Russia, Tver Confession Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

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).

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.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

This collection of church confessions for the Province of Tver includes the years 1728 to 1913.

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

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

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

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


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

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the Province (Губерния) ⇒ Select the District (Уезд) ⇒ Select the Year/Vol (Даты/Tом) which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * The Russian Orthodox Church
 * Orthodox Christian Information Center

Related Wiki Articles

 * Russia
 * Russia Church Records
 * Russia Genealogy

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.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Russia, Tver Confession Lists, 1728-1913," digital images, FamilySearch (https://.familysearch.org: accessed 20 March 2012), Москва &gt; Клин1880 Vol. 17064 &gt; images 5 or 21 images, entry number 26, Citation for This Collection

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