Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates - FamilySearch Historical Records

Russia

What is in This Collection?
The records consist of bound volumes with entries on two facing pages for births and baptisms and for burials and deaths. Marriages are on a single page. The images were scanned from microfilm copies of the originals, which are housed in the Russian State Historical Archive, St. Petersburg. This collection covers the early duplicates, 1833–1885. These records are written in Russian. The later material is located in the Central State Historical Archive, St. Petersburg. For a list of records by localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

The Lutheran Diocese of St. Petersburg was created in 1833. It covered mostly ethnic German congregations but included Swedes and others of the Lutheran religion. Each year a duplicate record was sent to St. Petersburg and kept in the Consistory Court. The local St. Petersburg parishes were more cosmopolitan so more ethnic groups can be found there. In some regions such as Kiev and Podolia, French and Russian nobility, in particular those with military connections, register with the Lutherans.

The books pertain to the German Lutheran population along the northwestern, western, and southern edges of the Russian Empire, primarily in the historical provinces of Sankt-Peterburg (Ingria), Volhynia, Bessarabia, and Novorossiysk. Alaska, which was part of Russia until 1867, is also included. The duplicate served as the civil vital record when there was no civil registration system conducted by the government. This is the most reliable record for birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial dates.

Reading These Records
These records are in German or Russian. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Germany Handwriting
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Russia Language and Languages
 * Russian Genealogical Word List
 * Russia Handwriting
 * German Paleography Seminar - 10 classes
 * Reading Russian Documents: The Russian Alphabet
 * Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting, part 1
 * Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting, part 2

Collection Content
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Name of the child
 * Child's date and hour of birth and birthplace
 * Child's date and place of baptism and by whom baptized
 * Parents’ names and residence
 * Father’s occupation
 * Child's legitimacy

Marriage
 * Date and place of the marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Page number in the Family Register is noted
 * Reference to Main Register is noted with entry number and page number

Death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Date and place of death with time noted
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of birth
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Sometimes, the maiden name of a woman is given if she is the deceased
 * Date and place of burial

Coverage Table
The Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates - FamilySearch Historical Records Coverage Table shows the places and time periods covered in the indexed records for this collection. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited or lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching vital records indexes in the country
 * When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Civil Registration records or Church Records may be more useful
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Russia.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Россия, лютеранская церковь Книга Дубликаты (FamilySearch Исторические записки) Rússia, Duplicatas de Livro da Igreja Luterana (Registros Registros Histórico do FamilySearch)