Haja Brauns

This is my great-grandmother, my maternal grandmother's mother, Haja Brauns, nee Iljon. This photo was taken in Vindava (presently Ventspils, Latvia), but I don't know when it was taken.

My maternal grandmother's father lived in Vindava, today's Ventspils [about 150 km from Riga] in Latvia. His name was Moshe-Wulf Brauns. My great-grandfather was born in 1846, though his place of birth is unknown. He was married to Haja, born Klein. I don't know where or when my great-grandmother was born. My great-grandfather was a hat maker. He was known for his cheerful character and was everybody's favorite in the family.

There were seven children in the family: daughters Greta, Bertha, my grandmother Sara, Yetta and Hansa. After Hansa the only son, Nathan, was born, and after Nathan the youngest, Amalia, was born. Grandmother Sara was born in 1885. I don't know her sister and her brother's dates of birth. My great-grandparents were very religious, and it could not have been different at the time. They also raised their children in a religious way. They also received secular education, but I don't remember any details. They spoke Yiddish and Russian in the family.