In this series, I am sharing photographs that I took of graves while I was in Latvia. All have death dates prior to 1945, and I have no further information on the people mentioned. Names: Mārtiņš Strazdiņš, born September 9,
Surname Saturday – Surnames of Jumurda Estate, 1826
I’m starting a new Surname Saturday feature – each week, I will profile the surnames of a different manorial estate from the 1826 revision list. Why 1826? That is the year that surnames first appeared in the revision lists –
Tombstone Tuesday – Putniņš Family
In the coming weeks, Tombstone Tuesday will be featuring Latvian tombstones that I photographed while in Latvia. I only photographed tombstones with death dates prior to 1945, to maintain privacy. I have no further information on these people besides what
Wordless Wednesday – Statue of Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
(click image to enlarge) Statue of Field Marshall Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly was a descendant of Scottish clan Barclay whose family had settled in the Russian Empire. His grandfather Peter was the mayor of Rīga for a time. As
Latvia: Now on Google StreetView!
Google StreetView is now live for Latvia! Now, after doing some poking around, there are some caveats to this. I would not agree that there is “almost 100% coverage”, as some news articles say. While their coverage of Rīga and
“Who Do You Think You Are?” – Rashida Jones Episode Review
I never thought that this was something I’d end up doing on this blog – reviewing a Who Do You Think You Are? episode. But it has happened – last weekend’s episode took place partially in Latvia! The celebrity in
Latvian Genealogy Primer – Part 2
Part 2 – Genealogical Sources After reading Part 1 of this primer, and the historical context of Latvian emigration, now it is time to move to genealogical sources – the resources that you can use to trace your Latvian ancestry.
Latvian Genealogy Primer – Part 1
Ready to move on to genealogical sources? See Part 2 of this primer here. Part 1 – Historical Context What You Need to Know about Latvia Latvia is a country in northeastern Europe, bordered by Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania.