KAMENSHCHIK is an extremely uncommon surname, with relatively few references to it being found in Lithuanian records. Most of those occur in the towns of Zeimiai and Jonava, with a few in nearby towns. There is also a significant amount of KAMENSHCHIK records found in Kaunas (Kovno), from branches that moved there from the Zeimiai/Jonava area. Considering the difficulty of spelling this surname, it is one that lends itself to having been changed in the Diaspora upon emigration. Many branches in my family became KAMENSKY in countries like the U.S.A., Great Britain and Cuba.

NOTE: If you are a KAMENSHCHIK from the Zeimiai or Jonava region, or anywhere nearby, perhaps from the towns of Seta (Shat), Kedainiai (Keidan), Kaunas (Kovno) or Vilnius (Vilna), please contact me, as we would undoubtedly be related.
If you are connected to any KAMENSHCHIK family from Kaunas (Kovno), directly or indirectly (perhaps through the maiden name of the spouse married to a KAMENSHCHIK), please also contact me.

 ADDITIONAL NOTE: If your surname is KAMENSKY, KAMENSKI, KAMINSKY, KAMINSKI, KAY or KAYE and you came from the same region, there is a good chance you of a connection too. There are many branches in my own tree who are named KAMENSKY/KAY/KAYE (and the variations stated above) who had absolutely no idea their original name was KAMENSHCHIK.

KAMENSHCHIK'S in the Ukraine: There are branches with this surname in several places, including Dnepropetrovsk (formerly known as Ekaterinoslav) and Zaporozhye, who came to the Ukraine in the mid-1800's to take part in the Ukrainian Working Colonies. During that period, several cities in the Ukraine actively sought out workers from other regions, most notably Lithuania, which was itself suffering from bad economic conditions, and thousands took up the offer. I have been in contact with several descendants from the Ukrainian KAMENSHCHIK branches who confirm that their families originally came from Lithuania in the 1800's. If you are a Ukrainian KAMENSHCHIK or variation thereof, please contact me.

KAMENSHCHIK'S in the Ukraine (Actor Danny Kaye): If you are related to famous American actor Danny Kaye, please contact me. His family was KAMINSKI from Dnepropetrovsk (formerly known as Ekaterinoslav). I have no doubt his family was originally KAMENSHCHIK from Lithuania and also went to the Ukraine to take part in the working colonies. Several unrelated branches in the known KAMENSHCHIK tree, from Cuba, Great Britain and Israel, all have stories, totally independent of each other and handed down for generations, of a relationship to the actor. These accounts are from branches that didn't even know about any of the others until recently. There is also a remarkable resemblance to the actor among older members of the KAMENSHCHIK family, and the red hair gene is common to the known KAMENSHCHIK tree. If you are a Ukrainian KAMINSKI or KAMENSKI variation, or somehow related to Danny Kaye's family, please contact me.

KAMENSHCHIK'S in Russia: If you are a KAMENSHCHIK in Russia, please contact me. You may be from some of my missing branches from Zeimiai/Kaunas. Two relatives of mine, siblings David and Naomi KAMENSHCHIK, left Kaunas around 1912, about age 20-30, and made their way to Russia. For a brief period after WWII, Naomi corresponded with my gr-aunt in Israel. Her married name is unknown. Children of David would likely still carry on the name, at least with a similar spelling. Naomi had flaming red hair, a trait often found among KAMENSHCHIK relatives.