Since the Second World War, Siberia and the Russian Far East are associated with deportations and prison camps. It is difficult to imagine that in decades past, thousands of Latvians and other Balts traveled there willingly to make new homes.
Finnic Influences in Latvia: Place Names
This is the first in a series of posts regarding Finnic influences in Latvia, which will discuss places, names, language and population, as well as the relevance that this will have on your genealogical adventures. Since Finnic peoples were never
Mappy Monday – The Many Names of Freedom Street
We’re starting off the Mappy Monday series on Discovering Latvian Roots with the most famous and iconic of Latvian streets – BrÄ«vÄ«bas iela, in English – Freedom Street. This is also one of the streets that has undergone the most
The Dreaded Corner House of RÄ«ga
During the Soviet era, there were few buildings so feared and dreaded in Latvia as the “Corner House” – an otherwise nondescript building on the corner of BrÄ«vÄ«bas and Stabu streets (though of course BrÄ«vÄ«bas street – meaning Freedom Street
52 Ancestors #27: Bruno Maximillian Francis
Time for Week 27 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. Though I am cheating a bit this week. I will
Happy Halloween!
No new puzzle today, Aila is taking the day off for every Goth’s favourite holiday – Halloween! Now, Latvia doesn’t strictly speaking celebrate Halloween, but there are a number of Latvian pagan traditions that do mimic this holiday – most
The Spanish Flu Epidemic in Latvia
Most of you are probably familiar with the Spanish flu epidemic that ravaged the world from the beginning of 1918 to the end of 1920 and killed somewhere between 3 and 5 percent of the world’s population. But do you
Research on Second World War Displaced Persons
I am posting this on behalf of a member of the FEEFHS (Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies) Facebook group, since I know a number of readers here are descendants of Second World War Displaced Persons, and could thus
24th Anniversary of the Baltic Way
Twenty-four years ago today, on August 23rd, 1989, the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian people united in a show of Baltic unity not seen in history. Millions of people joined hands from Tallinn (Estonia), through the Estonian and Latvian countryside to
“Rally Under the Latvian Flag!”
“Rally Under the Latvian Flag!” This was the headline of the exhortation published on July 19, 1915, by Latvian members of the Imperial Russian Duma, JÄnis Goldmanis and JÄnis ZÄlÄ«tis, announcing that the Imperial Russian Army was allowing the formation