Illegitimate Children and Unwed Mothers
“For my sake, father and mother Sit in great hearts. Do not worry, Father and Mother, I shall bring you
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Evacuation of Riga – Summer 1915
“Monday began as a normal day. Although ‘normal’ was a relative term lately. Ever since April, waves of refugees had
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Riga Craftsmen School
In the Latvian military record of Žanis (John) Zekants, it states that he graduated from the Rīgas Amatnieku skolas, known
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1905: The First Russian Revolution
Most people know all about the 1917 Russian Revolution which spelled the end of the Tsarist system and the rise
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Clues to the Past: Photography Studios
Old family photographs are so precious. Some of us have hundreds, some may have only a handful and sadly others
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Latvian Song Festivals – the Voice of a Nation
The importance of song and dance to the people of the Baltic nations cannot be overstated. For many decades, song
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Europe to Australia – The Migrant Ship Anna Salen
On the 25th of October, 1949, my father-in-law and his parents, Žanis and Lore Zekants, arrived as migrants to Australia.
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Book Review: Baltic Souls by Jan Brokken
The full name of this book is Baltic Souls: remarkable life stories from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. I came across
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Riga Address Books: Locating Your Ancestors in Riga
The 1810 Riga address book (on the left) is the earliest that I found and the 1930/1931 (on the right)
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Attack Under the Gogol St. Viaduct – 1925
On Tuesday, the 22nd of September in the year 1925, Andrejs Blezurs arrived at the Riga docks, having just completed
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Book Review: Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me by Andra Putnis
The subtitle of this remarkable book is ‘Two women’s journeys from war-torn Europe to a new life in Australia’. This
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Baltic Lives Facebook Page
I am excited to let everyone know that I now have a Facebook page for Baltic Lives. I have created
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Finding and Using Latvian Maps
Any historian or genealogist will agree that maps are an essential tool to making sense of research, creating mental images
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Nurmuiža: Manor House, Lutheran Church & Rectory
About 10 km east of the town of Talsi in northwest Latvia is the small historical village of Nurmuiža (located
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1 Sophia St – A Latvian Boarding House in Wales
What do the Cardiff docklands, a boarding house, a declaration of war and international Rugby legend Gus Risman have to
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