The Danenberg Family

Mirdza Augusta Sirlaka 1916–2010

Peter's great-aunt.

Also recorded as Mirdza Gailīte; Mirdza Augeste Gailitis; Mirdza Sirlaks.

Mirdza Augusta Sirlaka was born on 17 Jan 1916 in Vinterkalns, Cēsis, Cēsis district, Vidzeme, Latvia2,3,4,5, the daughter of Mārtiņš Vilhelms Sirlaks and Emma Smukule15,16. She married Fricis Gailītis in May 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada17. She left Bremen-Grohn (IRO emigration camp), Germany in Jan 194912. She died on 5 Jul 2010 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada13.

Family

Parents
Mārtiņš Vilhelms Sirlaks 1883–1942 and Emma Smukule 1886–1970 documented
Husband
Fricis Gailītis d. 1969 · married in May 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Life events

EventDatePlace and details
Born17 Jan 1916Vinterkalns, Cēsis, Cēsis district, Vidzeme, Latvia2,3,4,5
Workbet 1944 and 1949'Sister of charity' at a sanatorium in Latvia (DP-2); 'Krankenschwester' (Augsburg card); 'Domestic' under a hospital-domestics scheme (1949 roll)2
Lived10 Dec 1944Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany7
Lived1948Montreal, Quebec, Canada8
LeftJan 1949Bremen-Grohn (IRO emigration camp), Germany12
Lived6 Apr 1950Montreal, Quebec, Canada9
Died5 Jul 2010Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Preferred version: Ours: 5 Jul 2010, Windsor. Raimonds's MyHeritage tree (2026) gives 10 Jul 2010, no record cited.13
Died10 Jul 2010According to an online family tree14
OriginLatvia
According to the family's 2015 tree6
Workparents: Mārtiņš Sirlaks and Emma. Emigrated with her mother (Canada, per our data).10
WorkŽēlsirdības māsa
According to an online family tree11

Open questions

Sources

  1. MyHeritage family tree 'Dzimta' of Peter's third cousin (his family site), member GEDCOM export of 26 Oct 2026, I500143 (person-6500143), GEDCOM lines 9830–9887.
    NAME Mirdza /Sirlaks/
  2. AEF DP Registration Record, Sirlaks Mirdza Auguste, Reg. No. 902673064, DE ITS 3.1.1.1, folder DP3761, DocID 69117904.
    Širlaks Mirdza Auguste | F | Single | 17.I.16 Cēsis Vidzeme Latvia | Luther. | Sirlaks Mārtiņš | Smukulis Emma | Rīga Vidzeme Latvia | Sister of charity | Sanatorium, Latvia | 23.VII.45 | [reverse] CM1 No. 855706 Res. CANADA on [?].12.48

    Full name Mirdza Auguste. The Augsburg registration card (DocID 74898631) also says 17.1.16 Wenden/Lettland.

  3. No mums šķīrusies Mirdza Gailīte, Laiks, Nr.35 (18.09.2010), p. 22, by Vilis Kalniņš.
    No mums šķīrusies Mirdza Gailīte (dzirn. [sic: dzim.] Sirlaks) dzimusi 1916. gada 17. janvāri Vidzemes skaistajā pilsētā Cēsis. … Pēc Otrā pasaules kara liktenis ģimeni aizveda uz Kanādu. … Pēc vīra aiziešanas mūžībā kādu laiku dzīvoja Detroitas apkaimē West Bloomfield savā dzīvoklī. Viņa 1990. gada sākumā iestājās Detroitas Daugavas Vanagu apvienībā … Mirdzas divas māsas arī dzīvoja West Bloomfield un Garezera (Long Lake) apkaimē. Pēc aiziešanas pensijā Mirdza Gailīte atgriezās Vindzorā, Kanādā … Mirdza Gailīte aizgāja mūžībā pēkšņi 2010. gada 5. jūlijā. Viņu izvadīja 10. jūlijā no Anderson Funeral Home Vindzorā. Nelaiķe guldīta smilšu kalniņā Toronto.
    Translation: Mirdza Gailīte (née Sirlaks) has left us. Born 17 January 1916 in the beautiful Vidzeme town of Cēsis. … After the Second World War fate took the family to Canada. … After her husband's death she lived for a while in her apartment in West Bloomfield, near Detroit. In early 1990 she joined the Detroit Daugavas Vanagi branch … Mirdza's two sisters also lived in West Bloomfield and near Garezers (Long Lake). After retiring Mirdza Gailīte returned to Windsor, Canada … She died suddenly on 5 July 2010. The funeral was on 10 July from Anderson Funeral Home, Windsor. She was laid to rest in Toronto.

    Elvīra's sister. The memoir says Mirdza was born at the rented house in Vinterkalns outside Cēsis, which fits.

  4. My Life and Times (1912–1949), ¶10.
    At first we lived in a rented house in the Vinterkalns area, several km outside of Cēsis. … Mirdza was born in this house.
  5. MyHeritage family tree 'Dzimta' of Peter's third cousin (his family site), member GEDCOM export of 26 Oct 2026, I500143 (person-6500143), GEDCOM lines 9830–9887.
    BIRT · 17 JAN 1916 · Cēsis, Latvija

    Date: a Gregorian date: the same day as ours.

  6. Peter's tree, danenberg.sql, 2007–2015, personae 18, provenance.
  7. Augsburg resident-registration card, Sirlaks Mirdza, DE ITS 2.2.2.1, DocID 74898631.
    Sirlaks / Mirdza / 17.1.16 Wenden/Lettland / Krankenschwester / kath. / led. / "Flüchtling" / 10.12.44 10.3.45 1.1.46

    Augsburg resident-registration card: 'Flüchtling', stateless (formerly Latvia), single, religion 'kath.' [sic; Lutheran elsewhere], dates 10.12.44, 10.3.45, 1.1.46. So she was in Augsburg before the family reached Haunstetten.

  8. Montrealas Latviešu Palīdzības Biedrība, biedru saraksts 1948. gadā, Montreālas Latviešu Biedrības Ziņotājs, 1998-03-01.
    Sirlaks, Mirdza; Sirlaks, Velta;
    Translation: (membership list)

    'Sirlaks, Mirdza' and 'Sirlaks, Velta' appear next to each other in the 1948 membership list of the Montreal Latvian Relief Society (republished 1998). Probably Elvīra's sister Mirdza and their cousin Velta (Dāvis's daughter), who came to Canada together, ahead of Elvīra's 1949 emigration to the USA.

  9. S-fs-K8MZ-L8N.
    SIRLAKS, Mirdza Auguste … nurse's aid … 2475 Quesnel St., Montreal, Quebec … 1/17/16, Cesis, Latvia … Stateless … To visit mother. 10 days … c/o E.Sirlaks-D.R.Smalley Farms,Rockford, Ohio

    Detroit border-crossing card (temporary visitor), 6 Apr 1950: nurse's aid; born 1/17/16, Cēsis; single; brown hair, blue eyes, 5 ft 6 in; stateless, Latvian; never in the US before; "To visit mother, 10 days", destined "c/o E. Sirlaks - D. R. Smalley Farms, Rockford, Ohio"; nearest relative "cousin - Velta Sirlaks - c/o Homeopathic Hosp. Montreal"; travel document an affidavit in lieu of passport issued by Gertrude Lawrence, Comm. Sup. Court, Mtl., 4/6/50. Also an Ohio naturalization index entry, QG1L-RKK8, as a child on Emma's file. The Find a Grave "Mirdza Augeste Gailitis" (1916-2010, Toronto) is probably her married name (Fricis Gailītis). Medium, unverified.

  10. Ainas Sirlakas atmiņas ("Vīstuči"), Aina Jurciņa née Sirlaka, Priekuļi, 1998, p. 9, section "PAR PĒTERA UN MARIJAS CETURTO BĒRNU MĀRTIŅU".
    Mirdza žēlsirdības māsa
    Translation: Mirdza [became] a nurse (Sister of Mercy)

    parents: Mārtiņš Sirlaks and Emma. Emigrated with her mother (Canada, per our data).

  11. MyHeritage family tree 'Dzimta' of Peter's third cousin (his family site), member GEDCOM export of 26 Oct 2026, I500143 (person-6500143), GEDCOM lines 9830–9887.
    OCCU · Žēlsirdības māsa
  12. IRO nominal roll, SS Scythia, Bremen-Grohn to Canada, page 17, DE ITS 3.1.3.2, ref. 8307630, DocID 81713787.
    412. 668673 SIRLAKS Mierdza C Latvia R.C. S F 32 Latvia Domestic G.A.Z.

    SS Scythia (IRO unit 8307630, dated 1949-01-13/14); roll no. 412, ID 668673, 'Scheme Hospital Domestics, Munich'; R.C. [sic]; single; 32. Her DP card says 'Res. CANADA on [?].12.48'. NB the tree has her married to Fricis Gailītis: she was still single in Jan 1949.

  13. No mums šķīrusies Mirdza Gailīte, Laiks, Nr.35 (18.09.2010), p. 22.
    Mirdza Gailīte aizgāja mūžībā pēkšņi 2010. gada 5. jūlijā. Viņu izvadīja 10. jūlijā no Anderson Funeral Home Vindzorā. Nelaiķe guldīta smilšu kalniņā Toronto.
    Translation: Mirdza Gailīte died suddenly on 5 July 2010. The funeral was on 10 July from Anderson Funeral Home in Windsor. She was buried in Toronto.

    Funeral 10 July 2010 from Anderson Funeral Home, Windsor; buried in Toronto (probably York Cemetery, Latvian section, beside Fricis Gailītis and her mother Emma: to verify).

  14. MyHeritage family tree 'Dzimta' of Peter's third cousin (his family site), member GEDCOM export of 26 Oct 2026, I500143 (person-6500143), GEDCOM lines 9830–9887.
    DEAT · 10 JUL 2010 · AGE 94
  15. Peter's tree, danenberg.sql, 2007–2015, parentages 34.
  16. My Life and Times (1912–1949), ¶10.
    my sisters Biruta and Mirdza
  17. Kanada 7 dienās, Jaunais Apskats, Nr.17 (03.06.1955), p. 2.
    Laulāti Fricis GailītrM [sic] ar Mirdzu Sirlaks, Vilnis Brastiņš ar Dagmāru Dadzi - Pūriņu.
    Translation: Married: Fricis Gailītis to Mirdza Sirlaks; Vilnis Brastiņš to Dagmāra Dadze-Pūriņa.

    Married Fricis Gailītis; listed in the Toronto church news (Rev. A. Cops is named just before the list). Fricis Gailītis, a mathematics teacher, died in September 1969 (Laiks, 1970-10-17).

See in the family tree