WHAT TO BRING AND WHERE TO START YOUR RESEARCH:

Please bring your pedigree, family group sheets and other data with you when you come to the library for your reference as you search for your ancestors.  *Begin with U.S. records (e.g. census) and work back to the time of the person's immigration, and then on to Europe. Make sure you copy all the census records from 1930 back to when you think they came. 1930, 1920, 1910 and 1900 give dates of immigration and naturalization. Look for all relatives including uncles, cousins, and in-laws, etc.
Tsarist Russian Research

The first step in tracing ancestors is determining his or her date and town of birth. Begin by searching the following records for the area where the ancestor lived.
• Census Records
•
• Emigration /Immigration
•
• Church Certificates
•
• Cemetery Records
• Church Records
• Court Records
• Diaries
• Maps
• Military Records
•
• Pedigree Resource File
•
• Periodicals
• Social Security Death Index
• Vital Records
• Citizenship
RUSSIAN HISTORY AT A GLANCE:
 YEAR               EVENT
  859    The Rus, Viking traders, settle Novgorod. 1147   Moscow settled.
 1237   Tartars defeat the Kievan Rus.
 1582   Siberia settled.
 1569    Russia's first Czar: Ivan the Terrible.
 1698   Peter the Great westernizes Russia.
 1861    Emancipation of Russian serfs.
 1867    Russia sells Alaska to the US.
 1917   Bolshevik revolution overthrows Tsar.
 1918    Russia pulls out of World War I.
 1991    USSR dissolves.
MAPS AND RESOURCES:
1.Maps: check stacks and map table for Russia and bordering
countries e.g. Czech Republic, Slovakia, Polan, Croatia, etc.
2. www.davidrumsey.com
3. www.mapquest.com
4.Russian History Atlas, Historical geographical book on the changing
boundaries of Russia and surrounding countries from 800 b.c. to 1970
a.d. as a result of wars, famines, trading and rebellions, exiles and
revolutions, Call # 947 E3g.
6 June 2006 - Original (DRAFT)
 IGI
 Family Letters
 Family Histories
 Family Bibles
 Land Records
 Naturalization
 Newspapers
• Census Records
•
• Emigration /Immigration
•
• Church Certificates
•
• Cemetery Records
• Church Records
• Court Records
• Diaries