It is a aid or guide to those wanting to know some local (Baltic) history, to those in search of the ethnic Estonian (also Latvian) roots of their own families and/or to professional genealogists; a short attempt at explaining to our descendants and those interested in eastern Europe the historical and social background which shaped that world.
The authoress is: Sigrid Renate Maldonado, MSDM.
The book was published by
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This book will be of interest and help to:
<<>> Libraries & Genealogical Societies: Ethnic Estonians (& Latvians) & their descendants are all over the world. In Europe, all the Americas, Australia, etc. By having this book Libraries & Genealogical Societies will help patrons & members with these roots - now and in the future - to find their ancestors. Descendants of ethnic Estonians (Latvians) will want to research who their foreparents were, where they came from, what happened to them, etc. - just as those with other ethnic backgrounds have been doing for many years. This book also promotes the study and knowledge of Baltic history. Local family history research and understanding of European history will be furthered.
<<>> Schools: Social Sciences teachers will find not only an unusual aspect or view of Eastern European history in a condensed capsule, but also a glimpse at a form of slavery that has hardly been known. Bibliography encourages further reading of works by historians.
<<>> Families & individuals with ethnic Estonian (or Latvian) roots: To better interpret the actions / reactions of parents & grandparents and to make sense of their own memories.
<<>> Professional genealogists trying to find answers for clients with such ethnic roots.
<<>> Organizations of / by ethnic Estonians (or Latvians): This book gives an idea of the research, evaluation, extracting / indexing of historical data which is needed in Estonian (Latvian) genealogy. After many years of Soviet rule - under which history was being distorted and adapted to Soviet propaganda - there is a need for historical truths to be researched, published, archives have to be inventoried, materials preserved, etc. See http://www.esto2000.com for Estonian web links.
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About this book:
<> It tries to give a short, condensed history of the Estonian people, their experiences. In its general outline it is also applicable to the history of the Latvian people. <> It touches upon the social conditions in which ethnic Estonians (Latvians) lived in their own land through time. It is a glimpse at the world in which our Estonian (Latvian) ancestors lived years before Soviet colonial rule was imposed in the Baltic countries and before many of us settled across the oceans, far away.
<> It tries to guide us as to where to look for records to document the existence of our Estonian foreparents. With regained independence there is hope we will be able to find those ancestors in historical records. While freedom lasts it can be done!
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Our diaspora, where we are and what:
=>> We, decendants of ethnic Estonians (also Latvians), are an integral part of and at home in many countries now. We are all over the globe. From Argentina to USA, from New Zealand to Sweden, from South Africa to Canada, from Venezuela to Australia, etc.
=>> Some of us married other people from the Baltics. Those are the ones who send their kids to Estonian (Latvian) schools on Saturdays. These children learn the languages of their Baltic ancestors.
=>> Most of us, descendants of ethnic Estonians (Latvians), married people of the countries where we then lived. Our spouses are descendants of Swedish, Scottish, Italian, Irish, Spanish, English, German, Dutch or other ethnic groups.
=>> We all speak many different languages and only very few of us know the Estonian (Latvian) language of our forebears.
=>> I can imagine that those who never left the Baltics and endured the Soviet occupation have a hard time understanding how the descendants of Estonians (Latvians) can feel allegiance to their new countries. Throughout history those who stayed in their ancestral lands could not understand their departed kin.
=>> But, most of us - also many who were born in the Baltics - do feel part of the countries where we grew up, went to school, raised our children, etc. Many ethnic Estonians (Latvians) who were born in other parts of the world feel absolutely no link with Estonia (Latvia).
=>> Today, in most cases, our children = the children of ethnic Estonians (Latvians) have a great variety of different ethnic backgrounds. Our grandchildren have an even more mixed ancestry than our children.
=>> This book: "ESTONIAN Experience and Roots" by Sigrid Renate Maldonado, tries to give our younger and our future generations a glimpse at what Estonian (Latvian) life was, what those people - the olden ones - experienced through history and also what the impact of the 20th century was on the lives of Estonians (Latvians).
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:) All of us who research our families' histories wish that our immigrant ancestors had written down an account of their experiences. Those who descend from German, Italian, Irish, English, etc. ancestors would love to discover that at least one of their foreparents had left behind a written narrative of how life was, where they came from, what they did, etc. Well, in this book I tried to give descendants of ethnic Estonians at least a helping hand.
:) I am one of the "immigrant ancestors" of those who will come after me.
:) Thank you for reading all this. I hope you want to know more about the subject of the Baltics.