Russian genealogy research tips are very helpful to genealogists of all levels, especially beginners. If you are ready to dive into your Russian family heritage, be sure to learn all you can about the culture, the record sets, jurisdictions, and language. You can start learning right here!
The Russia of today looks different than it did in the past. With changing boundaries and jurisdictions, the Cyrillic alphabet, and the language difference, doing family history there can prove difficult.
But if you are a descendant of one of the 23 million Russians who immigrated, you need to overcome these challenges to expand your family tree.
When we talk about Russian immigrants, we are talking about people from several countries of the former USSR. These include Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Belarus, and Poland. That’s a lot of places to learn about.
Russian Genealogy Resources
That’s where the following resources should come in handy.
Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research, by Vera Ivanova Miller.
Vera has created a four page, laminated guide that will give you all the information you’ll need to get started on the search for your Russian ancestors. Topics covered include:
- Russian names and religions
- How to locate Russian ancestral places
- Researching in Russian archives, censuses, parish registers, and consular records
- Where to go online to access databases
To assist Russian genealogy researchers even further, a “Quick Guide to the Russian Alphabet” and a few other helpful tips are included in the guide. This guide can be purchased from Genealogical.com and is $9.95.
Vera Miller is a Russian and Ukrainian genealogy researcher and has published a blog titled “Find Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family: Uncovering the Secrets of Finding Family and Records in the Former USSR.” One of her most popular set of blog posts include her success stories. You can find them, here. From Great-Grandfather’s arrest record to how a Russian Facebook Group helped bring down a brick wall, there are lots of fun stories and encouragement.
The Help Center at FamilySearch for Russian Genealogy
The Help Center via FamilySearch is online and offers several free webinars. Here are two you may want to check out:
Reading Russian Documents: The Russian Alphabet
Russian Alphabet, Language, and Handwriting Part I
Russian Genealogy Records at FamilySearch
FamilySearch.org is a free genealogy website available to people from all over the world. There genealogical record databases cover just about anywhere and anything you can think of, including genealogy records for Russia and former USSR countries. Here is just a sneak peek at some of the things you will find there:
- Censuses
- Church Records
- Jewish Records
- Court Records
- Military Records
- Land and Property Records
To see the entire list, click here.
Let me know your success stories with your Russian genealogy research in the comments below and be sure to take advantage of these and other great resources!
The Genealogy Reporter has entered into an affiliate relationship with Genealogical.com and receives complimentary material to review.
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