The astonishing thing about Russian
genealogy is the fact that it is possible at all. Wars, revolutions and
ignorance have destroyed a significant part of written records. Persecution, and
even massacres, of people belonging to “wrong” classes discouraged the
transition of family memories to young generations. Only a decade ago Russian
genealogists started to come out in the open.
Now it has become
evident that archives in Moscow and provinces have managed to keep many of their
files in good shape. Sometimes, a research of family roots is stonewalled by the
dearth of records, but in many cases these archives yield wonderful results. My
personal experience is a good example. Starting with even the surnames of both
my grandmothers unknown, three years later I have accumulated a 3,000-strong
database of ancestors and living relatives and discovered that some of the
direct lines go as far back as 1615, the date of the earliest written records
for that area. Other lines, alas, can be traced for only three or four
generations.
I can assure you that
it is still well worth trying. Writing letters to archives, directly or through
an assistant in Russia, is not cumbersome, and the expenses, relatively low. A
research could set you back some $100 to $500 depending on the difficulty and
the volume of the records to be translated and explained.
Direct genealogical
research is still a problem in Russia, due to several negative factors:
Very few attempts have been made at translating
archival records into a digital form. Official statistics claim that the data on
some 2.5 billion people can be found in Russian archives, but no comprehensive
databases exist, and none is available online. Even telephone directories are
officially a taboo in most Russian regions, starting with Moscow and St.
Petersburg. People use outdated directories stolen from law-enforcement agencies.
Only about 2 percent of Russians have an Internet access. Most of this
category is young people who could not care less about their ancestors.
Russian names spelled in Cyrillic letters have various, and sometimes
very peculiar, versions when spelled by Germans, English-speakers or the French.
V easily becomes W or FF, for example.
Russian archives accept payment by postal or bank transfers, and in
the local currency only. It is not possible in most cases to pay from abroad.
This is why an intermediary is recommended, who can accept payments by Western
Union or through other channels and do the Russian side of the finance himself.
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