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This is a brief summary of first ports of call.

Contact all living relatives that can help you with details of family names, births, marriages, deaths and places of origin. Photos can be very helpful especially if there is writing on the back. If in Yiddish or Hebrew get a translation.

Local Archives and Sources of Information

Try to get as much information and documentation as as possible from local sources before writing to Overseas Archives.

Records that will assist:

• Vital Records (births, marriages, deaths)
• Naturalisation Records
• Will and Probate records
• Newspaper entries
• School Records
• Passport applications
• Military records
• Criminal Records
• Trade Directories
• Synagogue Records
• Cemetery Records

Contact the Latvian State Historical Archives and request a search. For details follow link from homepage.

Latvian State Historical Archives
Slokas iela 16
Riga LV-1007
Latvia

You may need to contact the Lithuanian State Historical Archives as well. Many of our Latvian ancestors originated in Lithuania.

Lithuanian State Historical Archives
Gerosios 10
Vilnius 2015
Vilnis Lithuania

Internet Access

All new genealogists with Internet access should start with JewishGen by doing five things.

1. Register surnames and towns at JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF) <http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/> and search the existing listings.
2. Read the JewishGen FAQ written and updated frequently by Warren Blatt <http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/faq.html>.
3. Peruse the JewishGen Infofiles for articles of interest. These are catalogued by subject and country at <http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/>.
4. Join SIGs (Special Interest Groups) of interest. These are listed at <http://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen/sigs.htm>. Many have discussion forums which can be joined at <http://www.jewishgen.org/listserv/sigs.htm>.
5. You may not know that JewishGen has a facility to help with translations. ViewMate at <http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/> is for the posting of Jewish genealogy related graphics. You can post photos for identification of people, clothing, buildings, scenes, objects, artefacts, etc. or letters, documents, book pages, maps, etc. fornalysis or translation.
   

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This site was last updated on Jan 1, 2008
Editor:  Barry Shay, Webmaster:  Bruce Dumes