Russian volunteers have come together to create a database that I never imagined would exist for those researching their Russian genealogy.
Anyone who visits Russian archive websites knows that the design is unique to each archive. Too many English-speakers give up in trying to understand how to use Russian archive websites because it is hard to understand how to use the websites.
Thanks to a group of volunteers, the list of fonds (sets of records) for regional and federal archives are being indexed in a database called The Great Inventory. The project is close to documenting 300,000 fonds of 17 archives. I’ve noticed listed fonds from the early 1800s to the 1950s. (See the database in English here but you must search using the regular link. Yes, the database is on an .org site, not a .ru site)
The database has a search engine so users don’t need to sift through thousands of listings to find the fonds that interest them.
Anyone who has seen listings of archive fonds in Russia know that the titles of fonds can be very detailed. That means people’s full names and the situations documented in the archive fonds are detailed in just the titles.
The amount of money that this database can save for those who don’t know how to go through the fond listings on Russian archive websites is unreal. Users can search for full names, surnames, names of places, ethnic groups, businesses, events, etc.
I tested some keywords to check out the results after switching keywords from English to Russian on Google Translate. Here is a sampling of the results: persecution, 114 listings; Jewish, 198 listings; nobles, 1,153 listings; merchants, 763 listings; evacuations, 9 listings; and Germans, 13 listings.
Any attempt to find the same information through other methods would not be as time effective or useful as this database. Yes, the database is in Russian, but combining the use of this database with the Google Translate web browser app or a comparable app makes the searching so much easier.
Here’s how to use this database without knowing Russian:
- Please make sure to download the Google Translate web browser app or a comparable app. I can’t say this enough times.
- Have Google Translate open in the next window while searching in the database to translate keywords.
- Type keywords into Google Translate and have them translated into Russian.
- Copy and paste the keywords into the box with the magnifying glass and press enter or click on the magnifying glass.
- Once the results appear, each listing will have information in four columns in this order: location, title, associated dates and number of pages.
- Remember to copy this information into a document for additional research. Also, have another document open to keep track of searched keywords.
- If you click on the text under Номер (number in English) on the far left for each result, the archive that possesses the fond will be noted right above the results in red. Click on the red lettering to get the full name of the archive and the indexed fund names for that archive will be listed below.
- If too many results appear, you can remove the blue checks in the small boxes next to each archive name under “Результаты поиска:” (or Search results: in English). Press enter or click on the magnifying glass to see the adjusted results. It is best to keep open a window for the list of archives that are part of the project next to the search page results so you know the names of the archives.
- Copy main keywords (such as names, places, events and businesses) from the fonds title to search for similar fonds listed in the database.
- Take the next step by copying the title of the fonds into Google or Yandex (Russia’s most popular search engine) to see whether more information can be found online.
- If nothing is found by searching the full title on Google or Yandex, just search using the main keywords from the fond title.
- Don’t forget to check out the more than 65 databases on the Free Databases page try out your search skills on more databases.
Those who didn’t find any information for their research could find something useful later on. The database is a work in progress, with the project starting just earlier this year. Potential to find information could be on the way as the project grows with new information.
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