Time for Week 38 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. And I know, I know, I have some catch-up to do. Working on it!

This week’s ancestor is KarolÄ«ne Matilde Baburs, born December 31, 1867 and died c. 1940. She is my great-great-grandmother, my paternal grandmother’s paternal grandmother.

The first important note – KarolÄ«ne was born on December 31, 1867 according to the Old Style (Julian) calendar that was still in use in the Russian Empire at the time of her birth. According to calendar conversions, this should be January 12, 1868 when the New Style (Gregorian) calendar was adopted after the Russian Revolution. However, KarolÄ«ne’s documents from the interwar era, such as her passport, put her date of birth as January 4, 1869 – a year later than the earlier documents attest. Admittedly, these sorts of mistakes happen fairly regularly, and the name Baburs is sufficiently uncommon that this doesn’t present an issue in her identification.

KarolÄ«ne was born to Mārtiņš Baburs and Ä’de Jansone in RÄ«ga – the earliest known ancestor I have born in the city. Her parents and paternal grandparents had moved to the city in the year prior to her birth. They are recorded in the 1890s RÄ«ga tax lists in the “worker” social class. KarolÄ«ne was baptized at the RÄ«ga Jesus Church in the Moscow suburb of RÄ«ga, south of the Old Town. The only Baburs mentioned in the 1877 RÄ«ga address book – not, however, a known relative – lived on Moscow Street, the main street of said suburb, so he may be family after all.

KarolÄ«ne married JÄ“kabs LÅ«kins on October 11, 1892 in DaugavgrÄ«va Lutheran Church, north of RÄ«ga, and subsequently moved to DaugavgrÄ«va/Bolderāja with her husband. They had five known children – my great-grandfather Augusts Roberts, Antons, Vera, Olga and Vilis. Her husband JÄ“kabs died in 1929, and I’m not sure where she lived afterwards. She may have continued to live in her home in Bolderāja, or she may have moved to live with one of her children, but I know that child was not my great-grandfather, since she does not appear in the 1935 census for his household (though his mother-in-law KristÄ«ne Å Ä«rs nee Kukurs does). I suppose I can check the census records to see if she appears at the address I know she lived at with her husband.

KarolÄ«ne died c. 1940, but that is only family lore, I do not have her death record. I should acquire it sometime – in fact, I should make a list out of all the death records I am missing for my family, and just go down to the registry office archives and get them all for my records! Of course, this will only work for death records after 1910, but I do have a fair number of those that need to be taken care of. I’m living here in RÄ«ga after all, there’s no excuse not to!