Reading through my family history, I discovered a sad coincidence - in two generations, my ancestors married during wartime, and instead of a honeymoon, they were forced to become refugees for months and even years.
World War I Refugee Journey (1914-1921)
My great-grandparents, originally from Kurzeme, married on August 23, 1914 - just after World War I had begun. The day after their wedding, they left for Belarus, though not as refugees - my great-grandfather, a graduate of the Polotsk Forestry School, had received a work assignment in Vitebsk province (today Belarus).
Their peaceful life lasted until April 1915, when the German army entered Kurzeme. The German offensive began in April with the capture of Liepāja, and by autumn, the Germans had occupied almost all of Kurzeme. The Russian army command issued orders for total evacuation - not only factory equipment and raw materials had to be removed, but also residents, livestock, and grain. Mass refugee movement began. 60-70% of Kurzeme's residents took to the road.
My great-grandparents' family members who had remained in Kurzeme also decided to become refugees and join their son in Belarus. However, staying there throughout the war years proved impossible as the front approached. Without detailing all their adventures, here are the stops on their "honeymoon" journey:
Rybaki, today Belarus
Kupyansk, today Ukraine
Zainsk, Tatarstan, today Russia
Moscow, Russia
The stops were determined by my great-grandfather's service - after the 1917 revolution in Soviet Russia, there was a shortage of foresters. He was discharged from the army and chose Tatarstan as his workplace. In June 1920, a refugee reevacuation agreement was signed between Latvia and Soviet Russia. Refugees could gradually return. My great-grandparents' family returned only in June 1921, during Midsummer.
World War II Refugee Journey (1944-1946)
History repeated itself in the next generation. My grandparents rushed to marry on July 8, 1944, aware of the impending evacuation and wanting to stay together during their refugee journey.
The Soviet army was rapidly approaching, and many still remembered the events of 1940-1941 - deportations, repressions, nationalization. My great-grandfather, as a senior forester, had already been sought and successfully escaped deportation during the first Soviet occupation years, so there was no doubt - they had to leave.
The entire extended Kurzeme family set out - my great-grandparents for the second time in their lives, and their children, including my newly married grandparents. This time the path led West:
Poznań, Poland
Harachov, Czech Republic
Cvrčovice near Prague, Czech Republic
The westward journey stopped in Plzeň in summer 1945. Plzeň was the last Czech city liberated by the US army, but according to the Yalta Conference agreement, it was in the Soviet sphere of influence. American forces wouldn't let refugees continue westward, as all civilians from Soviet territory were scheduled for repatriation. In October 1945, a long journey home began through Austria, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus and Estonia. The family returned to Riga in late April 1946.
What Can Be Found in Archives?
I know about this adventure-filled journey only thanks to diaries and memories that were later compiled into a book. Fully researching refugee journeys without family records is likely impossible, as such "travels" weren't fully documented. However:
1. The Latvian State Historical Archives (Fund 3234, Description 1a) contains information about World War I refugees' return:
If a passport with a refugee certificate notation has been preserved and its number and date of issue are known.
Documents contain information about refugees housed in Rēzekne quarantine and Riga.
The refugee registration documents list family members and specify the points of departure and destination.
You can read about World War I refugee repatriation in the LSM article (in Latvian).
2. The Arolsen Archives contain information about Latvian refugees in German camps at the end of World War II. Read more about this in this blog post.
A lesson from this story- write diaries so your stories remain for descendants, as not everything can be found in archives😊
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