Tobolsk Gubernia Religious Records

Siberian Tatars
Siberian Tatars (себер татарлар or сибиртатар) are an ethnic group with Turkish roots who have lived in Western Siberia since the sixth century. The adoption of Islam among the Siberian Tatars began in the fifteenth century. They profess Sunni Islam. In the sixteenth century, Russian immigrants began to settle in the area that Siberian Tatars had called home for centuries. Many Siberian Tatars who lived in the former Tobolsk gubernia belonged to the Tobolo-Irtysh group of Tatars. They lived along the basins of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers in the Omsk and Tyumen uyezdi. The group consists of the Tars, Kurdak-Sargatsk, Tobolsk, Tiumen, and Iaskolbin Tatars.

Islamic Records
There are records from select mosques throughout the former Tobolsk gubernia available through FamilySearch. Most records span the early twentieth-century. To locate records, follow the steps below.

How to Locate Uyezd Records
1.There are several sets of records available at the uyezd, or district level. Click on the uyezd your ancestor lived in below to find records.


 * Yalutorovsk
 * Tara
 * Tyumen

2. From the Film/Digital Notes section, under the Note section, find the record type and year range you are looking for.

3. The final Format column will let you know how the record can be accessed. A digital camera indicates the records is available online, while a digital camera with a key indicates the record is available, but with additional viewing restrictions. You may be able to view the record at a FamilySearch Center. Click here to locate a FamilySearch Center near you. Finally, a microfilm icon indicates the record is only accessible at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. View the FamilySearch Library website for more information about the record look-up service. Be sure to take note of item numbers found in the Film section. Occasionally, microfilms were divided into separate items to conserve space. Look for black "title" cards with a large number on them that indicate the beginning and end of an item. This will help you find the location of the proper records on the film.

Nineteenth-Century Records
If there are no Islamic records available for an earlier time period, you may need to rely upon revision list records. You can learn more about revision list records under the Taxation heading on the right sidebar. Find revision list records for the uyezd that your ancestor lived in, and then look for the volost, and the Yurt (Юрта).

Reading Records
Islamic records for the Tobolsk gubernia were recorded in Tatar using an Arabic script. For more information about reading Tatar in an Arabic script, please see the following resources (you may need to use Google Translate to help you navigate some of these pages):


 * https://www.eurasiatica.blog/tatar-in-arabic-script.html
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0ske_iml%C3%A2_alphabet
 * https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B5_%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BB%D3%99
 * https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%83%D9%8A_%D8%A5%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7