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1918 Immigrant press The December 15, 1918, issue of Drauga Balss (A Friend's Voice). Published in New York, the periodical replaced Jaunā Tēvija as the voice of Latvian Baptists in North America. Initially it was edited by the Rev. John Birseneek of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Krišjānis Nātre of New York.
1918 Immigrant press Participants pose for a photograph during the annual conference of the American Latvian Baptist Literary Society (Amerikas Latviešu Baptistu Literariskā Biedrība), which took place Sept. 27-28, 1918, in Philadelphia. Pictured left to right are (first row) J. Kvietiņš and Fr. Blumbergs; (second row) Kr. Nātre, P. Bušmanis, J.A. Blumbergs, J. Birzenieks, D. Birzenieks, A. Demberg, K.A. Karolis, H. Lagsdons, and M. Trejans; (third row) D. Kurmiņš, R.J. Monsons, E. Redowitz, H. Egle, J.F. Yunags, F. Ofgants, A.R. Dravnieks, P. Blooms, W. Konsuls, and J. Brakmans; (fourth row) F. Egle, A. Bernhardts, A. Pinkuls, Kr. Sproģis, and D. Blooms.
1919 Print culture The cover of a rare collection of religious poetry, Pirmās skaņas, self-published in 1919 by a Latvian Baptist, M. Mureneek (M. Mūrniece), in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The author's forward suggests the poems were written in an urban setting, most likely in Chicago.
1920 Immigrant press The cover of the May 31, 1920, edition of Grauds, a small periodical published from 1919-1920 in Nova Odesa, Brazil, for Latvian Baptist immigrants. The editor and publisher was J. Kudrin.
1922 Lavallette, New Jersey A group of unidentified men and women pose for a snapshot on the beach in Lavallette, New Jersey. The man on the right possibly is the Rev. Pēteris Bušmanis. The seated woman on the right possibly is his second wife, Valija Bušmanis. Lavallette was a popular vacation spot for Latvian immigrants and their descendants, including the Baptists.
1922 West Philadelphia A page from Insurance maps of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vol.14, 1922, created by the Sanborn Map Company of New York. The specific page 1354 shows a section of Ward 24 in West Philadelphia where many Latvian Baptist immigrants lived in the early 20th century. At the southeast corner of Preston and Ogden streets is the Lettish Baptist Church.
1925 Latvian Baptists in Bucks County Latvian Baptists pose for a group photograph in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, during a gathering in 1925. The home was that of Juris and Jūlija Burse (George and Julia Burse), one of the first Latvian settlers in the Applebachsville area.
1925 Education The Sunday School of the First Lettish Baptist Church of Philadelphia poses in 1925 for a photograph outside the meeting house at the corner of Preston and Ogden streets in West Philadelphia. The image also was reproduced on the cover of the September 15, 1925, edition of Kristīgā Balss, a Baptist semi-monthly periodical published in Latvia.
1926 Boston Latvian Baptist Church Members of the board of the Boston Latvian Baptist Church are pictured in the May 15, 1926, issue of Kristīgā Balss, a periodical published in Rīga. First row, left to right: elder A. Pinkuls, pastor A. Bermaks, elder Fr. Kadegs; second row: church secretary Fr. Wihtols, choir director R. Stiesels, music director Fr. Jekabsons, A. Stone, and board secretary J. Rudzits.
1927 Music A photograph published in the August 15, 1927, issue of Kristīgā Balss shows the brass orchestra of the Boston Latvian Baptist Congregation. In the back row, the man standing third from the left was identified as orchestra director A. Hansons.