I’ve been mentioning Periodika, an online collection of historical Latvian newspapers, recently. I talked about it a few years ago, here, but it has been updated and upgraded since, so merits mentioning again. Newspaper articles can provide an idea on
Ž is for Žandarmērija
So now we have come to the end of the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge! I’m happy that I’ve been able to complete the whole challenge. What next, I wonder? So, Ž is for ŽandarmÄ“rija… “žandarmÄ“rija” is the Latvian
R is for Raduraksti
But wait, what about Q? Well, the Latvian alphabet doesn’t have a Q, so R is the next letter of the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge! This is only the first letter I’m skipping, and being as I’ve done
P is for Parish
Let’s continue the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge! The important word of the day is “parish” – and in Latvian, it has a name with a P too – “pagasts”. Now, this refers to civil parishes, rather than religious
Family History Through the Alphabet – A is for Archives
I’ve decided to participate in the “Family History through the Alphabet†challenge. I’m a bit late to the party, but I’ll make up for it, don’t worry! Just how will I do that? Well, I’m going to be using the
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 RÄ«ga and
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.
Tuesday’s Tip: Look Randomly
Generally speaking, genealogy is a calm and focused pursuit. However, sometimes you need to be random – this is particularly true when trying to find something at the archives. There is a reason for this – the Central Fond Register
Tuesday’s Tip: House Books
A wonderful resource for researching Latvian genealogy is the house book collection at the Latvian State Historical Archives. They are available in fond 2942 for RÄ«ga and in fond 2110 for the rest of Latvia. During the Czarist era, as