Suvalki Gubernia, Russian Empire Genealogy

Guide to Suwałki Gubernia, Russian Empire ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, and tax records.

Historical Background
Suwałki was a province of the Kingdom of Poland and gubernia of the Russian Empire from 1867-1917. In 1867, the territories of the Augustów and Płock guberni were reorganized to create the Suwałki gubernia.

After World War I, the gubernia was split between the Second Polish Republic and Lithuania (mostly along ethnic lines). The Polish part was incorporated into the Białystok Voivodeship.

Today, most of the former Suwałki gubernia is part of modern-day Lithuania, with parts in Poland (including the former provincial city, Suwałki) and Belarus.

Getting Started
'''Before jumping into records for this province, you MUST know the name of the village in which your ancestor lived. If you do not know the town name, one of the best ways to locate it is by research in the country that your ancestor immigrated to.'''

In addition to knowing the name of the village in which your ancestor lived, it will also be important to know which religion your ancestor belonged to, as that will be essential in locating church or religious records.

Historical Geography


At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Suwałki gubernia was composed of 7 uyezdi or powiat.

Online Classes
Russian Handwriting
 * Reading Russian Documents: The Russian Alphabet - Ellie Vance
 * Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - Ellie Vance
 * Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting Part 1 - Heather Stewart, BA
 * Russian Alphabet, Language and Handwriting Part 2 - Heather Stewart, BA