Russia, Samara Church Books - FamilySearch Historical Records
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| This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org. | |
| Samara, Russia | |
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| Flag of Russian Empire and Russian Federation | |
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| Flag of Samara Oblast | |
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| Location of Samara, Russia | |
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| Record Description | |
| Record Type: | Church |
| Collection years: | 1748-1934 |
| Languages: | Russian |
| Title in the Language: | Россия, Самарская Православная Консистория Дубликаты Метрических Книг |
| FamilySearch Resources | |
| Related Websites | |
| Archive | |
| Russian Society of Historians and Archivists, Moscow | |
Contents
What is in This Collection?[edit | edit source]
This collection will include records of births and baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials from the Orthodox Church in Samara Province from 1748 to 1934. Register transcripts usually contain multiple parishes for a year, with separate sections for the baptisms, marriages, and burials of a single parish. The volumes cover a district (uezd) and often are very large. Original registers may contain multiple years for a single parish.
The Church acted as both a religious and civil agent in recording vital events and church sacraments such as baptism and burial. Peter the Great mandated the keeping of Russian Orthodox books in 1722. The format was standardized in 1724. Printed forms were introduced in 1806. In 1838 a format was introduced that prevailed until the 1930s. The priests made a transcript for the ecclesiastical court (dukhovnaia konsistoriia) having jurisdiction over the parish. This is usually the version that has been preserved. The register covers 70% of the population for early periods, 90% after 1800.
Church registers were created and kept by priests to record the baptisms, marriages, and burials performed for their parishioners. These were considered an official record and are normally very reliable. Earlier registers may not be equally reliable. In 1825 the Holy Synod,the governmental body over the Orthodox Church, ordered bishops to eradicate bribery of priests to falsify the books, suggesting that this problem existed.
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A common idea in the West is that metrical books (Russian parish registers) were destroyed by the Soviet regime in its campaign against religion. On the contrary, Soviet archives preserved them. Cut off by political circumstance, or unresponsive to genealogical inquires, these sources remained untouched for most of the twentieth century. |
Image Visibility[edit | edit source]
Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images.
For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.
Reading These Records[edit | edit source]
These records are in Russian. For help reading them see:
- Russia Languages
- Russian Genealogical Word List
- Russia Handwriting
- FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
To Browse This Collection[edit | edit source]
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Russia, Samara Church Books, 1748-1934. |
Collection Content[edit | edit source]
The following information may be found in these records:
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Baptism
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Marriage
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Death or Burial
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Coverage Table[edit | edit source]
As of September 2019 this collection contains records from Казань (Kazan), Оренбург (Orenburg), Самара (Samara), Саратов (Saratov), and Симбирск (Simbirsk). A detailed coverage table for this collection is available in the wiki article Russia, Samara Province Orthodox Church Records, Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records
How Do I Search This Collection?[edit | edit source]
Search the Index[edit | edit source]
Search by name on the Collection Details Page.- Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
- Click Search to show possible matches
View the Images[edit | edit source]
View images in this collection by visiting the Collection Browse Page:- Select Province
- Select District
- Select Place/Parish
- Select Year/Vol/Event to view the images
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More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at Russia, Samara Church Books, 1748-1934. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images. |
How Do I Analyze the Results?[edit | edit source]
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.
What Do I Do Next?[edit | edit source]
I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?[edit | edit source]
- Add any new information to your records
- Use the age of the citizen to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records
- Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited, or lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching civil registration records in the country
- When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors
- Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900
I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?[edit | edit source]
- Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Civil Registration records or Church Records may be more useful
- While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
- Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
- Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
- Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
- Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies
- Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800
- There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another
Research Helps[edit | edit source]
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Russia.
Known Issues[edit | edit source]
Click here for a list of known issues with this collection.
Citing This Collection[edit | edit source]
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
| Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection. |
| Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information. |
| Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen. |
