Latvian Displaced Persons Find New Homes in the Berkshires, 1949

In March 1949, a concerted effort was underway to resettle approximately 100 Latvian families who had been displaced during and after World War II in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. The initiative, spearheaded by the National Association of Evangelicals, aimed to provide a new life for these families, many of whom had endured significant hardship and persecution.

Aiding the Transition

The Rev. Oswald A. Blumit of Boston, field secretary for the National Association of Evangelicals, announced that Gilbert Avery of Hancock, Massachusetts, would play a key role in facilitating the resettlement process. The organization’s primary focus at the time was assisting European displaced persons in finding permanent homes.

First Families Arrive

Arrangements were made for two Latvian families to settle in the Berkshires in May 1949. Hugo Terauds, his wife Agate, and their two daughters, Ruta (14) and Vita (13), were to be welcomed by Mr. And Mrs. E.W. Werner at Caraloma Orchards in Williamstown. Terauds, a 47-year-vintage with a background as a cabinetmaker, farmer, and teacher, had previously aided 700 students in Latvia before residing in the Esslingen displaced persons camp in the U.S. Zone of Germany. His wife, Agate, was a graduate of the Riga Conservatory of Music and worked as a dressmaker.

The second family, Mr. And Mrs. Kornwlijia Purgalis, their four children, and Mrs. Purgalis’s 86-year-old grandmother, were to be hosted by Gilbert Avery in his 21-room house in Hancock. Mr. Purgalis had been a practicing attorney in Latvia before the war and had learned farming during his three years at the Esslingen camp.

A History of Compassion

Gilbert Avery and his family were already known for their generosity, having fostered several children in their home over the years. One of the girls they fostered was preparing to travel to Africa to pursue a career in missionary work. Avery also planned to eventually place the Purgalis family on his farm in Great Barrington.

Context: Displaced Persons After WWII

Following the end of World War II, millions of people were displaced from their home countries due to Nazi persecution and the upheaval of war. These “Displaced Persons” (DPs) were primarily helped by Allied forces to either return home or emigrate to new countries. The largest group of DPs consisted of liberated forced laborers, along with survivors of concentration camps and ghettos, including Jewish Holocaust survivors.

Rev. Oswald Blumit, a pastor of a Latvian Church in the United States, was actively involved in assisting these displaced persons.