Ukraine, Sumy Civil Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Ukraine, Sumy Civil Registers collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you. (All rights reserved. Neither this image nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise, without written permission of the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine.)

Title in the Language of the Record
Украина, Акты гражданского состояния1918-1922

Record Description
This collection, which contains records for the years 1918-1922, consists of images of civil registers containing births, marriages, and deaths for the city of Sumy, acquired from the archive in Sumy. The text of the records is in Russian. Civil registers, also called vital records, had just been established in Ukrainian cities at this time, and gaps in registration continued until 1926.

While searching through this collection, it may be helpful to note that some of the letters used in these records were eliminated in the 1918 Russian spelling reform ( Iі, Ѳѳ, Ѣѣ, Ѵѵ).

Record Content
Birth records usually contain the following information: Marriage records usually contain the following information: Death records usually contain the following information:
 * Date and place of birth
 * Gender of a child
 * First and last name of a child and of his parents
 * Parent’s occupation
 * Parents residence address
 * Special notes (for example army obligation, position in society etc.)
 * First, last and patronymic* name (see the “Tips to keep in mind” section for description) of the groom and the bride
 * Groom’s and bride’s occupations
 * Place of residence and address of the groom and the bride
 * Bride’s and groom’s date of birth
 * Bride’s and groom’s marital status (single, widow/widower, divorced)
 * The couple’s last name
 * Special notes (obligations, positions, titles, death circumstances of the ex-husband/wife etc.)
 * Date when the record was made
 * Gender and full name of deceased (first, last and patronymic name)
 * Age (date of birth)
 * Date and place of death (county, city, village)
 * Permanent residence address (exact indication)
 * Deceased’s occupation
 * Marital status and reason of death
 * First and last name of the doctor, that issued death certificate and his exact address
 * Individual which reported of death and his address.
 * Special notes

Divorce records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of spouses
 * Residence

How to Use the Record
When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's first name, last name and patronymic name; some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated marriage/birth/death year, and family relationships.

To browse by image:

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links:

⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "State/Область" category ⇒Select the "Region/City/Район/Город" category ⇒Select the "Village/Town /Деревня" category ⇒Select the "Date/Event/Volume /Даты/Cобытия/Tом " category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Russian. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Russian Genealogical Word List
 * Russia Languages
 * Russia Handwriting

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * *Patronymic name (is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father). Patronymics are in use in many countries, including Ukraine and Russia.
 * Poltava and Harkiv regions used to be a part of Sumy region (before 1923), so as you browse through the images you will be choosing to search from those two main locations.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * You may need to search for both their Russian and Ukrainian spelling of the name.
 * Be aware that there could be errors in writings and names spelling, so check for variant spellings of the names.

Related Websites

 * State Archives of Sumy region
 * The Foundation for East European Family History Studies

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ukraine Beginning Research
 * Ukraine Genealogy
 * Ukraine Church Records
 * Ukraine Websites

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:

Image Citation: