Confirmations

Confirmation events were photographed almost obligatory beginning from the 1920s. Unfortunately, as a rule confirmants did not sign their group photographs and usually nobody wrote the names of the persons seen on pictures. It is easy to understand - during some days that a group spent together in studying the basics of their religion, the people could become acquainted well only in small parishes.

If the day and the parish of a confirmation event are known, the problem can be attacked. I suppose that in the 1930s the Lutheran church also continued the registration of its confirmants as it was done in the 19^th century, and these lists may be found in archives. A practice of printing leaflets devoted to a confirmation event also existed. These leaflets contained appropriate prayers, the main ideas of that day sermon and, what is important for family history research, the names of the confirmants. I have such leaflets of different parishes but only for the events I have no photographs for. I am going to make the person lists from these leaflets available in ROOTS=SAKNES.

But in any case, it is a serious puzzle to determine who is who on these pictures, and it will remain difficult even when the lists will be discovered.

Below the available pictures are described. I always present the image of the main person of a confirmationevent - the Pastor from the center of the picture. I think the Pastors, if recognized, will bring information at least about the parish (or parishes) where the event could take place.

Click on the photographs to view full pictures.

	Two groups of young people confirmed in Riga St. Gertrud's new church in 1931. Only one name is known for each one of the confirmation events. They are: Ansis Klaubergs and Vilma Auguste Irbe. The Pastor was K.Freidenfelds. More information about him is available in the page about Lutheran clergy. The information on both A.Klaubergs and V.A.Irbe, who later married, will be available when their family archive materials will be published.
	Unknown group of confirmants N1 photographed on July 15, 1928 in a small church.
	Unknown group of confirmants N2 photographed on July 9, 1939. Two Pastors were photographed with the group of confirmants. You see the central figure of the ceremony on the left.
	Unknown group of confirmants N3. Two Pastors were photographed with the group of confirmants. They are the same as for the Unknown group of confirmants N2 above. You see the central figure of the ceremony on the left.
	Unknown group of confirmants N4. Nothing is known about this small group of confirmants.
	Unknown group of confirmants N5. Only the year of confirmation - 1931 is known