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Father or Son? Decoding Names in Soul Revision Lists
Perhaps you’ve encountered a situation where a soul revision list includes just two names— Juris Mārtiņš , for example. But which is...
6 days ago2 min read
27 views


How Can AI Help Read Old Newspapers?
You are no doubt familiar with the problem—you come across an interesting article in a historical newspaper, but it’s not only printed in...
Apr 52 min read
17 views

How to Identify a Couple When Only a Short Marriage Record Is Available?
In many congregations, only short-form marriage registers are available. These usually list only the names and surnames of the bride and...
Mar 292 min read
22 views


How to recognize the name of an ancestor in Russian?
In an older blog post , I already wrote about the transition from German to Russian in church books. In this post, I will explain how to...
Mar 223 min read
23 views


German and Russian terms in church books
On June 3, 1891, an order was issued in the Russian Empire that from now on Lutheran church books should also be kept in Russian. The...
Mar 211 min read
32 views


Finding Your Ancestors' Parish: Navigating Latvia's Changing Administrative Boundaries
In this week's post, I want to share a small piece of advice that I also gave to my course participants. For a family researcher, it is...
Mar 82 min read
81 views


When Documents Disagree: A Story about Jeannot V.
This week I encountered a case that reminded me once again - documents cannot be blindly trusted! They need to be verified, and we must...
Mar 13 min read
28 views


A Refugee Journey Instead of a Honeymoon
Reading through my family history, I discovered a sad coincidence - in two generations, my ancestors married during wartime, and instead...
Feb 223 min read
32 views


On Conscription into the Latvian Legion
This week I thought about an interesting fact that led me to read the conscription rules of the Latvian Legion. Specifically, of two twin...
Feb 152 min read
60 views


How AI Helps Me Write a Family History Book
Regular readers of my blog may have noticed that I often mention writing a book. Yes, step by step, I am documenting the results of a...
Feb 84 min read
35 views


Immigration Files
This week I researched a family that emigrated to Canada in 1899. Having left when Latvia was still part of the Russian Empire, family...
Feb 13 min read
63 views


The Parish Boards
Was one of your ancestors a parish elder? What was a parish board, and what did the parish elder do? This blog post will explore these...
Jan 253 min read
40 views


Parish Court Records
If you are interested in exploring not just family genealogy but also the broader history of your family and the local area, it is worth...
Jan 183 min read
32 views


Local History Materials in Libraries
A while back, I wrote about what can be found in museum collections. This time, I want to highlight another valuable resource: libraries....
Jan 112 min read
25 views


Your Questions and Challenges in Family History Research
As the new year begins, there's always a desire to start something fresh. For over a year now, I have been writing advice and tips based...
Jan 42 min read
36 views


Memoirs of Celebrating Christmas
This time, we explore two brief memory pieces about Christmas celebrations in the late 19th century. Professor Edvards Kalniņš, born in...
Dec 21, 20243 min read
30 views

Valuable Materials for Genealogists in Museums
For genealogists, invaluable resources can be found not only in archives but also in museums and libraries. This time, I will focus on my...
Dec 14, 20243 min read
32 views

Small Details, Big Discoveries in a Death Record
In genealogy, small details often lead to big discoveries. Genealogists are naturally passionate, and I’ve also found myself, in my...
Dec 7, 20242 min read
40 views


From Church Records to Revision Lists
Recently, I received a question: how does one transition from church records to revision lists? How can you determine which revision list...
Nov 30, 20243 min read
32 views


In Search of Historical Place Names
When a researcher delves into Latvian church books, they inevitably encounter historical place names. How can one interpret these names,...
Nov 23, 20243 min read
47 views
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