Vilna Gubernia Archives and Libraries

Introduction
There are several archives that contain records for the former Vilna Gubernia. Some records are held at the State Historical Archives of Belarus (Minsk branch) and others are held at the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. These archives do not have accessible online records. If records have not been microfilmed and/or digitized by ePaveldas, FamilySearch, or other organizations, it will be necessary to write to the archive, hire an onsite researcher, or visit the archive yourself.

Archival Terminology
During the Soviet time period, archives centralized a preserved a vast holding of church and vital records dating from 1721-1917.

In the archives of the former Soviet Union, material is filed by record group - 'Фонд. (Ф.)/Fond'. A record group contains the records of a specific organization, portion of an organization, or individual. Archives also create collections as opposed to record groups, in which records of different organizations or individuals are filed together on some logical or thematic basis. Thus, in some archives, vital records of different religions can be filed together.

A single volume, files, or even a single sheet of paper is an item - Дело (Д.)/Delo. Each item is given a title based upon the record type and contents. Items are usually filed chronologically by the earliest year of information found in that item. Within a particular year, the items are supposed to be filed by degree of significance.

An inventory - Опись (О.)/Opis is a list of items in a record group or collection. While filing by record group reflects authorship, description by inventory reflects content, equivalent to a table of contents in a book. The inventory identifies the title assigned to each item, the sequential number, and information on inclusive dates and number of pages. The inventory is the key to finding records in an archive.

Each item in an archive is defined by three numbers: fond, opis, and delo.

Visiting an Archive
In some cases, it may be necessary to visit an archive personally to obtain the desired record. Visiting an archive is not something that you can plan at the drop of a hat - it takes planning and preparation. Before you purchase airfare and plan your trip, be sure to contact the archive to see if they will be open during the time you plan to visit.

Getting the most out of your archival research trip takes careful planning and preparation. Below you will find some tips to help you as you prepare to visit an archive.
 * Contact the Archive: Inform the archive of the dates you plan to visit the archive and what materials you would be interested in viewing. You may need to set up an appointment with the archive or the Читальный зал, or the reading room. Archivists will generally bring documents and archival manuscripts to the reading room for visitors to use. Be sure to know what the reading room hours are so that you can maximize your research time.
 * Apply to Visit the Archive: In some cases, you must submit an application to obtain a reading card and access to the archive. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, so be sure to ask the archive about the process well in advance. Applicants are typically asked to provide contact information, forms of identification, reasons for visiting the archive etc.
 * Plan Ahead: Planning ahead will help you get the most out of your experience. Examine putevoditeli and opisi before your visit so you know the fond and delo number. Knowing these "call numbers" will allow the archivist to quickly retrieve your desired records and you won't have to waste your or the archivist's precious time looking for its location within the archive.
 * Schedule Time for the Unexpected: Give yourself some buffer time in case of travel complications, unexpected archival closures, or for new discoveries that lead you in a different direction than you had originally anticipated.
 * Review Guidelines: Be sure you understand the archive's policies regarding their materials. Inquire if there any limits to the number of documents you can view each day, or if materials can only be requested as specific times. Also ask what kind of fees are necessary for photocopies, scans, or photography. You may also wish to ask if there are charging stations or internet access available. Knowing the policies in advance also helps you know what to pack for your visit. Commonly restricted items include pens, food/drink, coats and large bags. In some archives, electronic devices may not be permitted, so be sure to remember to pack pencils and a notebook.
 * Create a Template to Organize your Notes: Keeping a research log is an important step in research and helps you stay organized. Prepare a template ahead of time to help you keep track of what you have looked at (fond, delo, information found on record etc.). Be sure to save a spot to cite your sources.
 * Travel: Before booking your airfare or travel arrangements, be sure you are aware of any visa requirements. Be sure your passport is up to date.
 * Transportation: plan out in advance how you will get to the archive. You can use services like Google Maps to help you navigate public transportation. If you plan on driving to the archive, be sure to find out if there is parking available at or near the archive.

Writing to an Archive
Do not assume that archive employees will be able to speak and/or read English. As a general rule of thumb, you should write your request in the language of the archivist.

State Historical Archives of Belarus in Grodno
The State Historical Archive of Belarus in Grodno contains records for areas that were formerly part of the Vilna Gubernia. Contact information for the archive can be found below.

Lithuanian State Historical Archives (Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas)
The Lithuanian State Historical Archives contains records such as metrical books and revision lists for areas that were formerly part of the Vilna Gubernia, and even uyezdi that are now part of Belarus. To learn more about this archive, see the Lithuanian State Historical Archives from Miriam Weiner's Routes to Roots Foundation. Contact information for the archive can be found below.

Lithuanian Central State Archives (Lietuvos centrinis valstybės archyvas)
The Lithuanian Central State Archives does not contain documents from the Russian Empire time period, but may be of use for the interwar period. The archive contains records such as school records, internal passport applications, as well as documents dating from Lithuania's period of independence (1918-1940). To learn more about this archive, see the Lithuanian Central State Archive article from Miriam Weiner's Routes to Roots Foundation. Contact information for the archive can be found below. Note that genealogical requests should be handled via email.

Lithuanian Special Archives (Lietuvos ypatingasis archyvas)
The Lithuanian Special Archives does not contain documents from the Russian Empire time period, but may be of use for post WWII research. The archive contains records such as KGB (Committee for State Security), The Communist Party of Lithuania (LKP), the Ministry of the Interior (VRM) and other records post WWII. Contact information for the archive can be found below.