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Dec 143 min read
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...
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Dec 72 min read
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...
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Nov 303 min read
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...
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Sep 283 min read
Why Godparents Matter in Family History Research?
This time, I want to explain with an example why it's important to pay attention to godparents in baptismal records. Godparents can...
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Jun 292 min read
Latvian Abbreviations in Church Books
Last time, I wrote about Latin abbreviations, but this time I want to look at some Latvian abbreviations in church books. It seems that...
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Jun 222 min read
Latin in Church Books
Recently, a colleague and I were examining a death record that was partially in Latvian and partially in Latin. Here is what we found and...
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May 184 min read
Divorce in the 19th Century in Latvia
Do you think that in the past everyone lived "happily ever after" and never got divorced? Recently, I saw a 1906 marriage record with a...
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May 43 min read
Parishioner Registers
If you've looked through the church records on the Raduraksti website, you may have noticed the parishioner registers. What can be found...
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Apr 63 min read
Death Record in German
In this blog, I have looked at both baptism and marriage records. Now, it's time to look at death registers in German. What is indicated...
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Mar 302 min read
Lutheran Marriage Record in German
For Kurzeme and Vidzeme family researchers, German language skills are a must. In this post, I will help decipher what is written in the...
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Mar 233 min read
How to Search for Ancestors on the Estonian Side?
Many of us have ancestors from the border regions – and our origins may be sought on the Estonian, Belarusian, or Lithuanian side....
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Mar 163 min read
What to Do When Church Records Are Missing?
If you have been researching your family history for a while, looking through various parish records, you've likely encountered...
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Jan 63 min read
City Dwellers' Professions
Reading and interpreting the records of Riga's church books can be more complicated than those of rural congregations. This is due to the...
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Nov 18, 20232 min read
Six suggestions if you can't find a baptismal record
This week, I had the chance to delve into the records of Mazsalaca Lutheran Church, and twice was not able to find the baptismal record I...
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Oct 14, 20232 min read
Storozh, Starost or Wagger - how to understand the historical occupations in church books?
Now and then, in church books, you come across words that you don't find in modern dictionaries. How to understand their meaning? Where...
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Jan 6, 20172 min read
Catholic Baptismal Records in Russian
If your ancestors were from Latgale Region, they were probably Roman Catholic. Earlier Catholic church books were written in Polish, but...
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Jan 29, 20161 min read
Lutheran Baptismal Records in German
Reading church book records in German and Russian is the first challenge when researching Latvian ancestry. See below for visual help on...
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Dec 1, 20151 min read
Orthodox Names of Converted Lutherans
In the 1840s, many Latvians in Vidzeme Region converted to Orthodox Christianity. They received new Orthodox names. How to identify your...
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Nov 30, 20152 min read
Given Latvian Names in the 19th Century
Is your name a "real" Latvian given name? To the disappointment of many Latvians even names that we think are real Latvian names are...
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