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On the other hand, modern gazetteers are also important for genealogical work. They can be used to determine how the town name is spelled today, which may be crucial for finding the town on a map. It is necessary to know how the town name is spelled today and where it is located in order to write letters requesting records. | On the other hand, modern gazetteers are also important for genealogical work. They can be used to determine how the town name is spelled today, which may be crucial for finding the town on a map. It is necessary to know how the town name is spelled today and where it is located in order to write letters requesting records. | ||
The | The FamilySearch Library has an outstanding collection of gazetteers from all over the world. These can be categorized into two groups: general gazetteers and Jewish gazetteers. Some examples of both types are given here. | ||
Although many of these gazetteers may have been compiled after your ancestors left these countries, location of towns changed very little during the 18th and 19th centuries. A gazetteer from 1914 will list the same towns that existed there a century earlier. There was often more than one variation of the town name, depending on the language and ethnic group, but the location seldom changed. | Although many of these gazetteers may have been compiled after your ancestors left these countries, location of towns changed very little during the 18th and 19th centuries. A gazetteer from 1914 will list the same towns that existed there a century earlier. There was often more than one variation of the town name, depending on the language and ethnic group, but the location seldom changed. | ||
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''The Columbia Gazetteer of the World''. Ed. Saul B. Cohen. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998. (FS Library book 910.3 C723.) | ''The Columbia Gazetteer of the World''. Ed. Saul B. Cohen. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998. (FS Library book 910.3 C723.) | ||
Some of the best gazetteers are for specific states or countries. Country-specific gazetteers described here also list references to Jewish communities and synagogues. Although this section has descriptions of several specific gazetteers, the | Some of the best gazetteers are for specific states or countries. Country-specific gazetteers described here also list references to Jewish communities and synagogues. Although this section has descriptions of several specific gazetteers, the FamilySearch Library and other libraries have many gazetteers not listed here. For other countries, refer to the FamilySearch Catalog and descriptions of gazetteers found in vWiki research articles, if available, for the countries where your ancestors lived. | ||
=== Country-Specific Gazetteers === | === Country-Specific Gazetteers === | ||
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The Russian Empire in the 1800s and early 1900s comprised most of eastern Europe, including areas of high Jewish concentration: Ukraine, Belo-Russia, and Poland. There are many gazetteers for this area and for individual countries that were once part of it. Two general gazetteers for this region are: | The Russian Empire in the 1800s and early 1900s comprised most of eastern Europe, including areas of high Jewish concentration: Ukraine, Belo-Russia, and Poland. There are many gazetteers for this area and for individual countries that were once part of it. Two general gazetteers for this region are: | ||
*Cc haceëhhx mect poccco mep (Spiski Naselennykh míèst Rosssko Imperi= List of inhabited places of the Russian Empire). Zug, Switz.: Inter Documentation Co., 1976. ( | *Cc haceëhhx mect poccco mep (Spiski Naselennykh míèst Rosssko Imperi= List of inhabited places of the Russian Empire). Zug, Switz.: Inter Documentation Co., 1976. (FS Library fiche 6002224, parts 1–420.) This gazetteer is used as a standard for place names of the Russian Empire in the FamilySearch Catalog. Separate books were published for each province (Gubernia). This does not list the entire Russian Empire and is missing information on the Baltic States and Belarus. | ||
*''Russisches geographisches Namenbuch (RGN)'' (=Russian Geographical Name Book [RGN]). 12 vols. Wiesbaden: O. Harrassowitz, 1964–1988. (FS Library book 947 E5r.) Alphabetical listing of places within the Russian Empire, including Belarus and other frontier regions. Written in German and Russian. | *''Russisches geographisches Namenbuch (RGN)'' (=Russian Geographical Name Book [RGN]). 12 vols. Wiesbaden: O. Harrassowitz, 1964–1988. (FS Library book 947 E5r.) Alphabetical listing of places within the Russian Empire, including Belarus and other frontier regions. Written in German and Russian. | ||
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*Sulimierski, Filip. ''Sownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych Krajów Slowiaskich'' (=Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and Other Slavic Countries). 15 Vol. Warsaw: Wadysaw Walewski, 1880–1902. (FS Library book 943.8 E5c; film 0920957–0920972.) Arranged alphabetically with text in Polish. Usually indicates whether a town had a Jewish population and a synagogue. | *Sulimierski, Filip. ''Sownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych Krajów Slowiaskich'' (=Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and Other Slavic Countries). 15 Vol. Warsaw: Wadysaw Walewski, 1880–1902. (FS Library book 943.8 E5c; film 0920957–0920972.) Arranged alphabetically with text in Polish. Usually indicates whether a town had a Jewish population and a synagogue. | ||
In addition to the ones mentioned, the | In addition to the ones mentioned, the FamilySearch Library has many other gazetteers. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has published gazetteers for each country in the world, which are generally excellent reference sources. Check for these books in the FamilySearch Catalog. | ||
=== Jewish Gazetteers === | === Jewish Gazetteers === | ||
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This same database is available on microfiche in three indexes: alphabetical, in the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex, and by grid location: | This same database is available on microfiche in three indexes: alphabetical, in the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex, and by grid location: | ||
''Gazetteer of Central and Eastern Europe''. 21 fiche. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, c1995, 1998. ( | ''Gazetteer of Central and Eastern Europe''. 21 fiche. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, c1995, 1998. (FS Library fiche 6312315, 6310076, 6306695.) These fiche cannot be circulated by the FamilySearch Library. | ||
For those who read Hebrew, a multi-volume work has been compiled that gives a detailed history and description of Jewish communities of Europe, along with maps, photographs of synagogues, and well- known rabbis and community leaders. It is called Pinkas Hakehillot (Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities) and is explained in greater detail in "[[Jewish Encyclopedias and Dictionaries|Encyclopedias and Dictionaries]]" in this set of Wiki pages. | For those who read Hebrew, a multi-volume work has been compiled that gives a detailed history and description of Jewish communities of Europe, along with maps, photographs of synagogues, and well- known rabbis and community leaders. It is called Pinkas Hakehillot (Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities) and is explained in greater detail in "[[Jewish Encyclopedias and Dictionaries|Encyclopedias and Dictionaries]]" in this set of Wiki pages. | ||
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