Elisavetpol' Gubernia, Russian Empire Genealogy

Guide to Elisavetpol' Gubernia, Russian Empire ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, both church and civil registration, compiled family history, and finding aids.

Historical Background
Elisavetpol' Gubernia [province] was one of the gubernias in the Caucasus Viceroyalty. It was created in 1868 from parts of Baku and Tiflis gubernias. In 1918 at the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Elisavetpol' gubernia was renamed to Ganja gubernia. Modern territory of Elisavetpol' gubernia is western Azerbaijan and adjacent parts of Armenia.

Getting Started
Before jumping into records for this province, you MUST know the name of the village in which your ancestor lived.

Once you have the name of a village you believe was located in this province, take the following steps:

1. Identify the standard spelling of the town using a gazetteer. (See the Elisavetpol' Gubernia Gazetteers page.) 2. Use the gazetteer and maps to determine the approximate location of the village. (See the Ėrivan Gubernia Maps page.) 3. Check to see if there are tax lists available for the village of interest for a relevant time period. If so, follow the family through the tax lists starting with the most recent relevant list and work backwards. (See the Elisavetpol' Gubernia Taxation page.) 4. Determine if there are religious records available for the village. Use religious records to supplement and verify information found in the tax lists. Keep in mind that the closest religious center (i.e. churches, mosques, etc.) may be in a nearby village so check the gazetteer to see if any villages nearby had religious centers. (See the Ėrivan Gubernia Religious Records page.)

Online Classes
Handwriting
 * Introduction to Russian Research - Joe Everett, MLS
 * On Eagle’s Wings: Records of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Republics - Greg Nelson, MA
 * Reading Russian Documents: The Russian Alphabet - Ellie Vance
 * Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - Ellie Vance