Germans from Russia Archives and Libraries: Difference between revisions

| link1=[[Germans from Russia|Germans from Russia]]

Although the records you need may be in a foreign archive or library, the [[Family History Library|Family History Library may]] have a digital or microfilm copy of them. Check the ''[http://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog]'' before writing to or visiting archives in Russia, Ukraine, former Soviet countries, or Germany. You may also want to check the holdings of major genealogical societies such as the [https://www.ahsgr.org/ American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR)], the [https://www.grhs.org/pages/home Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS)], or the [https://sggee.org/ Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE).] For more information about these societies, refer to the [[Germans from Russia Societies]] page on the Wiki.     

Archives may also create collections as opposed to fonds. These collections contain records of differing authorship and are filed together on some logical or thematic basis. In some archives, therefore, vital records may be found in collections rather than fonds. These collections usually include records of more than one religious denomination.

Fonds and collections are often described in ''путеводители/putevoditeli.'' Путеводители/putevoditeli are essentially guides or findings aids to archival holdings. They help the reader understand what kind of materials and/or year ranges are contained within the fond or collection. Some putevoditeli are available only at the archive while others have been published online. When available, online putevoditeli have been linked to the corresponding archives in this Wiki page.  

The inventory of files in a fond or collection is known as an ''опись/opis''. While a fond is a statement of authorship, opis is a statement of content. An archive may have an established fond or collection, but as time goes on, more records that would fall under the fond or collection are added to the archive. The opis is an inventory of the documents submitted to the archive at one time. They are essentially an index or inventory of individual delo, or packets of documents. As such, the opis is the key to finding records in a fond and is considered the most significant finding aid used by researchers. Some opis are available only at the archive, while others have been published online. When available, online opis have been linked to the corresponding fonds and archives in this Wiki page.  

A fond may have more than one opis. These sometimes reflect different types of material or blocks of material accession by the archives. The decision as to what to include in an opis is in the hands of the archival cataloger, and will vary significantly from archive to archive.  

References to materials from Russian archives will generally follow a citation similar to this format:   

|http://saratov.rusarchives.ru

|637

|637

Finding aids for Lutheran and Catholic parish records in the Volga region (Nikolaevsk and Novouzensk uyezdi) are available online through the [http://saratov.rusarchives.ru/bd/metr_bd/index.html Saratov Archives]. To view which records are available for your ancestor’s Lutheran or Catholic parish in the Nikolaevsk and Novouzensk uyezdi (Volga region), visit http://saratov.rusarchives.ru/bd/metr_bd/index.html This web page is in Russian, but can be easily translated using the Google Chrome browser. Simply right click anywhere on the page and select the option '''Translate to English'''. To view the finding aid for Catholic records select the option beginning with '''Index to Metric books of the Roman Catholic Churches (Указатель к метрическим книгам римско-католических)'''. To view the Lutheran finding aid, choose '''Index to the Metric Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches (Указатель к метрическим книгам евангелическо-лютеранских церквей)'''. Keep in mind that although Google Translate may have translated it as “index,” this resource is not an index to church records, but rather, an index to the archive’s holdings.   

===Central Historical Archive of the Republic of Georgia    ===

|https://archive.gov.ge/ge

The Central State Historical Archives of Belarus contains church books of the Lutheran Bishopric of Minsk, vital records of the Mogilev Roman Catholic Consistory, and revision list records for the Minsk gubernia. Explore the archival holdings at http://archives.gov.by/eng/.

Church records are available in the archive's online reading room, ''Raduraksti''. To find church records for your German ancestors in the Baltics, go to http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv/en.html and click on '''Register''' in the upper right hand corner to register for an account. Registration is free, but requires a valid email. After you have registered for an account, click on '''Contents'''. Next, choose '''Visual Archives''', then '''Church Books'''. Your German ancestors will most likely be recorded in '''Evangelic Lutheran'''. Choose the parish or settlement and then select the church book you would like to view.   

|http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv/en.html

|https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/ (new version)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arbeitsgemeinschaft ostdeutscher Familienforscher<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nachtigallenweg 14<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;D-50997 Köln<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GERMANY  

The National Archives at College Park has a collection of Berlin war documents. Among those captured documents were EWZ records. They are available in A3342, Series EWZ (7,320 rolls). The Family History Library has some (but not all) of these records and a partial index to EWZ records can be found through the Odessa Digital Library (http://www.odessa3.org/collections/war/). To learn more about this collection at NARA, click [https://www.archives.gov/files/calendar/know-your-records/dec14-salyer-presentation.pdf here].

===Family History Library===

The FamilySearch Family History Library has acquired many records from various archives in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union. It's a good idea to check the [http://familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog] to see if records are available through FamilySearch before contacting or visiting an archive.  

|https://www.familysearch.org/help/fhcenters/locations/saltlakecity-library

'''[6] Мой''' [relationship - grandmother, great-grandfather, etc.],                                                                 

'''[7]''' [full name of ancestor in both Russian and German], [religion (in genitive case)] '''вероисповедания,'''                                                                                                                                             

'''[9] в''' [name of colony in both Russian and German (in prepositional case)],                                               

'''[9] in''' [name of colony in both Russian and German (in prepositional case)],   

*Miller, Michael M. ''Researching the Germans from Russia: Annotated Bibliography of the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at the North Dakota Institue for Regional Studies, North Dakota State University Library, with a Listing of the Library Materias at the Germans from Russia Heritage Society''. Fargo, N.Dak.: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1987. (FHL book 978.4 F23n). Includes sections on Bessarabia and Black Sea Germans, Amish, Hutterites, Mennonites, Volhynian Germans, and Volga Germans. Contains two bibliographies of family histories.

*Olson, Marie Miller. ''A Bibliography of the Germans from Russia: Material Found in the New York Public Library''. Lincoln, Nebr.: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1976. (FHL book 947 F2om; film 1181519 item 2.

*Quester, Erich. ''Wegweiser für Forschungen nach Vorfahren'' . . . Neustadt, Germany: Verlag Degener, 1991. (FHL book 943 D27wf 1991). <br><br>

[[Category:Germans from Russia|Archives and Libraries]]