Here is the list of typical content of most common sources for Jewish genealogy in Imperial Russia (including Ukraine, Belarus, Bessarabia, Crimea), excluding the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland).
Birth records include:
- name of the children born,
- father’s given name, patronymic and last name
- mother’s name,
- sometimes mother’s patronymic,
- rarely mother’s maiden name,
- father’s place of origin,
- father’s social class,
- place of birth,
- date of birth,
- date of circumcision for boys.
Marriage records include:
- name, patronymic and last name of both spouses,
- age of the spouses,
- place of origin of the groom or groom’s father and bride’s father,
- place of origin of bride or, if she was a widow, her previous husband’s place of registration,
- social class of the groom and bride’s father or, if she was a widow, her previous husband’s social class,
- information on payment related to marriage contract,
- rabbi’s name.
Death records include:
- given name, patronymic and last name of the deceased person,
- rarely name and patronymic of relative of deceased’s person (wife/husband or father)
- place of origin,
- social class or, if deceased person was a child/wife, father’s/husband’s social class.
- reason of death,
- age at death,
- place of death.
The 1875 military census lists information on males arranged according to family units (biological family, without servants, families of sons-in-law were registered as separate units, even if they lived in the same household). This information includes:
- names, patronymics and last names,
- age,
- place of living,
- place of origin/registration,
- rarely death dates,
- family relations.
Revision lists from 1834, 1850, 1858 lists information on males and females arranged according to family units (biological family, without servants, families of sons-in-law were registered as separate units, even if they lived in the same household). This information includes:
- names, patronymics and last names,
- age,
- place of registration,
- family relations,
- information if the family was registered in the place during the previous revision list,
- sometimes year of death, departure or arrival of a family member, if the event took place between the current and previous revision list.
The 1897 census lists information on all members of the household (i.e. biological family, servants, lodgers), their:
- names, patronymics and last names,
- sex,
- family relations,
- marital status,
- age,
- social class,
- place of birth,
- place of living,
- place of registration,
- information on absence,
- literacy,
- education,
- profession
- secondary profession,
- military status,
- mental illness,
- illegitimacy,
- address.
