Latvian Genealogy Blog

More Than Family History 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 examining parish court records. Created by DALL-E Where to Find Parish Court Records? These documents are primarily stored in the Latvian State Historical Archives in dedicated parish court collections, though some may also be kept in regional museums. While parish courts existed earlier, the period most relevant for

When a researcher delves into Latvian church books, they inevitably encounter historical place names. How can one interpret these names, understand their modern equivalents, and find additional information about specific locations? Historically, place names in Latvia were recorded in Latvian, German, and Russian, and these names often differed significantly. For example, Jelgava was historically referred to as Mītava or Jelgava in Latvian, but as Mitau in German. Even river n

Once a genealogist has gathered family information, they can turn to the broader historical context. What is the history of a specific...

This week, while researching the land registry, I decided to look for additional information about the redemption of peasant farms. In...

Sometimes, in soul revisions (censuses of the serf population), you may come across notes stating that a peasant had fled or that...

Have you come across the terms "half-manor" or "cattle manor"? What are they, how do they differ, and why should a family researcher know...

If you've looked through the church records on the Raduraksti website, you may have noticed the parishioner registers. What can be found...

Is a church congregation the same as a parish? Are a manor and a parish one and the same? How should one understand the administrative...

Did my ancestors have an estate? No, of course not. But life in the countryside in the 19th century was closely linked to the estate....

This post is a short information what revision lists are and what the numbers and column headings mean. Soul revision lists are the most...