Intermediate Eastern European Records

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Austrian-Hungarian, German and Russian Empires: Chronology

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

In this course, you will learn more about the differentiations within ethnic Eastern European research depending upon the time period and geographic place. Through studying the key dates and concepts critical to the Austrian, German, and Russian Empires you will understand of how these three Empires shaped Eastern Europe, and impacted the lives and decisions of your ancestors.

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Civil Registration Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Church parish registers are the foundation of genealogical research in Eastern Europe, but civil registration of vital events is also an important consideration. Although civil registration generally began during the 1800s in most areas, the depth of information in these records makes them a valuable source for learning more about people who were registered. Most civil registrations of births, marriages, and deaths provide significantly more information than is found in comparable church registers. In addition, they are often indexed and therefore easier to use. Unfortunately, access to such records is often restricted by availability (they often begin much later than research needs would require) and privacy laws regulating public access. In this course, you will learn the value of civil registration records, what types of records are available, how to access them, the nature and extent of access and privacy restrictions. In addition, you will learn about key terminology, how to deal with foreign language challenges, and other obstacles and key tips on reading and interpreting birth, marriage, and death records.

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Church Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Church parish registers are the most popular and useful source for tracing ancestors in Eastern Europe. Often these are the only records in which to find information about our ancestors and their families in the old country, and as such, form the foundation of genealogical research. In most cases, our Eastern European ancestors were not landowners nor mentioned in probate records. Census records are sporadic, while tax lists and other records are scant, incomplete, and difficult to access, if they exist at all. This makes the local records of birth, marriage, or death kept by the local church the records of choice for documenting most East Europeans, especially before the late 19th century. In this course, you will learn the value of church records (both Christian and Jewish), what types of records are available, how to access them, limitations and privacy restrictions. In addition, you will learn about general search strategies, key terminology, how to deal with foreign language challenges, and other obstacles, and tips on reading and interpreting birth, marriage, and death records.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Other Records Including Census, Land, Military and Tax

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

While church registers are the most useful sources for tracing most Eastern European ancestors, and civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths provide even more details, there are other record groups to be searched that may prove useful in the absence of church and civil registration records for your locality.

We will begin with a brief review of “other” records that you can use to research your ancestors in Eastern Europe. We will then look specifically at census, military, land, tax, and nobility records, as well as sources such as directories and compiled genealogies. In addition, you will learn about general search strategies, key terminology, how to deal with foreign language challenges, and other obstacles, and tips on reading and interpreting these records.

Finally, we will review some of the best websites for finding Eastern European records online and how to work around common obstacles such as privacy laws, translating records and more.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Record Repositories

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Tracking down specific records for ancestors is likely the ultimate goal of students taking the Eastern European courses. Therefore, one important aspect of these courses is to describe the nature of the repositories where the needed records reside. There are a variety of libraries and archives (hence, the usage of the term “repositories”) one may access to obtain the needed records.

To be effective in using a variety of repositories in Central and Eastern Europe, it is important to learn about them, including their differences, and how to access them. Due to the sheer number of archives, libraries, societies, and other repositories for the various Eastern European countries, not all are identified. Each researcher may need a different set of repositories to succeed in research. This course will introduce the major kinds of repositories and a basic overview of how they operate.

Course Length: 7 weeks