Lithuania Taxation

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Introduction to Revision Lists[edit | edit source]

Taxation records, also known as ревизские сказки, or revision lists, are an important source in Russian genealogy. These records, similar to a US census, can be used to track a family across time.

Revision Lists[edit | edit source]

In 1718, under the rule of Peter the Great, a new taxation system was created. This new taxation system was nicknamed the "soul" tax, as it taxed individuals rather than land or households as was done under previous taxation systems. Keep in mind that revision lists enumerated only the taxable population which excluded individuals, which in some revisions, meant nobility and clergy.

The first revision, or enumeration of the taxable population, was taken in 1719. There were ten revisions taken sporadically over the next approximately 150 years as illustrated below:

Revision List Years
Revision Year Span
First 1719-1724
Second 1743-1747
Third* 1761-1767
Fourth 1781-1782
Fifth 1794-1795
Sixth** 1811-1812
Seventh 1815-1817
Eighth 1833-1835
Ninth 1850-1851
Tenth 1857-1858

*First revision to include females.

**Incomplete due to the Napoleonic War, the revision also contained only males.

Revision lists are organized first by uyezd or district, and then by social class, so you should know which uyezd and social class your ancestor belonged to. The most common social class was that of the крестьянин, or peasant class.

For more information about revision list history please read The Imperial Russian Revision Lists of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries by Joseph B. Everett.[1]

Locating Revision List Records[edit | edit source]

Many revision list records have been digitized by FamilySearch. See the list below for links to these records. The revision lists can be very difficult to navigate because they haven't been catalogued by the town or in some cases even the district! Use the finding aids found at Lithuanian Catholic Ancestor Search to help you better navigate these records.

Additionally see the Vilna Gubernia Taxation Records and Kovno Gubernia Taxation Records page.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Joseph B. Everett (2018), The Imperial Russian Revision Lists of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Slavic & East European Information rEsources, 19:1-2, 49-67.