Kazys Grinius was born on 17 December 1866 in Selemos Būda village, Sasnava rural district, Marijampolė county.

From 1914 through to 1919 Kazys Grinius and his family lived in Russia. In 1917 he was elected to the Russian Lithuanian Council in Voronezh. In 1919 he went to Paris, chaired the Repatriation Commission of the Lithuanian delegation; worked for the return of Lithuanians from German captivity, helping around 1,000 of compatriots.

On 18-22 September 1917, Aleksandras Stulginskis attended the Lithuanian Conference in Vilnius and was elected to the Council of Lithuania (later Council of the State). He was among the signatories of the Declaration of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918, and the head of the Council of the State's Commission for the return of deportees and prisoners.

Antanas Smetona was a member of the Lithuanian Democratic Party in 1902-1907; a leader of the Lithuanian Party of National Progress from 1920 to 1924, and an active participant in the activities of the Lithuanian Home Guard Union in 1924.The same year saw him among the founders of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union; soon thereafter, he became Chairman of the Union (1925-1926).

Tauragė Town (pop. 28.5 thousand) is located in the western part of Lithuania, in the plain of the lower reaches of the Nemunas River and is crossed by the Jūra River. The name of Tauragė is composed of two words having the meaning of “aurochs” (tauras) and “horn” (ragas). According to old tales, people found aurochs’ horns when gathering mushrooms in a forest. Today it is known that the Pajūris Manor was in the location of Tauragė back in 1499. A first wooden Catholic church along with a sheltered accommodation and a school was built in Tauragė in 1507. In 1567, the town with a status of a border settlement opened a customs house.

Marijampolė is the capital metropolis of Suvalkija (Sūduva), the Užnemunė ethnic region of Lithuania.  The town, settled by the Šešupė River, originated from the village of Pašešupis, first mentioned in the past records back in 1667. In the 18th century the village evolved into Starapolė Town. Upon having constructed a monastery the town was given the name of Marijampolė. On 23 February 1792, Marijampolė was settled a privilege of the Magdeburg rights and became a valid town and an significant trade centre of Užnemunė.