Updated Oct. 20, 2023
Here is a list of more than 80 important databases for Russian and Ukrainian genealogy. The list will be updated regularly.
The below searchable databases will ask for information in Russian and Ukrainian. Google Translate tool for web browsers will not work for some of these websites.
So you will need to know some Russian words. Найти is find, поиск is search, фамилия is last name, имя is first name, отчество is patronymic middle name (i.e. Ivanovich, son of Ivan), год роджения is birth year, mесто рождения is place of birth, звание is rank, место призыва is town/city called to duty and место жительства is place of residence.
Use this website in another window to write names of people, towns and cities in Russian and Ukrainian. Please remember that these databases will not have information on everyone. Some databases are still being updated with new information.
Please watch for links in italics to blog posts that will explain how to use these Russian and Ukrainian databases without knowing the languages. Some databases will have outages due to the Russian war in Ukraine.
Follow this blog with the top right button to catch important news on updates to this page.
Political terror
Victims of Political Terror in the USSR– The database was updated in fall 2017 with another 500,000 victims’ information. About 3.1 million people can be searched. Here is a post on the database.
National Database of Repressed of Ukraine– The list of Ukrainians killed by the government during Soviet times can viewed in alphabetical order or be searched. Click on Розширений пошук to use the search engine. Прізвще is last name, Ім’я is first name, По-батькові is patronymic middle name, Рік народження is year of birth, Місце народження is place of birth, Останнє місце проживання is last residence and Bci is all.
Ukrainian Martyrologist of the 20th Century – This database has more than 113,000 victims of communist-era persecution from the 1920s-1950s. Biographical information and the location of the persecution files are included on victims, with some having their photos posted online.
Indeks Represjonowanych– Searchable database of people who were persecuted, killed or repatriated during Soviet rule of Poland. The database includes people from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Lithuania. Worth a look for anyone who had persecuted relatives due to border changes in eastern Europe. Please use Google Translate to translate the search terms.
Victims of Anti-Polish Terror in the Soviet Union 1934-1938– This is a database of The Center for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding and the Institute of National Remembrance to document the 200,000 victims of the terror. Here is a post on the database.
NKVD agents– International Memorial, a social action group that documented the repression during Soviet years, reveals the names of 41,000 agents who worked for the NKVD (predecessor of KGB) from 1935-1939. Here is a post on the database.
Deported Volga Germans– More than 31,000 Volga Germans were deported from Krasnoyarsk Territory and sent to Siberia in 1941. Read this post to learn how to use this database.
Memory Book of Victims of Political Repression in Eastern Transbaikalia– Name, birth year, place of residence, arrest date, given sentence, date of rehabilitation, and names and ages of relatives are provided on victims.
Dispossessed– Almost 50,000 peasants from Chelyabinsk Region who were dispossessed are listed by their full name, age, and location. A search engine is provided for the database.
Memory Book of Victims of Political Repression from Chelyabinsk Region– More than 36,000 residents are listed by full name, birth year, birthplace, nationality and profession in this searchable database.
Memory Book of the Dispossessed of Sverdlovsk Region– More than 55,000 people are listed in the searchable database. Victims are listed by full name, age, known relatives, reason for dispossession and punishment. Details on the location of records is provided in the database.
State Archives of Kyiv Region’s Filtration Cases of Repatriates– The database can be searched by first, patronymic and surname and scans of records are provided.
State Archives of Zhytomyr Region Lists of Soviet Era Persecution Victims of the 1920s-1940s– The information is listed on 22 documents by alphabetical order.
State Archives of Zhytomyr Region Filtration Cases of Persons Deported for Forced Labor during WWII– The information is listed on 29 documents by alphabetical order.
Victims of Chuvash Republic– Almost 200,000 persecution victims can be searched in this database. The victims also are listed alphabetically.
Holocaust
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database– A thorough database from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
JewishGen’s Holocaust Database– The database has more than 2.75 million entries from more than 190 component datasets.
Participants of the White Movement in USSR
swolkov.org– This database has information on more than 106,000 people who were in the White Army and/or emigrated from the USSR. Here is a post on this database.
Military databases for World War II
Memorial– This is a flexible searchable database for soldiers who died or went missing in action during World War II. You can search by name of village/town/city alone under the Расширенный поиск tab. Remember to click on all of the options below the search text line for Расширенный поиск to catch as much information as possible. You can search by first, middle (patronymic) and last name, birth year or rank.
Feat of the People– Click on поиск по фамилии on the left to search for awards given to Soviet soldiers during WWII. This database is flexible, too. Users can search by first, middle, last name, birth year, rank and place of recruitment (last residence). Scans of the actual hand written or typed citations are provided, in addition to images of the awards received.
Memory of a Nation 1941-1945– This website has more than 50 million records on Soviet Army WWII soldiers and that includes 2 million records on locations of soldiers’ burial sites. It was last updated in 2023. Here is a post on the database.
Soviet POW database– A searchable list of Soviet soldiers who were POWs of the German army during World War II. Here is a post on the database.
Road of Memory – A searchable database by name of Soviet Army soldiers with their photos. Those photos also have been posted with the records on Memory of a Nation 1941-1945. Here is a post on Road of Memory.
For the Defense of Moscow Medal database– More than 1 million people were awarded the” For the Defense of Moscow” medal. The searchable database has scanned records of the recipients. Here is a post on the database with a video guide on how to use the database without knowing Russian.
For the Defense of Leningrad database– Almost 200,000 recipients are documented in this searchable database with their scanned records. Here is a post on the database.
Participants of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 Who Died in Hospitals in the Kirov Region in 1941-1946– More than 1,600 people can be searched in this database.
Prisoners of the Orlov Concentration Camp (1941-1943)-Information is provided in lists and pdf files for sick prisoners, registration of prisoners and death of prisoners.
Participants in the Oryol-Kursk Battle– The database on more than 900 soldiers from Oryol Region, Russia, has the full name, birth year, birthplace, residence, awards and exact file location, in addition to photos of some soldiers. The soldiers’ information also can be viewed in an alphabetical index.
Relatives honoring their WWII soldiers
Memory: Veterans of the Great Patriotic War– Relatives have posted stories and photos of WWII soldiers for the Soviet Army. Here is a post on the database.
Immortal Regiment- More than 800,000 WWII soldiers for the Soviet Army are documents with stories and photos by relatives. Here is a post on the database.
Civilian World War II databases
The Feat of the Partisans- This database provides information on the state award recipients for the partisan movement. The database provides the file location of awards. Here is a post on the database.
Lists of the Stolen– Database of Soviet citizens who were forcibly taken to labor for free by the Germans. These victims also were called the Ostarbeiters. Here is a post on the database.
Filtering cases of repatriates of Kyiv Region– More than 115,000 Kyiv Region residents are documented as forced laborers (or Ostarbaiters) of Germany from 1941–1943. See this post on using this database.
Arolsen Archives- International Center on Nazi Persecution– More than 26 million records in German are posted on victims of Nazism and displaced persons of World War II. The database can be searched in English. Here is a post on the database.
Crimes of the Nazis and Their Accomplices Against the Civilian Population of the USSR During the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945– More than 46,000 Russian victims of Nazi persecution on Russian territory are documented in the database. Read this post about the database.
Destinies Scorched by War– A three-in-one database that includes men and women called to service from Stalingrad and its region, civilians killed during the bombing of the city and residents of Stalingrad taken by force to Germany. Check out this post to learn how to use this database.
List of Persons Evacuated from Leningrad and the Leningrad Region and Relocated to the Territory of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic– Full name, birth year and residential neighborhood of Saint Petersburg is provided on evacuees.
WWII Evacuees of Chelyabinsk Region, Russia– More than 400,000 evacuees are listed by name, birth year, residence before evacuation and site of relocation. A search engine is provided to find evacuees.
Motherland Awards– Database of Chelyabinsk Region residents who received awards for their service during WWII. More than 600,000 recipients are listed by full name, place of residents and place of employment, award given and date of receiving award.
Book of Memory of the Labor Army Members of the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Combine Trust– More than 31,000 Germans, Finns, Czechs, Russians and other Soviet citizens who forcibly worked for the trust are listed by full name, birth year and birthplace.
Lists of Citizens Evacuated during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in Kirov– About 6,000 citizens can be searched in the database.
Partisans and Underground Fighters of the Oryol Region– The database has a search engine and an alphabetical index on underground workers and civilians who assisted during the Great Patriotic War.
Evacuated Children– The database can be searched to find some of the children who were evacuated from boarding schools in Moscow and Moscow Region to Komi-Permyak National District.
Evacuees of Tomsk Region– The database from the State Archive of Tomsk Region has a search engine on thousands of evacuees.
Evacuees to Altai Republic– More than 4,000 citizens of the former USSR who were relocated to the region during WWII can be found in this database, which includes Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians and Estonians.
EWZ records:
Odessa– Search under war records to find relatives and ancestors who had Einwandererzentralstelle (EWZ) records. Those who had relatives and ancestors with German ancestry who were living in eastern Europe during WWII are highly recommended to use this database. Learn more about EWZ records here.
Military databases for World War I
Project of the Union of Revival of Pedigree Traditions (SVRT)– Database of injured and killed World War I soldiers of the Russian Empire. This database can be searched in English or Russian. Here is a post on this database.
International Committee of the Red Cross Database on World War I Prisoners of War– This database covers the Russian Empire, along with the other countries involved in the war. The database can be searched in English.
In Memory of the Heroes of the Great War of 1914-1918– This database has more than 2 million entries for Russian Empire soldiers who received awards, went missing and/or died in World War I. Here is a post of the database.
Fight for Ukraine’s Independence
Names of Independent Ukraine– More than 16,000 people who were involved in the fight for Ukraine’s independence are listed in this database. Here is a post on the database.
Imperial Army database
Officers of the Russian Imperial Army– This is the largest open database and photo archive of officers and formations of the Russian Imperial Army of the early 20th century. Here is a post on the database.
Post-Soviet Era military databases
Book of Memory. Chechnya, 1994-1996 and 1999-2009– Database of Perm Region citizens who died during military operations in Chechnya.
Book of Memory. Afghanistan, 1979–1989- Database of Perm Region citizens who died during military operations in Afghanistan.
Combined databases
Perished– This database posts information on people who died during various wars that affected the former USSSR and current-day Russia, in addition people who suffered from Soviet repression. Here is a post on the database.
Memory Books
Ukraine’s Memory Book– List divided by cities, regions and other categories of soldiers, underground soldiers and civilians who died during WWII. The list is searchable.
Books of Memory– This website has a searchable database of the soldiers who died in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-40.
Book of Memory for the Republic of Belarus– The searchable database provides information on people who died in Belarus during WWII and those who came from Belarus and died elsewhere during WWII. Here is a post on the database.
Famine Victims of Ukraine– Lists of victims of Holodomor, the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. Click on The National Book of Memory to find the correct memory book by region. See this page on Wikipedia for more information on Holodomor.
The Book of Memory of the Siege of Leningrad– About 9 million records are available on this database to document the evacuation of residents from Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), provide information about those who died or survived the siege of Leningrad, offer data on those who served in the Soviet Army’s military units to defend Leningrad from the German army and release records on residents and people’s militia members who received awards for their service during the siege. Here is a post on the database with a video guide.
Soviet-era awards
Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy Fund and Library Archive Database– Documents recipients of the national awards in agriculture and industry. Here is a post on the database.
Immigration
Ukrainian Immigrants, 1891-1930– Database of Ukrainian immigrants who came to Canada. Detailed information on the database and how to obtain the paper records are here. The database can be searched in English.
Immigrants from the Russian Empire– The scanned records for these immigrants who came to Canada can be found through the search engine for this database. The database can be searched in English.
Buscador– Spanish database of immigrants who include those from the former USSR coming to Argentina. (Copy and paste the text into Google Translate to read the results in English.) Here is a post about the database.
BREM files database– The database has information on people listed in Bureau for Russian Emigrants in the Manchurian Empire files. The information provided on immigrants include full name, birthdate, social status, religion, education, marital status and details on relatives. Some people have their photos in the searchable database.
Indexed records
The All Galicia Database– More than 700,000 indexed archive records on mostly the Jewish population of Galicia, today part of southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, and some records on other ethnic groups.
Geneteka– This database has indexed records from Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia, in addition to Poland. Learn more about this database from this post.
GenealogyIndexer– The database has indexed and scanned records from Russia, Ukraine, Bessarabia, Belarus, Galicia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova and other Eastern European countries. Read this guide for searching Russian and Ukrainian resources.
Yandex Archives– Russia’s most popular search engine has posted almost 7 million records from the Central Archive of the City of Moscow, State Archive of Orenburg Region, Central Archive of Moscow Region, State Archive of Novgorod Region and the Central Archive of the Republic of Mordovia and indexed them for a searchable database. Read this guide for using this database.
Indexed Birth Records of Kyiv– More than 190,000 records from 1919-1936 are indexed in this searchable database. See this post for using the database.
Indexed Civil Act Records of Kyiv Region– More than 360,000 birth, marriage, divorced and death records from 1919-1945 are indexed and searchable here.
Communist-era birth, marriage and death records from Moscow Region– The database can be searched on more than 95,000 people. The following information is provided on individuals: date of event, place of event, and parents’ names, in addition to the exact file location in archives.
Parish books from Moscow Region– Almost 20,000 people can be searched in the database, which lists the exact file location in archives.
All-Russian Census Questionnaires of 1917 for Altai (Tomsk) Province– More than 340,000 people can be searched in the database.
Revision Tales of 1857-1859 (similar to a census) of Kirov Region– The database has more than 42,000 residents.
Databases of State Archives Zhytomyr Region– The section has passporting of military burials on the territory of Zhytomyr Region, records of registration of marriages from the Volyn Regional registers for 1922−1923, confessional information, audits of the taxable population, cases of repressed persons in the 1920s-1940s and filtration cases of persons deported for forced labor during WWII. All information is indexed on spreadsheets.
General database
Pra.in.ua– This is the largest database of the Ukrainian residents born between 1650 and 1920. Registration is required for this database. The database can be searched in English.
The Great Inventory – More than 550,000 lists of fonds (sets of records) from archives of Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania can be found in this database.
Village databases
Familio– The database can be searched to find more than 270,000 villages in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus that have vanished from current day maps. Read this post to learn how to use this database.
Electronic local history encyclopedia of the Lipetsk Region– The information on villages is organized by alphabetical order. Users can find the sources of information in the State Archive of Lipetsk Region.
List of settlements in the Vyatka Province, Kirov Province, 1905– The database can be searched by village names and other criteria through advanced searches. The results will identify the exact location of villages by neighborhood and parish and where records are located on villages within the State Archive of Kirov Region.
Jewish communities
Search engine for Jewish communities in Galicia– Almost 8,000 Jewish communities from the mid-19th century in Galicia are documented in this database.
Churches
Temples of Russia– More than 29,000 photos of Russian Orthodox and Old Believers churches and chapels are located in this database. The database has churches that are functioning, closed and forgotten. Here is a post about the database.
Towns of the Diocese of Lutsk– Almost 6,000 communities belonging to parishes in the Lutsk Diocese in the mid-19th century can be searched in the database.
Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family 
Researching YEVLANPII LANOVOEV CHELPANOV, aka JOSEPH WILLIAMS, born:_________Russia, Nov. 1869, Came to USA 1886, died: 26 Jul. 1936 in Vestaburg, PA. W. Bethelehan, Washington, Co., PA. Wife: MARY ROMANOFF – WILLIAMS, she came to USA the following year in 1887. They had 7 chi8ldren: JOSEPH, JR., MARY, JOHN. MARTHA, CHARLES, PHILLIP, WILLIAM, all born in Pennsylvania.
JOSEPH WILLIAMS eath certificate.
Primary Reg. Dist # 63 – 12 -81
Reg. # 452 File # 737333
Regards,
Lori
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thank you for posting these links…found two family members.
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That’s wonderful. I hope you find more 🙂
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Looking for family of David Kimmel. Arrived US NY in 1913. Born 1893 in Odessa, states Norchnia Krasnucha russia as birth place. He was smuggled on ship to avoid service I believe.
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I consider this particular article , “Free Databases | Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family”,
especially interesting not to mention it was a very good read.
Thanks for the post,Darcy
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Thanks.
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hi..looking for fathers relatives ..He was born in Skala-Podilska. 1923/ 4..Lewyckyj (english version of surname)
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HI, I am trying to find my Grandfather JANIS GRASIS born 1875 d,1950.
I am told that he was in the Russian army, he was Latvian/Russian, and a high ranking officer. is there anyway to get information on him through the old war records?
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Thanks for visiting my blog.
To find records on him, you would need to know more details-years he served, area of Russia where he served and lived.What else do you know?You can e-mail me at bepa.miller at mail. ru.
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Looking for any Bartosiewski family I’ve heard are in Russia, Moscow from what I’ve heard. My maiden name is the same and we have records back four generations. I toured Eastern Poland and there are none there nor are there any Mendels .
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What else can you tell about your family in Moscow?
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thank you I have emailed you.
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I have tried to email you but it won’t accept the address.
Hello,
Thank you for your response. All I know about him is that he was b1875 d 1950 married 1920 to Alise Bruverise.
My father remembers him as a High ranking officer, and a carpenter by trade.
Not in WW1, the fight after that time.
It is unclear if he was Russian or Latvian. My father was born in Bauska Latvia.
I have been searching for my lost family for over 12 years, have some success with my grandmothers side.
My grandparents divorced, and my father has little knowledge of his father.
I would so much love a photo of him. I know this is not much at all to go by, and I will understand if you can not help.
Kind regards,
Margret.
Australia.
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Hello Margret,
Have you tried getting your grandfather’s immigration records from Australia’s national archives? Where have you looked for information on him?
Vera
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Vera, my father JULIUS, came to Australia. I have his records. As far as I am aware my gfather died in Latvia.
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Hi Margret,
If you know the year your grandfather died, maybe you can contact Latvian archives for his death record. It is worth a try.
Vera
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Looking for any information on a Martha Bindas, Srokowski, Zarakowski or any variation of theses names with a daughter named Anastasia born July 1, 1914. She married my grandfather Nicholas (Nikolaus) Bilinsky October 14, 1914. Martha was born in May 1890? She had a sister named Maria who married a Dmytro Melnyk (Miller) and had three children. Can anyone help?
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Thanks for visiting my blog. Anastasia has my birthday 🙂 Did these people immigrate to the USA or another country? If so, when did they immigrate?
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To the best of my knowledge tey arrived in Canada in 1914 and resided in Ottawa moving onto Toronto and then to Simcoe, Ontario. e-mail me at marmal23@hotmail if you like.
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I’ll e-mail you soon. Vera
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Vera,
My grandfather died in Latvia. My father came to Australia as a Displaced Person in 1950,
I have tried the ITS and the Red Cross, neither have had any luck. The ITS do have information on my father, what it is I don’t know, as I am still waiting for it. I am hoping that it has my fathers birth cert and that maybe it will give my grandfathers details. I often wonder if he was a Russian as he was in Latvia all his life that I know of. I don’t even know if my grandfather had brothers or sisters. I am aware that he lived his life out on a farm near Sigulda and remarried a woman with sons from another marriage. So sad not to know one’s own relatives.
Thank you again Vera.
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I sent you an e-mail message.
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I’m trying to find WALZ (WALTZ) family from Dnepropetrovsk (Ekaterinoslavl) area. They lived before WW2 in german village near Dnepropetrovsk.
Magdalena Walz, daughter of Joseph (1902?-1974)- my grandma. As I know- my grandma had at least two sisters.
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Have you tried reaching archives, which have records up until 1919? If you can prove ancestry, the registry office could release communist era info on your family. I can give you more details when you tell me what information you need and family records you already have.
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Hello, I know very little and don’t know exactly places.
My grandma Walz/Waltz Magdalena, Joseph’s d. (b.06-mar-1900? – d.04-nov-1974) get married Chayukov Kuzma, Ostahovich (b.1909-d.1952 in Abez, Vorkuta) in c.1930 and had son Vladimir Chayukov (b.1932) and daughter (my mother) Ludmila Chayukova (b.1936-d.2002). As my mother told me- they lived in german village and she named german village (I don’t remember taht name now) and said that village were in about 40km from Dnepropetrovsk. It was german community.
My mother told me that during the war they were deported to Germany and worked on a farm near Frankfurt Oder. Kuzma worked as watchman in goods stock. After the war, they were returned to the Soviet Union, immediately separated and deported- Kuzma to Vorkuta, Magdalena with children to Siberia.
There is another story that during the war has been deported to Germany Magdalena’s two sisters too, but they remained (missing?) in Germany after the war.
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Try this Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/GermansFromRussiaHeritageSociety Maybe someone will know how to help you. If no one can help you there, try http://www.its-arolsen.org/en/homepage/index.html/ This is a free service to help families of Nazi persecution survivors and victims.
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I am trying to find anything on family from Kiev or Moscow. I don’t know the Russian spelling – but when relative came here last name was spelled Skover.
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Oooops, meant Kiev & Minsk!
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Do you have this spelling on a document? What year did they immigrate?
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Hi by any chance his surname was dynski as that was my grandad as I’m trying to find out more . Matt
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I really recommend you make an index search request through this federal program- https://genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov/ It will cost $20. If they find a record, it will cost $20 or $35. It takes about 1-2 months for the search and then three months to receive records.
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I have Alex Skover, ( a relative put Alex Roman Skowera in parenthesis),
born 8/28/1887 in Kiev. Iimmigrated to U.S. via Canada to Michigan 1912.
I don’t have his spelling on a document, but I do have his brothers(John) spelling on a document when they came in to Michigan and it is spelled Skover. I believe there were sisters Martha & Olga that remained in Russia and possibly a brother Peter in Russia. Alex, John and Nick (Nickolas?) came to the U.S.
Olga Rutkowski who married ALex in the U.S. born 1893 in Minsk,immigrated to U.S. via Ellis Island – not sure what year for her though.
Thanks for writing back so quickly!
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Thank you for making this site! I never dreamed of being able to search Russian databases but with your advise it has now become possible.
However, none of the links above has come up with anything, so I wish to ask you if you have any idea what I can do next?
The family name is Weintraube/Veintraub, and I am trying to track down the family that lived in Chotin/Khotyn. My great grandfather Vladimir was born there in 1884, but apart from him having 12 siblings, and his fathers name being Mikhail, we do not have any records.
The search is really difficult because 1) I don’t speak russian 2) Khotyn has belonged to several countries;
-until 1812 Moldavia and Austria
1812-1917 Bessarabia (Russian Empire)
1917-1918 Moldavia
1918-1941 Romania
and finally USSR – today Ukraine
Do you have any idea where to look for the 1812-1917 records?
My grandfather at some point moved to Kishinev (also Bessarabia, today Chisinau Moldavia) where he married. In 1917 he was wounded in battle in Kiev, and the family moved permanently to Kiev, I am very interested in finding out which battle he fought in, and whose side. But how? Would that information be in Moldavia, in Ukraine?
He was arrested in Kiev nov.2, 1937 during the Great Purge, never to be heard of again, and the family think it has to do with the 1917 battle. I google-translated your link to “victims of political terror” and understand that the years 1937-1938 are still not available online (Can that CD be purchased?)
I do not expect you to know what I must do, but it doesn’t matter where I search – it is as my family never existed, so I hope perhaps you might have some ideas.
Thanks again for a great site – very inspirational
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Hello!
I highly recommend that you contact this researcher- Ihor Udovitski- at iudovitski@gmail.com He is highly knowledgeable and knows good English.
Here is the e-mail address for archives in Moldova for the marriage record. Please go to http://translate.google.com to write to them in Romanian. Write in short and simple English sentences and the translation should go well.
I recommend asking Ihor about the military and Great Purge records. I haven’t had much luck in that area.
Good luck and I am happy that you have enjoyed my blog.
I hope this all helps.
Vera
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Thank you very much for your reply 🙂
You forgot to post the email for the arcives in Moldavia, can I ask you to post again?
I will definitely consider contacting Ihor. Have you used him yourself?
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Sorry. Here is the e-mail address: arhiva.national@gmail.com
I have not used Ihor. My family doesn’t come from his area.
I have seen him highly recommended on two genealogy forums. I have never seen complaints about him.
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Great, thank you 🙂
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Looking for relatives by the name of Trebka in Ukraine or a place called Gmiryanka. My mother lived in Ichyna but left as a young girl. She told me she had one uncle and hoping he is still living. Is there anyone that can give me some idea on how I can track him down.
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Hi Lily,
I suggest you post for help on http://www.ukraine.com/forums/genealogy/ and http://genforum.genealogy.com/ukraine/. There are great helpers on those forums. Good luck!
Vera
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Thanks Vera. I have registered on line but for some reason I cannot put a post on.
Lily
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Sorry. I sometimes have problems with genealogy.com, but not ukraine.com.
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Thanks Vera. I will try them again.
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My grandfather emigrated to the U.S. in 1897. On his naturalization papers he lists his ‘Last Foreign Residence, Schwartimia, Russia’. After years of research I found that the spelling of this town/city is Yiddish and when translated becomes ‘Bila Tskerva, Ukraine’. His name on the ship manifest was Samuel Chajt. Eventually his name was changed to David Samuel White. Can anyone tell me if ‘Chajt’ is Yiddish or Russian/Ukrainian? What might it be when translated to English? Also, can anyone suggest how I could find records for Russian/Ukrainian Jews?
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Have you tried the forum at http://genforum.genealogy.com/ukraine/ ? I don’t have any experience with Jewish records.
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I have subscribed, FREE- to JewishGEN- and found many Ukranian Jews. Try it. rcanals65@gmail.com Renée
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My great grandfather was in the Cossack Military. His name is Nickolas Smolnisky. His birth date is 12-06-1845 and was born in Warsaw, Poland, Russia. He and his wife Christine arrived in America on May 16, 1885. The port of departure was Bremen, Germany. How do I get his military record? How do I order the $10 booklet by Sergei Koryagin?
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Hi Lana, Was your great-grandfather a Don Cossack? There are many different groups of Cossacks. Do you know where his father was born? Don Cossacks lived in eastern Ukraine and southern Russia.
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Hello, LostRussianFamily – her great grandfather was Nickolaus Smolnisky (he’s my great great grandfather). He was born in Odessa, Ukraine.
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Smolnisky is a noted Don Cossack surname. If you search Smolnisky and Don Cossacks in Russian on Google, you may get lucky. You will need to download Google Translate on a laptop computer.
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Hi, I am trying to track down background information on my late father Wolodymyr Fedeczko (Fedechko) from Kiev Ukraine. His recorded whereabouts begins at the POW camp Rimini Italy 1944/46, before coming to the UK. Can any one guide me with my search.Thank you
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Have you had any success with getting information from British Archives in its immigration records?
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hin how can i find my mother and sister death they leaved in ukraine
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When did they die?
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Have you had any success with getting information from British Archives in its immigration records?
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I just want to find my mother’s family,the left in 1920 from Elizabeth grad ,Herson ,Ukrania, the last name’s are Nosolovich,Polovolotzky ,some family was in Argentina, others in USA. but I do not have any more information. My grandmother name was Dina Nosolovich Povolotzky, my grandfather Gedali (Gregorio in spanish)Povolotzky. they left with 9 kids,but 3 died only 6 arrived to Argentina, Buenos Aires and then they move them to Rivera Provincia de Buenos Aires)
with the ship Lipari (1922)
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Hello, I am not getting any luck on these names. Post your info to http://www.ukraine.com/forums/genealogy and write again when you have more information. There are super helpful people on that forum.
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I am happy to find your blog. I hope everyone has good luck in finding their relatives using your hints and help. All I knew about my mother’s family was their names and their parents names. That changed this past Oct as I received an email from a lady in Russia. She saw a post I wrote years ago and my email has stayed the same so she took a chance and emailed me. She is descended from my Grandmother’s older sister. So we are cousins! It is so wonderful to have this contact in Russia! She has sent me so many photos and information. I now, thanks to Svetlana, know who was one of the original Germans to settle in Stahl am Karaman. His name was Johannes Seibel, came from Dienheim Germany and he is my sixth great grandfather. She has filled in my family tree starting with him and taking it to the present time. My grandmother was Christine Seibel, born 1885 in Rosenheim, Russia. She married Alexander Halle who was born in Boaro, Russia. They came to Chicago in 1912. Several family members were sent to Siberia during the purge. My great Grandfather Casper Seibel died their in 1944. Thank you again for helping so many people!
Carole
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Oh, thank you so much for your kind words! I am happy for your success. There is a great forum you can use with Goggle Translate- http://forum.vgd.ru/ I found all my family there.
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I need help finding some Jewish ancestry from Ukraine. (LIthuania as well but can not do it here). I have had trouble with names, parents etc. Kryve, Ozero, Ukraine is a total mess since Russian leaders as well ad the Nazis exterminated many of the Jews from this and surrounding areas. Here is hat I have
Isabelle Muriel Challove
1917–2000
Birth JANUARY 11, 1917 • New York, New York, New York, USA
Death JUNE 7, 2000 • Del Mar CA
Isabelle’s parents:
HERSCHEL HERSHEL Harry George Georg Herschell CHALEWSKIJ Challove Cheilofsky Jelovsky Challov Cheilovsky Chalofsky Challoff
1884–1966
Birth DECEMBER 25, 1884 • Kryve, Ozero, Ukraine (Odessa district)
Death 18 SEP 1966 • Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA
GITTEL (GITL) Gussie or Augusta? Beckerman
1887–1953
Birth 9 SEPT 1887 • Kamenetsk Podolskiy, Ukraine or Russia
Death 11 JUL 1953 • Detroit, Michigan Grave 807E, sectionD, Row02, Lot75
Herschel’s parents:
Yitzchak (iSAAC) (Mitzchok) (BEDORE?) Chalewskij Chalofsky Challove cheilofsky jelovsky Challov cheilovsky challoff
And
Anna Goldberg
GITTELS PARENTS:
NISSIN (NISAN) Nathan Beckerman
Esther Beckerman
can anyone help me :-(((
The tree is online on ancestry.
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Sorry for the late response. I highly recommend posting on this forum- http://www.ukraine.com/forums/genealogy/ I don’t have a recommended researcher for Odessa.
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I’ve been trying to research a part of my family that, to my knowledge, remained in Russia (while my great great grandfather came to America via Argentina).
My great great grandfather George Frick – Born Jan 1, 1871, Huck, Saratov, Russia) and died 25 Nov 1962, La Crosse, Kansas, USA. His parents were Laurence and Carlota Frick from Huck, Russia in the Volga region – Germans living in the Volga region since the 1700s. He had 3 sisters, Katarina, Kate and Lissbeth that did not immigrate to the USA. From my research online, I’ve determined that Katarina married a Georg Kreick and had one child, Jacob. Kate married a Georg Pillizz and had two sons, Conrad and Johannes. According to a letter from October of 1917 from one of the sisters from Russia (notifying George of his mother (Carlota)’s death), we know that this part of the family was still living in Russia at this time. I know that with the tremendous changes that were in Russia after this letter was written, it is extremely possible that the families did not survive. But with 3 known children between these sisters, is it even reasonable of me to continue search, hoping that there are perhaps some descendants still living? If so, are Russian forums the best hope for me try to locate any descendants? Any direction would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks 🙂
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Here is a genealogy group for the town on ok.ru. You can register in English but I assume the group uses Russian. Use Google Translate to post in the group. Here’s the link- https://ok.ru/huckkanton If you need anymore help, e-mail me from the contact page. Good luck!
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Thanks! I have been a member of Jewish Gen for many years, but haven’t really found any connections.
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Vera, I´m so happy to find your blog! Thanks a lot for it and have a nice time over there! I´m trying to find my relatives from Russia: Kaarle Höyhtyä and Terttu Höyhtyä – they´re not living any more but we don´t know what happened to them. Ulla-Riitta from Finland
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You’re welcome! What do you know about their lives?
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Looking for my great grandmother Antonia Hempel (born Vochmin). Not sure why she had the last name “Hempel” as my great grandfather was a Heinrich. Antonia was apparently born on June 13th 1914 in Vrchotursky Russia. Would love to find out how she came to germany where she met her partner/husband Richard Walter Heinrich – father of my late grandmother Karin.
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What year did she come to Germany? You can e-mail Russian archives at uprarchives@egov66.ru to see whether her birth records can be found. I would recommend using simple English to have Google Translate the message into Russian. The town will translate into Russian if you spell it Verkhotursky. Good luck!
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thank you Vera!
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Looking for my husband grandparents, Robert “Hermann” Tiefenbach born 20 Sep 1881 in Marjanowka, about 14 KM from Rivne, married 1917 in Rivne, Pauline Richter born 13 Oct 1896 in Rivne. Sohn, Wilhelm “Willi” Tiefenbach born 25 Sep 1925 in Rivne. My husbands father died 1984. As of EWZ Records they immigrated 1939 to Posen and last address was Kleindorf, Ostrowo, (Osiek). Robert Hermann parents were Johann Diefenbach(er) and Albertine Klohn, marriage 1862. Have no further data to his parents.
Siblings to Robert Hermann
Heinrich Christopf 28 May 1868 Friedrichsdorf, Wohlynien,
August 25 May 1870 Friedrichsdorf, Wohlynien,
Pauline Rosine 4 Sep 1871 Friedrichsdorf, Wohlynien,
Bertha or Berta 1 Mar 1879 Marjanowka, Wohlynien,
Hulda 20 Sep 1880 Marjanowka, Wohlynien,
I am not able to find any info what happened to his siblings
any help appreciated
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Hi! Im looking for birth registers or any documents of my grandfather:
Marcelo Sommerstein Zamorski
born in 24 january 1912 Vinnytsa Ukraine, he studied in france and in 1939 he take the Campana Ship from Marseille france to Buenos Aires Argentina, the he lived in Bolivia.
I know that he had an uncle sommerstein that was Count or duque and work with de zar.
thanks a lot for your help!!!
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Sorry for the late response. Just found your message. I highly recommend posting in these two Facebook groups- https://www.facebook.com/groups/UkrainianGenealogy/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/NashiPredky/ to find a researcher in Vinnytsa.
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I’m trying to find information on the Ukrainian side of my family tree.
My maternal Grandfather’s name is Anatole Kwasha (Anatolij Kvasha), he was born in 1944 as a Prisoner of War in Dachau Concentration Camp. He had two older brothers (now deceased) called Viktor and Leonid.
His parents were Ukrainian slave labourers who had been married in Donetsk, Fedir Kvasha and Sofia Anatchenko (possibly Zholner).
It’s believed that my Great-grandmother, Sofia, was half Polish, she could also speak Polish as well as a few other Slavic languages. This came in handy for when she and my Great-grandfather were planning to escape Dachau. She forged documents, claiming that herself, her husband and two older sons were born in Zakopane, Poland, and that their surname was Kwasza, rather than Kvasha.
The reason my Great-grandmother did this was that during this time Dachau had been releasing Polish prisoners, my family saw this as their opportunity to escape to America. Of course, they didn’t end up in America, they ended up in Australia. Specifically, Fremantle of Western Australia via the ship SS Dundalk Bay, this was in 1950.
Returning to Ukraine was useless to them as all that awaited them there were the Communists, prior to being prisoners in Dachau Concentration Camp, they had been persecuted by the Soviets, my Great-grandfather, Fedir, spent two years in a Siberian Gulag. With Totalitarianism and Fascism attacking them on either side, their only hope was to leave Europe.
Now, they wanted to go to America specifically as it was believed, or rather, hoped, that my Great-grandfather’s sister, Maria Kvasha, had made it to America herself. It’s unknown what happened to her, it’s unknown what happened to many relatives on the Kvasha and Anatchenko family trees.
My Great-grandmother had two sisters, although we speculate that they were her half-sisters. My Great-grandmother always said her maiden name was Anatchenko. However, her sisters’ maiden names were Zholner, hence the reason we think they only shared one parent. Now, my family have been in contact with our Zholner cousins who remain in Donetsk, Ukraine. However, they know as much as we do about the family history, in that they know very little.
I’ve been researching for years now, but it’s almost impossible for me to find anything about my family before WW2. I’ve got their immigration papers where they pretended to be Polish, but that’s about it, I can’t find anything else.
My Great-grandfather’s name was Fedir Kvasha, he was born on the 15th August 1911, and his wife, Sofia Anatchenko (possibly Zholner), was born 7th of July 1914. They had three sons, Viktor, Leonid and Anatolij. If you have any information that will help me, please don’t hesitate to reply.
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Maybe it would be a good idea to contact this free agency- https://www.its-arolsen.org/en/information/request-for-information-on-victims-of-nazi-persecution/. They have millions of records on Nazi persecution victims. A response will take about two years because the agency gets 25,000 requests a year but it’s worth it. In regards to the Ukrainian slave labor situation, e-mail arhivsbu@ssu.gov.ua in Russian. Use Google Translate if you don’t know Russian. Also send an English version of your message under the Russian version.
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Hello,
Do you have any recommendations on the best DNA test to use to try and find Russian relatives? My grandmother and grandfather immigrated to Australia in 1949 as part of the migrant assistance scheme I have been trying to find any relevant records but it is very difficult not reading Russian. Her name was Antonia Rodina born January 18 1918 I believe in Millerovo Oblast her family were very prominent wheat farmers but we don’t know what happened to her sister I believe her name is Onya Rodina or her brother Paul Rodina. She married a Friedrich Schneider I have been able to find the Australian records but unfortunately that is all.
Thankyou so much this is a wonderful website.
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I would start with Ancestry DNA and then test with Family Tree DNA. I have guides on these tests here- https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/a-russian-americans-insider-view-of-the-family-tree-dnas-family-finder-test/ and https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/a-russian-americans-inside-view-of-the-new-ancestrydna-test/ I haven’t had much luck or use for the 23andme test. If you have the resources, I would test with 23andme last- https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/a-russian-americans-insider-view-of-the-23andme-autosomal-test/
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Pingback: How I Solved It: Unknown Immigrant Database Completes Family Story of Escape From WWII – RootsFinder
I have been trying to locate to find more information on my grandfather who was in one of the Hungarian Forced Labour Battalions at the Russian front, taken captive by the Russians near Aleksjeva and didn’t survive to the best of our knowledge. Any suggestions how we can find information on possible gravesites, etc? Information from the Russian side. We know this from ITS, but that is about it.
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I don’t know anything about this part of the war. I highly suggest joining the groups mentioned on this page to see if someone knows how to find more information- https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/facebook-genealogy/
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Hi
My mum Nadzieja Prokochuk was taken to Germany from the Ukraine on enforced labour. She was from Male Sady. Does anyone know how I can find out where in Germany she was taken to. I know that she was put to work on a farm I think it was somewhere near Essen. Where do I write to in Germany to get this information. Thanks. Iwonna
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Hi Iwonna, You can make a free request for information here- https://www.its-arolsen.org/en/information/request-for-information-on-victims-of-nazi-persecution/ It will take 2 years to get a response. Good luck! Vera
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Looking for my great grandpa and his brother. Both were called into service for mobilization in june 1941. Everywhere I have searched doesnt give me any closure as to what happened to both of them, one disappeared in September 1941 and the other in January 1941/44(?)… looked everywhere for weeks now and nothing. Would like some help as to what I can do to find out their dates. I have so much info about both of them pre 1941, but everything ends after they went missing. Thanks so much
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If they went missing in action, they most likely died outside a battlefield and no one knew their identities when they died. If you know Russian, you could join this Russian genealogy Facebook group and ask for help. I am sorry that was the situation for them during the war. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169714816510441/
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Their fates***
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Hi, can I please have information about Olga Perlin (1887- 1931), married Enrique Grimblat. She had 6 sisters. Thank you.
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What have you already researched on her? I can give you suggestions where to look.
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Hello, I’ve been searching for my lost Russian family since I was a teenager in the early 1990’s. My great-grandfather was from a Cossack family that identified as Russian with a last name which I’m guessing to be something like Bryndza. His father was a magistrate for region and lived for at least a period on the sea. My G-Grandfather Aleksandr Gregorg Brendza immigrated to the United States in 1907 and changed his name to Alexander Berender. I have no way to know the exact familial name in Cyrillic script… only that Berender wasn’t the exact pronunciation and that it sounded more like Brendja. Alex’s immigration records are confusing, the closest lead I can find is that he says on one that he was born Dec 1884 in chdiocinek, Poland. My guess is that the “sea” is probably the Baltic Sea since there seems to be a connection to Poland.
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I would be grateful if you have any suggestions for my above statement. We have many incredible stories and I even lived in Saint Petersburg for a year, hoping to find out some information. But at that time I was a University Student and really didn’t know how to do any research except learn to love Russian culture.
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Hello Brenja, So sorry for the delayed response. I would recommend joining my Facebook group. I have some great helpers on there- https://www.facebook.com/groups/findlostussrfamily. The closest in spelling is this town- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciechocinek but that is just a guess. Have you obtained his Social Security Application? You can apply here- https://www.ssa.gov/foia/request.html. Do you have his Alien File? There are some great Polish genealogy groups on Facebook that could help you narrow down the birthplace. Vera
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Name: Alexander Berender
Naturalization Age: 43
Record Type: Naturalization
Birth Date: 7 Dec 1884
Birth Place: Poland
Year of Arrival: 1907
Naturalization Date: 20 Mar 1928
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I would recommend doing an index search with this program. The cost is $65. https://genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov/
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https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136127014/alexander-berender?_gl=1*1dzovxl*_ga*MTUwMDI3NDY2Ni4xNjc3MTIxOTkw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY3NzEyMTk4OC4xLjEuMTY3NzEyMjM2OS4xNy4wLjA.*_ga_B2YGR3SSMB*NjQ5NzlmZDktMDNlNy00NGQzLTg4NWUtOWZkNTBmOWIwYWUxLjEuMS4xNjc3MTIyMzcwLjE4LjAuMA..
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Hi,
I’m trying to find births, marriages, and deaths for Vinnytsia Ukraine, for the years 1850-1915, specifically for the towns of Tulchyn, Vapniarka, and Zhmerynka.
Thanks,
Tammy
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Hello, Thank you so much for following my blog. I am posting links to scanned records from Ukraine on this page- https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/scanned-russian-and-ukrainian-archive-records/ Have you tried searching for your ancestors on FamilySearch here from the area of indexed records- https://www.familysearch.org/search/location/continental-europe/ukraine? You will need to sign up or have a free registered account. Hope that helps. Hopefully, FamilySearch will be scanning in your ancestors’ region soon. Records are being posted pretty quickly. Vera
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Yes, I have looked at FamilySearch. The records for that area, and that time period are not available.
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Hello, You can email the archives at this address- admin@davio.gov.ua. If you don’t know Ukrainian, use Google Translate, write in simple English, first translate to Russian and then to Ukrainian. Vera
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Thank you
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It’s very important you publish this list. Civilians on both Ukraine and Russian side are suffering because of this insane war. Thanks a lot and I hope lives are being saved by this.
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Can you give me more information, please? Which list are you referring to? Where can the list be found?
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