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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Ukrainian family history, genealogical data, mass deportation, Communist regime

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

History

Abstract

The former Russian Empire is one of the most challenging places to do family history research in the world. One of the reasons is related to the fact that the records used to locate genealogical data depend on political and ecclesiastical boundaries. For example, a Christian man living in a village without a church will be baptized, married and buried in a village different from his hometown. Thus, it is not only necessary to know one’s ancestor’s place(s) of residence, but the place(s) where he or she was civilly registered, attended religious services, was married, etc. Due to the colorful history of the Russian Empire – specifically the never-ending conquering, loss and reorganization of land and the comparatively unstable political climate – pursuing ancestors may easily become an endeavor of discouragingly large proportions. The boundaries as well as the administrative center of the area a town belongs to may very well have changed two, three or more times in the last 200 years. So, where does one begin to look?

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