Peter Paul’s Book of Roots (Das Wurzelbuch)

I would like to introduce another family history book that I had the pleasure of contributing to. Its structure, in my opinion, can serve as both inspiration and a practical example for researchers who wish to create their own family books.

Peter Paul, who lives in Basel, is a descendant of Ludvigs Pauls, a Latvian baptized in the Zaļenieki parish, Latvia. In 1889, Ludvigs’s father purchased the very same “Daukšas” homestead where the renowned Latvian poet Aspazija was born. The Paul family were successful farmers—Ludvigs was able to pursue an education, initially studying veterinary medicine at the University of Tartu (Germ. Dorpat). However, after becoming involved in socialist circles, he was forced to flee Latvia. In Switzerland, he continued his studies in medicine, philosophy, and chemistry, married, and settled there permanently.

Yet The Book of Roots is not dedicated to Ludvigs alone. It tells the broader story of the Paul family, as far as it has been possible to trace.

The book is bilingual – in German and Latvian. However, the images are included only in the German section, while the Latvian part contains the text translation.

Structure of the Book

• Introduction to Latvian History.

  Since the book is primarily intended for members of the Paul family living in Switzerland, a brief introduction to Latvian history was essential to help readers understand the context of their ancestors’ lives.

• Places of Origin.

  Estates and homesteads where the Paul ancestors lived are listed alphabetically. Each entry includes a short description and notes which ancestor lived there. The text is illustrated with historical maps and photographs of some of the buildings.

  

• List of Ancestors.

  Only after the general historical overview and descriptions of places does the book turn to the list of ancestors, beginning with the earliest known. For example, the first names are Kārlis (1768–1811) and Līze (1775–?), who married in 1796. It is suprising that the records from the rural Latvian congregation of St. Anna’s Church in Jelgava survived from this period. However, these can be found not in Raduraksti website, but on FamilySearch.org.

  

• Family Branches.

  Descendants are divided into two branches—Zaļenieki and Ozolnieki—which makes the family structure easier to navigate.

• Biographies. A short biographical entry is provided for each family member, as far as information is available. For the earliest ancestors, details come mainly from church book entries—baptisms, marriages, births, and deaths. From the mid-19th century onward, more extensive biographical information becomes available.

  

• Church Record Transcriptions. Fragments from church books illustrate the text, and each is accompanied by both a translation and a transcription. This approach can be helpful for those wishing to learn how to read historical handwriting. Interestingly, the earliest records from Jelgava St. Anna’s parish are in the Latvian language.

  

• Pedigree Charts. A particularly useful feature: concise charts show the specific generation discussed in each section—parents, children, and their spouses. A four-generation descendant chart appears at the end of the book, while smaller tree fragments within the text help readers stay oriented.

  

• Chapters by Generation. Each generation has its own section: parents and children, followed by the families and descendants of those children in the next chapter.

• Photographs. As with many families, the earliest surviving photographs of the Pauls date from the late 19th century. In the Latvian translation, the images are not reprinted—they appear in the German part of the text.

  

• Additional Family Information. Separate italicized sections provide supplementary notes on distant branches and findings contributed by other researchers. The process of research itself—meeting fellow genealogists and discovering unexpected connections—turns every family history into a kind of detective story.

• Other Useful Information. At the end of the book, German readers will find a guide to Latvian pronunciation as well as geographical coordinates for the family homesteads. Thanks to these, anyone can locate the ancestral sites—even if they no longer exist today.

I hope this glimpse into The Book of Roots will serve as inspiration and a source of ideas for those embarking on their own family history projects.

In the spring of 2026, Mr. Paul plans to visit Latvia to present his book to relatives and friends here. Until then, anyone interested can order a copy by writing to: wurzel.gramata@gmail.com