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1910 Latvian Baptists in Philadelphia A drawing of the First Lettish Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published in the April 28, 1910, edition of the Rīga-based periodical Avots. The building at 855 Preston Street was a two-story house that the congregation began using in 1910 but quickly outgrew. The illustration was created by J.W. Celms.
ca. 1916 Latvian Baptists in Pennsylvania A photograph of the Rev. Peter Buschman (Pēteris Bušmanis) baptizing an unidentified person in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, ca. 1916. Bucks County, a rural area north of Philadelphia, developed into a "colony" for Latvian Baptists.
ca. 1920 Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Youth Society To remind members to attend, the Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Youth Society sent them notices of meetings such as this one. The text stressed the importance of participation. Photograph by Andris Straumanis.
1906 Latvian Baptists The Rev. Jānis Neibuks (John Neubuch, Neubuck, Neubuk) and his family are pictured in the February 8, 1906, issue of the Baptist periodical Avots, published in Rīga. Neibuks was the second pastor of the Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Church and also served as pastor of the Boston church.
1932 Latvian Baptists in West Philadelphia Members of the Women's Missionary Society (Māsu misiones pulciņš) of the First Lettish Baptist Church of Philadelphia sit for a photograph on April 17, 1932. The society began its work in 1894. According to an article by Alma Treyan published June 1, 1932, in the Rīga-based Baptist journal Kristīgā Balss, those pictured in the first row (left to right) are L. Gertz, M. Upmal (founding member), E. Krastin, M. Licke (founding member), R. Inke, M. Fischer, K. Sommer, L. Girgen, and L. Upeneek. In the second row (left to right) are S. Grikman (former chair), J. Egle (former chair), M. Pluhme (former chair), A. Treyan (secretary), A. Yunag (vice chair), Natalija Peterson (chair), M. Brenson (treasurer), L. Robinson (learned secretary), J. Luhks (manager), and A. Johnson (officer). In the third row (from left to right) are E. Fuhrman, E. Luhks, M. Pawelkop, A. Aldin, J. Krusen, A. Yunag, and L. Spruhde. In the fourth row (from left to right) are M. Stanislaw, A. Smit, K. Lukewitz, M. Dambis, L. Fischer, L. Reke, E. Johnson, M. Kamer, and A. Spruhde.
1917 Latvian Baptists in West Philadelphia Martin Treyan's military draft registration card, submitted June 5, 1917, shows his place of birth as Sakkenhausen, Russia, which today is Saka Parish in Latvia. At the time he registered, Treyan was employed as a carpenter in Chester, Pennsylvania.
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.
ca. 1910 Library Rules for use of the Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Youth Society's library, housed in the First Lettish Baptist Church, 855 Preston Street. Patrons could check out up to two books at a time and had to return them in two weeks' time. Photographed by Andris Straumanis.
ca. 1900 Latvian Baptists in Philadelphia The Kurmin (Kurmiņš) family poses for a portrait, likely while still living in Russia. Pictured are Bertha, Tillie (Otilija), mother Leotte (née Petelowetz), father David, Robert, and Adolph.
1930 Thirtieth anniversary of the Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Church A photographic montage, created by Andrew R. Dravneek (Andrejs Dravnieks) of New York, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Philadelphia Latvian Baptist Church. The congregation, which grew from the merger of two Latvian Baptist groups active in Philadelphia since the 1890s, was formally founded in 1900. The top two and the bottom three rows consist of images from the history of America and Philadelphia, according to a report by Dravneek in the July 15, 1930, issue of Kristīgā Balss, a Baptist periodical published in Latvia. The third and fourth rows consist of images from the Philadelphia congregation. In the middle of the third row is the Rev. John Daugmanis; directly below his portrait is an image of Deacon Peter Gertz next to the Rev. Daugmanis.