This image most likely was made the day in 1906 when the Latvian Lutheran church in Lincoln County was dedicated. The photograph was rescued from a trash container by George Mondeik, a second-generation Latvian who for years was the unofficial historian of the Lincoln County community.
While most late 19th and early 20th century Latvian immigrants to the United States settled in urban centers, some found new homes in rural areas. The most deliberate effort to establish a Latvian “colony” was in Lincoln County in northern Wisconsin.
The first Latvians arrived in Lincoln County in 1897. As the colony grew, they built farms, established a cemetery and, in 1906, dedicated the first Lutheran church built by Latvians in America.
Today, little evidence of the colony remains except for the cemetery. The church was torn down years ago. Many of the descendants have moved to other parts of Wisconsin or the U.S. Yet, interest in the colony’s story continues.
Through the years, I have visited Lincoln County several times to photograph the area and to interview descendants of the colonists. Here I present a gallery of some of the images that I have made or collected.
Jānis Brickmans (Jānis Brikmans or perhaps Brinkmans) died July 5, 1907, and is buried in Gleason Cemetery. Besides the Latvian church cemetery and the Gleason cemetery, Latvian immigrants are buried in at least one other cemetery in Lincoln County. On his gravestone, Brickmans is described as a fighter for the freedom of the Latvian people. According to the 1936 book Revolucionarās cīņās kritušo piemiņas grāmata, 1907-1917 (published 1936 in Moscow), Brickmans immigrated to the U.S. in 1902 and worked in a piano factory in Philadelphia. He later moved to Lincoln County, where on July 1, 1907, he was injured when a tree fell on him. Brickmans was treasurer of the Latvian socialdemocratic local. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
The grave marker for Krišjānis Jānis Cielava (1844-1914) is made of wrought iron and is unusual for the Latvian cemetery in Lincoln County. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
A gravestone for the Eglit (Eglītis) family reveals the hardships faced by some immigrants to northern Wisconsin. The family lost three children — Minna, Adam, and Emilie — in three years. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
Not far from the Latvian cemetery is the first Estonian Lutheran church built in America. For years the building, photographed here in 2013, stood abandoned. However, it is now being renovated. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
A gravestone marks where Minnie Gutoff (1859-1925) is buried. She and her husband, John, both immigrated from Latvia in 1891, according to the 1920 federal census. They were the foster parents of three Latvian children. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
At more than 100 years old, the cemetery remains an active memorial. The property is maintained and relatives still come to pay their respects, although some of the graves clearly have been forgotten. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
Most of the graves in the Latvian cemetery in Lincoln County, seen here in early spring 2013, are on the western side of the property. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
Against a background of a colorful maple tree in autumn, the wrought iron cross marking the grave of Krišjānis Jānis Cielava stands out in Lincoln County’s Latvian cemetery. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
The cross atop Samuel Kleinberg’s gravestone shows its age. Kleinberg, who lived from 1854-1924, immigrated to the U.S. at the end of the 19th century, according to census records. His wife, Julia Kleinberg (née Mondeik, 1861-1930), is buried next to her husband. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
All that is left of the first Latvian church built in America is the crumbling foundation, pushed to the side of the cemetery. The church was dismantled and the lumber reportedly sold. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
An advertisement for farm land in Lincoln County appears in the Latvian immigrant newspaper Amerikas Vēstnesis. Interested persons could write in German or English to the Wisconsin Valley Land Co. in Wausau. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
The grave of Anete Trayman (1884-1913), located in the “non-believers” corner of the Latvian cemetery. Trayman (Treimane) was the wife of John Edward Trayman (Jānis Edvards Treimanis) and the mother of Albert Trayman. According to the 1910 federal census, the family immigrated to the U.S. in 1907. It is interesting to note the backwards “N” on the gravestone, which suggests that whoever carved it may have been more familiar with the Russian language, although the Russian “И” is the English “I.” (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
The Martin Luther Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lincoln County, ca. 1960. The church was demolished. All that remains by the cemetery are pieces of the foundation. (Photographer unknown)
The cover of a deed for a plot in the Martin Lutheran Cemetery in Lincoln County. According to the deed, members of the Latvian congregation were entitled to lots free of charge. All others could purchase lots. (Photo by Andris Straumanis)
This image most likely was made the day in 1906 when the Latvian Lutheran church in Lincoln County was dedicated. The photograph was rescued from a trash container by George Mondeik, a second-generation Latvian who for years was the unofficial historian of the Lincoln County community.
For additional information about the Lincoln County colony, visit the following websites:
Latviešu pēdas pasaulē: In 2011, the museum and research center Latvians Abroad in Rīga unveiled a digital exhibit focused on the stories of specific artifacts. I served as project manager and contributed the story of the Lincoln County church’s cornerstone. EN LV
Viskonsinas veclatvieši: Genealogist Antra Celmiņa, working with the Latvians Abroad museum and research center, created a digital exhibit telling the stories of three families that settled in Lincoln County. EN LV
First Estonian Church: Not far from the Latvian cemetery stands the first Estonian Lutheran church built in America. The structure is being renovated. Updates also are available on the project’s Facebook page. EN
The article may be found online at https://straumanis.com/2017/lincoln-county-colony/.
