Finding the Way: Cemetery Crawl

I mean that figuratively; however, the state some of the grave markers are in I might do better getting down on all fours. I wonder with all the hundreds of family members that have passed on why aren't there more cemeteries? I have a theory that if plots aren't maintained they are reused, so in some future timeline, it will seem as if mass graves were used.

The oldest family grave I found was early 1900 and the engravings were very difficult to read. The weather here is a huge factor in their quality and longevity.

It seems that family plots are well taken care of, almost ritualistically so. Out of respect for those families, I did not photograph strangers raking the gravel in their family plots with intricate Latvian designs. Each family has carefully outlined their space with low fencing or plant material. Some sites are marked with a stone with the family name. There's little uniformity or consistency, which gives the cemetery a patchwork quality.

Kiegalis family plot

Our cemetery "crawl" was part of a geneology field trip Antra and I took to visit farms, manors, churches and cemeteries for the Grivins, Kiegalis, Lappekins and Bankins families. We knocked on a few doors or saw owners outside or they saw me taking photos and asked what I was doing. Everyone was very helpful when I explained I was on a family hunting journey. Most of the farms have changed hands, yet most have kept the original farm name for historical purposes. One Grivins family was still around, 81 year

old Gintis Grivins lived in a nearby town. All of the farms were part of a larger manor that was "owned" and run by a German land baron back in the days of serfdom prior to 1850. The manor houses have been converted to parish houses or privately owned hotels or event centers. There was a wedding going on at one manor house.

It was an amazing trip and so rewarding to visit places where my ancestors were born, lived and died.