Tobolsk Gubernia Archives and Libraries

Introduction
There are several archives that contain records for the former Tobolsk Gubernia. The vast majority of the records are held in the State Archives in Tobolsk as well as the State Archives of the Tyumen Region. Additional records for select uyezdi are available in other archives. See the archival headings below for more information. The State Archives in Tobolsk has an electronic archive. Other archives may not have records accessible online. In this case, it may be necessary to write to the archive, hire an onsite researcher, or visit the archive yourself.

For tips on writing to/visiting an archive, see Russia Archives and Libraries.

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. '''

State Archives of the Tyumen Region - Государственный архив Тюменской области (ГАТО)
The State Archives of the Tyumen Region contains records for the Tyumen Oblast (parts of which were formerly the Tobolsk Gubernia). Contact information for the archive can be found below.

State Archives in Tobolsk - Государственный архив в г. Тобольске (ГА в г. Тобольске)
The State Archives in Tobolsk contain records for many uyezdi or districts of the former Tobolsk Gubernia. Use their electronic archive (link listed below) to locate records. Please note that record access is fee based, and access is only temporary. Be sure you have set aside plenty of time to research before purchasing temporary record access.

State Archive of the Kurgan Oblast - Государственный архив Курганской области (ГАКО)
The State Archive of the Kurgan Oblast contains records for the parts of the Kurgan and Yalutorovsk uyezdi (districts). Metrical records for the Tobolsk Spiritual Consistory are found on fond 235. To view an online inventory of records found in their archive, click here.

State Historical Archive of the Omsk Region - Исторический АРхив Омской Области (ГИАОО)
The Historical Archive of the Omsk Region contains records for parts of the Ishim, Tara, Tobolsk (just one church), and Tyukalinsk uyezdi (districts). Metrical records are preserved in fond 16. Click '''[http://archives.vorotyntsev.name/home/iaoo#TOC-.-16. here]''' to see a list of the metrical books in the Omsk Archive. Keep in mind the list is not complete.

State Archive of the Sverdlovsk Region - Государственный Архив Свердловской Области (ГАСО)
The State Archive of the Sverdlovsk Region contains records for parts of the Turinsk uyezd (district). Metrical records are found in fond 6. Click here to view digital images of an inventory of metrical books.

Additional Websites
You may find the following websites useful in your genealogical search in the Tobolsk Gubernia.

Archive of the city of Tobolsk in the Tyumen region "To help a genealogist"
An index of documents containing genealogical and biographical information stored in the Tobolsk State Archives. This archival inventory contains information about types of documents held in the Tyumen archive and lists the fond, opis, and delo (archival call numbers) of records for specific locations.

http://www.okorneva.ru/arhiv-g-tobolska-v-tyumenskoy-oblasti/

VGD Forum
The Forum at VGD can be a great place to ask questions and read through previous posts to learn more about research in Tobolsk gubernia. Be sure to look for a page for the uyezd, volost, okrug, town, etc. that your ancestor lived in. Area specific pages can be a treasure trove of information and can be a good way to connect with researchers researching in your area - some of which could be potential cousins! The following pages on VGD may be of use to you:
 * https://forum.vgd.ru/499/32080/0.htm
 * Fonds of the Tyumen Archive: lists of records at the Tyumen archive. May be of use to you while you are trying to locate records for your location in the archive