Uzbekistan Church Records

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Uzbekistan

Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Uzbekistan, go to the Religious Records page.

Historical Background

Christianity returned to the region after the Russian conquest in 1867, when Orthodox churches were built in large cities, to serve Russian and European settlers and officers. Today most of the Christians in Uzbekistan are ethnic Russians who practice Orthodox Christianity.

There are also communities of Roman Catholics, mostly ethnic Poles. The Catholic Church in Uzbekistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Various religious orders such as the Franciscans and Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity have a presence in the country and assist in activities such as caring for the poor, prisoners, and the sick.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Uzbekistan.

b. Click on Places within Uzbekistan and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Russian Letter Writing Guide for help with composing letters.

• Maps.me Church Listings for Uzbekistan<br.

Turkmen is the official language of Turkmenistan (per the 1992 Constitution), although Russian still is widely spoken in cities as a "language of inter-ethnic communication". Turkmen is spoken by 72% of the population, Russian 12%. You might have to compose a letter in English, using Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy, and then use an Uzbek translation service.

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Uzbekistan

Historical Background

List of Catholic parishes in Uzbekistan

1. Roman Catholic Church of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Tashkent
2. Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, Samarkand
3. Roman Catholic Church of Holy Mary, Ferghana
4. Roman Catholic Church of St. Andrew Apostle, Bukhara
5. Roman Catholic Church of Holy Mary, Mother of Mercy, Urgench

Russian Orthodox Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Russian Orthodox churches in Uzbekistan

Historical Background

The Russian Orthodox Church in Uzbekistan is the main community of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Uzbekistan, a mainly Muslim country. Many of its members are Russians,. Uzbekistan falls within the area of Tashkent and Central Asian Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Eparchy is headed by an archbishop. Russian Orthodox Church in Uzbekistan has been established in 1871 and extends to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. There are Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Tashkent and Samarkand. Uzbekistan has thirteen Russian Orthodox Churches, three of which are in Ashgabat. The Russian Orthodox Church has a better standing with the government than other religious groups do.