt to understand the flow of human, family and kinship history in which we live.
A stogastulpis erected by the Katlėriai burial site
Over time, genealogical research grew to include not only searches for archival documents but also concrete work on preserving cultural heritage.
On 14 October 2023, a stogastulpis – a traditional Lithuanian wooden wayside shrine pole – was erected next to the old cemetery in Katlėriai village, Skiemonys eldership, Anykščiai district; it is a copy of the stogastulpis that once stood in Storiai village, at the homestead of Anicetas Češūnas.
The aim of this project was to commemorate the history of Katlėriai village, to preserve local cultural heritage and to honour the memory of the people who lived in this area.
The author of the stogastulpis is Vytautas Taurelė, a wood-carving master from the Anykščiai region. A long road was travelled from the first idea to the final result. A stogastulpis more than 7 metres tall was created, with two sculptures – Agota and Jazulis. The little sun ornament was forged by blacksmith Saulius Kronis.
Today the stogastulpis has become an important marker of memory for the Katlėriai area.
The Katlėriai cross, restored
Another significant project was the restoration of the historic Katlėriai cross.
At 12:00 on 23 August 2024, in Katlėriai village, beside the Anykščiai–Skiemonys road, a wooden cross more than 8 metres tall and weighing more than a tonne was re-erected.
Historical sources show that a cross already stood at this spot as early as the beginning of the 20th century.
Cross-maker Vytautas Taurelė restored the cross based on a historical photograph preserved in the Adomas Varnas collection, taken in 1927 on the outskirts of the town of Anykščiai, by the road to Skiemonys.
This cross became not only a religious symbol but also an important element of the historical landscape of the Anykščiai region.
Blessing of the cross and the stogastulpis
On 7 September 2024, a blessing ceremony for the cross and the stogastulpis was held in Katlėriai village, at the Strazdas family homestead.
On a sunny early-autumn day, about fifty local residents, kinsfolk, countrymen and guests gathered there.
Fr Andrius Šukys, lic., administrator of the Burbiškis Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, blessed the restored cross by the Anykščiai–Skiemonys road and the stogastulpis erected on the hill next to the Katlėriai burial site.
This event became a meaningful occasion to remember the people of this region, their lives, traditions and history.
More about this event can be read in the newspaper "Anykšta" (13 September 2024), in the article "Katlėriuose atstatytas kryžius ir stogastulpis" ("A cross and stogastulpis restored in Katlėriai").
Current research directions
Today, genealogy means far more to me than collecting surnames, dates or documents.
It is an opportunity to get to know the history of my family, my kin and my region, to reconstruct the life stories of people of the past, and to preserve them for future generations.
I continue to actively carry out genealogical, heraldic and DNA-genealogy research, gathering archival documents, photographs, family histories and other valuable historical material.
I am also interested in the genealogies of Lithuania's noble families, the history of the Anykščiai region, the genealogies of volunteers of Lithuania's wars of independence, and the kinship ties of clergy and public figures.
Every year my genealogical database is expanded with thousands of new entries, and new discoveries make it possible to better understand not only my own family's history but also broader processes in the history of Lithuanian society.
I am convinced that every family has its own history, and that every kin group is an inseparable part of Lithuania's history. That is why I continue to strive to find, record and preserve this history for future generations.
Katlėriai region heritage-preservation initiatives
Stogastulpis by the Katlėriai burial site (2023)
A stogastulpis erected next to the old cemetery. Project initiator: Remigijus Bimba. Cross-maker: Vytautas Taurėlė. Photos by Remigijus Bimba.
The historic Katlėriai cross, restored (2024)
A cross that had stood at this spot in Katlėriai village since the early 20th century, restored. Project initiator: Remigijus Bimba. Cross-maker: Vytautas Taurėlė. Photo by Gintarė Kumpienė.
Participants of the blessing ceremony for the cross and the stogastulpis. Photo by Remigijus Bimba.
Blessing ceremony for the cross and the stogastulpis. 7 September 2024. Photos by Gintarė Kumpienė.
Read the full article: Katlėriuose atstatytas kryžius ir stogastulpis ("A cross and stogastulpis restored in Katlėriai") (p. 1, p. 2).