Re: Searching for Ceicans / Ackermann Roots

If you are going to be in R?ga, you will want to go to the Latvian State Historical Archives (address is Slokas iela 16). If you do not speak Latvian, some of the staff do speak English and will be able to help you. They will be able to assist you in finding the sources that you will need, but as a start:

-When was Oskars Ceicans arrested/deported? Was it in 1940/1941 or later? The 1941 census will probably provide you with some information about the family, though without Oskars if he was in that first round of arrests/deportations. Unless you know the specific address, going through these records may take some time, since R?zekne is a good-sized (for Latvia) city.

-What religion were they? Religious records, which form the basis of BMD records prior to the early 20th century, are available online on Raduraksti (http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv), a project sponsored by the LSHA (in Latvian, Latvijas Valsts V?stures Arh?vs - LVVA). It is free, but registration is required.

-the 1897 All-Russia Census is also available on Raduraksti, and R?zekne is one of the cities that is available. If the 1941 census tells you that Oskars and Anna were born in R?zekne, and prior to 1897, they could be found here with their families. If they weren't born in R?zekne, the requisite census records for the required parishes may still exist, though outside of Latgale the availablity drops dramatically.

-Do you have your mother's birth certificate? If not, you should be able to order it from the local authorities in R?zekne. They would also be the people to talk to if you're looking for death information for her parents, though of course it is possible that they moved from there after she left. If you have the time, strolling through a cemetery could also prove fruitful.

-Ask the archive staff to direct you to the town/parish council (pils?tas/pagasta valde) document collections for the cities/parishes you find you need. These can have all sorts of useful documents, such as military lists, revision lists, etc. However, the precise documents available can vary substantially based on the parish/town - some have many useful documents, some have none at all.

The LSHA as well as the State Archives have books that list people who were deported in the 1940s. You may be able to find some information in those books. Also ask the archive staff to direct you to the document collections that could have information on Oskars' work - any lists of prominent citizens, etc. He may appear in indexes of various kinds for books/document collections on local politicians.

Best of luck!