Category: Essays

Saint Alexander Medem – Russian Martyr with German Roots

Former Lutheran who went through the hell of prisons and camps and was canonized by the Church notes on article: The first part of this article first appeared in Russian on pravmir.ru on August 21, 2015, written by Alexey Naumov and re-posted onto this site with permission from the author. The second part of this…




Passing of Dagmar Devick geb. von Behr

Mrs. Dagmar Devick passed peacefully in her sleep at her own home on Devick’s Ranch on April 26, 2016, aged 96. She is lovingly remembered and missed by daughter Marina (James), and sons Arthur (Terri) and Paul (Susan), 9 grandchildren: Anita, Bart, Alex (Sandra), Ian, Ned, Steven (Theresa), Cyril, David (Lyndsay),  and Michael, as well…




Excerpt from Ireland’s Own on the Tobin Clan

Note: this has been typed from a copy of an article from an unknown source by the title of “The Following is taken from “Ireland’s Own”, Mar. 16, 1963. Ned has typed this copy from that. The Following is Taken From “Ireland’s Own” March 16 1963 Though Tobin is not an indigeneous Gaelic Irish name,…




The Disappearing Evidence of Baltic Germans in Latvia by Peter E. Baron von Sass

These pages were written for my Canadian-born children and grandchildren. Based on several years’ personal experience and observations during regular visits to the Baltic States, and having lived in Riga in our own apartment during the winter of 2014/15, combined with an extensive study of the subject matter, I have arrived at the following observations:…




Excerpts from Our Pioneers – Baltic-German Immigration in Alberta

Excerpts from Our Pioneers – Baltic-German Immigration in Alberta prior to World War II By: M.F.Kuester Edmonton 1977 – Canadian Baltic Immigrant Aid Society (C.B.I.A.S.), Edmonton Alberta Pg.80 Brief mention should be made at this point of a Baltic German who arrived in Canada in 1926, although he did not, as far as in known,…




The Portrait of Duchess Dorothea von Medem (von Biron)

Note: This essay has been prepared and written by Jānis Stundiņš, news agency LETA, by reasons of personal interests of local history. This article has been published in local Latvian papers and around the world in both English and Latvian. Significant painting of Duchess Dorothea in Eleja’s palace I would like to add comments, which…




Legend of Dagmar von Medem

Note: This essay has been prepared and written by Jānis Stundiņš, news agency LETA, by reasons of personal interests of local history. He did the majority of the research in his own way, but worked with me to do some detective work, which is explained throughout the document. This article has been published in local…