So last month I posted a “Plan of Attack” for finding more about the origins of my great-grandmother Anna Liepa. So, how has it gone? Not all that well, I’m afraid. The house book for Romanova iela 62/64 did not
January 20: Day of the Barricades
January 20 is a day of remembrance in Latvia, for an event in more recent memory than others – in this case, the time of the barricades, and subsequently, the end of the Soviet Union. Latvia had already declared independence
Plan of Attack: Finding Anna Liepa in the RÄ«ga Records
My most difficult ancestor is my great-grandmother Anna Liepa. The reason for this is because she was born in RÄ«ga, and RÄ«ga is a big place. This means that any record search inevitably takes forever, since there are many records
Birth Record of KarolÄ«ne Matilde Baburs – December 31, 1867 (O.S.)
Caroline Mathilde, daughter of worker Martin Babbur and his wife Edde born Jansohn. Baptized by Pastor Getter(?) in the church [Church of Jesus, an evangelican Lutheran church south of the Old City of RÄ«ga]. Godparents maiden Caroline Wendt, worker Martin
Death Record of JÄ“kabs Å Ä«rs – October 4, 1923
Click for full image. Image courtesy of a cousin from my LÅ«kins family line. Fishing manager JÄ’KABS ŠĪRS, 61 1/2 years old, born in Aloja, divorced. Died on October 4, 1923, at 10 o’clock in the evening in RÄ«nuži. Buried
Birth Record of Anna Liepa – September 22, 1895
This post is the first in a series that I’ll be making about events in my ancestors’ lives, on the days that the events took place. My reasons for this series are twofold – first of all, it helps me
Getting Out of Riga
RÄ«ga is the capital city of Latvia and the largest city in the Baltics. Since Latvian records are largely unindexed, this means that locating an ancestor in RÄ«ga is like looking for a needle in a haystack. If your ancestors
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
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
“Fearless Females” – March 4
Today’s prompt: Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one. It’s a bit