29 April 2008

Eine gute Woche!

...or so it seems it may be. I got an email on Saturday indicating that my films have arrived at the LDS. Unfortunately, they are closed to get their carpets cleaned tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow night. I will have to wait until Saturday morning to peruse them. One more thing on this matter: I had thought that the documents would be in Russian, but the most significant one with information from 1920-1939 should be in Latvian -a much easier language to skim and decypher!

The next item of gute Zeitung is that my father finally got a letter from Karina in Latvia. In it, she has some personal comments, but she also included contact information for Helmut Gangnuss! My father said he was going to call Australia last night -the same day he got the letter- but he must not have been able to successfully contact him, as I told him to call me if he was successful. After he is successful -or after trying and failing for a few weeks- I will contact my Gangnus contact in Germany. I am sure he will be pleased to get the information.

The final and potentially exciting item is that I received an email from Dr. H. R., the father of Dr. J. R. (anonymity protected). He didn't share with me any new genealogical information, but he did provide a potentially very significant contact. He gave me a few names and email (and postal) addresses for gentlemen who are involved in Deutsch-Baltische research. Here is their website. (This may be a better link...) Apparently he has already spoken with them on my behalf and, to some extent, they may be expecting my contact. I am not sure what help they will be able to provide. I do not know whether I should send an email or send a letter by postal mail.

Here is what I specifically request:

There are two primary obstacles that I face that are particularly frustrating. The first difficulty I have is in finding from where in Germany –or old Prussia- individuals had come. I have found birth locations in marriage, confirmation and death records, but am wondering if there are any German (or Prussian) sources, such as emigration records, you might suggest that I examine.

The second, but more immediate and greater concern is where I might find records concerning the emigration from Latvia to Germany. I have found a lot of people who have simply disappeared from the records and of whom, I suspect, a lot of them went to Germany. I am familiar with the status of Germans in Latvia from the early 1800s until World War II so I know that the vast majority of Baltic Germans left Latvia for Germany at some point.

So, both problems revolve around migration between Germany and Latvia. Any information or suggestions that you could provide on these matters or on any other would be very much appreciated.


There is more to my letter, including surnames, but I did not include that information.

Again, I have no idea about fees, but they do seem to have memberships available, but I am not sure there would much use for me given my German -AT THIS POINT!- is not good enough.


So, to summarize: 1. contact information for a relative in Australia, 2. three films have arrived for me to examine this weekend, and 3. an email from Dr. H.R. with some potentially very good contact information for a Baltic German genealogical group in Germany.

22 April 2008

Truschinsky

I was searching that Latvian website yesterday and found 3 Truschinskys. Needless to say, I am QUITE pleased about finding them. One was of a marriage record in Riga, but that record had listed the gentleman's birth location so I dug through those records and found his birth record. His first and last name coincided with my grandfather's uncle. Of course, that birth record listed the father's name. That's two Truschinskys. The third Truschinsky was found in a record for a female in the town where I found the birth record I mentioned earlier. I had never heard of her, so it might be an interesting chase to find her relationship. In fact, after this posting, I think I will try to find her birth record and see if there is a relationship with the Truschinsky I had just found.

The search goes on...

Oh, one more note: in two of the three records I had just found it shows an alternate spelling of Truschinsky. That is not particularly common. I have found AT LEAST four different spellings for my last name, Trusinsky.

13 April 2008

New Pictures

Here are some pictures I received from my Gangnus contact in Germany. Thanks! And,ultimately, a BIG thanks to Petra Stockhausen who's the owner of these pictures. Remember, CLICK on the images to get a larger view of them!

This is Leontine Truschinsky.


This is Leontine Truschinsky -on left- and then her daughter, Gertrude just behind her. The gentleman in the picture is Leontine's husband, Erwin Gangnus.


Leontine, Gertrude and most likely Helmut Gangnus. If it is Helmut, it must be in 1942.


This picture is one that I got from my grandmother, Lydia (Till) Trusinsky. I posted it here because her husband, Alex (Sasha), is the brother to Leontine and the cause of my interest. While this is a picture of Lydia and her husband Alex, if you compare it with the other picture, don't Leontine and Alex look very alike??!! RIGHT click on this image to compare it with the previous image on a side-by-side basis.



This picture is of Leontine, Erwin and Gertrude (on the right side of the image). The remaining child is unknown and cannot be Helmut because there is around a 12 year difference in age between Gertrude and Helmut.



This final picture is of Leontine, Erwin and Helmut in the carriage.

05 April 2008

I am "displeased".

Remember how I said I'd be pissed if that book that I ordered from Germany didn't have Otto Till's information in it? The book called "Deutsch-baltisches Gudenkbuch, Unsere Toten der Jahre 1939-1947"? It lists the names and some biographical information of Baltic Germans who served in the German military in WWII and died, were captured or went missing. Well, as I'm sure you suspect at this point, OTTO TILL IS NOT IN IT! I have records for a whole lot of Tills in Latvia and there is not A SINGLE TILL listed in the book. I will have to get my dad to ask my grandma a bit more about Otto and his service and also if she remembers any relatives -close or distant- leaving for Germany before the war. Not only immediately before the war, but even into the early 1930s or 1920s.

Of course there aren't any Truschinsky's/Trusinsky's/Trusinski's in it either. Also, Ella Trusinski, who married a (Edwin) Gangnus, isn't listed as his wife. He isn't listed as having a wife or child. It is probably merely incomplete information on behalf of the publisher, but I will ask my Gangnus contact in Germany if he has a copy of the marriage certificate or a copy of the marriage in any records.

sigh...no, **SIGH**!!!

01 April 2008

Kaupen

I've seen the word "Kaupen" in a series of records and I cannot determine what it means. I have googled the term and nothing comes up except a location in Germany. I have some doubt if that is what is means in this context because there is another location -Gross Ivanden- listed just before it and that is where the record originates. Now I am beginning to think it is a status or occupation, although it does not seem to easily translate -if at all. I've attached a copy of the image. If anyone can help me out, please send me a note!!