Latvian Genealogy Blog

When the Paper Trail Contradicts Itself Created by Dall-E This week I encountered a case that reminded me once again - documents cannot be blindly trusted! They need to be verified, and we must ask what lies behind the discrepancies. Jeannot W. or Jannis V.? A Father's Name in Question I was researching the origins of a certain Jeannot W. and found his marriage record. Fortunately, the full record was available, which clearly indicated – born on September 24, 1866, parents Er

What Was a Parish Board? 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 questions. The granary of Sēļu Manor. The 1866 Parish Self-Government Law The history of parishes in Latvia is much older, but here we will focus on a relatively short period from 1866 to 1918. In the 17th–18th centuries, self-governance was primarily organized by manors. While parish boards (Latv. pagasta valde) exis

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

A while back, I wrote about what can be found in museum collections. This time, I want to highlight another valuable resource: libraries. If you are researching your family history or simply curious about your ancestors' lives, libraries might hold the key to fascinating stories. Created by DALL-E Why Are Libraries a Valuable Resource I am currently working on a family book. While genealogical data—names, dates, occupations—has been collected, it only provides part of the pic

This time, we explore two brief memory pieces about Christmas celebrations in the late 19th century. Professor Edvards Kalniņš, born in 1869 in Bīriņi Parish, recalls his childhood Christmases. Today, his birthplace, Ķikas farm, is in Vidriži Parish. The second story comes from Teodors Grīnvalds, born in 1889 in Kuldīga, who later became the Prefect of Riga. Created by DALL-E The First Memoir: A Village Christmas Eve "My most beautiful Christmas memories are, of course, from

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

For ancient Latvians, October was the time of veļi (spirits of the departed), when people honored and remembered the dead. I’ve written...

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...

Some enthusiastic readers convinced me that I should continue the story of Jānis Sirms's adventures in America. What jobs did Latvian...

In the third and final part, Jānis Sirms has finally saved enough money and is able to set out on his journey to America. What prompted...

Part 2: Continued from Jānis Sirms's memoirs about his journey from Courland to America in 1888. Why didn’t he board the ship in Hamburg?...

How did Latvians travel to America in the 1880s? Why did they emigrate? What challenges did they face? How long was the journey? Read...

Previously, I wrote about the rules of divorce, but there were just as many regulations governing marriage. Who was allowed to marry, and when, and with whom? Marriage in Latvia at the end of the 19th century was regulated by the laws of the Russian Lutheran Church, Baltic private laws, and, in relation to peasants, the peasant laws. These laws stipulated that marriage could be entered into by: Men upon reaching the age of 18 Women upon reaching the age of 16 Restrictions How

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...

I have always been more interested in how my ancestors lived or what they were like than the number of them I can add to my family tree....

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....