Juris Frischenbruders

Juris Frischembruder (Latvian: Jūris Frischembruders; also spelled Frischenbruder, Frischimbruder, etc.) was a Latvian Baptist lay leader, teacher, choir director, and the principal chronicler of the Latvian colony of Rio Novo, in Orleans, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Born in the region of Piltene, Courland (then Russian Empire) on 30 March 1864 (11 April, new style), he emigrated to Brazil in 1891 and became a central figure in the religious, cultural, and historical life of the Latvian settlers.

His autobiographical manuscript “The Story of My Life” and his co-authored “Brief History of the Latvian Baptist Church of Rio Novo” are today some of the most important primary sources on the early decades of Latvian immigration to Santa Catarina.

Early Life in Courland (1864–1879)

Juris was born in 1864 in the home of the peasant Disc Brenzeniek near the town of Piltene, in what he describes as Rahpat - a locality in the lower Courland region (today northwest Latvia). His parents, Krists (Kristofers) Frischembruder and Anna, were already elderly when he was born.

He was baptized in the Lutheran Church of Piltene by pastor Beker. As a child he was frail, and doctors doubted he would live beyond ten; nonetheless his mother taught him to read from hymnbooks.

In 1878–1879 he finished the local school as the top pupil of his class. The teacher encouraged him to stay on as an assistant instructor, but the death of his father in early 1879 plunged the family into poverty, and Juris left to seek work. He later regretted declining the teaching position.

During this period he dreamed of studying at Charles Spurgeon’s seminary in London, but severe financial limitations made this impossible.

Move to Riga and Baptist Conversion (c. 1879–1891)

In his mid-teens, Juris moved to Riga with his cousin K. Kulkeewitz. He first worked in a sawmill and later as a baker - a trade he would continue symbolically in the colony, baking bread and sweets for church festivities.

Kulkeewitz introduced him to the Latvian Baptist Church of Riga. In 1881, after hearing a sermon preached by Eichman, Juris experienced what he described as a profound spiritual awakening. He was baptized by pastor Jānis (Johann) Bumbieris and thereafter joined the church community with enthusiasm, especially the large choir.

He studied choir conducting and violin under I. Pilinch, and in 1883 he and I. Friedenberg organized a youth choir, giving their first performance on 21 September 1884. Although young, they also sang together with the main church choir.

Marriage to Anna Bankowitch (1880s–1889)

During his years in Riga, Juris met Anna Bankowitch (Latvian: Anna Bankoviča), born in Rembate on 16 January 1869.

In his memoir, Juris recounts that at a choir birthday celebration on 21 September 1885, Anna pinned a rose to his jacket and recited a poem for him - an event he remembered as the symbolic beginning of their relationship.

The couple married on 22 April 1889 in the chapel of the Riga seminary. They lived in a small house near the Milgrāvis sawmill, where Juris worked. Their first daughter, Marta Maria, was born in January 1890; their second daughter, Emilia, was born in 1891, just before the family left for Brazil.

Arrival in Rio Novo (1891–early 1900s)

Influenced by Baptist contacts and reports of available farmland, Juris and Anna joined a group of Latvian families emigrating to Brazil in 1891. They sailed from Bremen, leaving the infant Emilia temporarily with her maternal grandparents, intending to reunite later.

After more than two months at sea, the group disembarked in Rio de Janeiro, then traveled south to Santa Catarina, arriving in Orleans on 13 July 1891. From there they continued on foot into the forested region that would become the Latvian colony of Rio Novo.

Later that year Emilia was brought to Brazil, but died of measles in Rio de Janeiro on 11 December - a tragedy that deeply marked the couple.

In Rio Novo, Juris participated in clearing the forest, building homes, and establishing fields. A severe foot infection left him bedridden for a time, cared for by Anna and neighbors. Despite these hardships, he soon became one of the leading laymen of the emerging community.

Religious and Community Leadership in Rio Novo

Co-founder of the Latvian Baptist Church of Rio Novo

Juris Frischembruder was one of the key founders of the Latvian Baptist Church of Rio Novo, established in 1892, and became one of its principal lay leaders. He served as:

member of church committees,
moderator of church meetings,
choir director,
and organizer of community events (often preparing baked goods for gatherings).

Mission Work and Assistance to Other Colonies

In 1899 he accompanied pastor Jānis (João) Inkis on a missionary trip to the colony of Mãe Luzia, where Juris suffered a serious horse accident. The Rio Novo congregation voted to assist him financially and with labor while he recovered.

Teacher in Ijuí (1905–1909)

Between April 1905 and mid-1909, Juris lived in Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul, where he served as a teacher at the school attached to the Latvian Baptist Church there.

Return to Rio Novo and Community Committees

After returning to Rio Novo, Juris resumed active leadership. In 1940 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the committee tasked with strengthening the colony’s school, working alongside figures such as Fritz Karp, J. Sarins, J. Ochs, and K. Seebergs.

In March 1942, letters describing the 50th anniversary celebration of the church list Juris - then 78 years old - as one of the main speakers, evidence of his continued importance in community life well into old age.

Writer and Historian of the Colony

Autobiographical Manuscript: The Story of My Life

In the early 1930s, Juris began writing an autobiographical manuscript titled “The Story of Our Childhood, Youth, and Life Together,” dedicated to his daughter Amilda. It recounts his life from Courland to Riga, his religious conversion, marriage, emigration, the hardships of colonization, and the joys and tragedies of family life in Brazil.

Brief History of the Latvian Baptist Church of Rio Novo

Together with pastor Jānis Inkis, Juris wrote the Brief History of the Latvian Baptist Church of Rio Novo, based on seven years of collected notes and documents. Inkis sent it for publication in the Latvian Baptist newspaper Kristigs Draugs, where it appeared in three installments in 1940 (September, October, November).

Family Life

Juris and Anna had several children, recorded in church registries and family photographs. Among them:

Līdija Selma (b. 18 Sep 1893)
Emilija (b. 15 Apr 1896; later married Oswaldo Auras)
Jahnis (João) Frischembruder (b. 16 Oct 1897; became a teacher and notable community figure)
Amilda (b. 15 Jun 1900), dedicatee of his memoir
Wilhelm Konrads (Guilherme Conrado) (b. 25 Aug 1901)
Karlis Juris (b. 13 Feb 1906)

Family photographs from around 1910 show Juris and Anna with several children in front of a wooden house in Rio Novo, illustrating the consolidation of the family in Brazil.

Anna died on 24 March 1931 after a long illness. Juris wrote movingly of his grief, noting that the burial date coincided with her birthday.

A 1930 photograph dedication summarises how he viewed his own path: by 1931 he would complete “fifty years of baptism in Riga, forty years in Brazil, and one year since the passing of my beloved wife.”

Later Years in Urubici and Rio Novo (1930s–1942)

In old age, Juris moved between Rio Novo and Urubici, where some of his relatives lived. Local studies note that his extended family (including Krists Frichenbruder and Ziedonies Frischembruder) formed part of the early Latvian presence there.

Letters preserved by descendants show the elderly Juris encouraging relatives in Latvia to migrate to Brazil, describing local foods like cassava (“a food of the land that looks like sawdust molded into candle-shapes”) and the abundance of wheat.

Genealogical sources indicate that he died in 1942, often citing 25 August 1942.

Links and Sources

Last updated on December 3, 2025

J.A. Freijs