Adam Jasaitis Sites

(1851 – March 4, 1918)

Adam Sites was born in Lithuania and immigrated to the United States about 1872. According to a 1983 letter from his grandson, Edwin A. Sites to Pam Russell, Adam was one of the very early Lithuanians to come to Pittston, Pennsylvania. He traveled there with Peter Teplusis (Tepler). In Dr. Antanas Kucas’ book “Lithuanians In America” he says this: “Pittston was one of the last Lithuanian colonies in the Wyoming Valley. The first Lithuanian, Andrius Tepliušis, settled here in 1867.” Perhaps Peter is a brother to Andrius, and Peter Tepliušis  and Adam Jasaitis came to Pittston because Andrius encouraged them.

In his letter, Edwin explains how the family name changed from Jasaitis to Sites. “When he first came to this city the Welch and Irish could not pronounce, let alone spell, his name. They called him Mr. Sites or Sites. That’s how he changed his name. It was later legalized to Sites.”

In the 1880 census I find the young family in Pittston but the name is listed as Scyte. That took a long time to find but in the process I discovered I can search by first name only in the Heritage Quest database.

According to the 1900 and 1910 federal census records for Luzerne County, PA , Adam Sites immigrated in either 1872 or 1873. He married Louisa Smith of New York and in either 1879 or 1880 they had a son, William George Sites, born in Luzerne County, PA.

In the 1900 census Adam is shown as a “grocer” and by 1910 “a gentleman”. He died in 1918 and their address at that time was 219 N. Main, Pittston, PA. Louisa continued to live at that home until her death May 2, 1930. Their son, and only child, William, became an undertaker and he lived at 221 N. Main for all his life, dying in 1950. William married Constance “Cassie” Mercincavage about 1901 and their middle child Edwin also became an undertaker and live a long life there in Pittston. He is the relative I corresponded with back in 1983 and 1984. Edwin had two brothers, Harold, born June 20, 1902, and Vincent Joseph born July 9, 1912.