Russia, Tver Confession Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
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Collection Time Period
This collection of church confessions for the Province of Tver includes the years 1728 to 1913.

Record Description
The form of confession lists was established in 1737. It includes the sequential number of the household, surname, given names of all children at least one year old, gender, ages, whether or not the person attended confession and if not, why the person did not attend (this is rarely noted).

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found on most confession records include:


 * Place
 * Number of males and females
 * Complete names
 * Ages

Record History
Confessions were done at the time of Lent, the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Children were taken to confession beginning in their seventh year. Russian Orthodox confession lists were sometimes interfiled with the church records of baptisms, marriages or deaths.

Why This Record Was Created
Church confession lists were created and kept by priests to record the information related to their parishioner’s confessions.

Record Reliability
These were considered an official record and are normally very reliable.

Related Websites
The Russian Orthodox Church

Orthodox Christian Information Center

This section of the article is still incomplete. You can help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying other links to related websites here.

Related Wiki Articles
Russia Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
Following the link to the suggested format for record citations, add sample citations for wiki users. To do that, please post the above header and examples listed below:


 * "Delaware Marriage Records," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 4 March 2011, entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.


 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 21 March 2011, entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Sources of Information For This Collection
Russia. Various Orthodox Church parishes, Tver Province, Russia. Church confessions, 1728-1913. Russian Society of Historians and Archivists, Moscow, Russia.

Original records are also housed in various parishes throughout the Province of Tver, Russia.

The suggested format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections is found in the following article: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections