Russia, Tatarstan Poll Tax Census (Revision Lists) - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Record Description
This collection of Poll Tax Census Revision Lists, from the period between 1719-1859, includes images of family lists for the taxpaying population (about 95% of the population) conducted primarily in the years 1719-1724, 1743-1747, 1761-1767, 1782, 1795, 1811, 1816, 1833-1834, 1850-1851, 1857-1858, including outlying years. Revisions lists were revised or updated, sometimes several times, until the next census was recorded, ten revisions were conducted at irregular intervals. The lists contain the names of all taxable persons from each city, town, village, or estate arranged by household, giving the relationship to the head of house and ages. Many volumes are preceded with an index. The text of these records was written mainly in Russian (Cyrillic). These records identify family groups, relationships, and ages at the time of the census.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in this poll tax census records may include:


 * Name of head of household
 * Names of household members
 * Age of head of household
 * Ages of household members
 * Household members relationship to the head of household

How to Use This Collection Records
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the census index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page number or family number) to locate your ancestors in the census. Compare the information in the census to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.


 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.


 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.


 * Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.


 * If they are subject to military service they may have military files in the State or National Archives.


 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as school records; children’s occupations are often listed as “at school.”

It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.

Some other helpful tips to keep in mind are:


 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even an county.


 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.


 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.


 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.

You should also be aware that the census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Related Websites
LitvakSIG-Revision Lists

Related Wiki Articles
Russia Taxation

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 Found in This Collection
• "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.

Citations for This Collection
Russia. Poll tax census revision lists, 1719-1859. Tatarstan National Archive, Kazan, Russia.

Detailed instructions for adding citations are also listed in the wiki article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections