The title of this post may seem a bit odd to most readers – how is there a culture revolving around cemeteries? In Latvia, cemeteries (“kapi” or “kapsÄ“tas”) are a very important part of life. Great care is taken to
Revision List Indexes
So the new project that I’ve been working on – revision list indexes! Now, these indexes are simple – family name and number, and the farm names and numbers they appear in on the specified estate. More information is on
Exciting Stuff to Come!
Sorry about things being quiet here lately – I’ve been busy at work in the archives during the week, and on weekends going out to different places in Latvia to visit where ancestors lived. What I can say though, is
Day of Remembrance – Jewish Victims of the Holocaust
This post should have been up yesterday, but I was out of town for most of the day and returned with a splitting headache, so I hope you’ll accept the post today instead. On July 4, 1941, numerous synagogues across
Surname Saturday – Early Latvian Surnames
As I’ve mentioned before, most Latvians didn’t have surnames prior to the early 19th century. They were peasants, and until serfdom was abolished, surnames were not a necessity since they were tied to the land. It was only afterwards that
School Records
Ever wonder how your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents did in school? You may just be able to find out. Numerous Latvian school records are held at the Latvian State Historical Archives, mostly for the inter-war period (1918-1940). Of course, to