Tracking down your ancestors’ activities in interwar Latvia can be tricky. The official records are not online. Any birth, marriage or death record needs to be obtained from a registry office, either by going in person (cheapest), ordering through an embassy (expensive, or direct from the registry office if you’re lucky) or by asking someone in Latvia to do it for you (still cheap, but you will need to provide them with a power of attorney, which could cost money).

What to do if you can’t do those steps above? Well, there are a few options, and most of them involve the newspapers on Periodika. Many births, marriages and deaths were listed in these newspapers. Banns were also published. They are not exhaustive, but if your ancestor lived in a bigger town or city (more likely in the interwar period than earlier), you could still find who you’re looking for. When searching, keep in mind that even though the new orthography and script had been developed at that time, many newspapers were still written in the old style, probably since that was what people were used to.

I’m starting a new series here on the blog, where every Sunday I will provide the banns read in RÄ«ga that I’ve been able to find for that week. Why RÄ«ga? Searching for RÄ«ga records can be a needle in a haystack, since it is so big, so unless you know precisely where your ancestor lived, it can be difficult to track them down (unless you’re lucky enough to find a passport for them that lists their residence). So every little bit helps when dealing with RÄ«ga.

Keep in mind that the reading of the banns doesn’t necessarily mean that the couple got married, or that they got married in RÄ«ga, but they can be a guide to tracking down when and where your ancestors were at that time. In many cases, these lists provide the occupation of the groom and where the bride and groom were from.

So, without further ado…

March 16, 1925 (published in Rīgas Ziņas [Rīga News], March 17, 1925)

• Spinner Kārlis Otto KÅ«sis (Dobele) and Olga BerÄ·is (RÄ«ga)
• Builder Jānis TÄ“rauds (Raiskums) and Anna VÄ«toliņš (RÄ«ga)
• Table-maker Jānis Hermanis SviÄ·e (Liepāja) and Anna Matilda Lasmanis (RÄ«ga)
• Merchant Rudolfs Melups (Vecpiebalga) and Anna Leontine Schreiber (RÄ«ga)
• Mason IndriÄ·is Ronis (NaudÄ«te) and Anna Rācenis (AknÄ«ste)
• Locksmith MiÄ·elis Landorfs (Sāte) and Gotlibe Selma Gatenieks (Tume)
• Concrete-layer KriÅ¡jānis Rozentāls (RÄ«ga) and Otilija Selma Priede (Kalnciems)
• Farmer Ervins Wilhelms Å varckopfs (Birze) and Amalija Lole (CÄ“sis)
• Fitter Mārtiņš Alberts Ronis (RÄ«ga) and Amalija Julija MikelÅ¡teins (RÄ«ga)
• Bookkeeper Samuels Lintiņš (Kalnamuiža) and Irma Cecilija TrumpÄ«tis (Jelgava)
• Bernhards Fridrichs Hardviks (Sala) and Ellen Anna Elasov (RÄ«ga)
• Shoemaker Voldemārs Grinvalds (RÄ«ga) and Nadedža Fleischer (Vilnius)
• IndriÄ·is Voldemārs Rozentāls (RÄ«ga) and Ženija Veker (Liepāja)
• Jānis Alberts ÄŒurkste (RÄ«ga) and Emma KristÄ«ne PriedÄ«tis (RÄ«ga)
• Officer Teodors Bruno Galdiņš (RÄ«ga) and Millija Alise Zariņš (RÄ«ga)
• Butcher Alfreds Beks (Liepkalne) and Emilija Gadsans (RÄ«ga)

March 18, 1925 (published in Latvijas VÄ“stnesis [Latvian Herald], March 19, 1925)

• Farmer JÄ“kabs Mieziņš (Smiltene) and Emma Wilhelmine Rauzenbergs (RÄ«ga)
• Merchant Viktors BlÅ«ms (AsÄ«te) and Elizabete ÄŒernevskis (Gulbene)
• Pastor Roberts Heinrichs Rauks (RÄ«ga) and Irena Matilda Durst (Jumurda)
• Shoemaker Ansis Bulmers (Zaļenieki) and Marta Andersons (RÄ«ga)
• Clerk Edgars Baumanis (RÄ«ga) and Eleonor Selma Kroeger (RÄ«ga)
• Scribe Aleksandrs Kārlis PÄ“tersons (RÄ«ga) and Tonija Sietnieks (RÅ«jiena)
• Shoemaker Eduards Jānis MÅ«rnieks (Talsi) and Lilija Stankevics (Jaunpils)
• Surveyor Jānis Kārlis Veisbergs (Vircava) and Marija Auguste Liepiņš (PÄ“ternieki)
• Officer Aleksandrs Fricis Andersons (KuldÄ«ga) and Julija Sibietis (Liepāja)
• Technician Jānis Alfreds Sirmais (Gulbene) and Anna EmÄ«lija Ä€beltiņš (Gulbene)
• Teacher Žanis Rudolfs KrÅ«ms-KrÅ«miņš (KursÄ«Å¡i) and EmÄ«lija Pauksta (Jaunjelgava)
• Ironcaster Juris Briedis (Sala) and Bogumila Dirbe (Kurmene)
• Clerk JÄ“kabs Weiss (Piņķi) and Berta Dambe (Liepupe)
• Metalworker Eduards ÄŒukurs (RÅ«jiena) and Berta Marija Brencis (RÅ«jiena)
• Worker Eduards Osis (Suntaži) and Anna Pauline Kalniņš (Allaži)

Did this post help you find your ancestors? Do let me know!