Ukraine Church Records: Difference between revisions

|Name=Ukraine

|Type=Topic

|Records=Church Records

|Rating=Standardized

''For information about records for non-Christian religions in the Ukraine, go to the [[Ukraine Religious Records|Religious Records]] page. Also, see [[Ukraine Jewish Records]].''

== Online Resources and Websites ==

<br>'''Ukraine and Regions Births, Marriages, and Deaths'''<br>

*'''1650-1920''' [https://pra.in.ua/ Ukrainian Citizens Database Births 1650-1920], index, incomplete. Birth registers, fiscal and parish censuses, lists of nobility, voters, the military, and victims of repressions, address directories.

*'''1784-1879''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=60191 Ukraine, Select Births and Baptisms, 1784-1879] at Ancestry.com, ($). Index. Incomplete.  

*'''1784-1879''' [http://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-30230/ukraine-births-baptisms-1784-1879?s=218489221 Ukraine, Births and Baptisms, 1784-1879] at MyHeritage, ($). Index. Incomplete.

'''Various Provinces'''<br>

*'''1840-1845''' [http://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-30301/ukraine-kyiv-orthodox-consistory-church-book-duplicates-1840-1845?s=218489221 Ukraine, Kyiv Orthodox Consistory Church Book Duplicates, 1840-1845] at MyHeritage, ($). Index. Incomplete.

*[http://odessa3.org/collections/stpete/volhynia/ Volhynia Vital Records], Index. Incomplete.  

<br>

'''Misc. Locations'''<br>

*Some Greek Orthodox and and Roman Catholic Church records are online at: [http://www.halgal.com/ Genealogy of Halychyna].

*[http://www.halgal.com/vitalrecords.html Genealogy of Halychyna/Eastern Galicia, gateway to Galician vital records]. Many of the records of Polish, Lutheran and Jewish records from localities now located in Ukraine were moved westward to Polish archives following the border changes occurring at the end of the Second World War.  

*[http://search.findmypast.com/search-world-Records/british-armed-forces-and-overseas-deaths-and-burials British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials] at Findmypast.com, index & images ($)

This archive has records from towns in the eastern areas of Poland that became part of Ukraine after WWII and from Volhynia. Many of the images available here complement collections available on films through FamilySearch.

*[http://www.agad.gov.pl/inwentarze/KsEA439x.xml Księgi metrykalne gmin wyznania ewangelicko-augsburskiego z zachodnich guberni Cesarstwa Rosyjskiego/(wschodnich woj. II Rzeczypospolitej], 1790-1940, Lutheran records from the Western provinces of the Russian Empire (mostly Volhynia).

==How to Find Records==

===Digital  Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog ===

:::b. Click on '''Places within Ukraine''' 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.   

===Writing for Records===

==Historical Background==

Religion in Ukraine is diverse, with a majority of the population adhering to Christianity. Here is an overview of the major religions that have made their home in Ukraine:  

=== Eastern Orthodox ===

The Russian/Ukrainian Orthodox church in Ukraine was first founded in 988 in Kyiv by the Patriarch of Constantinople, when Kyivan Rus was christianized by Prince Volodymyr I. In 1448, the Ukrainian church was separated from that of Muscovy when its first metropolitan was established in Kyiv. In 1596, another split occurred within the Ukrainian Orthodox church, when the Greek Catholic Church was established. Through the centuries, there was tension between the heads of the church in Kyiv and Moscow; in 1686, Moscow's patriarch attempted to annex the Kyivan church outright. The fortunes of the Ukrainian Orthodox church followed political developments; it was only in 1990 that the church was fully independent.  

=== Greek Catholic ===

===Roman Catholic===

While these often go back to an earlier period, these were mandated by the government to be compiled 1826. Three copies were made for the diocese, the deanery (''dekanat''–level between the diocese and parish), and the parish. There were three dioceses covering parts of Ukraine in 1900: Odessa (created in 1899), Tiraspol (located in Saratov), and Zhytomyr (Zhitomir).  

===Evangelical (Lutheran).===

In 1832, Russia mandated keeping these records. The diocesan headquarters for Ukraine was located in St. Petersburg. The registers were kept in German until law of 1891 required that they be kept in Russian

=== Other Churches Today ===

==Availability of Records==

== Metrical Books (Parish Registers) ==

These records can be used to uniquely identify individuals and link multiple generations over time.  Transcripts are difficult to research because generally all parishes in a district are filed together for each year.  Consequently, a researcher must refer to many volumes to identify the entries for a single parish.

In 1825 the Holy Synod, the governmental body over the Orthodox Church, ordered bishops to eradicate bribery of priests to falsify the books, suggesting that this problem existed. Ethnic minorities avoided registration to avert military service later in life.

== Confession Lists ==

The lists contain the name of the head of household, family members (including children not attending confession), their ages and relationship to head of household, residence (number of house or other identification), and whether or not they attended confession.

==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):

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==References==

[[Category:Ukraine]][[Category:Church Records by Country]]