Latvia Taxation Records

What is a Revision List?
In 1718, Tsar Peter the Great instituted a head/individual tax known as the “soul” tax. As a result, beginning in 1719, revision lists, or enumerations of the taxable population were created to identify taxpayers. There were ten revisions taken sporadically until the final revision in 1858. These revisions were lists created by the Russian empire to identify taxpayers. Because the tax system was that of a head/individual tax, all members of the household are listed. Therefore, they are an important source for approximating vital events and creating family structures.

Aside from church records, revision lists (Ревизские Сказки) are some of the most important records for Latvian genealogical research. Like U.S. census records, these records list each member of the family, providing names, ages, and relationships. For this reason, they are essential for establishing family relationships, ages and tracking a family over time.

Accessing Revision Lists Using Raduraksti
The Latvian State Historical Archive's website, Raduraksti, contains digital images of revision lists from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. For instructions on how to access revision lists using Raduraksti, use the Raduraksti: Online Latvian Revision Lists "How to" Guide.

Reading Revision Lists Records
Revision lists from Latvia may be written in either German, Russian, Latvian or a combination of any of the above (ie. a document may have Russian column headings, but the information of the body of the record might be written in Latvian). Each of the sections below describes resources

Russian Language Revision List Records
For help deciphering records written in Russian, please see the following sources:


 * The Russian Alphabet - Video Instruction, "How to" Guide, Activity, Answer Key
 * Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - Video Instruction, "How to" Guide, Activity, Answer Key

Latvian Language Revision List Records
Of the three language variations, Latvian is the least likely; however, you still may come across revision list records written in Latvian. Often these records will have column headings in either German or Russian with Latvian text recorded in the body of the document.