Time for Week 36 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge! As noted in my first post of this challenge, I am starting with my most ancient known ancestors. Sorry that I’ve been delayed on these posts – I was on vacation, and didn’t have time to schedule them ahead of time! So you’ll see a glut of 52 Ancestors posts as I catch up.

This week’s ancestor is PÄ“teris Celmiņš, born September 9, 1847, died prior to the mid-1930s. He is my great-great-grandfather, my paternal grandfather’s paternal grandfather.

Probably named for his great-grandfather Pēteris, this Pēteris was born on Stampvēveri farm in Vijciems parish to parents Kārlis Celmiņš and Kače Rožlapa. He was the eldest child of the family. He married Marija Radziņa on September 24, 1877 in Lugaži Lutheran Church, north of Vijciems.

Despite the marriage in Lugaži, PÄ“teris and his family continued living in Vijciems on StampvÄ“veri farm, baptizing their children in the Trikāta Lutheran Church – Voldemārs Kāŗlis (1878), Janis JÅ«lijs (1882), Emma PaulÄ«ne (1884), Anna KarlÄ«ne (1886), PÄ“teris Eduards (1888, my great-grandfather), Alma Viktorija (1894) and Elza Antonija (1896).

This is unfortunately where my knowledge of him ends. I have not had the opportunity to go searching for death records yet – a bit of a daunting task, given how many Celmiņi there are in the area, and a number of them named PÄ“teris. A register of Vijciems residents that was started in 1875 notes that he died at some point while the register was being utilized (which was into the 1900s, and all of his childrens’ births are listed there), but does not list a year of death, so that isn’t particularly helpful. All I do know is that he was deceased prior to the 1935 census, where his wife Marija is listed as a widow.

So when did he die? This is a mystery for me to solve. Given that he probably died prior to the early 1900s – otherwise he wouldn’t have had that notation in the register – that means he probably died in his 50s, so what was his cause of death? Is it a family trait I should worry about? I guess I will find out when I find the record.

More ancestors coming soon!