John was born in Atesninkai, in Alytus County, Lithuania. His parents were John Jusinskas and Mary Venauskas. His last name was originally spelled Jusinskas, but he changed the spelling to make it easier for Americans to pronounce. He came to the United States to avoid being pressed into the Russian army, which was occupying Lithuania. He left on September 19, 1913 aboard the Dominion. He worked as a coal miner in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania. He served as a prisoner of war escort in France during World War I. After the war, he briefly lived in the Long Island area with his half-brother, where he worked as a tailor in a clothes factory. He didn't like that job, so he moved back to Edwardsville and went back to working in the mines. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on February 28, 1924. He married a widow, Magdalena 'Maggie' Shupshinskas Puzauskas on August 7, 1928. He became step-father to her son John Puzauskas, and they had two more children, Theresa Yusinskas Mitchell, and Alfred Yusinskas. John suffered from black lung, which contributed to his death of heart failure at the age of 65.
John was born in Atesninkai, in Alytus County, Lithuania. His parents were John Jusinskas and Mary Venauskas. His last name was originally spelled Jusinskas, but he changed the spelling to make it easier for Americans to pronounce. He came to the United States to avoid being pressed into the Russian army, which was occupying Lithuania. He left on September 19, 1913 aboard the Dominion. He worked as a coal miner in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania. He served as a prisoner of war escort in France during World War I. After the war, he briefly lived in the Long Island area with his half-brother, where he worked as a tailor in a clothes factory. He didn't like that job, so he moved back to Edwardsville and went back to working in the mines. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on February 28, 1924. He married a widow, Magdalena 'Maggie' Shupshinskas Puzauskas on August 7, 1928. He became step-father to her son John Puzauskas, and they had two more children, Theresa Yusinskas Mitchell, and Alfred Yusinskas. John suffered from black lung, which contributed to his death of heart failure at the age of 65.
