This wee we’ve been working on an new episode of Finding Your Roots, TV series hosted by prof. Henry Louis Gates, exploring family past of famous American stars. Our task was to find sources in three archives: in Przemyśl, Tarnów and Sandomierz. Even if we knew we know whose ancestors we’ve been looking for, we wouldn’t be allowed to tell you before the episode is broadcasted. The only one clear thing is that her or his ancestors lived in Galicia. We’ve been able to trace back one of the family branches to as early as 1814. The TV series is produced by New York company Ark Media and our episode will be broadcasted on PBS forthcoming autumn. Only then the mystery who is featured in the show will be solved.

Jews in the Russian Empire could live only in the Pale of Settlement and in the Congress Kingdom of Poland.

At the end of Russian Empire (1917) there were 14 groups of Jews who could live outside the Pale of Settlement after having permission granted:

1. merchants belonging to the 1st guild longer than 5 years, their family, home servants and employees in their business;
2. commercial or industrial counsellors with their family;
3. Jews with MA and PhD degrees and University assistants with their family and two home servants;
4. graduates of institution of higher education;
5. pharmacy assistants, dentists, obstetrician;
6. students of pharmacy, feldshery, and obstetrics;
7. wives of Jews mentioned in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 have right to stay outside the Pale after husband’s death provided that they don’t marry again. Their sons have right to stay till adulthood or gaining higher education (but not later that 25 years); daughters till marriage;
8. retired soldiers and their children;
9. soldiers who participated in wars in the far east;
10. students in institutions of higher educations (universities, academies);
11. students of Technical Institute of Petersburg may live only in Petersburg;
12. active master craftsmen, submaster craftsmen with their family (wife, children and minor siblings);
13. tailors working for army and military schools;
14. ennobled Jews.

Of course there were additional conditions for members of each of these groups.

Temporary stay outside the Pale of Settlement, up to two months could be granted to Jews coming:

1. to receive inheritance
2. to claim the property
3. in commercial matters and to participate in auctions of work and goods to be delivered in the Pale.

Following governorates belonged to the Russian Empire (right before the Revolution):

• Bessarabia,
• Vilnius (rus. Vilna),
• Vitsyebsk (rus. Vitebsk),
• Hrodna (rus. Grodno),
• Yekaterinoslav,
• Kaunas (rus. Kovno),
• Minsk,
• Mahilyow (rus. Mogilev),
• Podolia,
• Poltava,
• Taurida,
• Kherson,
• Kyiv (without the city of Kyiv)

Ten most west governorates (Congress Poland) did not belong to the Pale of Settlement.

These rules was regulated by the Law on Social Estates and the Law on Passports printed in vol. 9 and 14 of Свод законов Российской империи.

Because it’s important for us to work in a transparent manner, we always offer our clients a signed research agreement in which we specify together:

• research duration,
• date of its completion,
• the cost of the research,
• sources to be researched,
• form of the final report,
• and anything you, as our employer, consider important for you.

Now, you can preview a sample of our genealogical research agreement [updated in May 2016]