Ukraine, Odesa Census Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Украина, Одесса, перепись населения 1897

Record Description
This collection includes Odesa census records for 1897. Records are from the All-Russian 1897 Census, of which only portions survived. There is currently no index available. The collection is organized by volume or 'Том.'

Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third largest city in Ukraine. Located on the shore of the Black Sea, the city is a major seaport and transportation hub. Odessa is also a government center of the Odessa Oblast or province. The All-Russian 1897 Census was also known as the Russian Imperial Census and census takers collected statistics as of January 28, 1897. At the time, Odessa was listed as the third largest city in the Russian Empire.

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Family name
 * Given name, or nickname
 * Gender
 * How related to the head of household
 * Age
 * Marital status
 * Social status, rank, or title
 * Place of birth
 * Place of registration
 * Place of residence
 * Religion
 * Native language
 * Literacy
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
Without a record index, the best advice for researchers is to identify an address or area of the city where ancestors lived at the time of the Census and start browsing records in that area. JewishGen.org, an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, has published a guide to understanding and translating the census. It contains other information about the census in Latvia. See this link JewishGen.org, Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Search the Collection
When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your 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 your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

To search 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 "Volume" 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

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (such as Dachne, Nova Dolyna, Illichivsk, and Teplodar).

Related Websites

 * JewishGen Info about 1897 Census
 * Find Russian Heritage: 1897 Census
 * Ukraine GenWeb

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ukraine Archives and Libraries
 * Russia Census
 * Ukraine Genealogy

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: