Lithuania Tax Records

Introduction to Revision Lists
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
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:

** 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.

Locating Revision List Records
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.


 * 1698-1916 Lithuania, Kaunas, taxation : Revision lists, 1698-1916 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1795 Lithuania, Vilnius, taxation : Revision lists, 1795 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1795 Lithuania, Vilnius, taxation : Revision lists, 1795-1844 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1811 Lithuania, Vilnius, taxation : Revision lists, 1811 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1816-1817 Lithuania, Vilnius, taxation : Revision lists, 1816-1817 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1817-1940 Lithuania, Kaunas, census : Family lists, 1817-1940 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1834-1841 Lithuania, Vilnius, taxation : Revision lists, 1834-1841 at FamilySearch - images
 * 1839-1949 Lithuania, Tax and Voters Lists, 1839-1949 (various years) at Ancestry.com - index ($) - just Jewish records!