Russia Beginning Research

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This article is intended to provide the background needed to pursue an ancestry that extends back into the Russian Empire. Whether the person searching for their Russian ancestry does the work or has it done, he needs to have a basic understanding of what sources exist and where they are found in order to obtain and evaluate the information. We will look at the historical administrative environment, the archival environment, and the sources.

Localities
There are several geographic terms by which the records are organized because they represent the jurisdictions administered by government agencies. Click here for geographic terminology and to learn about various Russian jusrisdictions.

Borders fluctuated greatly along the western edge of the Russian Empire. Click here for the table that identifies some of the more significant changes.