How to read Russian church records (metric books)
Russian Orthodox parishes recorded every baptism, marriage and burial in metric books (метрические книги) until about 1918. One entry often gives parents, their social estate, village and the godparents — enough to reach the next generation.
Three parts of every book
- О родившихся — births: date of birth and baptism, child's name, parents, godparents (восприемники), the priest.
- О бракосочетавшихся — marriages: groom and bride with ages, estate, residence, first or second marriage, witnesses (поручители).
- Об умерших — deaths: date of death and burial, age, cause of death, place of burial.
Other faiths kept their own registers: Lutheran, Catholic, Old Believer, Jewish (kept by "crown rabbis") and Muslim.
Vocabulary
| Russian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| родился, родилась | was born (m., f.) |
| крещён, крещена | was baptized |
| родители | parents |
| законная жена его | his lawful wife |
| оба православные | both Orthodox |
| восприемники | godparents |
| крестьянин, крестьянка | peasant (m., f.) |
| мещанин, мещанка | townsperson (urban estate) |
| купец | merchant |
| деревни, села | of the village (деревня — village without a church, село — with a church) |
| губернии, уезда, волости | of the province, district, rural district |
| браком первым | first marriage |
| вдовец, вдова | widower, widow |
| девица | unmarried woman (maiden) |
| умер, умерла | died |
| от чего умер | cause of death |
| лет, месяцев, дней | years, months, days (age) |
| погребён | was buried |
Old letters and spelling
- ѣ (yat) reads as "e"; і reads as "i"; ѳ (fita) reads as "f".
- ъ at the end of words after consonants is silent: Петровъ = Петров.
- Peasants' patronymics are often written as "Иван Петров" (Ivan, son of Pyotr) — it is not necessarily a surname.
Dates
Dates are Julian (Old Style). Convert to the Gregorian calendar by adding 12 days in the 19th century and 13 days in 1900–1918. Ages in marriage and death entries are often rounded — prefer the birth entry.
Where to find the books
Most metric books are in the state archive of the region where the parish is today, in the fonds of the diocesan consistory. Many archives publish scans online; FamilySearch has microfilms for many provinces; Yandex Archive Search lets you search recognized handwriting by name.
Get help reading an entry
Upload a photo of an entry to the assistant in Rodoslov: it transcribes the original, translates it into English and lists the people and their relationships, ready to add to your family tree. Always compare the result with the original — old handwriting can be ambiguous.